Memorandum

Memorandum

To:              David Corliss, Assistant City Manager

From:          Toni Ramirez Wheeler, Staff Attorney

Cc:              Mike Wildgen, Debbie Van Saun, Chief Jim McSwain, Deputy Chief Mark Bradford, Rich Barr              

Re:              Ordinance No. 7925 – Subsurface Blasting Regulations

Date:           September 8, 2005

Attached please find Ordinance No. 7925, amending the City’s blasting regulations.  Based upon the discussion of the proposed ordinance at the City Commission meeting on September 6, 2006, staff submits the ordinance with the following changes:

1. 8-602(M) – A sentence is added to the “Structure” definition to clarify that utility lines (separately defined in the ordinance) and accessory apparatus are not structures. 

2. 8-603(C)(1)(c)(3): - The words “utility lines” are stricken from the section referencing the scale drawing that is submitted with the blast plan for proposed blasting within 500 feet of structures or utility lines.  The GIS system does not have information on all utility lines and cannot therefore be shown on a map produced by the City’s GIS system.  Although utility lines do not have to be designated on the map, utility line owners still have an opportunity to request a pre-blast survey.  The words are also stricken from the Application Checklist (a Table) to reflect this change in the body of the ordinance.

3. Effective Date:         The effective date of the Ordinance is January 1, 2006.

The City Commission also directed staff to recommend a plan to allow contractors with existing construction projects sufficient time to obtain blasting operation permits under the existing blasting regulations, and for those with active City blasting permits obtained prior to January 1, 2006, to continue to operate under the existing regulations.  Rich Barr recommends the adoption of the Policy attached to this memorandum.