City studies transferring sewers to water district
Just a few months ago the City Council discussed hiring experts to explore consolidating the independently run Yorba Linda Water District with municipal government functions.
Now, the council will consider transferring ownership of the city-owned eastside sewer system to the water agency, which already owns westside sewers, as one option to meet shortfalls in the city’s sewer budget, with other options to be offered at a future meeting.
The consolidation discussion occurred soon after the catastrophic Freeway Complex fire a year ago this month, when some residents were criticizing the water district for lacking sufficient infrastructure to allow firefighters to control the blaze.
But takeover talk ended after City Attorney Sonia Carvalho gave members a report from the city’s Best, Best & Krieger law firm detailing merger “challenges and complexities.”
The city had successfully absorbed the Yorba Linda Library District in 1985 after 71 years of independent operation by that agency. But the library district’s elected trustees supported the consolidation, while the elected water directors strongly oppose a merger.
A recommendation that council “direct staff to begin the process to transfer the city sewer system ownership and maintenance responsibility” to the water agency was advanced at a recent meeting by Assistant City Manager Mark Stowell, who said water officials have “indicated an interest.”
In a report to council, Stowell noted: “From a community viewpoint, the sewer system should be owned and maintained by one agency. This would provide uniform fees and policies for residents and business owners. The consolidation…will also reduce overall costs for administration, maintenance service and oversight.”
This fiscal year, the city expects to contribute $465,042 from general fund revenues to supplement $124,700 raised from the $1.62 monthly fee assessed eastside residents for sewer service, which is paid with property taxes.
Westside residents pay $5.50 for sewer service on each month’s water bill, except for 1,565 Locke Ranch connections in the vicinity of Fairmont Boulevard that pay with property taxes. The private Golden State Water Company supplies that area’s water.
As reported in my Aug. 20 column, John Anderson, Nancy Rikel and Mark Schwing nixed a city increase to $7.19 monthly; Jan Horton and Jim Winder favored the boost.
The city’s eastside sewer budget “has been backfilled from the city’s general fund for several years to make up for the revenue shortfall,” Stowell stated, so the water district’s westside rate-payers have partly subsidized the eastside’s sewer costs during those years.
City sewers serve 6,175 land parcels, generally east of San Antonio Road, with water district territory including the city’s other 15,357 parcels, but some of these still have septic tank systems.
Now, the council will consider transferring ownership of the city-owned eastside sewer system to the water agency, which already owns westside sewers, as one option to meet shortfalls in the city’s sewer budget, with other options to be offered at a future meeting.
The consolidation discussion occurred soon after the catastrophic Freeway Complex fire a year ago this month, when some residents were criticizing the water district for lacking sufficient infrastructure to allow firefighters to control the blaze.
But takeover talk ended after City Attorney Sonia Carvalho gave members a report from the city’s Best, Best & Krieger law firm detailing merger “challenges and complexities.”
The city had successfully absorbed the Yorba Linda Library District in 1985 after 71 years of independent operation by that agency. But the library district’s elected trustees supported the consolidation, while the elected water directors strongly oppose a merger.
A recommendation that council “direct staff to begin the process to transfer the city sewer system ownership and maintenance responsibility” to the water agency was advanced at a recent meeting by Assistant City Manager Mark Stowell, who said water officials have “indicated an interest.”
In a report to council, Stowell noted: “From a community viewpoint, the sewer system should be owned and maintained by one agency. This would provide uniform fees and policies for residents and business owners. The consolidation…will also reduce overall costs for administration, maintenance service and oversight.”
This fiscal year, the city expects to contribute $465,042 from general fund revenues to supplement $124,700 raised from the $1.62 monthly fee assessed eastside residents for sewer service, which is paid with property taxes.
Westside residents pay $5.50 for sewer service on each month’s water bill, except for 1,565 Locke Ranch connections in the vicinity of Fairmont Boulevard that pay with property taxes. The private Golden State Water Company supplies that area’s water.
As reported in my Aug. 20 column, John Anderson, Nancy Rikel and Mark Schwing nixed a city increase to $7.19 monthly; Jan Horton and Jim Winder favored the boost.
The city’s eastside sewer budget “has been backfilled from the city’s general fund for several years to make up for the revenue shortfall,” Stowell stated, so the water district’s westside rate-payers have partly subsidized the eastside’s sewer costs during those years.
City sewers serve 6,175 land parcels, generally east of San Antonio Road, with water district territory including the city’s other 15,357 parcels, but some of these still have septic tank systems.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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