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Infrastructure and Planning Services <br />Commission. This will lead to increases in the regional component of the wastewater rates <br />charged to users of the wastewater system. <br />The City's wastewater user fees support this system and provide a predictable source of funding <br />based on the use of water by individual customers. Prior to FY05, user fee rates had not been <br />increased since 1994. In order to maintain current operating service levels in the wastewater <br />collection program while also funding the capital improvement program related to inflow and <br />infiltration reductions, local wastewater user fee increases of 12% were implemented in both <br />FY05 and FY06, and it is anticipated that one more year ofabove-inflation level rate increases <br />will be needed in FY07. The inflow and infiltration reduction capital program is a joint effort by <br />the cities of Eugene and Springfield and is necessary to control the amount of water entering the <br />sanitary sewer system that contributes to the peak wet weather flow demands on the regional <br />wastewater treatment plant. It is anticipated that the proposed FY07 rate increase will equate to <br />about a 6% increase in the total monthly charge for a typical residential customer, or about an <br />increase of 36 cents per month. <br />15. Urban forestry services continue to increase leverage of community support in tree planting <br />and small tree pruning through the NeighborWoods and new Tree Stewards programs. <br />Technological innovations have helped Urban Forestry staff inventory more than 15% of the <br />City's street trees in the past year. Preventive-maintenance pruning has been minimized, and <br />request-pruning prioritizes traffic and pedestrian safety concerns. Cross-training continues to <br />broaden the capabilities of technical and field staff. <br />16. The draft Parks, Recreation & Open Space Comprehensive Plan was adopted by Council on <br />February 13, 2006. The plan provides direction for the community relating to park and open <br />space acquisition, development and renovation, natural resource protection, and recreation <br />programming. It also addresses financing strategies for accomplishing plan objectives. The <br />Project and Priority Plan is an accompanying document which identifies specific projects, <br />priorities, and costs. <br />The 1998 Parks and Open Space bond measure is nearing a successful completion with just a few <br />projects remaining. Council has expressed an interest in and is considering placing a new Parks, <br />Recreation and Open Space Bond on the ballot in 2006. Current criteria being considered for a <br />potential bond project list include.projects that are time sensitive and projects with low <br />operations and maintenance impacts. Funding for maintenance continues to be a challenge in <br />order to meet the needs of both aging and new park infrastructure. <br />17. In March 2004, the Department of Environmental Quality issued a new National Pollution <br />Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit to Eugene and five other large <br />municipal permittees in Oregon. Subsequent to the issuance of the new permit a substantive <br />review was undertaken of the City's stormwater program for adequacy in meeting specific <br />federal regulations, as well as a review of the City's program for addressing specific pollutants of <br />concern for Eugene's waterways. The results of this program review were presented to the City <br />Council in an October 2005 work session with a recommendation to increase funding for <br />stormwaterperrnit-related needs. The Council directed the City Manager to include the <br />additional expenditure requirements, amounting to about.$326,000, in the FY07 budget. Council <br />66 <br />