Item 2A - Approval of Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Ms. Smith explained that there was an ongoing cycle of maintenance, rehabilitation, and renewal, as the ~perfect pipe" that would last forever had yet to be developed. Ms. Bettman asked if pipes were being built to standards so that they would be easier to rehabilitate. Mr. Corey responded that the department was only in charge of facilities installed in the public right-of-way. He said pipe that led from the City facilities to private homes was also responsible for the infiltration of stormwater and there was no ongoing regulatory authority over such pipes. He stated that pipes installed today were no more or less easy to rehabilitate than older pipes. Mr. Corey said, in response to question from Mr. Pap~, the department did have standard location and construction specifications. Mr. Pap~ shared his concern that people could not afford the increase in fees to cover the cost of the projects. He wondered if the MWMC could seek out loans and grants to cover some of the needed work. Ms. Smith responded that there was little federal money available, although the MWMC had secured a small amount of United Front money for a minor project. She related that the commission had just approved the rate increase for the next year. In evaluating a range of options between a 12.5 and 38 percent increase, the commission had opted to increase the fee by 24 percent. She thought the combination of phasing, wherein all projects were pushed out until the very last minute, and the commission setting itself in a good position in the bond market, would benefit the rate-payers. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Ms. Smith said there was not a typical increase for a business customer, but the percentage of the increase would be the same as that for the residential customers. Mr. Poling commented that 20 years without doing an update on a facility such as this was ~'just asking for trouble." He related that the members of the MWMC had struggled to arrive at the proposed improvements and fee increases. He expressed appreciation for the work the staff of the MWMC had done. He predicted the dollar amount would be the only stumbling block. B. WORK SESSION: Proposed Modifications to Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission Regional Wastewater System Development Charge Methodology and Rates Mr. Taylor stated that a public hearing on the modifications was scheduled for June 14 and it was scheduled for council action on June 28. Fred McVey, Data Services Manager for the Public Works Department, explained that the council would be presented two resolutions for action, one that would adopt the proposed SDC methodology forwarded to the council by the MWMC, and the other to adopt the SDC rates that would result from the application of the methodology to the Facility Plan and 20-Year Project List. Mr. McVey provided a brief overview of the attachment entitled Systems Development Charge Method- ologies included in the agenda item summary (ALS). He averred that the work of the consultants, legal counsel, and the commission contributed to the development of a very solid defensible methodology that complied with all statutory requirements and sufficiently addressed issues of equity. With the aid of a MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 19, 2004 Page 3 Work Session