City of Bandon
CITY MANAGER'S NEWSLETTER
January 9, 2008
This newsletter is an informal report by City Manager Matt Winkel on the news, issues, and other items of interest from the City of Bandon. It will normally be posted once each month (on the Friday following the City Council meeting) on the City's WEB Page at www.ci.bandon.or.us, and will be e-mailed directly to all subscribers. Subscribers will also receive copies of City Council, Planning Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission, Committee for Citizen Involvement, and Water Resource Committee agendas via e-mail in advance of each meeting.
To subscribe or un-subscribe, or if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please e-mail to citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us. Your e-mail addresses will be kept confidential and not distributed or used for any purposes other than e-mail communications with the City of Bandon.
FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
- New City Councilors Seated
- Ad Hoc Citizen's Committee To Be Formed To Review The City's Sewer Rate Structure
- Barn (Community Center) Fee Schedule Adopted
- Tree Removal Or Driveway Realignment At 624 Riverside Drive
- City To Purchase Additional Green Power
- Date Set For Pubic Hearing On The Proposed Parks Master Plan
- Brush, Yard Debris, And Christmas Tree Pick-Up Week: January 12-16
- Date Set For Workshop On City Council Goals For 2009-2011
- Correction To Prior 2008 Population Estimate
- Linda's Church Joke
NEW CITY COUNCILORS SEATED
Re-elected Mayor Mary Schamehorn and City Councilor Geri Procetto, together with newly elected City Councilors Claudine Hundhausen and Brian Vick, were sworn into office by City Attorney Fred Carleton at the January 5th City Council meeting. In recognition of their contributions to the City, Mayor Schamehorn presented decorative clocks to departing Councilors Joe Briscoe and Chris Powell. Congratulations to Mary, Geri, Claudine, and Brian, and a sincere thanks to departing Joe and Chris for their outstanding service to the community.
AD HOC CITIZENS COMMITTEE TO BE FORMED TO REVIEW THE CITY'S SEWER RATE STRUCTURE
On several occasions over the last couple of years, the City Council has discussed the potential of developing a new sewer rate calculation methodology, which would better address the overall issue of total water use vs. water actually going into the sanitary sewer system. Since the City has no means of measuring sewer flows, the sewer charges are based on the gross amount of water a customer uses. To account for landscaping water which does not go down the sewer, the sewer rates are lower during the period from June 1 to November 1 each year. In examining the City's current billing methodology, it is clear that there is no way to reduce everyone's sewer bill, while still generating the same amount of money for operating and maintaining the sewer system. Any changes which reduce the costs for one group or class of customers automatically shifts those costs to another group or class of customers.
To develop a new rate schedule, the basic approach involves examining the entire revenue structure to determine what percentage of the system costs should be recovered by the base rates, what percentage should be recovered from consumption rates, how that consumption should be measured, and what share of the overall system costs should be allocated to residential, commercial, public, and industrial customers. Last year, the City Council looked into the possibility of hiring the City Engineer to prepare such a sewer or water/sewer rate study. However, at an estimated cost of $12,000 - $18,000, it was felt that such an expenditure could not be justified.
The City has been receiving an increasing number questions and complaints regarding the current practice of basing the sewer charges on the gross amount of water used. Although the City has lower sewer rates during the summer, to help offset the cost of landscape watering, some customers feel they are still being unfairly charged. At the January 5th meeting, the City Council approved a recommendation by Councilor Mike Claassen to form an ad hoc citizens committee, similar to the previous Water System Finance Committee, to examine the potential of developing an alternative sewer rate structure to more fairly allocate the costs for operating and maintaining the sewer system. Councilor Claassen was appointed to head up such a committee, and he is currently looking for members of the community who would like to help in this effort. If you are interested in serving on the Ad Hoc Sewer Rate Study Committee, please e-mail a statement of interest, including any experience or qualifications you may have, to Councilor Claassen at mmclaas@earthlink.net.
BARN (COMMUNITY CENTER) FEE SCHEDULE ADOPTED
At their January 5th meeting, the City Council adopted a schedule of fees for use of the renovated Barn/Community Center. The fees are intended to recuperate some the taxpayer's costs for providing utilities, management, maintenance, janitorial services, and other services for the Barn. At the same time, they have been kept as low as possible, particularly during the first year, to encourage use and provide an affordable facility for use by the various individuals, organizations, and agencies within and serving the community.
A copy of the Fee Schedule, which includes six user groups, can be obtained at City Hall. The rates depend on the areas used, including the new conference rooms (which can be configured from four individual rooms to one large room), the Barn dining room, and the kitchen. Examples of the rates for the different users are shown below:
- Group 1 - CITY SPONSORED EVENTS are exempt.
- Group 2 - CIVIC/NON-PROFIT/COMMUNITY SERVICE GROUPS could use one of the meeting rooms all day for $70, including tables and chairs. or all four rooms for $280.
- Group 3 - PRIVATE/NON-COMMERCIAL USERS for one-time events such as weddings, dances, parties, reunions, banquets, etc. can rent the entire conference facility (all four meeting rooms in whatever configuration is desired, plus the lobby/reception area), including tables and chairs, for $500 per day.
- Group 4 - PRIVATE COMMERCIAL USERS would pay the highest fee of $1,000 per day for the entire conference facility for commercial events and meetings. The facility is completely wired for internet and teleconferencing.
- Group 5 - BARN DINING ROOM fees will be negotiated individually. The basic fee for using the Barn dining room is $50 per day or $10 per hour. At this time, the rates for all of the returning regular users, including the Senior Meals Program, the EAT meals program, Lions Club, and the Boy Scouts will remain the same for the new facility as they were for the old facility.
- Group 6 - KITCHEN use will be by special arrangement, with the fees negotiated depending on the specific type of event and the user's needs.
Since 2009 will be the first year of operation for the renovated Barn/Community Center, the actual level of use and operational costs are undetermined. Staff will monitor revenues vs. expenses during the next year, to help determine the appropriate level for fees in the following year.
TREE REMOVAL OR DRIVEWAY REALIGNMENT AT 624 RIVERSIDE DRIVE
At the December 1, 2008 City Council meeting, after reading the minutes of the October 9, 2008 Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, the City Council determined it would be appropriate to place on the January 5, 2009 City Council meeting agenda the matter of the driveway relocation/tree removal at 624 Riverside Drive. The issue involves a request by the property owner to have the City either remove a tree in the right-of-way which had grown to the point that it presents a traffic hazard at their driveway entrance, or relocate their driveway. Planning, electric, and public works department representatives determined that the tree does represent a significant traffic hazard. The Parks & Recreation Commission determined that the tree was worth saving, and recommended that the City relocate the driveway. The estimated cost for removing the tree was $3,500 - $5,000, and the estimated cost for relocating the driveway was approximately $5,000.
The question raised at the City Council meeting revolved around whether the City or the property owner should pay for the relocation. Since the hazard was caused by the City's tree growing to the point that it created traffic visibility problems, staff felt it was the City's responsibility to alleviate the situation, and that it would be appropriate to utilize funds from the Beautification Fund tree trimming budget to pay the cost of driveway relocation, since this would be the source of funds for removing the tree which was being saved.
None of the existing City regulations specifically address this particular issue. The City tree removal regulations generally place the responsibility for public tree maintenance and pruning with the City, but require the cost of voluntary tree removal to be born by the adjacent property owner. In this case, however, the request was not for voluntary tree removal by the property owner, but was for the City to remove a hazard tree or relocate the driveway. With respect to other facilities in the rights-of-way, the Municipal Code is more clear. Maintaining and clearing blockages from sewer laterals within the right-of-way is the responsibility of the property owner served by the lateral, except that the City is responsible in the event of damage caused by activity in the right-of-way, such as damage caused by City-maintained trees. The Code places the responsibility for public sidewalk maintenance and repair, as well as the liability for injury due to poorly maintained sidewalks, on the adjacent property owner.
Several other cities were surveyed regarding how a similar situation would be handled in their jurisdictions. The responses ranged from "the City's responsibility" to "the private property owner's responsibility." In the latter case, some cities had ordinances making public tree maintenance the responsibility of the adjacent property owners, similar to the responsibility for sidewalk maintenance and repair.
After discussing the issue, the City Council requested that staff obtain updated cost quotes for removing the tree and relocating the driveway, and unanimously voted to table the matter until the February 2, 2009 meeting, when the additional information would be available.
CITY TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL GREEN POWER
Oregon's Senate Bill 838 established a Renewable Energy Standard, also known as a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), for electricity. The bill generally requires that 25% of Oregon's total electric load come from new renewable energy resources by 2025. To comply with this bill, the City of Bandon's electric utility has two basic requirements: 1. Utilities which serve less than 1.5% of Oregon's load (such as the City of Bandon) must meet 5% of their load from qualifying resources by 2025 (as opposed to the overall 25%); and 2. All utilities are required to provide a green power rate option for their customers (resources procured and sold to customers under a green power rate may not be used to meet the renewable energy standard).
Since Bandon is a full-requirements customer of Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), it is anticipated that the 5% of load requirement will be met by purchasing Environmentally Preferred Power (EPP) from BPA by 2025. Accordingly, on October 9, 2007, the City Council authorized an initial annual purchase of 1,323,000 KWh of EPP, representing 2% of Bandon's total load. This "green" power, which is generated by wind farms in Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, is offered for sale to our customers at a premium additional cost of $1.10 per 100 KWh block. The balance of the EPP which is not re-sold to customers is reflected in the overall electric rates, and is being "banked" as credit towards meeting the requirement to meet 5% of the City's load from qualifying renewable energy resources by 2025.
The positive response to Bandon's Green Power program has been much greater than originally anticipated. At this time, Bandon is selling a total of 1,080 blocks (100 KWh each) per month, for a total of 1,296,000 KWh per year, including the City's purchase of green power for the Barn/Community Center. This represents approximately 98% of Bandon's EPP purchase, so very little additional green power is available for sale to our customers, and very little is being "banked" towards the City's RPS goal.
To make additional green power available for sale, and to increase the amount which can be "banked" in order to meet the City's obligation at the lowest possible cost to our electric customers, the City Council unanimously approved the purchase of EPP from BPA in an amount equal to an additional 2% of current annual load (1,437 Mwh), at a cost of $15,086. This would place Bandon's total EPP purchase at approximately 4% of load. Since the purchase price will remain at $10.50 per MWh, the City can continue to offer its green power to customers for the same $1.10 per 100 KWh block.
DATE SET FOR PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED PARKS MASTER PLAN
The Parks Master Plan was completed by the Parks & Recreation Commission, and forwarded to the Planning Commission for consideration. Since the document represents an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, the Planning Commission advertised and held a public hearing on December 4, 2008, and has recommended that the City Council approve the Parks Master Plan. Although a public hearing by the City Council is not required, the Council felt that holding such a second public hearing would provide citizens with an additional opportunity for input. At their January 5th meeting, the City Council unanimously decided to set the City Council meeting on February 2, 1009 as the time and place for a public hearing on the Parks Master Plan. Copies of the draft Parks Master Plan are available for inspection and copying at City Hall and at the Library.
BRUSH, YARD DEBRIS, AND CHRISTMAS TREE PICK-UP WEEK: JANUARY 12-16
The firs brush and yard debris removal program of the year will be held during the week of January 12 - 16, during which time Bandon Disposal will be picking up piles of yard debris and brush, including Christmas trees. City residents will be allowed up to a maximum of 5 cubic yards of brush and yard debris removal (approximately two pickup loads) at no cost. PRIOR TO Monday, January 12, simply place your debris or Christmas tree in the right-of-way along your street, and Bandon Disposal will do a sweep through town beginning on that date, and continuing through the week. Make sure that your brush is in one pile, since there is a maximum of one pile per address, and no group piles. Keep in mind that this program is for woody yard debris such as branches, brush, gorse, etc., so other items and materials such as metals, appliances, furniture, etc. will not be accepted. Branches must be cut into lengths no longer than 5 feet (normal sized Christmas trees will not have to be cut). Grass clippings and leaves will also be picked up, provided they are placed in biodegradable PAPER bags. NO PLASTIC bags can be accepted. Also, please avoid placing your pile under overhead utility lines, since a boom truck is used to pick up the debris. Locate your pile away from fire hydrants and utility boxes, and do not impede sidewalks or pedestrian walkways. A total of three brush removal events are scheduled to be held each year. In addition to mid-January, the other free brush and yard debris removal events are held during the first week in May, and the last week of October. If you have more than 5 cubic yards of debris, or if you want debris picked up at times other than the three brush removal week, please contact Bandon Disposal at 347-9633 for a price quote.
DATE SET FOR WORKSHOP ON CITY COUNCIL GOALS FOR 2009-2011
Every two years, following City Council elections, the City Council conducts a workshop(s) to establish City Council goals for the next two-year period. These goals provide guidance to the City Council, appointed committees and commissions, and staff regarding the overall direction and priorities for the City over the next two years. These goals are also used to prioritize projects for inclusion in the annual City and Urban Renewal budgets. The goals being established will be for July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2011. The workshop also provides the Council with the opportunity to review and revise the City Council Rules. At their January 5th meeting, the City Council set Monday, February 2, 2009, at 6:00 PM (immediately prior to the regularly scheduled City Council meeting) as the time and place for a workshop on City Council goals. If the goal setting cannot be completed in one workshop, the matter will be continued to a subsequent date and time.
CORRECTION TO PRIOR 2008 POPULATION ESTIMATE
As reported in the December 5, 2008 City Manager's Newsletter, the City had received a preliminary July 1, 2008 population estimate of 3,335 from Portland State University's Population Research Center. Subsequently, the City received notification that an error had been made in the calculations, since some of the persons residing in special housing units had been double-counted. Therefore, the revised population estimate is 3,300. Although it is still significant, the annual growth since the prior year's population of 3,235 would therefore be 65 people, not the 100 people originally estimated.
LINDA'S CHURCH JOKE
Several jokes were submitted by some of Linda's faithful readers over the last few weeks. This one came from someone who said "sometimes we just don't give kids enough credit."
A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, "This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you."
The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, "Which do you want, son?" The boy takes the quarters and leaves.
"What did I tell you?" says the barber. "That kid never learns!"
When the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store with an ice cream cone. "Hey, son," he says, "May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?"
The boy licks his cone and replies, "Because the day I take the dollar, the game's over!"
HA! HA! Ha! HO! Ho! HA! Ha! ha! ha! ha!
ANYTHING ELSE?
Do you have any questions, input, or suggestions? Are there any topics you want addressed or covered in the Newsletter? If so, please let me know at citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us. For more complex questions or issues that may take significant discussion, please feel free to contact me by telephone at (541) 347-2437, voice mail ext. 229, so we can schedule an appointment.
Also, remember to visit the City of Bandon WEB page at www.ci.bandon.or.us, where you can get more information on this wonderful place in which we live.
That's it for now. Have a Great New Year!
