HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/10/78 A, GENDA
WATER BOAPD - CITY OF B~<ERSFIELD
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1978
4:00 P.M.
Call meeting to order
Roll Call - Board Members: Rogers, Chairman; Barton, Bergen, Hoagland,
Ratty
1. Approve minutes of regular board meeting of April 26, 1978.
2. Recap of Operating Statement for the City of Bakersfield'Domestic
Water Enterprise for the calendar year 1977.
3. Recap of Operating Income and Expenses for City of Bakersfield
Domestic Water Enterprise for the period January 1, 1978 through
March 31, 1978,
4. Scheduled Public Statements
a. Mr. Mac Ryan,.reptesenting Park Stockdale Civic Association,
regarding Water Rates.
b. Mr. Trice Harvey, Supervisor District No. 4 of Kern County,
regarding Water Rates.
5. Staff. Comments
6. Board Comments
7. Adjournment
MINUTES
WATER BOARD - CITY OF BAKERSFIELD
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 1978
4: 00 P.M.
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Rogers in the City
Hall Caucus Room,
The secretary called %he roll as follows:
Present: Rogers, Barton~ Bergen, Ratty
Absent: Hoagland
Tom Stetson, Consulting Engineer for the City, Ken Deitz, Asso-
ciate Engineer, Stetson Engineers, Inc., and Paul Leland, Super-
intendent fox Kern Delta Water District, also, attended the
meeting.
The minutes from the regular meeting of April 12, 1978, were
approved as presented.
A motion by Mr. Bergen that the Department of Water Manager be
authorized to sign Mainline Extension Agreements was approved
unanimously. The form is to be approved by the City Attorney.
On each approval a copy will be filed with the Finance Depart-
ment. The motion was carried.
A Grant of Easement from Elwood Champness and Ouida Champness,
husband and wife, as joint tenants to City of Bakersfield for
easement on the Beardsley Canal 1-1-0. Section 22, Township
29'South, Range 27~East, M.D.B. & ~. was presented to the board
for acceptance. After a brief description of the-easement was
given by Gene Bogar~, Mr. Barton made a motion that the Quit-
claim Deed by the City releasing the old existing easement be
approved and the Chairman authorized to sign. The motion was
carried.
A "Memorandum of understanding" between Cawelo Water District
and North Kern Water Storage District concerning the immediate
enlargement of the~Beardsley Canal was presented to the board.
Mr. Bergen made a motion that the "Memorandum of Understanding"
be approved with the following conditions outlined by Tom Stetson,
"Use by Cawelo for transportation of water in the Beardsley
Canal shall be limited to the existing State Project Water under
its contract with the Kern County Water Agency and/or Kern River
Water under its contract with the City of Bakersfield." This
condition shall be prepared by the City Attorney's office. The
motion was carried.
Board~Commen%s
Chairman Rogers informed the board that he had received a telephone
call from Rollie Moore, Manager of the Wa~er~'AssQciation of'Kern
County, informing him that he had talked with She Water Manager
for Contra Costa County and he had extended an invitation for
Don Rogers~%o-~a~%ten~--a~mee%ing-on~May 8%h and-9th for discussion- -~
of mutual problems including the proposed Peripheral Canal. A
motion was made' by Mr. Bar%on that Don Rogers.be authorized to
attend this meeting and the funds for expenses be taken from the
Department of Water Budget. The motion was carried, with Rogers
abstaining.
There being no further business to come before the board, Chair-
man Rogers adjourned the meeting at 4:50 P.M.
L~d~ HOstmyer, Secretary
City of Bakersfield Water Board
, ~" . .FQR. THE:'PERIOD JANUARY.Tl.~':19,78 THRouGH 3,%ARCH.
I~AILK STOCKDALE CIVIC ASSOCL~TIO~, INO.
20~ RIO [3RAVO E)R~VE · ·
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA 93.'109
.' .- ~a.y 3, 1978
Ctt~ Counci'l
City of B~kersfield
BakerMfie ld, California
Gentlemen:
It has Very recently become oub!lc knowl .¢.,_.~ that the Bakersfield City Council
throu6h ihs Water Board is at%emptln~ to impose a "surcharge" equal to fifty
~ercont of the billlm~
r:..~e on their water customers in the ,~toc.~dale area.
~"nls sur,.narL~,e is in addition to a just ~nnounced thirty-five percent increase
in the ~eneral billir~ rate. .'-
I~ti~l~y,_ -. it ~~~pears that the city is claiming that ~h~se increases are based
on economic necessity. However,. until recently~ the Stockdale area water sy~.~tem
was owned by a tax paying, profit making~ commercial firm operating under the
rules of the Public Utilitie/~ Co~ulssion. ~he' P.U.C.'s rules permit such firms
to charge ~ fee high enough~o cover all co~ts, including capital recovery, '
income tax .and a profit on op~ratlons.~ Consequently, it appears that the
announced increase in the water bi!!ir~ ~'~t.e_.._is d6kigned to recover more th~n
neces~y increases in economic costs. ~rhap~ we residents of the ~-
~rea -~re being asked to pay part of the c~~. the city's F~eneral
inefficiency..
With our _~elatively new water system we ~re not 'creating anything5 but-miuinal
routine operating exoenses. Therefore, it appears that the basic rate increase
is unjustified and that the suxcharge is motivated entirely by politic~l
considerations. We believe that thts'"surchmr6e" is discriminatory, unreasonable,
probably illegal and it can be characterized only ~%S.~. _maltgious
our irancui!ity.
Since %he City of Bakersfield through the Council has control of its 'g~ter
ask that this Council cause the rate inn~e~ze and the surcharge act to be rescin4~.d.
That failing,, we request that imposition of the surch;~rge be delayed for m reason-
able period in· order that we have time to study the problem and the possible
alterr~ttves.
The Board of Directors for the Park ~.ockdale Civic Association, together with
,members of the Kern City Civic Association ~5~" interested residen-~s of Stcckdalc
Estates ~-re in the process of forming a committee %o reticulate possible loner-term
solutions for Stockdale area pro. bless. At the initial meeting of the ootential
co,~m~ittee members, it was determined that the committee ne£ds.,~cces_~o_~h?
~e upqn which the Water Board. b~.~ed its rate inc_+case and surcharge, ~,;e also
n°od access t0 t~e
~- cit~ s rate ba~e oro,]ectlon., u~.ed in eompu~Irg t~. we. tot bond
.retirement schedule an.~. ~_c~'.rrrent income and erpence statement, for the city's
sa.!e oDers, tithe. ~ie will also require a cody oF the contract, o'£ ~Di~
which the city purchased the Kern I3]a~ter Co. plus cooles of the minutes of ',;at.or
!~oard meetings f~ th~ 'far,t y6'~.- 'i'n~ ..:implest method for crcatlI~ the necessary
co~-~lttee ~.ccess will Oe to photocopy the relevant documents and mail them to the
Stockdal~ Enclave Committee, 205 Rio Bravo Drive:, Bakersfield, Calif. 93D09.
Rea::onable photocopy expenses will be paid.
Also, at the.' initial meeting it was the general concensus that no. one han~.-d to be
as~ociated with a city, or its counr~I~, that wo,~]~! ,~tte~mpt the surcharge ~neuver.
Also, it was su;.'3~ested that many of 'the retlre~ r,.~:[dents of Kern City cannot afford
this surcharge.
Sincerely,
/~O. ' y , '
JMR: jlc
At the ineeting of April 26, 1978, the Water Board authorized the Water
Manager to sign these agreements. The Board also asked that the City Attorney
approve the form.
Attached is a copy of the form we in~end to use. Could you please
return the same to'me indicating your approYal or disapproval.
Thank you for your opinion in regards to this form.