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The City has only limited storm sewer facilities. These were almost all ad-hoc repairs installed in reaction to acute problems that had developed. As the City continues to grow and development patterns become even t more intense,there will be a need for aggressive stormwater management. Some of this management may be able to happen on individual sites,although most of it will need to be done by the City. Pequot Lakes is blessed to be the home of some major telecommunications companies. High speed intemet is available throughout the City,as is telephone and cable for television. Cellular service wanes in some areas,although there is service throughout the main corridors. The availability of natural gas has been a boom for residential development. Due to its location along Highway 371,Pequot Lakes will likely always be ahead of other rural communities in privately-supplied modern infrastructure. Policies The following policies are proposed to guide all future infrastructure—related decisions in Pequot Lakes: Municipal utility systems must be fiscally managed like a private utility,minus the profit margin.Public utilities need to operate in the same manner as private utilities. They need to '► maintain the current system and level of service while planning ahead for repairs or replacement of system components. They also need to plan for future expansion,where needed. While the public is typically understanding of minor annual rate increases from private utilities(phone,cable,gas and electric),elected officials are often reluctant to consider rate increases,equating them with tax increases. Minor annual rate increases that reflect increases in the cost of running the system and provide revenue for capital improvements are necessary to make sure that the City is not forced into large rate increases in the future. Funds dedicated for capital improvements should not be used to cover other parts of the budget. Utilities are a major factor in shaping land use characteristics,and so their placement should be used to implement this plan. When public utilities are available and the cost of those utilities is not subsidized by the government,market factors will cause development density to increase.Utilities should only be extended into those areas where high development density is desired. For areas that are to remain rural(those beyond the transition area),lot sizes must be large to reduce the overall pressure on the groundwater. _ Consider more aggressive maintenance and innovative approaches to individual sewage r treatment systems.Individual sewage treatment systems-when properly installed,used,and maintained-provide an adequate level of sewage treatment.All properties that lie outside of the sewer service area have their sewage treated by individual treatment systems. In a seasonal area, these systems often do not work well as they experience peak usage and are not properly main- tained year-round. Especially along the shoreline,this has a dramatic affect on the quality of the r area's resources.A more aggressive regimen featuring inspection and maintenance of individual systems should be implemented,especially in shoreline areas. The City should require clustering _ and management of sewer systems in new developments. The City must be open to new and innovative ways to treat sewage. i1 Facilities that have a risk of fire damage(industrial uses,commercial uses where flam- mable liquids are present,etc...)or house large populations of people(schools,group home facilities,etc...)must be located on the municipal water system for fire protection. The City's municipal water system provides enough pressure and volume for excellent fire protec- tion throughout the industrial park and most of the downtown. With the office/campus concept growing in appeal,there is a trend to locate facilities with a high number of people to more remote Comprehensive Plan