passed ordinance

*Authorize an Intergovernmental Agreement with Rockwood Water People’s Utility District in the amount of $135,000 to supply water meter reads for sewer services billing

infrastructure utilities
budget finance
iga

Department: Environmental Services
Introduced by: Former Commissioner Mingus Mapps
Status: Passed

Impact statement

Purpose & background

The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) protects public health, water quality and the environment. It provides sewer and stormwater collection and treatment services to accommodate Portland’s current and future needs. BES protects the quality of surface and ground water and conducts activities that protect and restore our watersheds. The services provided by BES are paid by our ratepayers through user fees approved annually by Council. Since 2017, the Portland Water Bureau maintained an IGA with Rockwood Water District to pay the Water District for meter reads to bill shared customers sewer service charges based on consumption or actual use in addition to stormwater service charges. Beginning in FY24-25 and through the end of FY25-26, the Bureau of Environmental Services will maintain an IGA with Rockwood Water District to pay the Water District for meter reads to bill shared customers sewer service charges based on consumption or actual use. This ordinance facilitates fair and equitable sewer billing by ensuring that sewer user charges are billed based on consumption from those who directly use, or indirectly benefit from, City sewer services.

Financial impacts

The Bureau of Environmental Services has budgeted $60,000 for FY 2024-25 and will budget $75,000 for FY 2025-26. Funds will be drawn from the Sewer Operating Fund under cost center ESBS000007.

Community impacts

The Rockwood Water District Board approved the IGA in April of 2024. Both Rockwood and the City saw the merit in continuing to provide water meter reads for the purpose of billing shared customers actual sewer volume for the next two fiscal years. Additionally, Rockwood and the City agreed to renegotiate an agreement once Rockwood Water District rolls out Advanced Metering Infrastcuture (AMI) in FY26-27 and the City rolls out a new Customer Engagement Portal (CEP) in FY 25-26 (part of the City AMI project). These concurrent AMI projects will provide improved customer service via community engagement in the design of the projects.

▸ Full text (the legislation as adopted)

The City of Portland ordains: Section 1. The Council finds: The Water Bureau bills and collects for sewer and stormwater services on behalf of the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES). The City has sewer customers inside its city limits who reside within Rockwood Water People's Utility District's boundaries. The City needs individual customer water meter reading information in order to produce metered sewer billings for its customers. Rockwood Water People's Utility District (Rockwood) reads and maintains these water meters and is responsible for the billing of water services. The Water Bureau is responsible for billing the sewer and stormwater services. The customers, therefore, are both customers of Rockwood and the City. This intergovernmental agreement will allow Rockwood to read all City customer water meters located within Rockwood boundaries and provide the Water Bureau with weekly reports. The Water Bureau has worked successfully with Rockwood under previous agreements and has existing systems and practices in place that enable efficient processing of the meter reading and customer information to appropriately bill City customers for sewer and stormwater services. The intergovernmental agreement will not exceed $135,000. Funding of $60,000 is planned for in the FY 2024-25 budget within the sewer operating fund, general ledger item 522000, Utilities. Additional funding of $75,000 will be requested for FY 2025-26 within the same general ledger item. The proposed action will not result in a change in staffing levels or to forecasted utility rates. NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs: That the BES Director is authorized to execute on behalf of the City an intergovernmental agreement with Rockwood Water People's Utility District to supply water meter reads for billing sewer and stormwater services in a form substantially in accordance with Exhibit A. That the Mayor and Auditor are hereby authorized to pay for the contract from the Sewer System Operating Fund Budget when demand is presented and approved by the proper authority. That the BES Director may execute amendments increasing the total agreement amount by up to twenty-five percent. Any increase exceeding twenty-five percent of the total agreement amount requires approval by the Council. Section 2. The Council declares that an emergency exists because the current Intergovernmental Agreement – City of Portland and Rockwood Water PUD expires June 30, 2024; therefore, this Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage by the Council. The timely authorization of this IGA will ensure the continuity of billing City of Portland and Rockwood Water PUD shared customers.

Tally

5 yea 0 nay