By Kristine Thomas
Silverton City Manager Bob Willoughby said it is time to stop “kicking the can” down the road.
“We have to stop passing on the responsibility to maintain and fix our systems,” he said. “This generation has to step up and fix our infrastructure.”
For too long, he said, the city has avoided raising fees needed to pay for an aging infrastructure and necessary projects.
“We have a lot of water pipes that are 80 years old,” he said. “We have to start maintaining and fixing our systems. We don’t have money from the budget to make the improvements.”
The city hired consultants to evaluate how much was needed on a monthly basis for capital projects – parks, street lights, streets/transportation and storm water. Currently, there are no fees charged for those projects, Willoughby said.
Sewer and water rates were also evaluated to determine if an increase was needed to make repairs to an aging system, he said.
After months of meetings with consultants and the budget committee, the city council is set to vote on whether to increase fees for the 2013-14 fiscal year. There will be additional meetings beginning in the fall to finalize a five-year fiscal plan, Willoughby said.
The council will hold a special council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 17 in Council Chambers, 421 S. Water St.
The new fees added to a residential water bill would be for parks, streets/ transportation and storm water. The total amount proposed is $8.50 a month – $2.50 for parks; $5 for streets/ transportation and $1 for storm water.
In addition, there are proposals for monthly increases in sewer fees of $2.69 and water fees of $1.43. For the “average” residential user that means the sewer would rise from $52.78 to $55.47 a month and water from $23.56 to $24.99.
“When we began this process in January,” Willoughby said, “the question asked was what do rates need to be to keep water and sewer utilities financially viable and to keep the facilities running while replacing old parts.”
If the council approves the plan, the total monthly fee increase would be $12.62 with an average residential utility bill increasing from $76.34 a month to $88.96.
Willoughby said if the council approves the fees, residents will see the increase on their utility bills beginning Aug. 1. The fees would be for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
What he hopes residents understand is that the proposed fees are far less than what was recommended by consultants.
For example, Willoughby said, currently the city has budgeted $10,000 for street and transportation projects. If the council approves the proposed fees, the budget would be $100,000.
Willoughby said the amount the consultant recommended for streets and transportation was $662,000 for the first year, with a proposed fee of $14.52 a month. The budget committee recommended taking that down to $10.85 a month. What the council is considering Monday evening has been reduced further, to $5 a month for streets/ transportation.
And while the consultants recommended $152,000 a year for street lights, generated by a $3.29 a month fee. The budget committee is not recommending this fee, and it is not on the council’s list for Monday.
Currently, residents do not pay park, streets, or storm water fees, Willoughby added.
He said the consultants recommended a total of $25.48 a month in new fees.
“The budget committee and the city council understood that was too much to ask residents to pay,” he said. “It took us years to get in this situation. We can’t fix this in a year.”
Describing the current storm water system as incomplete, Willoughby said there is water backing up into properties, times when the basements of downtown businesses flood, and places in the city without a storm water system.
If the fees are approved, residents would pay $1 a month or $12 a year for a storm water fee. Commercial and industrial businesses would pay $5 for every 3,121 square feet of impervious surface. He said the highest bill would be for the former Champion site on Mill Street, at $1,700 a year.
“The city has not made investments in its infrastructure,” Willoughby said. “We have under funded our systems.”
He said the water treatment plant is 40 years old and normally upgrades are made every 20 to 30 years.
Drawing a line on a piece of paper with the line dropping off, Willoughby said the state of the city’s streets is nearing the edge of the cliff. While the roads may look fine, much work is needed to protect the citizens’ investment, he said.
“By the time the public sees the problem with a road, it’s too late.” No longer is there money from the federal or state government for projects, he added.
With the lower interest rates, Willoughby said, it’s time for citizens to maintain their investments with local dollars. The city knows what needs to be done to maintain and improve the infrastructure. To delay – or kick the can to future generations – would not be fiscally prudent, he said.
“We really can’t afford not do this now.”
