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EWEB Advisory Group (EAG) Issue Summary <br /> City Participation in Energy Share Program <br /> Issue: EWEB staff has requested City financial participation in the Energy Share <br /> program because, historically, this customer-funded program has been used to pay <br /> unpaid balances on city utility bills-even though the City is not a direct <br /> contributor to the program, which routinely runs out of money before the end of <br /> the heating season. <br /> City Staff: Becky Carlson, Public Works (Lead), Tish Peterson, Public Works <br /> (Implementation Lead) <br /> EWEB Staff: Chuck Dalton, Energy Share Supervisor (Lead); Deb Brewer, Government <br /> Affairs; Jim Origliosso, Treasurer <br /> Historical Summary: <br /> We have been engaged for a number of months in staff-level discussions with EWEB around the <br /> city's potential participation in the Energy Share and Energy Share Plus programs, which Lane <br /> County Human Services Commission manages on behalf of EWEB. Energy Share, historically <br /> generated through EWEB/city utility customer donations, provides bill pay assistance, energy <br /> efficiency materials and consulting, and household budget management education for low <br /> income residents. These services help prevent energy shut-offs, which are a common precursor <br /> to homelessness. For this reason, in the Action Plan for the council's priority issue on <br /> homelessness, one of the key gaps identified was around providing additional financial resources <br /> to Energy Share, which routinely runs out of funding each heating season before the community <br /> needs are met. <br /> The primary resources identified by Eugene staff for a city contribution is through the city's <br /> wastewater and stormwater utility systems. The logic here is that city utilities are a direct <br /> beneficiary of the Energy Share program, because those funds are used to pay delinquent and <br /> potentially uncollectible city utility bills, in order to prevent electric and water utility shut-offs. <br /> However, historically, neither the water utility nor the cities utilities were contributors to this <br /> program, which was entirely dependent on customer donations. For the first time this year, <br /> EWEB's water utility budgeted for and is contributing $62,000 to the Energy Share program, and <br /> EWEB has challenged the city to begin contributing, as well. <br /> Outcome Desired: <br /> We're recommending to Dennis that we include this EWEB request on our "short list" of high- <br /> priority issues for resolution for the July 18 city-EWEB meetings. Our desired outcome for this <br /> meeting would to secure agreement fora $36,000 FY07 city contribution to Energy Share. <br /> This is comprised of a city "contribution" of $18,000 from each of the two city utilities - <br /> (stormwater and wastewater) for a total city contribution of $36,000. This represents 72% of the <br /> actual Energy Share benefit to each of the utilities for 2005 and is also proportional to the <br /> contribution committed by the EWEB water utility for 2006**. iUl I)cnni~'S co~is~n~. ~~c <br /> ~ti~uul~l i»ol~ lur~~arcl in the n~~~~ 1~~~ ~~~c~l:~ Stith d~~clopin~~ an lnt~r~~~~~ernmcaltal .~~~r~cin~i~i <br /> bct«~~n the t~~i~ ~ntitirs ~u ti~rnuilirc Luis ~in~i rclat~~j ~~~~r~~in~n~s ar~>un~1 the adtninist~~ati~~i~ ol~ <br /> <br /> Energy Share. <br /> _ <br /> <br />