10-11-1999 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Metropolitan Council Working for the Region, Planning for the Future Environmental Services MCES Profile Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) is one of four divisions of the Metropolitan Council, a regional public agency working for the seven-county metropolitan area. Sen/ing 2.5 million residents in 189 municipalities, MCES: • Partners with numerous public, private and nonprofit groups committed to a clean envi.'onment. • Contributes regional leader ship to reduce water pollution through public education. »Provides water supply and water resources planning for three major watersheds: the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix. • Coordinates watershed protection for 46 sub watersheds. • Works with 839 irnlustrial clients to substantially reduce the amount of pollution entering our wastewater collection system. • Owns and maintains 550 miles of regional sewers that collect flow from 5,000 miles of sewers owned by 104 communities. • Treats 300 million gallons of wastewater daily at nine regional treatment plants. • Continues to achieve, over the past 10 years, near perfect compliance with federal and state clean-water standards. • Maintains wastewater service rates consistently below the national average. Metropolitan Council Environmental Services Committed to Organizational Effective? -ess Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) is responsible for: • Coordinated water resources, sewer service network and capital investment planning to preserve regional water quality and water supply. • Water resources management providing an optimal mix of point and nonpoint source solutions. • Cost and quality competitive wastewater collection and treatment for 104 communities and 839 industrial clients. In response to significant forces for change—increasing nonpoint pollution, private sector competition, and rising customer expectations —MCES has accelerated its change efforts, which have been underway since 1994, and is focusing on: providing cost competitive services; improving the environment through strategically focused initiatives; and ensuring equity in the MCES rate system. Providing cost competitive services MCES maintains rates that are consistently below the national average and will continue to lower the wholesale rate charged to its customer communities. • The MCES 1999 budget is $10.4 million below its 1998 unamended base budget. As a result of the cuts, the wholesale rate charged to customer communities ($/hundred thousand gallons) decreased 7% between 1998 and 1999. • An additional $9.6 million in cuts will be made by 2001 resulting in a total rate reduction of 14.4 percent by 2001. • As a result of Council-controlled increases in rates through its Rate Policy and Rate Objective, MCES will save current and future rate payers $150 million through 2001. • Between 1994 and 1998, MCES reduced its workforce, through attrition, by 183 positions. As part of the planned budget reductions, MCES will eliminate 200 additional positions between 1998 and 2001 for a total workforce reduction of 35%. A late 1998 voluntary separation program has already resulted in reduction of 120 of those 200 positions. By continuing efforts to buy commodities in bulk, buy cooperatively with other organizations, and negotiate better utility rates, MCES is flattening its non-labor program expenses. In 1997 and 1998 MCES received rebates of $1.8 million from NSP for its energy efficiency measures. Debt service is about 40% of the MCES annual budget. In the early 1990s, the organization prepaid and restructured its debt, saving millions of dollars in debt service costs. MCES continues to see debt as a high priority issue. Tb control debt .service expenditures in the future, MCES is re-examining the timing, scope, and costs of its major capital projects. The division is also shifting projects to pay-as- you-go financing to avoid interest expenses. (continued on back) 230 East Fifth Street St. Paul. Minnesota 55101-1626 1651) 602-1005 An Equal OppnrTumfy ErrtpUx/rr Fax 602-1 183 TDO/TTY 229-3760