Free Flowing Discussion at SLV Water District Meeting

A mostly civil discussion took place among about 100 people at the Senior Center in Highlands Park Thurs night. Hosted by the staff of the SLV Water District for the purpose of providing information on the proposed rate increase.  

District Mgr Jim Mueller and consultant Tom Pavlatich explained the why and how of rate setting and then graphically presented the 5 year projections of how the new revenues would be allocated among operations and maintenance, capital improvements, debt service and reserves.

Pavlatich estimated that the average bill for a single family home on the smallest meter would increase by about $1 a day.

SLV Water District Board President Terry Vierra, speaking from the audience, indicated that he believed the board would be willing to take another look at some of the costs and that it was conceivable that a delay or a reduction in the rate increase might be appropriate. 

Community members had a range of questions from how the protest process works to the need for various projects.  There were charts, maps and photos throughout the hall explaining various operations and projects and a lot of District staff on hand.

A regular Board meeting will be held on Oct 17 and the following week on the 24th is the special meeting to hear protests at which time the protest letters will be tabulated and the board may or may not take action.