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Implement Watershed Protection Standards and Classifications to Insure Hi h uali <br />Water Resources in Orange Coun Attachment <br />John Link made reference to the timeline on pages 4 and 5 of attachment 9. The public <br />hearing will be August 24, 1998. <br />Pat Davis said that the official proposal for protecting the watershed went before the <br />County Commissioners in 1991. OWASA is getting ready to entertain proposals to do an integrated plan <br />for OWASA and they need to get some resolution to this issue. <br />D. OWASA Assessment Policy and Service Availability Fees. Attachments: <br />Provisional Assessment Policy January 2 1998 Attachment 10 <br />Service Avai_'lability Fees. OWASA Staff Memorandum. February 6 1998 (Attachment 11 <br />Housing Factors and Water Use Patterns. OWASA StaffMemorandum. December 5 1997 <br />(Attachment 12 <br />Provisional Assessment Policy <br />Ed Kerwin referred to Attachment 10 and said that this document has not been acted on by the <br />OWASA Board of Directors. The documents outline all the issues and their legal constraints. The <br />OWASA Boazd will look at their assessment policy and look at the constraints with an effort to make <br />sewering azeas more affordable. <br />Bob Epting gave background information on the formation of the OWASA Boazd of Directors. <br />OWASA acquired their assets from the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the University of North <br />Cazolina at Chapel Hill. They did so in 1977 by way of a purchase and sale contract with each of these <br />three organizations. They all say that the cost of extension of lines shall be paid by the party or parties <br />primarily benefiting from the extension. The Authority's hands aze tied by this contractual language. He <br />suggested that the County may want to meet with the Towns and the University to see if they aze willing to <br />change this language. As long as this language stays the same, OWASA is not able to legally pay a <br />significant portion of the costs for running water and sewer. Also, the bond orders under which the <br />authority borrowed money also contain a provision that OWASA rates be based on a cost of service <br />principle in assessing the parties who benefit from the extension of lines. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked about a survey of azeas not being served and Bob Epting said that <br />this was a survey of their primary interest areas, within town limits. None of these azeas are in the rural <br />buffer except Brookfield. <br />Pat Davis said that it is important to recognize that there aze different philosophies on the <br />OWASA Boazd about this issue. Those members who are supportive of OWASA taking on a financial <br />assistance program for those azeas that aze unsewered would probably condition that position on local <br />governments taking action to assure that this is not a continuing problem that presents financial hardships <br />