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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services App Finder: Best party game apps Explosion at Knife River plant blows top off tank Josephine County won't try to tax legal pot More red light cameras coming in Medford Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Police release name of woman run over in Hugo area Masked man appears to have second thoughts about robbing Medford Purple Parrot Emergency services Alleged bike thieves face charges Politics and Elections Ashland aims for diversity, but numbers show shortfall Kent Bush: The keys to decoding the State of the Union address Oregon Legislature convenes, session starts Feb. 12 Education Some gains, some losses Medford reconsiders full-day kindergarten State boosts class time expectation A wealth of experience Ballroom dance class is a hit with North Medford students Environment Commissioners won't object to BLM road closures Mt. 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Get Up & Go: Friday, Jan. 30 ... Hunters face Saturday reporting deadline ... Our View: Improving graduation rates isn't easy ... Get Up & Go: Friday, Jan. 30 ... Hunters face Saturday reporting deadline ... Medford council goes to class on cost of system upgrades City ponders ways to upgrade aging sewer lines, storm drains Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 28, 2015 @ 5:43 pm By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 28, 2015 @ 5:43 pm » Social News The Medford City Council will get a lesson Thursday on how the city pays for upgrading aging storm drains and sewer lines. It will also get a suggestion that those upgrades may require an increase in city charges of up to 10 percent for new construction. That idea doesn’t sit well with the Home Builders Association, which backed a 20-percent hike in building fees last year with the understanding that so-called “system development charges” on new construction wouldn’t be raised. “Every time we raise fees, it reduces growth,” said Brad Bennington, executive officer with the association. “New home construction is the rising tide that helps float the local economy.” The council members — several of whom are newly elected — will get an overview of the city's system development charges, which are used to expand capacity of infrastructure such as streets, storm drains and sewers. The meeting will be held at noon in City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St. Council members said Wednesday that they did not expect to see any firm proposal for an increase in current charges and viewed the meeting as more of an information session. Currently, system development charges add $5,330 to the price of a new single-family home. Of that, the street development charge is $2,931, last increased in 2011. The charge is $574 for storm drains and $613 for sewer, both last increased in 2010. Sewage treatment plant system development charges are $1,212, last changed in 2001. A proposal before the Regional Rate Committee could increase the sewage treatment plant charges by 17 percent, to $1,423. According to state law, system development charges are required to be spent on projects that increase the capacity of public utilities and are not to be spent on routine maintenance.  Bennington said he’s confident the City Council will consider the impacts on the local economy, particularly the wages generated from new home construction, if it considers increasing the charge. He said Jackson County has a higher-than-average unemployment rate and a large number of families living in poverty. “We all understand that raising fees, if not absolutely necessary, is not helpful,” he said. Cory Crebbin, Medford public works director, said he will present the council with an overview of system development charges and issues involving aging underground pipes in Medford. Crebbin said the city is able to keep up with street maintenance issues with existing street fees, and the public can generally see and appreciate those improvements. But fees for storm drains and sewer lines haven’t kept pace with an aging system, and replacement is more difficult for the public to appreciate, Crebbin said. “A big chunk of our maintenance money pays for pipes that collapse,” he said. “When they collapse, we have to dig a big trench to fix the problem.” Crebbin said another alternative would be to identify bad pipes, and then hire a company that installs plastic sleeves that push through underground lines, a method that doesn’t require the more costly alternative of trenching. However, if the pipe size isn’t increased, Crebbin said, the city can’t legally use system development charges to pay for it. Another method known as “pipe bursting” could punch a larger hole through the ground, allowing for a larger diameter pipe. In this case, system development charges could be used to offset the costs, Crebbin said. However, to attract these companies and justify the mobilization of manpower and equipment, he would need to have projects of a $1 million or more. The overall cost would be high, but correcting the issues piecemeal would ultimately cost more, Crebbin said. The city currently receives about $250,000 annually in system development charges. Developers often can avoid these charges by installing upgrades to existing pipes that service their developments or by increasing the capacity of their lines to allow for future development at nearby sites. He said he will be trying to determine how councilors want to deal with these issues, then work with them to come up with a policy. “Do you want to wait until there’s a crisis or come up with a master plan?” Crebbin said. On Thursday, Crebbin will suggest a 3- to 10-percent hike in system development charges annually as one way to pay for improvements. The amount of money actually raised would depend on how much new construction is generated in a given year. Councilor Daniel Bunn said the council will have to study system development charges, particularly as they relate to upgrading underground pipes, while trying to make sure they don't severely impact the construction industry, which is pulling out of an economic slump. “It’s important to get it right as we look to raise revenue and make Medford an affordable place to live,” he said. Councilor Michael Zarosinski said he hasn’t had a chance to review the proposed system development charges presentation but has heard some discussion about the proposed increases. “Obviously, we have to look at this very carefully,” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm .   By Damian Mann Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 28, 2015 @ 5:43 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. calendar Connect with MailTribune.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 Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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. 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