Strife-ridden council approves water rate increase

The Sisters City Council approved a temporary four percent water rate increase Thursday night - but no one seemed too pleased with the partial resolution of a months-long conflict.

In a workshop earlier in the week, the council seemed to have worked out a compromise concept to use the rate increase to stabilize the water fund by reestablishing a viable contingency. No capital improvements to the water system would be initiated.

The second part of the compromise was to be the appointment of a "blue ribbon" committee or TAC (technical advisory committee) to resolve conflicts over widely divergent data used to justify the city's proposed capital improvement plan (CIP).

Although unofficial, the pair of motions was found to be acceptable in concept by all five councilors, the assorted city staff, and the citizen activists present in the workshop. Several preferred the rate increase without the TAC. Others wanted the TAC findings before increasing the water rates. In the end, all indicated agreement to move off dead-center and support the linked pair of motions.

The first sign of distrust appeared when Mayor Lon Kellstrom requested a motion to approve the temporary four percent water rate increase. Councilor Sharlene Weed objected to voting on the rate increase first, expressing concern that a following motion to form the TAC could then be defeated 3-2 and the rate increase would be in effect without a fact-finding group to resolve the capital budget issues.

After considerable back-and-forth, the TAC committee concept was brought up for vote. An alternative to a TAC had also been discussed at a workshop. This alternative concept, supported by Kellstrom and Councilor David Asson, involved a one-time panel discussion to include the entire council, and invited technical advisors that would discuss and resolve the facts.

The objection to the panel idea came from the potential for the need to get other information or do calculations that couldn't be done at the panel meeting, which would mean the that entire body would need to meet numerous times to reach a conclusion.

Asson summarized his objections to a TAC: "So we are going to spend six months talking to people; engineers, consultants, fire chiefs and fire marshals who we have already heard from, who will be talking to people that have already heard them speak. Those people are then going to make a report to at least three other councilors that have not already heard any of this... and we are going to do what with that?"

Mayor Kellstrom expressed his concern that a smaller TAC made up of two councilors, activists Mike Morgan and Ed Protas, and several outside experts would not work.

"If you are talking about an odd number of seven to nine or 11, I would see some balance struck, I don't see much balance here," said Kellstrom. "...That's the point it gets to be complicated... all the while to bring a report back to the councilors that have not attended. It is going to be real easy to say I don't understand this, or I don't agree with that. It just makes no sense to me not to have a panel where you can get the information directly."

Councilor Pat Thompson said, "We have been at this since last June or July and we've taken several laps around the barn... I'm ready to move forward...we are an advisory committee, not technical experts."

Councilor Weed's proposal for a TAC committee passed 3-2 with Mayor Kellstrom and Councilor Asson voting no.

The motion for the temporary water rate increase was next up for a vote. Prior to the vote Asson read his prepared statement into the record: "It is all about needed repairs... We need some $600,000 to bring the system up to par... Divided over 1,200 accounts over the next five years... that is a small figure in the grand scheme of things.

"We cannot prudently vote against our advisors or risk our city's future for this kind of money.... Finally our citizenry needs to be made aware of the risks we are facing and the gambles that we are taking."

Asson believes the four percent increase is insufficient to the city's needs.

The vote was 3-2, with Mayor Kellstrom and Councilor Asson voting no.

"I agree with David, you three councilors are playing a very dangerous game," said Kellstrom.

That drew a sharp response from Thompson: "I resent that comment by the mayor. It has not been proven to me by any means whatsoever that these repairs are necessary and/or present any kind of hazard whatsoever to this community. I'm sick and tired of volunteering my time to come down to this city hall to be led around the barn by my nose time and time again to come to the same exact options and same exact monies every time. I've asked numerous times for staff to come up with other plans. They want to do it their way and only their way."

In other council business: The conditional use permit and site plan approval for Gutenberg both passed quickly in a 5-0 vote. This clears the way for Gutenberg College to move forward with their plan to move to Sisters.