The following is a wrap-up of the September 18 City Council meeting. As always, you may view the full agenda here, or listen to a recording of the September 18 meeting here.

By a unanimous vote, the City Council approved the purchase of six SmartCover monitoring systems for the City’s sewage system. At the moment, the City owns and maintains over 70 miles of sewer mains. Under state and federal law, sewer lines must be regularly cleaned and repaired to prevent sanitary sewer overflows. The City is also motivated by the 2016 Sewer Consent Judgement to take proactive action to safeguard reliable operation of the sewer utility.

Back in 2017, the Public Works department conducted a pilot program that deployed a SmartCover monitoring system at four manhole locations that had previous surcharges and overflows. During this pilot program, the system detected potential overflows that were prevented by field staff intervention.

The SmartCover system is a web-based technology that provides real-time remote sewer overflow monitoring via a reliable satellite communications systems. They are installed on the underside of existing manhole covers and can be moved to various locations, as monitoring needs change. The SmartCover system provides real-time security intrusion detection and monitoring of sewage levels in manholes.

With the approval, the Public Works team will purchase six SmartCovers for an amount not to exceed $28,746.22.

City Council approves update to City’s conflict of interest code

By a unanimous vote, the City Council approved an update to the City’s conflict of interest code. Designed to inform public officials and members of the public about the types of financial interests that may create conflicts of interests, Form 700 is a public document that must be submitted and updated every two years. Depending on the position, the type of disclosure category may require full disclosure to commission-related income.

The Political Reform Act requires the 2018 Conflict of Interest Code Biennial Notice to be filed with the agency’s code-reviewing body by October 1. You can view a list of positions and their classifications here.