CC Minutes - 06/09/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Joint Work Session Board of Commissioners/City Council June 9, 1999 Page 11 · The Board must retain authority to authorize retail access to its customers. · There must be an ability to compete equally, have protection from cost shifts, and have the ability to recover stranded costs. · There must be provisions for public purposes such as continuing conservation, developing renewable energy sources, and providing low income assistance. Mr. Kunkel described elements of Senate Bill 1149 under consideration in the 1999 Oregon Legislative Session, as follows: · EWEB would have the right to decide the extent and timing of open access to all of its customers. · EWEB would have the right to decide the extent of stranded costs, and its allocation and collection method. · If open access was granted, EWEB would be required to spend three percent of its total revenues on public purposes, as it determined best. · Cities would be able to require Contributions-In-Lieu-of-Taxes from all energy providers. Mr. Kunkel stated that Senate Bill 1145 had broad support from a private utilities, business, environmental, and customer group coalition. He said that PacificCorp was the major opposition to the bill, citing issues of timing, inequities, and stranded costs. He said likelihood of the bill passing was estimated at +/- 60 percent. Mr. Kunkel expressed appreciation for the support given to EWEB in its lobbying efforts regarding Senate Bill 1145 by Michael Redding, City Legislative Lobbyist. Councilor Meisner left the meeting at 8:15 p.m. Councilor Kelly asked ifEWEB's support for Senate Bill 1145 was "making the best of a bad situation." Mr. Kunkel replied that EWEB would prefer that no universal access to its retail customers was allowed, but that protections provided in the bill were the best that could be anticipated. FLUORIDE President Smith stated that the Board of Commissioners was regularly approached by advocates and opponents of adding fluoride to the City's water system. She said its positive impact on community health was widely supported, but that the Board had determined it would not pursue fluoridation on its own because voters had approved and rejected it on two different occasions. She said the Eugene Dental Society had not been able to place a voter initiative on the ballot. Councilor Nathanson recommended that Lane County become the advocate for fluoridation of water because it was normally responsible for health issues.