CCWD board cuts own pay, talks revenue

Tori Thomas, The Union Democrat July 09, 2015

The Calaveras County Water District Board of Directors approved a pay cut Wednesday that will cut their meeting compensation, beginning next month.

The board is compensated $135 per meeting for as many as seven meetings per month, but beginning Aug. 9, board members will be compensated $120 per meeting for up to six meetings per month.

In a June 10 meeting, the board adopted an ordinance that amended a board compensation and travel policy.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, the board adopted a resolution that will submit delinquencies to county tax rolls.

With this resolution, if property owners do not pay their utility bills by the end of the fiscal year, CCWD will submit the delinquent amount to the county.

Those property owners will then be required to pay the amount owed to CCWD to the county as part of their taxes.

Through this, about $108,781.69 is estimated to be collected.

The board Wednesday also approved a motion that will incorporate standby fees for some property owners within Calaveras County.

Jeffrey Meyer, director of administrative services, said standby fees are often assessed to unimproved property, land that does not have certain services, such as electricity or water availability, to help ensure adequate water and wastewater services will be available to the property when needed.

“And it can be applied to a developed property to help finance water and wastewater system improvements or other costs and expenses to provide water or wastewater services,” he said.

Meyer said the standby fees will go toward investing in infrastructure that also provides water and fire flow, water available for fire-protection purposes.

“When you look at these areas, there is a benefit of fire protection services,” he said.

Larry Diamond, CCWD assistant general manager, said sometimes the CCWD system is the closest source of water available for fire flow.

Meyer added that standby fees are a good portion of the CCWD’s revenue sources.

Through the standby fees, the CCWD is estimated to collect $130,000.

The board approved the following standby fee locations Wednesday:

• Indian Rock Vineyards Subdivision: $10 per month for lots to which sewer is available but not receiving sewer service
• West Point Improvement District 3: $10 per year for lots to which water is available but not receiving water service
• Ebbetts Pass Improvement District 5: $10 per year for all lots within Irrigation District 5

• Jenny Lind Improvement District 6, Copper Cove Improvement District 7, Copperopolis townsite, Saddle Creek Subdivision, Copper Cove/La Contenta Irrigation District 8S: $10 per year for lots that have improved values of less than $5,000 and to which water and/or sewer service are available