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WES board directs expanded income‑qualified assistance and reviews 10‑year financial plan
Summary
Water Environment Services staff presented a redesigned income‑qualified customer assistance program to broaden eligibility (including renters), add emergency and waiver options, and pursue partnerships (including information sharing with PGE). The board approved moving to implementation and also received a 10‑year financial plan showing strategic rate increases, reserve use and projected borrowings.
Clackamas County’s Water Environment Services (WES) presented two linked items on Dec. 16: a proposed expansion of its customer assistance program and a 10‑year long‑range financial plan.
On the assistance program, Director Greg Geist and WES staff (including Erin and Finance Manager Aaron Blue) described proposals to rebrand WES’s low‑income discount as an income‑qualified discount, expand eligibility to renters and multifamily households, offer emergency/crisis bill assistance, permit waivers and late‑fee forgiveness, extend enrollment periods to two years, and pilot an information‑sharing approach with Portland General Electric (PGE) to reach renters. Staff noted the program is currently underutilized (about 0.8% of potentially eligible households) and that full expansion could cost more (staff estimated up to $2.14 per eligible household if fully expanded) while the current program costs about $0.14 per month per sewer rate payer at current utilization.
Commissioners discussed outreach, documentation requirements and potential auto‑enrollment using other benefit program data; WES staff said they met with county social services and city partners to design outreach and considered self‑certification with periodic audits as a best practice. Commissioner Paul Savas and others supported immediate implementation and asked staff to provide online and paper application options and outreach materials. The board voted to approve the updated customer assistance program and direct staff to move to implementation (motion passed 4–0).
WES also presented a long‑range financial plan showing steady, predictable rate adjustments (planning assumption of up to 5% annual rate increases), a strategy to use reserves to smooth short‑term rate impacts, and a targeted debt‑coverage ratio above the 120% minimum (WES targets 140%). Staff said new borrowings over the plan horizon total about $217,000,000 and that the plan anticipates phasing out a legacy‑debt component of rates by fiscal year 2030–31. Commissioners praised the plan’s discipline and recommended the work be used in upcoming budget discussions.
Next steps: WES will implement the assistance program changes in phases, return with any rule or IGA amendments needed, and use the long‑range plan as the basis for next year’s budget proposals.
