Agenda - 02-03-2015 - 4b - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 Chair Earl McKee January 16, 2015 Page 2 Later this year, staff will evaluate additional options for further optimizing our biosolids management. We will continue to keep our stakeholders informed and to solicit their feedback. Rates and financial management In June 2014, for the third consecutive year, we adopted a budget with no increase in monthly rates for water, sewer or reclaimed water services. We are meeting all of our financial performance objectives and continue to have excellent credit ratings. Our recent refinancing of $25 million in bondswill save our customers about $2.5 million over the next 17 years. A news release on this topic ishere. Affordability outreach As part of our service affordability efforts, in the spring of 2014 we initiated an Affordability Outreach Pilot Project to engage the community/target groups with information about how to reduce OWASA bills. We have been working with representatives from more than a dozen local social service and housing agencies on this initiative, and are very appreciative of Orange revising OWASA processes to help customers avoid service disconnection for non- payment while the customer is seeking financial aid; giving the agencies water conservation/bill reduction information for their clients; and reviewing water use at several affordable housing locations to identify cost-effective opportunities to reduce bills, including conducting field audits at selected properties. We have completed 19 water use audits in support of this effort, and we have been pleased to see a relatively high percentage of low-flush and high-efficiency toilets installed in several older residences we have visited. We believe that in many of those homes, water leaks and behavioral practices are key factors contributing to high water use and high OWASA bills for those customers. Care to Share Customer Assistance Program On August 28, 2014, we changed the name of our customer assistance program to Care to Share as recommended by an inter-agency work group. The change is part of an initiative to increase donations to the program, which helps OWASA customers when they are unable to pay a water/sewer bill. We are working on graphics for new Care to Share webpages. In 2015, we will implement a marketing plan for Care to Share and will seek assistance from and collaboration with organizations including local governments. Care to Share is funded with donations because we cannot use OWASA revenues to fund or promote Care to Share.