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County Board Abruptly Gives Up Plan to Close Sewage Plant

Posted on: Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 21:00 CST

By Steve Mayes, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

Jan. 11--OREGON CITY -- Clackamas County commissioners on Thursday will formally drop long-standing plans to close a sewage treatment plant in Milwaukie and expand one in Oregon City.

The decision is linked to a March election that would allow voters in Clackamas County Service District 1 to decide whether the plan should go forward.

By rescinding the sewer consolidation plan approved in September, the commission will eliminate the need for an election because there will be nothing to decide. Thursday is the deadline for removing items from the March 13 ballot.

Commissioners also will terminate related agreements with Milwaukie, Gladstone and Oregon City.

The sudden change on the Clearwater Project caught Milwaukie officials off-guard. Getting rid of the city's riverfront plant and redeveloping the site have long been among the city's top priorities.

"The fact that (the commissioners) are willing to terminate . . . contracts so easily speaks volumes," City Manager Mike Swanson said. "What does that say about future relations with the county? It sets a bad precedent."

County Administrator Jonathan Mantay said the commissioners had to re-evaluate the situation. "We know that long-term buy-in from citizens is paramount," Mantay said.

If the county were to push ahead with the plan, opponents could put another measure on the ballot or force public votes on six revenue bond measures needed to finance the project, Mantay said.

The county board of commissioners also serves as the sewer district's board of directors.

Opponents of the Clearwater Project say it is expensive and unneeded. Proponents said the county's wastewater system is insufficient to accommodate growth in north Clackamas County.

The county filed a lawsuit last fall to keep the measure off the ballot, but a judge denied the request. The ballot measure's chief petitioners -- Jim Knapp, John Hilley and Eugene Schoenheit -- were defendants in the lawsuit.

The three men were among several critics who said the county ramrodded the Clearwater plan through the approval process and paid little attention to opponents.

Commissioners also will decide Thursday whether to set up a five-member panel to study the sewer district's needs, recommend how to meet them and report back to the county by Sept. 30. Knapp, Hilley and Schoenheit would be appointed to the committee.

Commissioner Bill Kennemer opposed appointing all three men to the committee, saying the county runs the risk of alienating Clearwater supporters if one viewpoint is overrepresented.

Swanson said giving control of the advisory committee to Knapp, Hilley and Schoenheit is a mistake. "The people making the decision in the end are the three people who were the first three people appointed to the committee," he said.

Knapp vowed to be open-minded. "We're going to look at all the alternatives and all the solutions," he said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.

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Source: The Oregonian

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