Viewpoint: Why I oppose Measure 15-234

Each building at the water treatment plant houses one step in the process of converting Ashland Creek water into safe drinking water for Ashland. Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini
October 30, 2024

With proper maintenance, our current plant can last many more decades

By Dean Silver

I organized the petition drive against Resolution 2024-05 in March. I was shocked that the City Council would authorize up to $75 million of debt at 4.77% for 35 years without referring the question to the people who would be paying — the voters. With the terms presented, that debt could result in over $150 million of total cost with interest.

Then, as now, the petition and the referendum were about one thing only: whether the voters would allow the city to assume that debt in the name of the residents.

The problem is that the proceeds of the line of credit would allow immediate construction of a new $75 million water treatment plant with a solar array and battery storage system. The city made it clear that they would attempt to capture grants if possible, but they were aspirational only at that point, and none have been awarded as yet.

In addition, the city proposed water rate increases of 10% per year for six years. Compounded, that is a 77% increase. That was on top of approximately 60% increases between 2011 and 2021. Those increases were supposed to be used for the new plant that had been discussed since 2012 or before.

Since the original estimate for a new WTP has grown from $22.5 million in 2018 to $32 million in 2019 to $55-75 million in 2024, it is obvious that the project should not proceed without due consideration of viable alternatives. Nothing else has been considered since 2018. Yet the cost of the city’s chosen solution has effectively tripled.

The reason for the referendum is to give the voters an opportunity to decide whether to accept this debt at this time. Despite the city’s claims to the contrary, denying access to this funding source at this time will not prevent us from accessing it or similar programs in the future if it is determined that building a new plant is the best answer.

The city has rightfully argued that the WIFIA line of credit was a good way to finance any new infrastructure program. No one has ever taken issue with that.

The city has claimed that the current WTP is at grave risk of natural disasters and is inadequate to provide reliable water in the future. They have greatly exaggerated the risks. They have no credible evidence, just the specter of low probability natural disasters and the fact that the buildings are 76 years old. People need to realize that the plant consists of the treatment equipment which has been maintained and replaced when necessary, as it would in any water treatment plant, as well as the buildings.

With proper maintenance, our current plant can last many more decades. It has survived three major floods in the past, suffering only minimal disruption even from the 1997 flood that almost destroyed the Plaza.

Meanwhile, we have a backup water source: the Talent-Ashland-Phoenix Intertie (TAP) which can provide all of the household water we need in an emergency.

Over the past seven months, the city has had ample opportunity to provide evidence of their claims, but they have produced nothing but repetitive, empty proclamations.

For the past seven months, I have been investigating the plans for the new WTP, how they came about, and how they might play out. I have been a fact checker on behalf of the residents.

The more I have learned, the more convinced I have become that:

  1. The current WTP can indeed serve our needs for many more years given proper maintenance and potential upgrades, and
  2. The plans for the new WTP are fatally flawed from many perspectives, including:

• cost

• impact on the residents’ finances

• energy use during operation

• environmental impacts of construction

• the “waste factor” of abandoning viable infrastructure

Therefore, I can only conclude that a fresh look at our plans is necessary before rushing forward with this project.

I have even presented an alternative plan that would cost the rate payer practically nothing. It is a concept that must be studied and considered. You can find it at ashland-debt.info/a-deal-we-cant-refuse/.

There is no urgency to replace the WTP, as the city has claimed from the start. The funding opportunities are not going away. In fact, they have already improved as a result of the delay. The longer we postpone building a new plant, the more the city will save. Due to inflation, the price of building will increase, along with everything else. But the savings of not having debt service will more than compensate for inflation. Think of how often (and how and why) you buy new cars.

The city must determine how any new project will be financed, and also how it will be paid for before putting it out to bid. It is the law. The line of credit would fulfill the letter of the law, but it would be a complete violation of the spirit of the law.

The city can and must come back with a better plan, because the current plan has become untenable.

The city owes it to the people to give our water needs a new, thorough reevaluation before proceeding. The only way to make that happen is to defeat this funding measure.

There is no question that the decision regarding building a new WTP or maintaining the current plant is complex. There are many moving parts. That is why it is important for every voter to learn about the many aspects of the issue, to really dig in and understand the details.

To get all of the facts so that you can make an informed decision based upon the complex realities instead of fear, please visit ashland-debt.info. If you have the time, read the supporting documents. Get the facts.

And please vote “no” on Measure 15-234.

Ashland resident Dean Silver is director and treasurer of the Don’t Drown Ashland in Debt Political Action Committee.

Related Viewpoint: Protect Ashland’s drinking water; vote ‘yes’ on Measure 15-234

Picture of Bert Etling

Bert Etling

Bert Etling is the executive editor of Ashland.news. Email him at [email protected].

Related Posts...

Viewpoint: What Ashland voters want City Council candidates to talk about

Lorrie Kaplan: What do you want Ashland City Council candidates to be talking about as they compete for votes? That’s the question included in a “Citizens Agenda” poll available through every edition of the Ashland.news e-newsletter beginning in August. The poll closed Sept. 20. Ashland.news received 219 responses, many showing great care and thoughtfulness.

Read More »

Our Sponsors

Klamath Bird Observatory Experience the wonders of Souteast Brazil Ashland Oregon
Conscious Design Build Ashland Oregon
Pronto Printing Ashland Medford Southern Oregon

Latest posts

‘Do No Harm, Be a Good Neighbor’: Community event on immigration Monday

The Ashland Sunrise Project is hosting an opportunity for community members to learn about current immigration issues and how to be in solidarity with those potentially impacted by the changing political climate on immigration. The event, titled “How To Do No Harm and Be a Good Neighbor,” is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, at Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (RVUUF), 87 4th St., Ashland.

Read More >

Obituary: Eliane Viner

Obituary: Eliane A. Mueller Trapp Viner, 86, died on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024 — on her own terms and surrounded by loved ones — in Medford, Oregon, after three months of hospice care. A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 1, in Ashland, Oregon, and online.

Read More >

Bill Thorndike Jr. remembered as community titan, treasured friend

Family, community members and longtime friends of Medford native Bill Thorndike Jr. were collectively at a loss for words over the weekend at the sudden loss of a man they say had a hand in nearly anything good to happen in Southern Oregon for much of the past half-century. Thorndike, 71, suffered a heart attack early Saturday morning, just following a Valentine’s Day spent with his wife, Angela Thorndike, at a family cabin on Whidbey Island in Washington’s Puget Sound.

Read More >

Presidents Day protest draws crowd to Ashland Plaza 

About 150 people rallied on Ashland Plaza on Monday, part of a series of nationwide protests on Presidents Day, most organized by the 50501 Movement, which stands for “50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement,” in a response to what organizers describe as “the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration.”

Read More >

New nonprofit hopes to help write next chapter in Ashland’s story

It’s in the name: Cultural and economic revitalization of Ashland is at the heart of a three-year program proposed by a new nonprofit organization — the Ashland Cultural & Economic Alliance. Co-founders Matt Hoffman, Jim Fredericks and Lloyd Matthew Haines hosted a launch event attended by about 70 business, cultural and civic leaders Saturday evening in Meese Hall at Southern Oregon University to announce the formation of ACEA.

Read More >

Our Sponsors

Ashland Parks and Recreation Ashland Oregon
City of Ashland Public Notice Ashland Oregon
Ashland.news House Ad

Explore More...

The Ashland Sunrise Project is hosting an opportunity for community members to learn about current immigration issues and how to be in solidarity with those potentially impacted by the changing political climate on immigration. The event, titled “How To Do No Harm and Be a Good Neighbor,” is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, at Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (RVUUF), 87 4th St., Ashland.
Two weeks after its first February meeting was canceled due to unsafe road conditions due to snow, the Ashland City Council takes up business Tuesday, Feb. 17, it had expected to handle on Feb. 4. Its Feb. 3 study session, however, which was also canceled, is still pending as Monday, Feb. 17, was Presidents Day.
Family, community members and longtime friends of Medford native Bill Thorndike Jr. were collectively at a loss for words over the weekend at the sudden loss of a man they say had a hand in nearly anything good to happen in Southern Oregon for much of the past half-century. Thorndike, 71, suffered a heart attack early Saturday morning, just following a Valentine’s Day spent with his wife, Angela Thorndike, at a family cabin on Whidbey Island in Washington’s Puget Sound.
About 150 people rallied on Ashland Plaza on Monday, part of a series of nationwide protests on Presidents Day, most organized by the 50501 Movement, which stands for "50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement," in a response to what organizers describe as "the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration."
It’s in the name: Cultural and economic revitalization of Ashland is at the heart of a three-year program proposed by a new nonprofit organization — the Ashland Cultural & Economic Alliance. Co-founders Matt Hoffman, Jim Fredericks and Lloyd Matthew Haines hosted a launch event attended by about 70 business, cultural and civic leaders Saturday evening in Meese Hall at Southern Oregon University to announce the formation of ACEA.
ashland.news logo

Subscribe to the newsletter and get local news sent directly to your inbox.

(It’s free)

Don't Miss Our Top Stories

Get our newsletter delivered to your inbox three times a week.
It’s FREE and you can cancel anytime.