There’s one thing, it appears, everyone can agree on: November is too soon for a vote on the surface water project.

The Davis Water Advisory Committee thinks so — it voted Thursday for a delay on a ballot measure until sometime next year. And City Manager Steve Pinkerton thinks so — he will recommend at the City Council meeting tonight that the vote be pushed to March 5.

Inevitably, it’s up to the council to decide the fate of the ballot measure, which is on the agenda at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at City Hall, 23 Russell Blvd.

The decision has been a long time coming.

In January, responding to the referendum that forced the council to rescind the water rates it passed in September, Pinkerton and City Attorney Harriet Steiner presented the plan to put the project to a vote in November, just in time to keep the city of Davis on track with the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency project timeline, should the city elect to pursue that surface water option.

But since that proposal, several developments have forced city officials to drift away from the November ballot idea.

First, the school board has announced it will place a parcel tax on the November ballot and the city doesn’t want its measure to compete with the schools’, or vice versa.

Second, the water committee has taken longer than expected to make a decision on the surface water project, even after it received an extension from the council to make its decisions.

And finally, city officials believe a November vote would not afford proponents of whatever project the WAC chooses, or those against it, sufficient time to draft their arguments to help inform the public.

“… there would be significantly more certainty for a March ballot assuming that everything stays on schedule,” Pinkerton said in his report to the council.

The city manager also believes that if the council pushes back the vote, the delayed process will produce a much clearer outcome.

“By March, the WAC would have determined a preferred alternative recommendation to the city (which still may need California Environmental Quality Act review) and a preferred rate structure and rate costs,” Pinkerton explained in his report. “This would provide more information to the voters and, staff believes, provide a more definite answer from the voters.”

But while the council must weigh the positives of delaying a public vote on the project, it also most consider the consequences.

Pinkerton told the WAC on Thursday that Woodland cannot wait until next year for Davis to make its decision on the Clean Water Agency project.

Woodland likely would face hefty fines for failing to meet water regulatory standards if it doesn’t get started on the project by the end of this year. Basically, Woodland has no choice but to send a request for proposals to the three design-build-operate companies competing for the job by December, with or without Davis on board.

So Pinkerton has devised a plan that would keep Davis on schedule, should it eventually decide to pursue the project with Woodland.

The city manager will recommend Tuesday that the City Council allocate funds to pay for the three design-build-operate contractors to procure a second bid proposal, a Woodland-only option, in good faith. That way, if Davis pursues the Clean Water Agency project, the dual bid proposals would keep the city on schedule without drastic differences in cost.

Each bid could cost the city of Davis between $100,000 to $150,000, or a total of $300,000 to $450,000.

However, after approving the plan, committee members began questioning the seriousness of Woodland’s deadlines. Eventually, the committee recommended that the council not make any decisions on the city manager’s recommendations until the city receives clarification on what consequences Woodland really would face.

Pinkerton disagrees with the recommendation.

“Staff feels it is necessary to preserve the relationship with its business partner in the JPA, as well as preserve the relationship with the prospective DBO firms shortlisted so that they will continue to participate,” Pinkerton responded in the staff report.

“While we have no indication that requesting alternative bids may cause any or all of the prospective DBO partnerships to drop out of consideration, it may signal a lack of commitment. Davis must remain committed to the JPA until such time that it elects to go forward with a superior alternative.”

Mayor Joe Krovoza said Monday that the city manager’s recommendation puts the WAC in the best position to make a decision.

“I think the foundation of the staff’s recommendation is to preserve the ability of the Water Advisory Committee to give us advice on the right project to pursue and the rates,” Krovoza said. “And if we terminate either the West Sac option or the Woodland option at this time, that will truncate or end the ability of the WAC to give us advice.

“Under the staff’s recommendation, we truly are buying time.”

Mayor Pro Tem Dan Wolk, on the other hand, said Monday that the council needs to listen to the committee it created to address these issues.

“It does reflect the complexity of this decision,” Wolk wrote in a text message. “But as the person whose motion created the WAC, and having watched the meeting and seen the members’ very clear recommendation to the council, I hold their recommendation in very high regard.”

In addition to the first two recommendations, Pinkerton also will ask council members to approve a $500,000 project to fill its share of the regional water treatment facility site — a site preparation step in the Clean Water Agency project — so that the city doesn’t incur higher costs down the road if Davis goes with the JPA project.

“By placing the fill material this summer, it allows the time needed for the material to settle, thereby reducing risks to the DBO contractor, which, in turn, reduces costs,” Pinkerton said in the report.

Even if the council decides to fill the site now, Davis still will owe about $1 million to complete construction on the facility.

The WAC voted to reject this proposal, with members saying the city should not spend the money until Davis commits to the project.

— Reach Tom Sakash at [email protected] or (530) 747-8057. Follow him on Twitter @TomSakash

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Davis residents likely will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed surface water project and rates to pay for it either in November or March. Courtesy photo

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Davis is considering the best and most affordable way to draw water from the Sacramento River, treat it and pipe it to businesses and residents in the community. Courtesy photo

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Davis City Manager Steve Pinkerton. Courtesy photo

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