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CITY COUNCIL Some Ashland residents lose irrigation to safeguard water supply City orders shutoff of TID water to 86 residents Comment By Alec Dickinson for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson for the Tidings Posted Jun. 17, 2015 at 3:02 PM By Alec Dickinson for the Tidings Posted Jun. 17, 2015 at 3:02 PM Council approves 2015-17 budget --> The Ashland City Council approved a biennial budget in the amount of $237 million at its regular meeting Tuesday. The new budget will take effect July 1 and govern finances in the city until the en... » Read more X Council approves 2015-17 budget The Ashland City Council approved a biennial budget in the amount of $237 million at its regular meeting Tuesday. The new budget will take effect July 1 and govern finances in the city until the end of fiscal year 2017. This is the second time the city has participated in the two-year budget cycle and the council approved the budget unanimously following the recommendation of city staff and the Citizen’s Budget Committee. The current budget is up 17.4 percent over the previous biennium. Much of the increase is due to infrastructure projects in the city, including a new water treatment plant and wastewater treatment facilities. Of the nearly quarter-billion dollars in the budget, nearly $11 million will be raised from local property taxes. The balance of the funds in the budget comes from fees for services, state funds, and taxes such as the hotel and meal taxes in the city. » Social News The Ashland City Council decided Tuesday that preserving the city's water supply takes precedence over the irrigation needs of some Ashland residents. In order to augment the city water supply using Talent Irrigation District water, city officials have ordered the shutoff of irrigation to 86 customers in Ashland. A half-dozen residents spoke in opposition to shutting off the irrigation water, urging the council to instead select a supply option that would keep water flowing in the TID ditch to the north end of Ashland. The city has three potential sources of water: water captured in the watershed and stored in the city's Reeder Reservoir, TID water and the newly constructed Talent-Ashland-Phoenix (TAP) line, which pipes water from Medford to Ashland. City officials say they are attempting to keep Reeder Reservoir close to full as long as possible in case of a disruption to other water supply options. Keeping the reservoir full provides the city with a 45-day emergency water supply while reducing the risk of toxic algae blooms that can result from warmer water temperatures in shallow, sun-warmed water. City staff provided the council with three options for procuring water should supply at Reeder Reservoir run low this summer. The council ultimately elected to use TID water as the preferred option for supplementing the city water supply. They agreed to reserve TAP water in case of a shortage of TID water, which is fed by Howard Prairie and Hyatt Lake, both of which are only about one-third full. TID water is also cheaper than TAP water. In addition to the cost, several councilors were concerned after city staff advised them that in order to keep TID water flowing to the 86 customers, nearly a half-million gallons of water each day would be dumped into Wrights Creek at the northern terminus of the Ashland TID ditch. Mayor John Stromberg also noted that under city Ordinance 2188, all TID service in the city is interruptible. He also said that although it may seem unfair to curtail water for the 86 customers, some of whom have received TID water for more than 40 years, it would be less fair to ask the entire community to subsidize irrigation water for a few people during a drought. The city can draw up to 2 million gallons per day from the TID system, and up to 250 million gallons annually. After that, the city would have to rely on the TAP line. The council voted 4-2 to use TID water as the first option for the city, with councilors Carol Voisin and Greg Lemhouse dissenting. Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the expansion of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. Freelance reporter Alec Dickinson lives in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected].   By Alec Dickinson for the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson for the Tidings Posted Jun. 17, 2015 at 3:02 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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