When Aumsville city officials found out that they needed a new $28 million water treatment facility they felt certain that paying for the new infrastructure would require higher bills for ratepayers.
The big question, however, was how much. City officials were so concerned that at one point Mayor Angelica Ceja went door to door in town to discuss the issue with residents and noted that increases in the $150 to $200 range were possible.
Well, the results are in and the hit turned out to be not as bad as was originally projected. The city contracted with the FCS Group, a utility rate consultancy with offices in Portland, city administrator Ron Harding told Our Town.
FCS analyzed the rate structure by looking ahead to when the city would finish paying off its debt on the project. FCS came up with a 3% increase for water bills and a flat rate $34 additional fee for sewer rates and the council implemented the new program by resolution.
“Although a large increase,” Harding said, “it is much smaller than the original 150 to 200. So we are actually pretty pleased with how much we have been able to bring the cost down.”
Aumsville was facing a 2028 deadline from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the ammonia content in the city’s lagoon treatment facility to meet the newer standards set by DEQ in 2019.
Failing to meet the standards would have meant no shot at receiving the required permit that would allow the city to discharge its effluent into the North Santiam River, Harding said.
Aumsville received massive financial assistance from Oregon and the federal government to make the project pencil out. Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley arrange a $1 5 million financial package from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which featured a $6 million grant and a $9 million loan. In addition, the city received $5 million in grants from the state.
During the process city officials also were honored by the League of Oregon Cities Cities. Aumsville received a “good governance” award in November 2024 for working with the community on the water treatment plant. The award recognizes progressive and innovative city operations and services.
Harding said the project team is currently finalizing the design, which is on track to be completed and approved by the end of the year. The city secured a Build America, Buy America (BABA) waiver for the project from the Environmental Protection Agency, which Harding called “an important step toward controlling costs.
The project is on track to be completed in 2028, Harding said, although he cautioned that “until construction wraps up, there will always be a degree of unpredictability. As of now, the budget appears to be on target, and full funding has been secured.”
