News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The City of Sisters has turned a cold shoulder to a school district request to pay systems development charges (SDCs) in phases as enrollment at the new Sisters High School grows.
The school owes the city $482,230 in SDCs for water and sewer systems. The charges are based on a 700-student enrollment. The school district wants to pay $344,450 now, based on an enrollment of 500 students and then pay additional charges for every 25 new students added to the rolls.
The city council reviewed the proposal at a workshop on Thursday, July 18, and councilors' preliminary response was negative.
"They're asking the city to do something we've never done for anybody," said Mayor Steve Wilson. "It would be like a restaurateur saying 'since I'm a new restaurant I'm only going to be 50 percent full' (and seeking a deferral)."
City planner Neil Thompson said he does not believe city ordinances allow deferral of SDC payments.
The city bases its charges on a standard engineering "book rate" of .1 EDU (equivalent dwelling unit) of water use per "student of design." That's 700 students for the new Sisters High School.
The SDC implementing resolution stipulates that charges "shall be due and payable upon the issuance of a permit to connect to the city's wastewater system."
The council will seek the opinion of city attorney Steve Bryant before making an official decision.
A different course appears unlikely.
Mayor Steve Wilson thinks the city is being asked to make up for the school district's sticker shock at the cost of SDCs.
He said the district made errors in the land use process for its annexation vote, asked the city for special treatment regarding supplying water to the site and underestimated the systems development charges.
"The school board and its administrator (superintendent Steve Swisher) continue to make oversights and then ask the city to fill the gap," Wilson said. "We're continually put in the position where we have to play the bad guy, where we're asked to make decisions that have precedents all over the city."
Swisher said on Thursday afternoon that the district has budgeted the full amount for SDCs and will pay that amount in order to get critical permits.
However, Swisher said, the district plans to continue to negotiate on the charges. Swisher contends that state statutes require that SDCs be based on "actual usage."
"We'll use all means available to look at the issue," said Swisher.
Swisher also responded to Wilson's contention that the city is continually asked to fill in the gaps for the district:
"I think the board and the superintendent would like him to be more specific and in ongoing workshops with the school district he can clarify his position and the school board can do the same to him."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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