There were a lot of unanswered questions during the water rate public hearing at the Paradise Performing Arts Center Monday night. But the Paradise Irrigation District Board of Directors assured those questions would be answered.
With 5,806 protests counted, Paradise residents defeated a water rate proposal they deemed unfair and confusing by 537 votes. For four hours, the public aired their frustrations with the rate proposal, the board of directors and management.
Adding to the confusion of the old rate structure was a “Plan B” proposal, which District General Manager George Barber introduced that evening. But there was backlash as the public wasn’t expecting to analyze a new rate plan.
“You are asking people to talk about a plan other than the one we came here to protest,” said Rene Eagleson. She also criticized management and board members Ken Hunt and Larry Duncan for their handling of the initial hearing, which was held at the board’s chambers and had limited capacity. Due to limited seating, a large turnout and wet weather, the meeting was continued to February, over the objections of Hunt and Duncan.
The introduction of the new plan also confused Bruce Roberts.
“I’m totally prepared to discuss the old plan; you bait and switched us with a new plan,” he said. “Do we have to continue the hearing? Do we need another 45 days’ notice for the new plan?”
Whatever the case, he encouraged the board to keep it simple.
“Don’t make it complicated,” he said.
Andy Askin recommended that the board reevaluate its spending habits and get a better handle on how the drought and conservation affects the district’s revenue. He also suggested that any new rate plan include a sunset date based on the duration of the drought.
Other public members had a problem with Proposition 218, the California constitutional amendment that regulates rate increases for local agencies. They were primarily upset about the notification process, with many residents feeling that the rate structure and public hearing weren’t properly noticed.
Linda Oslin said she criticized the public hearing process and the rate structure as difficult to understand. She noted that many people in Paradise don’t have computers and can’t simply go online to find the information they need.
She also criticized the introduction of Plan B as an “obfuscation and confusion tactic.”
Thomas Wahl was angry that ratepayers were getting hit with a rate hike after conserving for the drought.
“Conservation should be rewarded,” he said. “I took a bath every third day for you folks.”
Dave Clemens was concerned about an accurate protest count. He also wanted a separate hearing to determine the actual need of a rate increase.
About midway through the hearing, Eric Volmer showed up with about 3,200 protest forms.
At the end of public comment, the forms were counted in full view of the public by PID secretary Georgeanna Borrayo, PID Office Manager Christy Mack, and Emily LaMoe, from PID attorney Dustin Cooper’s firm.
Counting took about one and a half hours. Protesters needed 5,269 protest forms to beat the proposed rate structure.
Once the final 5,806 tally was given, Director Hunt motioned to accept the count and waive the validation process, effectively killing any rate proposal on the table.
The meeting had three sections: public comment, the counting of the protest forms and the board’s decisions.
To help streamline the process, Cooper ran the hearing, and the board chose to wait to answer questions until after all public members had a chance to speak. It worked well for a few hours, but as comments wore on, the public started demanding answers. The packed house also started to thin out as the meeting ran late into the night.
About 140 comment cards were turned in, and everyone who wanted to comment was given three minutes, in accordance with the law. Some people wanted the protest forms counted before public comment, to conserve time. But that would essentially close the public comment section and effectively nix any incoming protest forms, including the 3,200 brought in by Volmer.
Though questions were not immediately answered, the directors took notes and plan on putting together a fact sheet for the most frequently asked questions. The meeting was adjourned shortly after midnight. The next district meeting will be held Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Paradise Performing Arts Center located at 777 Nunneley Road. The agenda will be published Friday.
