Standing Committee for water, sewer rates approved by Council
March 29, 2017
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
A Standing Committee to Address Water and Sewer Rates will hold meetings open to the public after the City Council approved the formation of same at the March 20 meeting.
The council approved selecting Mayor Jenny Crosswhite and Councilman Martin Hernandez for the new committee, which replaces a former Ad Hoc Committee established by the previous City Council.
That Ad Hoc Committee had a public workshop and thereafter met in private to consider water and wastewater issues including rates paid by residents.
An Ad Hoc Committee is formed for a specific task or objective, and is dissolved after the completion of the task or achievement of the objective. The previous Ad Hoc Committee never reported back with findings.
Standing Committees have a continued existence that are not related to the accomplishment of a specific, once only task as are ad hoc or special committees.
Now, as a Standing Committee with no deadline or timeline, the city’s meetings dealing with water and sewer rates will be noticed and open to the public.
According to the report of City Attorney John Cotti, on February 21, the City Council adopted the resolution “establishing the Water and Sewer Rate Committee as a standing committee and assigning to it the responsibility to make recommendations to the full Council on the following topics: The methodology and policies used in setting sewer and water rates; ?The operation and maintenance of the City’s sewer and water ?infrastructure, including the Water Recycling Facility; ?The review of the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds, including the capital ?needs and debt levels.”
The committee will also tackle identifying existing and future capital projects and equipment ?needs; ?the implementation of the city’s sewer rebate program; and ?the performance of such related duties as the council may from time to ?time assign. ?
The mayor, noted Cotti’s report, has the authority to appoint the members of the Standing Committee. ?
The full council approved the committee formation without discussion.
