Ashland.News Executive Editor, Bert Etling and board member Tara Houston with Jefferson Exchange host, Mike Green(Photo by JPR Senior Producer, Natalie Golay / JPR Senior Producer, Natalie Golay)

On October 23, Ashland.News will host an online forum for Ashland residents to hear the facts behind the controversy over Measure 15-234.

The Ashland City Council voted to approve a $75 million loan from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to replace the city’s water treatment plant in a new location. That decision led to a community petition that put the finance decision on the November ballot in the form of Measure 15-234.

If voters approve, the EPA loan could potentially result in six 10% increases in water rates for residents within the next six years.

If voters reject Measure 15-234, the City of Ashland maintains that the water treatment plant will still need some form of repair or replacement, and other financing options will likely be explored, potentially resulting in taxpayers carrying an even larger burden of cost than the current EPA loan option.

Ashland residents will decide in November whether they want to foot the bill for the EPA loan.

Ashland.news Executive Editor, Bert Etling and Ashland.news board member Tara Houston join the Exchange to talk about their upcoming online public forum on Oct 23 (7 pm to 8:30 pm) with a panel discussion and debate over the issues behind Measure 15-234.

For more information on the water forum, click here.

Click here to register for the FREE event.

Questions or suggestions for the Ashland.news events team? Email: [email protected]