EWEB takes 2nd look at city billing request.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

With a new appreciation for the need to get along, the Eugene Water&Electric Board has agreed to take a second look at a request from the city to use EWEB's billing system for any future road tax.

A year ago, EWEB commissioners were adamant that they had no interest in letting the city piggyback on the utility's billing system. The city's stormwater and wastewater fees already are tacked onto EWEB's monthly bills, which confuse customers who think the fees are EWEB charges, commissioners said.

But in the months since, EWEB has worked to build a stronger relationship with the city - for reasons that include EWEB's desire to eventually sell about 20 acres of its river-front property. That can't happen until the City Council approves a master plan and related land use requests for the site.

In a letter to EWEB, City Manager Pro Tem Angel Jones said the city remains interested in imposing both a street utility fee and a street/bike-path lighting fee. The fees would help address the city's estimated $170 million backlog in road repairs.

"While we have made previous requests, the circumstances have changed considerably, and a new request is warranted," Jones said in her letter. She added that a joint billing agreement would demonstrate to citizens that the city and EWEB can "work together efficiently and effectively as intergovernmental partners" to minimize billing costs.

In a reply letter, EWEB President Mel Menegat said the utility is willing to take another look, but cautioned that the board remains concerned about the amount of time EWEB employees spend answering unhappy customers' questions about city charges on their EWEB bills.

Potential billing scenarios include simply adding a road fee line item to the existing EWEB bill; adding a separate city bill along with the EWEB bill; or mailing the city bill in a separate envelope.

City and EWEB staff hope to have some options ready for consideration when the City Council again takes up the issue of possible road fee options on Nov. 21, city Public Works Director Kurt Corey said.

The proposed fees, if enacted, would be in addition to a 3-cents-a-gallon gas tax increase that the council already approved to address the city's road repair backlog.

However, city voters will weigh in on that gas tax increase on Nov. 6, thanks to a successful referendum effort launched by the owners of local gas stations.

Other potential funding strategies include a local option levy for streets, or a parking space fee on homes and businesses.

The city is also looking at creating a separate fee to pay for street and bike-path lighting, which currently is financed by the same road fund used for street repair and repaving, Corey said.

Corey said it's possible the city could pay EWEB for the cost of staff time spent fielding customers' billing questions. But the first choice is to find a way to clearly differentiate city and utility fees, he said.

EWEB has a legitimate service concern about customer confusion, Corey said. "Their response to us has been cautious but in a spirit of partnership and cooperation. They're showing good faith to at least sit down with us and talk about the pros and cons and possibilities."

EWEB hopes to sell most of its riverfront property after moving its operations staff to a new complex in west Eugene. Under city law, if EWEB declares the riverfront property to be surplus, the city has first crack at buying it.

The city's downtown plan sets several criteria for any redevelopment of the EWEB property, including that it feature a "people place" and an educational aspect, and that setbacks and design techniques be used to address environmental concerns.