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ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER N0. 58-92-14 <br />of the City of Eugene <br />ESTABLISHING SEWER USER RATES <br />The City Manager of the City of Eugene finds as follows: <br />A. Section 7.020 of the Eugene Code, 1971, authorizes the City Manager <br />after notice and public hearing to determine and set fees and charges to be <br />imposed by the City for sanitary sewer service, storm sewer service, regional <br />sanitary sewer service and septage haulers. <br />B. In~accordance with the procedures set forth therein, on May 1 and <br />June 22, 1992, I notified the Mayor and City Council that I intended to revise <br />these sewer user rates. Notice of proposed rates was published in the Register <br />Guard on May 3 and 6, 1992, and copies of the Notice posted at two locations <br />in City Hall. This Notice provided for a 30 day public comment period. Two <br />written comments were received during the time provided in the Notice. <br />A second Notice and the date and time of a public hearing was published in the <br />Register-Guard on June 22 and 24, 1992; posted at two locations at City Hall <br />on June 22, 1992; and made available to interested persons at the office of <br />the City Manager. The Notice provided that written comments would be received <br />thereon for a period of 10 days from the first date of posting. No written or <br />oral comments were received within the time provided in the Notice or at the <br />public hearing. <br />C. The written comments received in response to the May notice, the <br />issues raised therein, and my findings in response thereto are as follows: <br />Comment 1. The City needs to convey to the State and Federal <br />agencies that regulate sewer services that ratepayers are dissat- <br />isfied with the increasing cost of that regulation. <br />Finding: State and Federal regulatory agencies do impact the <br />costs of providing sewer services. The City has in the past and <br />will continue to work with those regulatory agencies to amend <br />regulations and gain approval of methods of implementing those <br />regulations that result in the lowest cost to the City and to the <br />rate-payers. <br />Comment 2. The Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission <br />(MWMC) has increased sewer user fees several years in a row. The <br />City should encourage MWMC to trim their budget. <br />Finding MWMC's budget is reviewed by the cities of Eugene and <br />Springfield and by Lane County before adoption by MWMC. In <br />addition, staff from both cities work with MWMC staff in the <br />preparation and revision of the proposed budget prior to its <br />submission for approval by the city councils and Lane County. The <br />budgets for both the operation of the regional treatment plant and <br />for the administration of MWMC receive detailed review by the <br />Commission, which includes elected representatives from Eugene, <br />Springfield and Lane County. These different levels of review by <br />