Wastewater Ballot Information

Aug 17

Click HERE to download the packet. This was mailed to all residents on Wednesday, August 16th. It should be in your mail boxes soon! The official public posting of the Ballot Title will be submitted to the Oregonian next week. If there are no court submissions, it will be sent to the County Election Board on August 31st.

Message from the Mayor

Greetings~

The residents of the City of Maywood Park will be voting on November 7, 2023 on whether or not to pursue connecting to the City of Portland Sewer. This has been a long time coming. In the past, it has always been committees making the decision on this potentially large endeavor. I thought it was about time that we bring such an important issue to the residents to decide what the next steps will be.

Put simply, we need the residents to decide “yes I want to pursue connecting to the City of Portland Sewer”, or “No, I do not want to connect to the City of Portland Sewer”. In order to move forward with the project, there will need to be 50% +1 of registered voters approving this ballot measure.

In this packet, you will find the following information:

• A short article detailing the Pros and Cons of a Yes or No vote

• A summary of the potential project from PACE Engineering

• A 40-year present-worth cost comparison as of April 2023

• The intended Ballot Title, Measure, and an explanation as it will appear in the voter pamphlet

Your vote on this issue MATTERS! Please vote.

As always, please watch the city website for updates on city happenings.

~ Mayor Montross

Understanding the Maywood Park Sewer Vote

On November 7, 2023 residents of Maywood Park will vote to decide if the city will pursue building sewer infrastructure and connecting to the City of Portland sewer. The purpose of this article is to help residents understand the potential outcomes of the vote.

In the simplest terms here’s what you can expect:

A “Yes” vote means: Maywood Park will begin the process of forming committees to research funding for sanitary sewer and, eventually, all households will have the option to be connected. A “No” vote means: Maywood Park will not pursue building and connecting to sanitary sewer and wastewater treatment at this time, and will continue with things as they are, each household being responsible for their own wastewater via cesspool, septic, or the few households already connected to sewer.

Background Information

At this time, 85% of homes have a cesspool or septic system. Since 1980, 27% of those homes have a newer system. 73% of homes have original cesspools. 13% of homes have sewer available or are already connected. On average, a properly installed and well-maintained septic tank can last 20 to 40 years.

The pros and cons of a “Yes” vote

By voting “Yes,” residents agree to begin the process of building sewer infrastructure in Maywood Park, and connecting to the City of Portland sewer. A “Yes” vote includes forming committees to begin pursuing funding options and begin working with The City of Portland to enter into an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) to connect to sewer throughout Maywood Park. Additionally, if the sewer is installed and onsite wastewater systems fail, residents will be required to connect to the sewer and decommission their on-site wastewater system.

The benefits of a “Yes” vote

The majority of homes in Maywood Park currently use an on-site cesspool or septic system to treat wastewater. As you may know, many of the cesspools in Maywood Park are aging and beginning to fail. At present, when this occurs, residents are responsible for the costs of installing a new septic system and decommissioning the old cesspool. With a “Yes” vote, Maywood Park would move to a wastewater system where individual households will no longer be responsible for their private system. This may be preferable to some residents as not all sites in Maywood Park are good candidates for onsite septic systems.

Another benefit of a “Yes” vote is related to the environmental, health, and safety hazards of cesspools. With a “Yes” vote, all cesspools (and septic systems) in Maywood Park would be retired. As most cesspools in Maywood Park have been in the ground for many years, they have a tendency to leak, leading to obvious environmental and health hazards. With a “Yes” vote, these dangers would be mitigated.

Finally, as we will discuss below, the cost of installing and connecting to sewer may be prohibitive for some residents. However, The City of Maywood Park will explore the possibility of financial assistance, as described by The City of Portland here. (https://www.portland.gov/bes/connecting-sewer/sewer-financial-assistance)

The drawbacks to a “Yes” vote

With a “Yes” vote, residents are agreeing that the community will take on the considerable expense of installing and connecting to city sewer. Costs for the sewer project would come in three parts:

The cost of installing sewer pipes in the streets. This cost would likely be covered by a city bond measure and likely result in an increase in property taxes for Maywood Park residents. You can learn more about sewer costs from the City of Portland website. (https://www.portland.gov/bes/sewer-costs)
The cost for individual homes to connect to the sewer. This is a cost that would be paid by individual residents. This resource from the City of Portland describes the process. (https://www.portland.gov/bes/connecting-sewer/installing-sewer-line)
The cost for individual homes to decommission their existing systems. If the new sewer is installed, individual residents must ensure that their existing on-site systems are safely shut down to avoid future contamination resulting from leaks or other failures.

For an initial estimate of these costs, please read the next section.

The pros and cons of a “No” vote

By voting “No,” Maywood Park residents agree that we will not pursue our integration into the City of Portland’s sewer system at this time. With a “No” vote, residents will continue treating their wastewater privately.

The benefits of a “No” vote.

Many residents in Maywood Park have already transitioned away from a cesspool and installed a private septic system. Meanwhile, several residents whose homes are close to the City of Portland sewer lines have already connected to Portland sewer. Installing a new septic system or connecting to Portland sewer is quite costly, so these residents may not be in favor of a “Yes” vote because they have already invested in their home’s wastewater solution and do not wish to pay additional taxes to cover Maywood Park’s transition.

According to a recent article in Forbes, (https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/home/septic-tank-installation-cost/) the average cost for a new septic system is $6,300. However, due to the challenges associated with our community’s small lot sizes and urban location, new septic systems in Maywood Park have cost much more than the national average — approximately $40,000 — in recent years.

In contrast, as of April 2023, PACE Engineering estimated the cost of connecting to sewer is to be $46,900 per household for Maywood Park. This estimate includes the cost of installing sewer in the street, individuals’ connection to the sewer, and remediation of existing wastewater systems. As such, for individual households, the cost of maintaining things the way they are is possibly significantly less. One exception to this includes some residents on 102nd Avenue. Regardless of the outcome of the Maywood Park sewer vote, residents whose homes are within 300 feet of “available public sewer” will be legally required to connect to City of Portland sewer if their on-site cesspool fails, instead of installing a new onsite septic system.

According to City of Portland Chapter 17.33 (https://www.portland.gov/code/17/33) Required Public Sewer Connection, “Available Public Sewer “means a public sewer that is within 100 feet or one-half block, whichever is less, of property to be served, without crossing another property to make the new connection, or such other conditions of availability as are established by administrative rule. In cases of onsite conveyance or disposal system failure, sewer shall be deemed available if within 300 feet.”

The drawbacks a “No” vote.

As described in the “The benefits of a ‘Yes’ vote” above, the drawbacks to voting “No” on this measure are related to the environmental, health, and safety risks associated with failing cesspools. Additionally, as stated above, not every site in Maywood Park is a good candidate for onsite septic. As a result, when some households experience a cesspool failure, they may have a difficult time installing a wastewater treatment replacement, and it may cost significantly more than what other residents have paid. These residents may have a variety of options (some sites can share septic systems with neighbors), but these options must be explored by the homeowner on a case-by-case basis.

Summary

Maywood Park will decide whether to pursue connection to the City of Portland septic system through a vote on November 7, 2023.

By voting “Yes,” Maywood Park residents would indicate that they are in favor of pursuing building sewer and connecting all households. A “Yes” vote would begin this process.

In contrast, a “No” vote would mean Maywood Park will not pursue installing sewer at this time.

For more information, please contact Mayor Michelle Montross

mmontross@cityofmaywoodpark.com 971-207-0922

Project Summary and Cost Comparison from
PACE Engineering

Click Here for the Project Summary

Click Here for the Cost Comparison

Ballot Title & Measure

Maywood Park WasteWater Ballot Title - Final Version

As per the County Elections board, the following Ballot Title follows the allowable word count for a ballot tile and measure. Below is how the Ballot Meaure will appear on the ballot in November.

A caption that does not exceed 10 words describing the subject of the referral;

Shall Maywood Park connect to the sewer at this time?

A question that does not exceed 20 words plainly phrasing the main purpose of the referral so that an affirmative response to the question corresponds to a yes vote on the referral

Shall Maywood Park begin the transition away from private onsite wastewater systems to a public sewer system at this time?

A summary that does not exceed 175 words describing the major effect of the referral.

Proposes the adoption of the existing Wastewater Facilities Plan replacing individual onsite cesspool and septic systems with a public sanitary sewer system. “Yes” vote means the city will begin the process of forming committees to pursue funding options. Funding for this project is yet to be determined. There may be options for grants, local bonds, or low-interest loans to cover the costs of the project. This ballot measure does not endorse any particular method of funding, but rather seeks to gather input from the community regarding the adoption of the plan. The city would also begin working with The City of Portland to enter into an inter-governmental agreement (IGA) to connect to City of Portland sewer. Once funding methods are identified, a separate vote to fund and implement the wastewater facilities plan will be brought to the residents of Maywood Park in a future election.

“No” vote means the city will not move forward with plans to connect to sewer at this time, and residents will remain responsible for maintaining their own on-site wastewater systems.

(Will appear in the voter pamphlet only) An explanatory statement is an impartial, simple, and understandable statement explaining the measure. The district elections authority must prepare and file an explanatory statement of no more than 500 words for a referral only:

This ballot measure asks the residents to decide yes or no for connecting to the public sewer. A yes vote will trigger creation of an advisory committee to begin the process of identifying funding options for a proposed public sanitary sewer system in Maywood Park, and begin creating an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with City of Portland. A no vote means sanitary sewer will not be pursued at this time.

The need for the project is not based on a regulatory finding of non-compliance or harm but is driven in part by regulatory change. Specifically, OAR 340- 071-0335(1) states “A person may not construct new cesspool sewage disposal systems in Oregon.” Today, homeowners must install a septic system when their cesspool fails. Recent years have seen some new septic system installations within Maywood Park cost homeowners more than the national average, often estimated over $40,000 per household. On average, a properly installed and well-maintained septic tank can last 20 to 40 years, and many residents in Maywood Park have already installed a private septic system. Meanwhile, several residents whose homes are close to the City of Portland sewer lines have already connected to Portland sewer.

Installing a new septic system or connecting to Portland sewer is quite costly, so these residents may not be in favor of a “Yes” vote because they have already invested in their home’s wastewater solution and do not wish to pay additional taxes to cover Maywood Park’s transition. Meanwhile, residents whose systems haven't failed yet may want to get on public sewers BEFORE they fail. PACE Engineering estimated the cost of connecting to sewer to be $46,900 per household for Maywood Park. This estimate includes the cost of installing sewer in the street, individuals’ connection to the sewer, and remediation of existing wastewater systems. As such, for individual households, the cost of maintaining things the way they currently are is possibly significantly less. One exception to this includes some residents on 102nd Avenue.

Regardless of the outcome of the Maywood Park sewer vote, residents whose homes are within 300 feet of “available public sewer” will be legally required to connect to City of Portland sewer if their on-site cesspool fails, instead of installing a new onsite septic system.

If passed, this ballot measure will direct the City Council to create advisory committees to find funding options for the project. Once funding methods are identified, a separate vote to fund and implement the wastewater facilities plan will be brought to the residents of Maywood Park in a future election. This advisory committee will work to ensure that the project is funded in a way that is fair and equitable to all residents of Maywood Park.

Dalene Bloom