Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Sweet Home City Council last week agreed to award a contract to a consultant to develop a storm water drainage utility.
At the council’s regular meeting on Aug. 8, the council approved an “intent to award” notice to Integrated Utilities Group, Inc., the consulting firm that updated the city’s water and wastewater systems development charges a couple of years ago.
The city will pay a maximum of $22,261 for the storm water utility formation study.
A second consulting firm, Shaun Pigott Associates, bid $17,030 for the study, but the council decided Integrated Utilities met the city’s criteria better, City Manager Craig Martin said. Integrated Utilities offered more detailed analysis, and the city has a positive history with the firm.
“The past winter storms and resultant rainfall have once again raised the concern about developing some form of storm water utility,” Public Works Director Mike Adams said. The utility may fund citywide operation and maintenance of a drainage system and improvements to the existing system.
With limited resources, Adams said, the city has been reactive dealing with drainage issues, typically during heavy rainfall.
With this in mind, the council directed transfers in the 2005-06 budget for a study, Adams said.
In the 2005-06 budget, the city budgeted $50,000 toward establishing the utility. The council then budgeted an additional $100,000 in its 2006-07 budget.
The study will address current methods of funding storm water drainage projects and propose additional funding sources. It will also address the development of a financial plan, incorporating existing and new funding sources and considering intra-city loans, long-term debt, phasing of projects as revenues develop and forecasts of revenues by funding source.
Integrated Utilities also will help write city ordinances to implement its recommendations and prepare reports for the council, explaining its recommendations and findings, including consideration of storm water that drains to and from private land.
In the end, the utility could include a systems development charge on new developments and some form of rate systems on property inside the city.
In other business, the council:
■ Directed Adams to get bids for the reconstruction of Second Avenue after residents complained about the deterioration of their street.
Thirty-one residents signed a petition and presented it to the City Council.
“For at least 10 to 15 years, we have been told that it would be taken care of next year, and when next year comes, nothing is done,” the petition said. “We have tried to be patient, thinking our turn would come as we saw other neighboring streets improved. Our patience has not been rewarded.”
The residents told the council that it should dip into its $1.5 million reserves used for street projects.
“We think that because of the serious nature of this requested work, it should be funded even at the expense of dipping into these reserve funds if normal street repair funds are insufficient,” the petition said.
The city normally uses interest from that $1.5 million fund to complete street projects each year.
Engineering estimates suggest that the project would take most of one annual street projects budget to fix Second Avenue, Martin said. The council asked Adams to get bids and find out an actual cost. With that, the city may split the project up between two fiscal years.
The city knows that Second Avenue needs repair, Martin said.
“It’s beyond its usable life. It’s certainly not the worst street in the city, but it is definitely in need of repair and construction at some point.”
The street’s base is almost gone, and it will be expensive to fix, Martin said. The city has been holding off on repairing Second Avenue so it could include water and wastewater line improvements when it does the road construction.
This project will probably include water line improvements, Martin said, but wastewater lines will probably continue outside the street later.
■ Recommended approval of a liquor license for Levi’s Place, a proposed restaurant to be located on the northeast corner of Long and 13th Avenue.