Yesterday’s CCSD meeting wasn’t short (they adjourned to closed session at 5:00), but it was a refreshing change from the tense and combative meetings of the last eight months. I missed the first half-hour, so I missed the swearing in and early parts of the meeting. When I walked in, the Board was hearing the manager’s report, including hearing from the district engineer about the desalination project and from Jim Adams about the seriously low well levels at the San Simeon wells. Director Greg Sanders was acting President for the meeting and ran it smoothly and professionally. After they had approved the consent agenda, we took a short break before launching into the hearing and regular business.
What follows is an abbreviated version of the most important outcomes of the meeting. (For a more detailed view, watch the meeting on Channel 21 Friday or Saturday or visit www.AboutCCSD.com tomorrow.
There will be no surcharges (for now), but there will be a message on the bills that go out on January 10 cautioning Cambrians surcharges could be imminent if the rain doesn’t continue to recharge the aquifer.
After receiving the report of capital improvements and outlay projects the Board agreed to have the Utilities committee (with Directors Chaldecott and DeMicco) review the information and work on prioritizing the projects and the finance committee (Directors Clift and MacKinnon) reviewing how much funding could be made available for those projects. The Board also agreed to a special meeting (tentatively on January 15) at which they would hear from the committees about their findings and determine how to guide the district forward.
The Board didn’t address rescinding the rate increase directly, but did indicate they must review the possible impacts to the budget and left open the possibility of adding the item to the agenda at the special meeting in early January. And although they brushed against the fiscal issues of the rate increase uncertainty, there was no discussion of what I consider to be the more important issue raised by the rate increase: the extremely sloppy and disrespectful way the counting was undertaken – from eliminating protests for questionable reasons to errors in counting that continued even after the results had been certified. Each and every rate increase from here on out will have to go through the Prop 218 process. The Board should immediately address the standards and procedures for the counting process, so we never again have even a question of improper or unfair treatment of Cambrian’s constitutional right to oppose taxes fees and assessments.
This was just the first meeting, but it looks like there is now a Board of Directors intent on hearing from and listening to the community as well as the staff. Cambrians must respect this and encourage it by paying attention and speaking up – communication is, after all, a two way street.
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Last 5 posts by Amanda Rice
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I agree with most of your assessment of yesterday’s CCSD board meeting but I thought the purpose of the special meeting on January 15 is to address the issues regarding the certification of the prop 218 rate protest and to finally reach some resolution and accord.
Perhaps I was so giddy from the congeniality of the new board that I did not pay attention. The new board was like a ray of sunshine after years of dark and foreboding clouds. The rancor that existed for so long seems to have vanished and has been replaced with civility, intelligence and a desire to get the facts and seek solutions. No rubber stamping with this board.
Acting President Sanders led the meeting with charm and professionalism and the new directors, Clift, De Micco and MacKinnon are of the highest caliber.