The facts show us clearly that maintaining City services to the standards we enjoy today is going to be difficult with current funding. All of us expect our streets to be paved and cleaned, our sewer and water pipes to be right-sized and unclogged, and our stormwater to be pollution-free and not puddle-up above ground.

Fact: We have not raised sewer rates for 13 years, and Oregon City’s rates are lower than other cities of our size. Under consideration is a rate increase that would enable the City to keep up with construction and operations for new growth and maintaining our current wastewater system, including pump stations, mainlines, laterals and manholes.

Fact: The City manages stormwater through 22 drainage basins, 57 water quality detention ponds, 37 underground detention tanks, 106 miles of stormwater collection pipes, 14 miles of ditches and 29 miles of streams. The key is to maintain healthy streams and protection of our watersheds. Stormwater rates have not been raised for 6 years. We will be considering a rate increase to keep up with city growth and state and federal regulations for clean water monitoring.

Fact: Oregon City is falling farther behind each year in street maintenance. On a 100 point scale, our streets are at 68. With current funding, we can surface treat about one mile per year of our 150 miles of streets. We must do seven miles to avoid major reconstruction costs. A 13-member study committee, comprised of business and residential customers, analyzed the condition of our streets and funding sources. They concluded that the most equitable and reliable local option for funding street maintenance would be a transportation utility fee. Most of our neighboring cities have instituted such user fees.

Maintaining our investment in the City’s infrastructure while balancing the financial impact to our community make these decisions challenging. Doing nothing is not a responsible option. Please join the conversation over the next few weeks, as we wrestle with these basic issues of how to maintain our streets, our sewer system, and our stormwater management system.