District awaits water cutback decision
Sewer rates, Cal Fire costs expected to increase
Ramona residents will have to wait a while yet to find out exactly how the drought is going to affect them in terms of water usage and rates.
“The information on the drought is ever-changing,” said David Barnum, Ramona Municipal Water District general manager.
Since Barnum made that comment to the RMWD board at its April 14 meeting, the State Water Resources Control Board issued a revised proposal Saturday that would drop the water conservation mandate of 35 percent for some communities. Among them was Ramona, with a water conservation target of 28 percent.
The proposed targets are in response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s April 1 executive order decreeing an average 25 percent reduction in water use, and to comments the state board received that the original framework for conservation efforts was unfair. Barnum said the state board was using a baseline of agencies’ water use in 2013. Ramona, he said, has declined almost 50 percent since 2007.
As for rates and water supply cutbacks, the Ramona water district expects to receive guidance when the board of directors of San Diego County Water Authority (CWA), its sole water supplier, meets on May 14.
“Any base reduction will have a substantial financial impact,” said Barnum, who represents the Ramona district on the CWA board.
The water authority board was scheduled to meet April 23 but rescheduled after the state board announced it would adopt water conservation mandates on May 6.
On the same day as the RMWD meeting, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Board of Directors approved a 15 percent water supply cutback to CWA and its other customers starting July 1. The water authority receives about half of its supplies from the Met.
Barnum said the expectation is that CWA will ask for a less than 10 percent water supply cutback from Ramona.
Although RMWD’s 2015-16 fiscal year begins July 1, district Financial Services Director Richard Hannasch said the district cannot determine water rates because of the uncertainties, but will send a Proposition 218 letter to its sewer customers with proposed rate increases.
Customers of the Santa Maria Water Reclamation Plant could see a 6 percent increase with their annual fee rising from $675.77 to $716.32 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU).
For those served by the San Vicente Water Reclamation Plant, a 7.5 percent increase is proposed. The fee would jump from $623.76 to $670.54 per EDU. Most single-family residences are assigned 1 EDU.
The water board approved the Prop 218 letter, required by law, and set a public hearing date on sewer rates for June 23 at 2 p.m. in Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane.
Hannasch said the district hopes to have a public hearing on water rates in August.
A concern for the 2015-16 budget, Hannasch said, is Cal Fire’s proposed cost increases. The water district contracts with Cal Fire to man the Ramona Fire Department. This fiscal year’s fire budget was $5.4 million, but that is expected to jump 9.7 percent to about $5.95 million, he said.
“That’s a particular problem because the revenues stay flat,” said Hannasch. “The primary source of revenue for the fire fund is the fire EDU charge.”
The $188.52 annual fire EDU charge has not changed since 1996 and can only be increased by public vote. The $2.7 million it brings in would be less than half the cost, Hannasch said. Property tax revenues generally make up the difference.
Tony Meecham, Cal Fire Unit chief and chief of operations for San Diego County Fire Authority, said the Cal Fire increases are mainly due to employees’ post-retirement health care costs that continue to increase.
He also noted some issues facing the Ramona Fire Department including aging fire apparatus.
Darrell Beck, board president, said the board’s fire ad hoc committee will meet to discuss the matter.
In other business at the meeting:
•Directors deferred discussion on health benefits for directors until May when newly-appointed Division 3 Director Thomas Ace will be seated.
•The construction contract for a new clarifier at the Santa Maria sewer plant will be awarded to Newest Construction Company Inc., which had the lowest bid at $1.32 million. The clarifier was a top priority in the Santa Maria Facilities Plan and will increase the plant’s capacity.
•The board approved purchasing 47 new water cannons for the Santa Maria spray fields, along with other related equipment. Purchases and labor are estimated to cost $44,700.
•Directors gave authorization to quitclaim two existing RMWD easements on the northwest end of 14th Street where KD Nickel Creek LLC plans to develop 45 dwelling units.