Concerns raised over SLVWD Board’s fiscal responsibility and transparency
I’m responding to the letters from Jim Mosher (Aug. 16) and Debra Loewen (Aug. 9) regarding San Lorenzo Valley Water District. There are serious issues facing the District, which Mr. Mosher has evaded in his response by blaming the messenger and spreading misinformation to our customers. I’m a Director of the SLVWD but speaking only for myself.
Mr. Mosher writes of being insulted by Ms. Loewen’s opinion on board decisions. Our board recently approved a consulting contract that was about $222,000, or roughly 50% more than the next highest proposal, and was accepted by four board members.
Even worse, information about a lower-cost proposal was only revealed during the meeting, under questioning. The rejected company has done good work for the District in support of our response to the CZU fire. Our Board not seriously looking for ways to contain expenses neglects our core responsibility to provide oversight on how our community’s money is spent.
The $222,000 overage may not sound like much to Mr. Mosher, but it represents about $28 from each of our customers and about 28% of an average monthly bill. That sounds like a lot of money to me and I believe to the vast majority of our community.
I also disagree with Mr. Mosher’s assertion that the SLVWD is insufficiently funded. Our rates have skyrocketed over the past decade. While meant to tackle daunting challenges like infrastructure, deferred maintenance and disaster recovery, the numbers show that about 2/3 of the increased rates weren’t applied to those items but to operating costs, which are rising at multiples of the rate of inflation.
This also represents insufficient oversight. Questioning how your money is being spent is the epitome of our system of government and is something to be encouraged by those in elected positions. Unfortunately, for Mr. Mosher it appears personal attacks are easier than to honestly engage in these core issues.
Mr. Mosher may be representing his own interests, as he and Monica Martinez, a candidate for Supervisor (Mr. Mosher is also associated with her campaign), were both members of the SLVWD committee responsible for designing the controversial rate structure that not only punishes low water users, but also does nothing to promote conservation for the benefit of our environment.
This fall, you have an opportunity to vote for better structures in both our water rates and county leadership, in Measure U and Christopher Bradford, sending a message that our community, not Mr. Mosher’s narrow interests, comes first.
Bob Fultz
Director, SLVWD
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