Two meetings set to talk about water company buyout
March 5, 2013
Tim Dewar, publisher@ojaivalleynews.com
In the next two weeks, Golden State Water Company (GSWC) ratepayers will have two opportunities to learn more about the potential consequences of the proposed buyout of the water provider by Casitas Municipal Water District (CMWD).
The first opportunity will be Thursday when members of Ojai Friends of Locally-Owned Water (F.L.O.W.) invite current GSWC customers to bring their questions to The Ojai Valley Inn at 6 p.m.
“Ojai FLOW will be hosting an informational meeting for current Golden State ratepayers regrading the Casitas proposal to acquire Golden State Water,” explained F.L.O.W. spokesperson Ryan Blatz. “This meeting will focus on how the Casitas proposal will affect our community. Ojai FLOW will be explaining how the Casitas proposal works and answering any questions the community may have. Current Golden State ratepayers are invited to bring their water bills so they can compare their current water costs to what they will be under the Casitas proposal.”
Ojai F.L.O.W. members initiated talk of a possible buyout after collecting more than 1,900 signatures in 2011 calling for Casitas to take over the for-profit company’s operation in Ojai.
Casitas studied the issue until August 2012 when its board decide to move forward with the process of pacing the bond before voters and what the terms of the bond election would be.
The CMWD board of directors will hold a public hearing March 13 at 6 p.m. at Matilija Junior High School’s auditorium regarding the buyout. At that meeting, the CMWD board could approve moving forward with the vote, set a date for the election and decide whether a special election or mail-in ballot election would be best.
Registered voters within the proposed communities facilities district would be asked to vote on whether to levy up to $60 million over 30 years on residential and commercial properties to pay for the cost of purchasing GSWC’s assets and to fund future repairs to the system that provides water to 2,900 accounts, mostly within the city limits.
The bond vote, which would likely be held sometime in July, would need affirmative votes by more than two-thirds of those voting to pass.
If the bond passes and GSWC decides not to accept a buyout offer from the CMWD, the city of Ojai would begin the eminent domain process as allowed by the franchise agreement it has with GSWC. It would then be up to a court to decide whether eminent domain could be used in this case and if so, how much GSWC would be compensated.
Frankly, I don’t trust either side on stating the truth. GSW because they have an innvestment and revenue to protect and the FLOW folks becasue they aren’t experts in this area and becasue they are inexprienced. I hope the the City Council asks certain members to recuse themselves if they are too heavily vested on one side or the other so that a group can be neutral until enough information is analyzed to make an informed decision. This is serious issue and not to be entered into without full, expert assessment. Because the people making the decision today WILL NOT be in a position to be held accountable fort even just five or 10 years out.
May current CMWD customers of the unincorporated
Ojai Valley bring their water bills to Ryan’s
meeting to see how we are going to be affected?
The OVN and the VC STAR are constantly focused on
the needs of those residing within city limits.
Mayor Blatz once told me at a meeting “to go to
the county.” These Blatz people are heavily in
favor of the rich and powerful in City of Ojai.
This meeting is being held for public discussion. If you use Golden States Water this meeing is for you. At the last meeing held by Casitas a number of paid consulants from out of the area spoke out. They had misleading information. A number of statements in the letter section of the paper and other ad’s and blogs have continued to misstate the facts. Come to the meeting with your neighbors bring questions and get some real answers, Thursday at the Ojai Valley Inn 6pm.