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minutes 01-15-00Page 4 of 59
<br />IRVINE: And certainly, the information I have does say Environmental Services is a city owned utility providing Portland
<br />residents with wastewater quality protection, sewage treatment, wastewater collection, sewer installation, solid waste
<br />collection, and recycling services. You could make a statement something like that. I have not yet found actual enabling
<br />legislation on these websites, or with anybody that I talked to.
<br />SANTANGELO: But I think the point being is if we put that before the voters, they voted that, then it would be incumbent
<br />upon the government, then, to go ahead and do that.
<br />HERKES: It would be in the Charter. They’d have to do it. Sue, what’s the definition of a utility? I don’t have my dictionary
<br />with me and I don’t really know.
<br />IRVINE: It seems to me it varies. Like with San Luis Obispo, that has a Utilities Department, and to me, that is the same
<br />department that usually is called, sort of, Environmental Services in Portland. The Utilities Department here has
<br />responsibility for citizens’ water and sewer systems, as well as for the administration of the refuse franchise and the recycling
<br />activities.
<br />HERKES: We have a Public Utilities Commission and that’s electricity and telephone.
<br />IRVINE: Yes. Well, these folks consider this other stuff utilities as well, which they often are.
<br />YUEN: Yes, I think I can explain it.
<br />IRVINE: Oh, good.
<br />YUEN: I think the example that Sue just gave of San Luis Obispo, I think that’s just a name that they’re calling their service.
<br />HERKES: There’s not really a definition?
<br />YUEN: Right. When you speak of a public utility in the State of Hawaii, there is a Public Utilities Commission and there’s
<br />certain companies that are franchised as public utilities, like the electric company and the phone company, and a few others
<br />that are regulated and provide these services, but in fact, they’re basically private organizations. There’s the theoretical
<br />regulation and control by the government, but they’re 98% privately run. And that example, in San Luis Obispo, that’s just
<br />what they’re calling their organization there.
<br />HERKES: Okay, thank you.
<br />SANTANGELO: And I think the question came up for us, when we looked at this Commission, and maybe I’m mistaken, but
<br />that really wasn’t something we were going to deal with. That again, like John said, that’s the Mayor or the Council, and so
<br />we started looking at the department more, because to me, the Commission has little or no teeth at all. And where I’m coming
<br />from, and I’d really like to know from the other members here is, are we interested in having our environmental issues
<br />handled separately with different expertise, and therefore, are we inclined to look at a department?
<br />IRVINE: Or a Division within Public Works. I mean mandate a Division. I’m not ready, yet -
<br />SANTANGELO: I, personally, would like to see it to be not within Public Works.
<br />IRVINE: Well, depending if we’re going to leave, quote, Engineer in charge of Public Works or whether we were going to
<br />more of a management person, and then underneath that, have the expertise in the various fields.
<br />SANTANGELO: But you, yourself, in everything you’ve found, has it separate.
<br />HIGASHI: I would favor a separate department. But, within the description, I would favor the franchising, or privatizing a lot
<br />of the issues, if it’s possible within the Charter.
<br />IRVINE: These things are private right now, and what they say in here is that they’re in charge of the administration of the
<br />refuse franchise and recycling activities, so that the government would be in charge of hiring somebody to do it, and saying -
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