Letter to Council and Mayor
May 31, 2009
Dear City Councilmembers:
On Tuesday, June 2, I will be unable to attend the council meeting and public hearing on the water rates and storm water rates and utility tax increases. Therefore, please accept this email as my public comments regarding the proposed rate and tax increase for the Edmonds water and storm water utilities.
While the increase in rates may be justifiable, the City’s notice and announcement of this public hearing was inadequate. The hearing notice failed to advise the public of two important things; how much of a proposed increase and why the action is necessary. Especially, since just six months ago, the utility taxes were increased. A reasonable person could assume another increase is unwarranted. Furthermore, in order to increase the rates and taxes the City must demonstrate to the ratepayers that the increases are required to recover increased costs of administrating, regulating and providing the service.
The staff agenda memo and exhibits do not provide substantiated evidence supporting the conclusion the higher rates and taxes are required of ratepayers. The staff must provide the council with revenue figures, maintenance and operational costs and projected capital improvements. While the exhibits provide a graphic demonstration, of possible future revenue, costs and projects, there are no hard numbers including itemized amounts including project descriptions. The staff needs to provide the council and public with a copy of the purported FCS 2008 rate study.
On the city’s website, I found the Capital Facilities Plan 2010-onward replacement of water main lines budgets dollar amount of $1,250,000 but the project description fails to show any proposed water main replacement projects and an estimated cost of 6 Million Dollars. I hope you will agree with me this is a huge discrepancy. In addition, from my searching of the city’s web site including council and planning board agendas, the City does not comply with GMA with respect to a yearly update of the Capital Facilities Plan. There have been no public hearings and city council adoption of a 2009-2010 Capital Facilities Plan. In February of 2008, former City Engineer Don Fiene presented to the city council and planning board the last and most current Capital Facilities Plan 2008.
After reading the 2002 Water Comprehensive Plan and council meeting minutes of June 18, 2002, there was one issue that stood out, the “lost and unaccounted for water” defined as water purchased but not sold to the ratepayers. Edmonds purchases water from the Alderwood Water District and the Seattle Public Utilities. The lost and unaccounted for water in 2000 was 17.3% or 625,846 gpd. Considering the fact the city has adopted a conservation rate structure, the council requested a leak detection survey. Has the city ever conducted a leak detection survey? What is the lost and unaccounted for water figures since 2000? It would seem to me an acceptable rate of lost would be more like 5%. It is a burden on the ratepayers and environmentally wasteful, if the city continues to purchase high levels of lost and unaccounted for water.
On June 18, 2002, the City Council reviewed and adopted the Edmonds Water Comprehensive Plan. According to Growth Management Act, the city has the duty to update this document every six years. GMA requires an updated Plan including public hearings. Once the staff updates the plan, the council will have a much better idea of the accomplishments since 2002 and the future needs of the combined utilities for the services provided for ratepayers.
Therefore, I respectfully request the council to table the proposed rate and tax increases, request staff to update the water plan, and capital facilities plan with proposed projects, prior to making any decision as to what the appropriate increases should be for 2009-2010.
Yours truly,
Finis Tupper
Dear City Councilmembers:
On Tuesday, June 2, I will be unable to attend the council meeting and public hearing on the water rates and storm water rates and utility tax increases. Therefore, please accept this email as my public comments regarding the proposed rate and tax increase for the Edmonds water and storm water utilities.
While the increase in rates may be justifiable, the City’s notice and announcement of this public hearing was inadequate. The hearing notice failed to advise the public of two important things; how much of a proposed increase and why the action is necessary. Especially, since just six months ago, the utility taxes were increased. A reasonable person could assume another increase is unwarranted. Furthermore, in order to increase the rates and taxes the City must demonstrate to the ratepayers that the increases are required to recover increased costs of administrating, regulating and providing the service.
The staff agenda memo and exhibits do not provide substantiated evidence supporting the conclusion the higher rates and taxes are required of ratepayers. The staff must provide the council with revenue figures, maintenance and operational costs and projected capital improvements. While the exhibits provide a graphic demonstration, of possible future revenue, costs and projects, there are no hard numbers including itemized amounts including project descriptions. The staff needs to provide the council and public with a copy of the purported FCS 2008 rate study.
On the city’s website, I found the Capital Facilities Plan 2010-onward replacement of water main lines budgets dollar amount of $1,250,000 but the project description fails to show any proposed water main replacement projects and an estimated cost of 6 Million Dollars. I hope you will agree with me this is a huge discrepancy. In addition, from my searching of the city’s web site including council and planning board agendas, the City does not comply with GMA with respect to a yearly update of the Capital Facilities Plan. There have been no public hearings and city council adoption of a 2009-2010 Capital Facilities Plan. In February of 2008, former City Engineer Don Fiene presented to the city council and planning board the last and most current Capital Facilities Plan 2008.
After reading the 2002 Water Comprehensive Plan and council meeting minutes of June 18, 2002, there was one issue that stood out, the “lost and unaccounted for water” defined as water purchased but not sold to the ratepayers. Edmonds purchases water from the Alderwood Water District and the Seattle Public Utilities. The lost and unaccounted for water in 2000 was 17.3% or 625,846 gpd. Considering the fact the city has adopted a conservation rate structure, the council requested a leak detection survey. Has the city ever conducted a leak detection survey? What is the lost and unaccounted for water figures since 2000? It would seem to me an acceptable rate of lost would be more like 5%. It is a burden on the ratepayers and environmentally wasteful, if the city continues to purchase high levels of lost and unaccounted for water.
On June 18, 2002, the City Council reviewed and adopted the Edmonds Water Comprehensive Plan. According to Growth Management Act, the city has the duty to update this document every six years. GMA requires an updated Plan including public hearings. Once the staff updates the plan, the council will have a much better idea of the accomplishments since 2002 and the future needs of the combined utilities for the services provided for ratepayers.
Therefore, I respectfully request the council to table the proposed rate and tax increases, request staff to update the water plan, and capital facilities plan with proposed projects, prior to making any decision as to what the appropriate increases should be for 2009-2010.
Yours truly,
Finis Tupper
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