Water rate increases for households in Independence needed to finance upgrades
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, January 12, 2024
Increases in residential water rates are coming soon as Independence grapples with new demands on water capacity from population growth and addresses an aging infrastructure that requires repair due to deferred maintenance.
That was the message this past week from a city council work session that was held prior to the regular city council meeting, which showed that the ability to keep pace with the need for water will be outstripped in the near future without building a new water treatment system that sends H20 safely into pipes and faucets all over town.
The intent of the session was to discuss upward revisions in water fees for builders, fees collectively known as system development charges. Under questioning by members of the city council, both the water-rate consultant, Steve Donovan, and the city’s Public Works Director Gerald Fisher, confirmed that the increase in SDCs will not preclude a rise in residential water rates for all customers.
Asked to comment on the issue, the city’s communication coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, failed to respond to repeated requests.
The population growth, if it persists, will mean water will hit a “deficit” in 2028, Fisher noted.
A big part of the reason is that water SDCs for developers remained too low for too long. Using a “grocery store analogy,” Fisher explained that if apple prices remain the same for two decades, eventually “we have to charge the actual rate for the apple.” That means a potentially dramatic jump in SDCs – pushing the total SDC fees to an estimate of nearly $53,000 for a single-family home.
“I wish we could have charged more for that apple a while ago,” observed Councilor Dawn Roden.
Though no date has been set for residential water-rate discussions, the council tentatively decided to approve the new SDC rate for developers, a move that’s expected to come back for formal approval by the city council in the next few weeks. It is still subject to change, observed Donovan, the consultant on the project. He urged councilors to keep in mind that “this is a snapshot in time.” ▪
Financial cutbacks announced at 13J but superintendent promises to spare special education
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, January 12, 2024
Jobs in departments that stretch across CSD 13J's school district will remain unfilled as part of a first step to address an anticipated looming financial crisis – but special education is very unlikely to be included in the plan, Superintendent Jennifer Kubista confirmed at the school board meeting this week.
With a new school bond campaign now off the table, and pressure to whittle away at costs, there will be hiring moratoriums on positions that are vacant but previously were expected to have replacements, Kubista said.
Two different financial forces are exerting pressure on the budget: a drop in high school student enrollment of about 5% and loss of federal dollars of about $2.5 million, which was emergency-relief funding during covid.
In what she referred to as “belt-tightening,” Kubista announced that all plans for non-instructional purchases are under review and so are any open positions, including announced retirements. Travel will be limited to trips covered by grants, she added. “We are starting to make decisions to save some money,” Kubista explained.
The search for special education teachers, currently underway, will continue – the need is growing and state goals for that instruction must be met, she said.
Though the school board adopted a revised policy for alternative education at the last board meeting, alternative and special education are not the same, explained Emily Mentzer, communications coordinator for the school district.
Alternative education is a school or separate class group designed to best serve students' educational needs and interests and assist students in achieving the academic standards of the school district and state; special education refers to students experiencing disabilities.
Some parents have expressed worry over special education. At a recent holiday party for the community, one parent said she feels the program needs even more support. In fact, “that’s my wish for the coming year,” she said. ▪
Executive director of The GATE weighs in on opinions shared by Gen Z panelists
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, January 12, 2024
Gen Z representatives from one end of the Willamette Valley to the other told a packed audience at Salem City Club their life goals differ from the American dream envisioned by many of the attendees, a view that came as no surprise to Ben Bobeda, who has more than a passing familiarity with this generational cohort as executive director of The GATE in Independence.
The GATE, a church-affiliated youth recreation facility, located across Monmouth Street from Central High School, is a home-away-from home for many high schoolers. "They don't seem to want what we did," Bobeda said, noting that this has both an upside and a worrisome one.
Bobeda was interviewed after a panel of Gen Z participants, or "Zoomers," as they are sometimes called, shared their views of what later adulthood will be like for them – views that seemed far less skeptical of government assistance than previous generations.
The Gen Z generation ranges in age today from pre-teen 12-year-olds to those in their mid-to-late 20s. They comprise 20% of the U.S. population and, along with Millennials, will dominate the percentage of voters when they come of age to cast ballots. Their opinions so far seem, on certain issues, more conservative – they are comfortable with all kinds of technology, and consider the march for more of the same in a positive light – and they have developed an early distrust of politics, according to national surveys. However, they also see government’s role liberally, as a helpmate.
Two of the Gen Z panelists praised European policies that mandate low-cost universal health care and family-friendly subsidies. Government should be a provider, several stressed. That's something Bobeda sees, too.
"This is a generation that sees government that way," he said. Is this why planning doesn't seem to be a high priority for some? "I don't think many realize how expensive it will be to live, to have a middle-class lifestyle," he said.
Perhaps the lack of participation in the workforce during high-school years plays a role. Pew Research shows that Gen Z adolescents are less likely to have jobs than previous generations of teenagers: Only 18% of Gen Zs have jobs at typically employed teen ages (15 to 17) compared with 27% of Millennials and 41% of Gen X at the same ages. It may be a chicken-and-egg situation for some.
"Are we as adults helping them?" Bobeda asked. One girl applied to work at seven different places and never heard back from a single one, he said. The lack of outside jobs for Gen Zs can take an unseen toll, he said. The Gen Z panelists emphasized the importance of work-life balance – how important it is for them to carve out time for their relationships. "They are very relational, very oriented that way," Bobeda agreed. But although outside work may represent lost time with others, there's also a lost opportunity for learning, he observed.
The structure, pay and discipline of a job – even performing a list of daily chores – offer life lessons on meeting goals and completing tasks, he pointed out. That can be a huge benefit for navigating adulthood, Bobeda added. Some members of the Gen Z panel confessed that they feel like they spend too much online, scrolling through social media, a downfall of their generation. "Yes, they do know that, about their own (reliance) on electronics," Bobeda said. Both Bobeda and the Gen Z panelists describe this generation as more naturally accepting of cultural and ethnic differences, and more welcoming to those who were targets in previous ones, such as members of the LBGTQ community. But Z Generation also deeply values friends and family, or "traditional values," as Bobeda puts it.
Though the panelists openly disparaged the quest for the "white picket fence" life, the bonds that form in that situation – family members, neighbors, acquaintances – are something they hope they have in abundance.
Those relationships can suffer “if you are focused on that white picket fence, that house, that expensive car," said one. Promoting the American dream for a new generation is simply “a dream someone else is dreaming for me," said another. ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, January 12, 2024
Increases in residential water rates are coming soon as Independence grapples with new demands on water capacity from population growth and addresses an aging infrastructure that requires repair due to deferred maintenance.
That was the message this past week from a city council work session that was held prior to the regular city council meeting, which showed that the ability to keep pace with the need for water will be outstripped in the near future without building a new water treatment system that sends H20 safely into pipes and faucets all over town.
The intent of the session was to discuss upward revisions in water fees for builders, fees collectively known as system development charges. Under questioning by members of the city council, both the water-rate consultant, Steve Donovan, and the city’s Public Works Director Gerald Fisher, confirmed that the increase in SDCs will not preclude a rise in residential water rates for all customers.
Asked to comment on the issue, the city’s communication coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, failed to respond to repeated requests.
The population growth, if it persists, will mean water will hit a “deficit” in 2028, Fisher noted.
A big part of the reason is that water SDCs for developers remained too low for too long. Using a “grocery store analogy,” Fisher explained that if apple prices remain the same for two decades, eventually “we have to charge the actual rate for the apple.” That means a potentially dramatic jump in SDCs – pushing the total SDC fees to an estimate of nearly $53,000 for a single-family home.
“I wish we could have charged more for that apple a while ago,” observed Councilor Dawn Roden.
Though no date has been set for residential water-rate discussions, the council tentatively decided to approve the new SDC rate for developers, a move that’s expected to come back for formal approval by the city council in the next few weeks. It is still subject to change, observed Donovan, the consultant on the project. He urged councilors to keep in mind that “this is a snapshot in time.” ▪
Financial cutbacks announced at 13J but superintendent promises to spare special education
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, January 12, 2024
Jobs in departments that stretch across CSD 13J's school district will remain unfilled as part of a first step to address an anticipated looming financial crisis – but special education is very unlikely to be included in the plan, Superintendent Jennifer Kubista confirmed at the school board meeting this week.
With a new school bond campaign now off the table, and pressure to whittle away at costs, there will be hiring moratoriums on positions that are vacant but previously were expected to have replacements, Kubista said.
Two different financial forces are exerting pressure on the budget: a drop in high school student enrollment of about 5% and loss of federal dollars of about $2.5 million, which was emergency-relief funding during covid.
In what she referred to as “belt-tightening,” Kubista announced that all plans for non-instructional purchases are under review and so are any open positions, including announced retirements. Travel will be limited to trips covered by grants, she added. “We are starting to make decisions to save some money,” Kubista explained.
The search for special education teachers, currently underway, will continue – the need is growing and state goals for that instruction must be met, she said.
Though the school board adopted a revised policy for alternative education at the last board meeting, alternative and special education are not the same, explained Emily Mentzer, communications coordinator for the school district.
Alternative education is a school or separate class group designed to best serve students' educational needs and interests and assist students in achieving the academic standards of the school district and state; special education refers to students experiencing disabilities.
Some parents have expressed worry over special education. At a recent holiday party for the community, one parent said she feels the program needs even more support. In fact, “that’s my wish for the coming year,” she said. ▪
Executive director of The GATE weighs in on opinions shared by Gen Z panelists
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, January 12, 2024
Gen Z representatives from one end of the Willamette Valley to the other told a packed audience at Salem City Club their life goals differ from the American dream envisioned by many of the attendees, a view that came as no surprise to Ben Bobeda, who has more than a passing familiarity with this generational cohort as executive director of The GATE in Independence.
The GATE, a church-affiliated youth recreation facility, located across Monmouth Street from Central High School, is a home-away-from home for many high schoolers. "They don't seem to want what we did," Bobeda said, noting that this has both an upside and a worrisome one.
Bobeda was interviewed after a panel of Gen Z participants, or "Zoomers," as they are sometimes called, shared their views of what later adulthood will be like for them – views that seemed far less skeptical of government assistance than previous generations.
The Gen Z generation ranges in age today from pre-teen 12-year-olds to those in their mid-to-late 20s. They comprise 20% of the U.S. population and, along with Millennials, will dominate the percentage of voters when they come of age to cast ballots. Their opinions so far seem, on certain issues, more conservative – they are comfortable with all kinds of technology, and consider the march for more of the same in a positive light – and they have developed an early distrust of politics, according to national surveys. However, they also see government’s role liberally, as a helpmate.
Two of the Gen Z panelists praised European policies that mandate low-cost universal health care and family-friendly subsidies. Government should be a provider, several stressed. That's something Bobeda sees, too.
"This is a generation that sees government that way," he said. Is this why planning doesn't seem to be a high priority for some? "I don't think many realize how expensive it will be to live, to have a middle-class lifestyle," he said.
Perhaps the lack of participation in the workforce during high-school years plays a role. Pew Research shows that Gen Z adolescents are less likely to have jobs than previous generations of teenagers: Only 18% of Gen Zs have jobs at typically employed teen ages (15 to 17) compared with 27% of Millennials and 41% of Gen X at the same ages. It may be a chicken-and-egg situation for some.
"Are we as adults helping them?" Bobeda asked. One girl applied to work at seven different places and never heard back from a single one, he said. The lack of outside jobs for Gen Zs can take an unseen toll, he said. The Gen Z panelists emphasized the importance of work-life balance – how important it is for them to carve out time for their relationships. "They are very relational, very oriented that way," Bobeda agreed. But although outside work may represent lost time with others, there's also a lost opportunity for learning, he observed.
The structure, pay and discipline of a job – even performing a list of daily chores – offer life lessons on meeting goals and completing tasks, he pointed out. That can be a huge benefit for navigating adulthood, Bobeda added. Some members of the Gen Z panel confessed that they feel like they spend too much online, scrolling through social media, a downfall of their generation. "Yes, they do know that, about their own (reliance) on electronics," Bobeda said. Both Bobeda and the Gen Z panelists describe this generation as more naturally accepting of cultural and ethnic differences, and more welcoming to those who were targets in previous ones, such as members of the LBGTQ community. But Z Generation also deeply values friends and family, or "traditional values," as Bobeda puts it.
Though the panelists openly disparaged the quest for the "white picket fence" life, the bonds that form in that situation – family members, neighbors, acquaintances – are something they hope they have in abundance.
Those relationships can suffer “if you are focused on that white picket fence, that house, that expensive car," said one. Promoting the American dream for a new generation is simply “a dream someone else is dreaming for me," said another. ▪
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