Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor. Or, view on local channel 26, also live internet feed, pct26.com. The meeting begins at 7pm, or shortly there following. City Council updates on City website.
Meeting outline "made simple": Fix Pacifica article. Note: Item 8 - due to a lack of city council quorum the challenge to the proposed Assisted Living EIR will not be heard. And Item 10 - police services options update.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
5 comments:
For anyone interested, there's a wrap-up of Monday's City Council Meeting on Pacifica Index's front page.
Excellent detailed review, Pacifica Index!
I have some thoughts about Item 9, the annual sewer rate increase that were jotted down from that city council meeting:
The Sewer plant - $52 million debt, more than 10 years zero pay-down on plant principal. Lots of talk over several years, but no reserves. A series of plant fines over several years, limited fix. Sewer laterals leaking all over this city, with a 1 household by 1 household plan to fix at owner expense. 20 years to complete replacing city collection pipes. These collection pipes should be good up to 100 years, beyond our expiration date. The worst of these collection pipes may be completed within 3-5 years.
Ridiculous city attention to impossible Prop 218 regulations protesting the 11% rate increase. 6,300 votes needed to overturn the annual rate increase, but the rate increase must be paid in order to run the plant. Is there really an alternative? 99% chances are: No. In the city council meeting played-out exchange-- citizens spoke, city council and staff responded with empathetic concern. Clarification by staff and legal, "we're just following state rules", zzzzz.. This Kabuki happens every year with no exception and with exemption (no variation of the rules).
Then, Mayor DeJarnatt insisted the 2008 $2 million sewer spill fine was routine (specified by gallons spilled) in spite of "no pathogens". And maybe he's right, but where was city council oversight accountability during the several decades of rotting collection pipes. Age of the pipes, and ongoing sewer fines may have been a clue.
Over 10 years, from city council meetings and media, our citizens have heard the public relations mantra of "state of the art" sewer plant, along with "cutting edge" city (clearly the city is not that). The city needs more than mind-numbing mantras to get sober and figure-out how to bring in enough money to function. Looking for solutions? Sure, build, develop with a purpose to increase revenue (growth is the answer to austerity).
Thank you for taking the time to read the piece over at Pacifica Index.
We do our best to avoid opinion and in our analysis we don't see much of an alternative for funding the mandated Capital Improvement Program. The money must come from somewhere, either directly from ratepayers (as in this particular instance) or indirectly via other vehicles. In the end, it's the Pacifica Resident that will be footing the bill one way or another; rate overturn or no -- so we agree with you on that point.
Pacifica Index understands ratepayers' frustration, as they are in effect paying a second time for maintenance that had been paid for once already, but unfortunately those monies were not allocated to sewer collection infrastructure maintenance.
Annual funds in the neighborhood of $700,000 were routinely transferred from sewer accounts to general fund accounts until the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency v. Verjil decision (39 Cal. 4th 205) put a stop to this practice.
While reporting on the Sewer Rate Increase during the May 14 Council Meeting, we were struck by the comments of several Councilmembers who framed the ongoing sewer improvements strictly in terms of avoiding future fines and of the actions of the California Regional Water Quality Board as draconian.
The reason we found this noteworthy was due to the absence of discussion regarding the avoidance of spills and I&I simply because it's the right thing to do; these events have negative impacts upon water quality, wildlife and public access to Pacifica's beaches -- the very reason the fines and Capital Improvement Program were imposed.
In short, the Councilmembers ought to be stewards of the City and improve the system not to avoid the fine, but to avoid the spill.
"Annual funds in the neighborhood of $700,000 were routinely transferred from sewer accounts to general fund accounts.."
The Bighorn decision which stopped the city from "legally" charging rent on our WWTP land/facility occurred 7/24/06. (I'm not sure if that ruling was immediate or included a lag time).
For years our WWTP was negatively impacted (bonds were low-interest balloon payment, maintenance was neglected). Meantime city council majority provided pleasantry slogans, such as "our environment is our economy" (Digre), and "never been in better economic shape", (DeJarnatt prior to election 4 years ago).
However, "... Councilmembers ought to be stewards of the City and improve the system not to avoid the fine, but to avoid the spill." That's your solid and accountable slogan. As an action item, that is the leadership this city needs. Sure beats the "oops" city council leadership of the past 10 years.
The mismanagement of the sewage treatment plant goes way back beyond ten years ago. It opened ten years ago, but was on the drawing board ten years before that.
Why our councilmembers, ALL of them, seem unable to focus on basic problems such as this is costing us dearly.
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