LTE ~ Coos Bay Council Busted Over Charging Residents Sewer Rates

From a Watchdog in Coos Bay:

Coos Bay City Council busted, caught with hands in the cookie jars of sewer user’s rate payers.  Will Council seek forgiveness or pay reinburstments? For the years of charging sewer user rate payers for more than they used.

This practice was again pointed out by a Citizen, at the May 5, 2015 Council meeting concerning agenda item Resolution 15-06 Sewer Fee Adjustment. It was explained away as a common practice and the City had been doing it for years, no one knows when it started. The term in the resolution is “fraction thereof”. Layman terms, rounding up any amount over 100 cubic feet, up to the next 100, and charging for the increased amount, not amount used.

Who is not paying attention? At the Town Hall Meeting, Tuesday, May 13, 2014, noon, Coos Bay Library Myrtle Room, a Citizen said to the meeting presenters, City staff, Mayor and Council members in attendance, “when we pay our water bill they are rounding up the charges”.

At the Council meeting May 5, 2015, the practice was continued, resolution passed. Justified by required billing lead time for a 6.5 percent rate increase to start, June, billing cycle. July 21, 2015, practice of rounding up discontinued, with a two month lead time, a resolution in the August Council meeting, will continue through September or October. Four or five months or more of missing cookies.

Will the Council refund rate payers their missing Cookies? Every Budget and every Sewer Fee Adjustment vote during the past years, did council know they were voting to take extra cookies, without permission.  Oh, who needs permission, they are our representatives.

Cookies are extracted annually from Citizens jar. September. 2014, Solid Waste fee increase, 1.9 percent. May 2015 Sewer Rate Fee increase, 6.5 percent. May 2015 Budget adoption, Property Tax Increase, 3 percent. July 2015 CB/NB WaterBoard Rate increase, 6.1 percent. July 7, 2015 PacifiCorp Franchise Fee increase, 2 percent. Does Council has any idea how may fewer Cookies the citizens have after the Council decides, share your Cookies.  

Next on the table, gas tax, 5 Cents per gallon. Cities cost to put on ballot? If passed, buy 10 gallons, pay $.50 more, the state gets a  cut, rest to City, after administration cost, directed to streets. See Coos Bay Councilors at, gas tax town hall meeting.  

Is the Council inventorying cookies in the Cities’ jars?

Denny Powell
737 N Broadway
Coos Bay OR 97420

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Coos Bay North Spit Waste Treatment Plant 2 SUMMARY 7-22-15 PDF
File Size:	461 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Coos Bay Plant 2 Alternative - 7-22-15. Chloe PDF
File Size:	2883 kb
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The City of Coos Bay has been struggling with sewer plan #2, Empire in redesigning and upgrades. They think that they are ready to now construct a new plant, as soon as the permits are approved.

Problem, The new Plant will be placed in residential neighborhood. The Plant will still dump “treated” sewage products into the Coos Bay. Bay. Currently the design cost are around 3 million, and they will be spending 7 million more in construction for the plant, over that of another offer to build a plant, in another place.

The City, Councilors are not only reluctant, but have voted to no longer look at any other options which will require spending staff time. However, some Councilors like the long term advantages of the other option offered.

DBWT, Inc. A locale Business has offered to build the beginnings of a regional waste water treatment facility, starting with the a Plant # 2 design meeting Coos Bays current and future DEQ, and other permitting requirements on the North Spit and including an Ocean Outfall. The actual plant construction, turn key ready to go will cost 7 million less than the Current Coos Bay plan.

The Ocean Outfall can be build in combination with shared cost. The future will be better for the health and well-being of all animals and humans because Coos Bays Plant # 1 can pipe it waste to the north spit facility and no longer dump into the Bay. And in the future likewise North Bend can become part of the Regional waste water treatment system with an ocean outfall improving the health of the Bay.

DBWT has prepared a Proposal and Summery in attachments included. One a summery and the other the same summery with much more details and data.

The Councilors said they would consider the North Spit option again if the information answered the question the Council members had and they could be convinced it could happen within the time mandated DEQ time frame.

It is the job of the Citizens to not let the councilors play with the health and future well-being of the Community by not having a public meeting to consider this complete information which has been offered.

Related Posts:
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LTE ~ Coos Bay Sewer Fees Over the Next 5 Years
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LTE ~ LNG Pipeline Man and His Bag of Money  
BOC ~ Releases Coos County Strategic Plan
Sweet admits that community service fess are derivatives of tax dollars ‏
MGX ~ More Articles & Latest News from Mary Geddry
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Less than 24 Hours After Election & the Sweet Deals Start Rolling Out in #CoosCounty
MGX ~ Sweet's Campaign is Getting Desperate to Turn to the Walrus
Candidate Don Gurney is the Right Choice for Coos County Commissioner
OPRD ~ Fascinating Email Exchange Involving Stuntzner, Sweet, & Bandon Biota

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