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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Geos celebrates progress in restoring waterways ... Grappling with the high cost of dying ... Yoga comes to Bellview ... Geos celebrates progress in restoring waterways ... Grappling with the high cost of dying ... Yoga comes to Bellview ... ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL Watershed protection tab to go on water bills Comment By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted May. 20, 2015 at 7:55 PM By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted May. 20, 2015 at 7:55 PM » Social News Water rates will increase to fund Ashland Forest Resiliency Program Water rates will go up slightly for Ashland residents beginning in July to fund fire prevention work in the Ashland watershed. A surcharge will appear on bills beginning in the new fiscal year based on the capacity of each customer’s water meter. The city opted to fund the Ashland Forest Resiliency Program from water fees because loss of the city’s water supply is considered the greatest long-term threat to the community in case of wildfire. The city began work five years ago to remove vegetative debris from the watershed hillsides that could fuel a potentially catastrophic wildfire above Ashland. Funding for the project has come from grants and budget surplus; however, impacts from ongoing drought conditions — water revenues have gone down significantly along with water consumption, as Ashlanders have answered calls to conserve the precious resource — have largely eliminated surplus funds. Roughly $10 million dollars has been spent so far on the project, much of it from outside sources, to remove debris and conduct controlled burns. The city needs to identify a revenue source for about $175,000 dollars annually to continue work on the project. The funding will largely go toward personnel to work clearing brush, piling debris and conducting controlled burns of the material collected. Councilor Carol Voisin said she thought a water surcharge unfairly burdened lower income residents and that she would rather see a property tax levy to fund the project. Councilor Greg Lemhouse said he believed dividing the community into those who can afford to pay and those who can’t sends the wrong message regarding a community-wide issue. “It starts to divide this community into those who will foot the bill and those who won’t. I think it’s the fairest way to say ‘we all depend on water.’ It’s just a fact. We all depend on this in some way or another and we should all do our part to pay for this project that we all benefit from.” The council opted to charge the same rate for both three-quarter inch water meters and 1-inch meters as some residents have installed the larger meter in their residences specifically to accommodate fire suppression systems. The council said it would be unfair to charge more to those who are taking proactive steps to reduce the risk of fire. The surcharge will amount to about $16.68 annually for the average customer. The decision to add the surcharge passed 5-1 with Councilor Voisin dissenting. By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted May. 20, 2015 at 7:55 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... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501