City Council wants a binding water project vote

Power to the people.

The City Council has granted Davis residents the final say on the fate of the surface water project, and it wants them to make that decision during the Nov. 6 general election.

However, that’s as far as the council got at its meeting Tuesday night, as it was not able to pick what type of measure would be placed on the ballot in November.

Responding to fury and frustration in the community, the council voted in early December to rescind the higher water rates it had approved in September while it reassesses its plan to tap Sacramento River water, treat it and pump it to Davis. The city’s share of the joint project with Woodland is estimated at $160 million.

The council then instructed staff to explore options for putting the surface water project to a vote of the people.

City Manager Steve Pinkerton, City Attorney Harriet Steiner and Interim Public Works Director Bob Clarke recommended Tuesday that the council pursue an advisory measure, which would take the pulse of Davis residents on whether they approve of the project.

But council members balked at the idea of an advisory measure that wouldn’t bind the council to a decision. They didn’t want to give the impression that they could ignore the wishes of Davis residents.

“We’re going to put this on in November and if we put it on I don’t want the community thinking that it’s kind of this advisory thing and then we’ll decide what we’re going to do afterwards based upon their advice,” Mayor Joe Krovoza said.

“We’re going to cue this up so that we do the (Proposition) 218 process through the fall or ending sometime in October and then that’s going to be the rate-setting, but then there will be a vote of the people in November to tell us to go forward with the project and that will be binding.”

Council then instructed city staffers to come back with measure options that would be binding.

The council first considered a June public vote on the surface water project, but staff said that timeline wouldn’t allow for completion of a water rate study that likely will take months.

“It was hard to structure a ballot measure that was concrete enough to actually get a meaningful answer, in my opinion anyway, because it didn’t have concrete numbers to go on, so staff’s recommendation at this point … is to consider (an advisory vote),” Steiner said.

The council also authorized Pinkerton to contract with Bartle Wells Associates to perform a water rate study at a cost not to exceed $125,000, with constant input from Davis’ newly formed Water Advisory Committee.

The study will establish water utility rates necessary to support ongoing operations, maintenance and capital improvements as well as rates that would support the potential implementation of the surface water project, should Davis residents vote to approve it.

Assistant City Manager Paul Navazio said the city would like to start the water rate study in the next couple of weeks. It would be completed by May or June, he said.

Finally, the council set a July 1 deadline for the Water Advisory Committee to recommend an appropriate rate structure and multi-year rate requirements in support of the city’s water utility.

— Reach Tom Sakash at tsakash@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8057. Follow him on Twitter @TomSakash

Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=129884

Posted by Tom Sakash on Jan 25 2012.
Last Login: Mon 21 May 2012 09:28:43 AM PDT
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