HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981 10-06 8 Suburbs, city study sewer deal DISPATCH 6 suDurns, cy
study sewer deal
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By Mike Sweeney Newcome asked representa-
Staff Writer tives from the municipalities to
Under a compromise assess accept the 40-60 plan for a year,
ment plan to be introduced during which committees could
Thursday, St. Paul and eight sub- meet to reach a solution.
urbs would split 40-60 the cost of ST. PAUL Mayor George La-
treating Ramsey County lake timer said he would recommend
water that overflows through the plan to the City Council if the
city sewers into the Pig's Eye suburbs also accept it, even
treatment plant. though it would double the cost
Metropolitan Council member to the city.
Tom Newcome told representa- Discussion Monday indicated
tives of the nine municipalities that while some suburbs might
Monday that he will introduce agree,others would not.
the plan at the council's Physical "Unless everyone is prepared
Development Committee meet- to (accept the plan)," Latimer
ing as an interim solution to the said, "then there is no point in
overflow problem. "
St. Paul paid the entire cost of waiting a year.
treating the overflow until Feb- Newcome asked the represent-
ruary, when the Met Council ap- atives to discuss his idea with
proved assessing the suburbs 80 suburban officials and councils
percent of the costs, because and let him know by Thursday if
much of the overflow comes it is acceptable.
from two suburban lakes — IF THE COMPROMISE is re-
McCarron and Beaver. jected, the council has several
THE SUBURBS — Maple- options. It can do nothing and
wood, Oakdale, Roseville, Little leave the assessment at 20 per-
Canada, White Bear Lake, Fal- cent on St. Paul and 80 percent
con Heights, North St. Paul and on the suburbs; it can change the
Vadnais Heights — have threat- assessment structure to favor
ened to withhold the payments the suburbs; or it can unilateral-
and take legal action to stop the ly pass Newcome's plan.
assessment. saying it will add to If agreement is not reached
already skyrocketing sewer bills. between St. Paul and the suburbs
They contend they should not on how to handle the problem, it
have to pay because St. Paul has seems headed for the courts or,
not developed separate storm perhaps,binding arbitration.
sewers, causing the clean over-
flow to course to the treatment
plant in the sanitary sewers.
St. Paul has argued it should
not be paying to treat water
from the suburbs.
"We're trying to figure a way
to solve this problem that will
please everybody . . . ," New-
come said. "But, frankly, that's
impossible."