Water rates workshop flows smoothly

Despite the recent spate of articles, letters to the editor, guest columns and editorials concerning the city staff and city council's handling of input from local activists, the Sisters City Council's workshop on water rates Thursday went smoothly and professionally.

The water rate issue has been the most recent bone of contention in this ongoing dustup over citizen input to the city staff and the council, and the majority/minority tensions within the council.

With councilors Pat Thompson and Sharlene Weed and City Manager Eileen Stein out of town, Mayor Lon Kellstrom opened up the water rate workshop discussion to input and comment from the audience, which included activsts Mike Morgan and Ed Protas. Accepting direct input from the audience is within the "rules" of the council workshops, but it is not a common practice.

Kellstrom has been drawing fire for the currently tabled city council motion that he personally inspired that would direct the city staff to ignore all input from Morgan and Protas with the exception of public records requests.

Councilor David Asson (a retired CPA) had prepared a very detailed working revenue model of the city's income-producing water system. The model included all the data from each of the city's water customers on a monthly basis for all of calendar year 2010. The "what if" model was projected on the conference room screen.

The model allows for the input of rates, allowances, offsets and special programs (such as low-income subsidies, etc.) on a real-time basis. When a question is raised and a change to a variable is requested - the "ripple effect" of that change can be instantly seen in the resulting rate structure and income model.

Protas and Morgan had a number of questions about the data and about how the model calculated certain results, but overall the questions and answers in both directions were cordial, professional and, it appeared, well-received. Both Protas and Morgan declared the model "an excellent tool that is going to be very useful for the community." They also applauded the openness and tone of the workshop.

The city staff is awaiting the final input from consultant Deb Galardi on the projected expenses for 2011 and beyond. Once this expense data is loaded into Asson's model, the staff and council will be in the position to fine-tune any rate structure changes to keep the city's water system financially viable.

The open and more challenging question will come when it is time to load the contentious water department capital improvement budget into the model.