Item B: River Road/Santa Clara Annexation Policy

Home Browse Search

RRCO attachment to 8/01/06 letter re: street annexations—page 3 Besides a single light on Maxwell, River Road is the only street in our neighborhood with traffic signals, and thus where coordination of signals is an issue. Since River Road and Maxwell are already under City jurisdiction, we do not see how annexation of segments of other streets will have any effect on coordination of traffic signals. Stormwater and sewer line extension and repair City staff say [March 30, 2006 Memo from Jim Carlson to Mayor and Council on Street Annexations]: "Stormwater needs to be managed as a functioning system. The City's stormwater system is more comprehensive (than Lane County's). The City is better equipped to handle stormwater issues through its stormwater utility system." They also say street annexations allow the City greater control over sewer line extension and repair [City of Eugene's FAQ Annexations in Eugene (March 2006)]. In fact, there is very little City stormwater infrastructure system (e.g., storm sewer pipes) in the River Road neighborhood. Instead, the stormwater system is a dispersed one, based on drywells, ditches, and natural infiltration through soils--unconnected to the city's "comprehensive" system. Many residents want to retain this "country-style" drainage and avoid connection to the City's piped system to preserve neighborhood character. Dispersed systems are also coming into favor with our environmental agencies due to their ability to reduce runoff and pollution of our surface waters. It would be very costly to area residents and all City taxpayers to replace this dispersed system with a system of pipes and curbs and gutters. As the City acknowledges, Lane County and the City are cooperating under an intergovernmental agreement to develop a stormwater Basin Plan for River Road-Santa Clara--as with other services and governmental functions, management of stormwater is being handled adequately under current agreements between the City and County. Personnel from both jurisdictions have indicated an intent to retain the dispersed stormwater system in our area to the extent possible. Thus, it is not at all obvious that the City is "better equipped" to take control of stormwater management here, since it is handled very differently than in the rest of the City (and more like the way it is handled elsewhere in the County). The City already operates and maintains the wastewater system throughout River Road, via the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission created by intergovernmental agreement between Eugene, Springfield and Lane County. According to the River Road-Santa Clara Fiscal Analysis (Oct. 2004) by EcoNorthwest, "Complete annexation of River Road and Santa Clara would have no impact on the delivery of wastewater services as the City of Eugene currently collects and treats wastewater from the entire area." We have seen no evidence that extension and repair of sewer lines is a problem that has not been handled under current agreements. Water Service and Water Line Extension and Repair The City wants greater control over water line extension and repair, saying the two existing independent water districts are reluctant to approve repairs done by EWEB. [March 30, 2006 Memo from Jim Carlson to Mayor and Council on Street Annexations]. However, as far as we know, the River Road water district is providing an adequate level of services to the unincorporated residents who have elected to create and sustain it. It is neither necessary nor appropriate for the City to take over water services or take ownership of the water pipes owned by the independent water district without the agreement of the residents who have formed the district. If the City has problems with the current arrangement, these could be solved via a re-negotiated agreement with the water district about compensation for use of the district's water lines and access to those lines for maintenance work.