Officials in Stayton and Sublimity have finalized a new joint agreement for sewer operations after efforts began last year to revamp an outdated contract.
On Oct. 6 the Stayton City Council voted in favor of the agreement after the Sublimity City Council voted in favor Sept. 8.
The agreement defines how each city will share costs related to operations, maintenance and system upgrades, and responsibilities such as testing for leaks and planning for growth.
According to a City of Stayton staff memo, the goal is to “promote ongoing cooperation and ensure the long-term capacity, regulatory compliance, and efficiency of the shared wastewater infrastructure.”
Stayton has been providing sewer services to Sublimity since 1975. Historically Sublimity has paid for services based on a percentage of Stayton’s sewer charges and a percentage of debt owed for system improvements.
Over the years this formula caused Sublimity’s rates to come out of alignment with Stayton’s. A rate study published in January of 2024 said Sublimity would need to pay 40% more to match Stayton comparatively.
The two cities entered a new agreement in August of 2024 that charges Sublimity based on actual costs for operations and maintenance, depreciation and return on investment. Costs for operations and maintenance would be calculated yearly while the other costs would be part of a rate study conducted every three years.
The agreement also said each city will be responsible for their portions of the system, with Stayton responsible for the plant and Sublimity responsible for its local collection system. Each city will also set its own customer rates based on its financial obligations defined by the contract.
Following this agreement a separate contract was required to define roles and responsibilities for the planning and implementation of system improvements. This was the agreement finalized in October.
Under this contract, both parties will share responsibility for monitoring system leaks and reducing contaminants. They will also charge separate fees for system improvements given Stayton carries the larger burden of owning the sewer plant.
The agreement also said both parties will communicate in a timely manner about any development growth that could increase the number of customers using the system.
The new agreement maintained a joint sewer committee established in 1991 made of five representatives of each city that meet annually. The committee is tasked with reviewing operations and maintenance, regulatory compliance, and system improvement projects.
