The Davis City Council will get the input of five additional members of the Water Advisory Committee as it charts the city’s water future and crafts new rates. Council members appointed five alternates Tuesday to the committee they formed on Nov 1.

The commission’s mission is to help the council make decisions about water utility rates; the surface water project that would siphon water from the Sacramento River, treat it and pipe it into Davis; and other water-related items.

Each council member will select one individual to act as an alternate to the two regular members they’ve already appointed to the committee.

Appointments will be made official at the City Council’s next meeting on Jan. 10.

The Water Advisory Committee itself voted unanimously at its first meeting earlier this month that additional regular members would not be conducive to decision-making and discussions, but that five alternate members would be appropriate.

Tuesday’s debate centered around how involved those alternate members should be in the committee’s discussions.

Councilwoman Sue Greenwald said she believes additional members will hamper discussion.

“The concern that I heard from people on the board is, we know how hard it is for us (the City Council) to have a thorough discussion with five people,” Greenwald said. “With 10, that’s a lot of people. I think there was a concern that it would be unmanageable if there were more than 10 involved in the discussion.”

Responded Elaine Roberts Musser, who was elected to chair the committee, “I would much prefer that the alternates join in the conversation. We need the expertise. There are people out there I know that were not selected on this committee that I think will be alternates that really need to weigh in with their opinions.”

Roberts Musser said she was speaking as an individual, not on behalf of the committee.

Eventually, Greenwald made a motion to prohibit the alternate members from taking part in regular discussion, but it failed 3-2, with only Mayor Joe Krovoza joining Greenwald.

Councilman Stephen Souza explained his position to allow the alternate members to actively participate.

“It’s not saying that participation extends to a vote,” Souza said. “It’s saying that participation can extend to understanding, explaining… and evaluation of the information that comes before the body as a whole. Therefore, I think it’s important to have the alternates actively involved.”

The next Water Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 12.

SACOG Regional Transportation Plan: The council heard a presentation from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments regarding the draft environmental impact report for its new Metropolitan Transportation Plan.

The plan in general serves the six-county region in which Davis is located and its purpose, according to Bob Wolcott, city principal planner, is to encourage smart growth patterns, integrate land use and transportation, reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural resources.

By following the plan’s Blueprint principles — such as providing a variety of transportation choices, offering housing choices and opportunities and preserving open space — SACOG believes it can achieve its goal of building a sustainable system in the region.

“If the plan is successfully implemented,” Wolcott wrote in an email to The Enterprise,”we will enjoy improvements to transit service, increased access to jobs, higher education and other regional amenities like parks.

“The key, important transportation projects that we want in Davis should be part of the MTP project list to be eligible for federal funds.”

SACOG will host an informational meeting Monday, Jan. 9, at International House, 10 College Park, to discuss the plan. The meeting is designed for elected officials but it is open to the general public as well.

Central Park bathrooms: Dennis Dingemans, assistant director of the Hattie Weber Museum, asked the council once again to save the historic bathroom building in Central Park.

The council voted 3-2 in mid-November to demolish the building as part of the master plan for Central Park. The plan includes a history plaza that would cover the area where the bathroom building currently stands.

Council members cited citizen concerns about crime, vandalism and the overall uncleanliness of the bathrooms as reasons for their action.

Dingemans, however, brought up several new reasons why the council should reconsider its decision.

“You said that there was crime problem and that vagrants hung out and caused trouble and generally reduced the attractiveness of being at the north end of the park,” Dingemans began. “Well, we’ve looked at the police data and things have greatly improved. (Based on police reports) over the last four years, things have gotten very, very much better.

“Often cited was that you (the City Council) approved the plan because it was the staff’s plan and the staff’s endorsement and it had been through a good public process,” Dingemans continued. “Our general argument here is that there were a quite a few things that weren’t presented to decision-makers and to the public before key decisions were made.

“Information came late or didn’t come at all and we’re hoping that the staff will change their mind and incorporate the building as part of history plaza, which hasn’t really been fully planned yet.”

If the city sticks with the decision to tear down the bathrooms, demolition is scheduled for sometime in the spring.

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

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