“We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
– Benjamin Franklin, upon adding his signature to the Declaration of Independence
The CCSD Board meeting takes place today, Monday November 19, 2007 at 12:30 at the Vet’s Hall. See the full agenda at the CCSD’s website.
Continuing to turn out in large numbers to these meetings is one way to let the CCSD know that this community is serious about addressing the issues that were raised during the rate protest campaign. WE are the COMMUNITY this district was formed to serve. Until we are once again confident the district is serving us well, we must keep our eyes open and ask the important questions.
As he noted at the meeting on November 2, 2007, Greg Sanders will not be attending this meeting. The Board has no regular business scheduled. The main activity for this meeting is 90 minutes scheduled to consider appeals for relief from water surcharges by 8 specific ratepayers, including the Baptist Church and the Car Wash at Old Cambria Marketplace.
The Public Comment period is scheduled for after the appeals. If the time allotted each agenda item is used entirely, that would land public comments sometime near 2:30, though it wouldn’t be unusual for the Board to be ahead of its schedule and find public comments starting as early as 1:30.
The CCSD and our elected board represent our best opportunity to ensure our community is the one that we, as Cambrians, envision, not some unlivable seascape painted by the county or the state.
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.” – Thomas Jefferson
Last 5 posts by Amanda Rice
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I simply mentioned Mr. Sanders’ absence as part of the information I had about the meeting.
As for who participates at aboutcambria.com – all voices are welcome. I’m glad you make your position clear. And I appreciate your intention to refrain from responding to comments that may lead to less productive games of personal politics.
We (unLOC) are not a real estate investment lobby. We are a group of individuals just like yourself who own property and wish to use it. Only a couple individuals own more than one lot.
You are correct we are powerful. Because we are a cohesive group, we are being heard.
– Knowledge brings responsibility.
(1) June 30, 2006, “Note 12, The District in the past fiscal year incurred significant losses in the Enterprise Funds (Water and Wastewater). The Water Fund realized a deficit change in net assets of $135,749 and the Wastewater Fund $454,183. If the District continues to incur these deficits it will be unable to meet their ongoing obligations.
(2) February 22, 2007, Mid year Budget Review: “ The CCSD is not meeting the debt coverage ratio required on the bond debt issue for the Wastewater Department.”
(3) February 22, 2007, Reserves: It is projected that $886,507.00 from Reserves will be needed to balance the 2006/2007 Operating Budget from January 1-June 30, 2007.” The Reserve Balance at its highest point was $16.5 million. As of August 31, 2007, the reserve account held $4,827,953.
(4) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the following expenses accounted for the growing deficit: Pine Knolls Tank Project, Build Out Reduction Program, Desalinization Project, Meter Replacement Program, and Water Master Plan EIR, the Bluff Trail, Santa Rosa Creek Riparian Bank and tennis courts. (page 4, Auditor’s Report from Basic Financial Statements.)
(5) Page 40, Annual Pension Cost, 6/04 $203,701
6/05 $318,003
6/06 $513,579
(6) The question is why have pension costs and health costs more than doubled in two years? Section 61067 from the new community services law “allows CSDs to provide benefits to the members of their boards of directors. .. These benefits are in addition to the stipends and reimbursements that this section allows. We need further information.
(7) Mr. Sanders’ statements in the Cambrian of October 18, and his comments in the meeting of November 2, 2007 re: allocation of adm costs suggest that “the district simply changes how various costs, such as administrative time, are allocated.” The income statements and balance sheets of the district do not need just to be “resorted” from one fund to a different fund in someone’s excel program, to remove deficits from the enterprise funds, (which one assumes he thinks would “fix” the deficts in those funds which are required to have a coverage ratio of 1.10 in order to meet the bond covenants.) We need to look at every expenditure on that monthly list, and ask for the rest of the credit card charges listed as -0- for the board and the management, the stipends and benefits for the directors, an end to the lobbyists, a cancellation of the Land Conservancy contract, an end to any more funds being expended on buying lots which can be stripped of their development rights so that someone on Marine Terrace can build 2,000 sq feet rather than 1,600 square feet. These items would make a good beginning in returning to a fiscally responsible District.
Yes, it is about money – but so much, much more. As I leave my polluted and barren landscape, driving from where I have my day job, to my special place called Cambria where I have always treasured the beauty, the unspoiled viewscapes, and the wonderful people – I am beginning to understand more of the true costs of protecting this paradise.
Charlotte Darehshori
“I am beginning to understand more of the true costs of protecting this paradise.”
It’s going to be expensive.