Mr. Wilson goes to Washington

Sisters Mayor Steve Wilson visited the nation's capital last week to lobby for Sisters' sewer facility at a Senate committee hearing.

Wilson stood before the Senate Subcommittee on Energy and Natural Resources Wednesday, April 28, to testify in support of recently proposed legislation to acquire land for the Sisters sewer facility.

Oregon Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden proposed Senate Bill (SB) 416 earlier this year. The bill would convey 240 acres of Forest Service land known as "Section 9" to the city of Sisters at no cost to the city other than that of conducting environmental studies required by law.

The bill also includes an element that would, under the Sisk Act, direct the Forest Service to sell at least six acres of the Sisters Ranger District administrative site, with the proceeds to fund conservation projects in the Squaw Creek watershed.

Wilson provided the hearing's only testimony in favor the bill, and Forest Service Chief of Lands Jack Craven was the only voice in opposition.

Wilson said Craven focused on both elements of the bill and his concern about setting national precedent with the management of public lands.

"He was concerned about giving public lands away and breaking their own internal policy to liquidate lands without tangible dollar amount going back to the U.S. Treasury," Wilson explained.

The Forest Service and the City of Sisters are "double-tracking" the acquisition of Section 9. In addition to the proposed legislation, the city filed an application under the Townsite Act to purchase the land and direct all the proceeds from the sale into the treasury.

The Sisk Act element of SB 416 would allow the six-acre land sale proceeds to stay in the Sisters community.

Wilson said that Smith and Wyden expressed displeasure during the hearing that the Forest Service was taking a position against the needs of a small community.

"Senator Smith said that the use of the Townsite Act to purchase land at fair market value was inappropriate for such an economically distressed community, considering the large percentage of land the Forest Service owns within the city limits that will directly benefit in value with the service of a sewer system," Wilson said.

According to Wilson, Craven responded to the Senators by offering to take the bill back to the Forest Service to discuss some alternatives. Smith and Wyden gave the agency seven days to come up with a solution.

Wilson said the subcommittee would have any amendments to the bill completed two weeks from the hearing date.

"If the Forest Service can come up with an alternative that's satisfactory to the senators and the city, the legislation doesn't have to go forward," he said. "If they can't come up with a workable solution within the constraints of their own policies and the law, the senators will move forward (with the bill)."

In addition to emphasizing the health issues of not having a sewer system, Wilson's testimony on behalf of Sisters residents addressed basic service needs in Sisters.

"My testimony complemented opening statements by both Smith and Wyden and emphasized that by not having a sewer system we couldn't address community housing, economic development and other community needs," Wilson said.

At the close of the hearing, Wilson and the Forest Service were directed to go into a private meeting to discuss options for acquiring the land.

The Senate subcommittee hearing is only the first step of five required for the city to acquire Section 9 outright.

If the bill is passed by the subcommittee, it will go to the Senate floor. With Senate approval, it will then go to a subcommittee of the House of Representatives, where Oregon Congressman Greg Walden has agreed to support its passage, according to Wilson.

If passed by the House subcommittee, and then passed again on the House floor, "Sisters goes to the desk of the President," Wilson explained.

During his week-long stay in Washington, D.C., Mayor Wilson attended no less than seven different meetings with Senators Smith and Wyden, their staff members and Forest Service staff.

"The City of Sisters commanded fairly broad attention on a national level," Wilson said. "In a typical week, cities of our size, or even large cities, don't do this."

Wilson's visit to Washington cost the city of Sisters approximately $2,000.

"It's the best $2,000 we can spend to eliminate $650,000 in costs toward the sewer system," Wilson said.