The City Club of Portland will examine the reasons behind Portland's rising water and sewer bill and evaluate a proposal to strip utility oversight responsibilities from the City Council.



The City Club announced its upcoming study on Thursday and plans to release findings in March, two months before the May 2014 election.



That's when voters could be asked to create an independent board to oversee Portland utilities, removing powers from the City Council. Proponents of the plan must collect 29,786 valid signatures from Portland voters by Jan. 21 to qualify for the ballot.





More

The City Club's report will outline the main reasons that combined water, sewer and stormwater bills keep rising and how those costs impact rates. It will also review how and if bureau responsibilities, governance and sources of water impact rates.

Based on those findings, the

will make a recommendation on the proposal to create an independent utility board.

Former Mayor Sam Adams, who is now the

of the City Club, has previously said he plays

.

-- Brad Schmidt