Water hearing Sept.21, at Highlands Park, Ben Lomond

6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21, Highlands Park Senior Center, 8500 Highway 9, Ben Lomond.
That is the time and location of the public hearing where five years of rate increases in the San Lorenzo Valley Water District will be approved, unless the district’s board of directors receives more than 3,950 signed letters of protest from owners – or renters, with the owner’s permission – of parcels that receive water from the district.
The letters must be received by Thursday, when the meeting opens, so if you haven’t mailed your letters (“one vote per parcel that is receiving water from the district” according to the district), bring them to the meeting – and be on time.
The district’s website lists a “Regular Board of Directors Meeting September 21 at 5 p.m.” at the district’s meeting room in Boulder Creek
A document attached to that meeting notice had initially referred to an Aug. 17 board meeting.  The district was informed about the error late Sunday night by the Press Banner, and corrected the date on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
To recap: The water district board is meeting twice on Sept. 21, at two different locations – 4.5 miles apart –, at two different times, for two different purposes. 
According to the published agenda, the 5 p.m. Boulder Creek meeting is a closed-door session, to discuss a lawsuit brought by Charlene DeBert, whose claim the directors last month agreed to settle for $40,000, after ratepayers had paid more than $170,000 in legal fees.
The 6 p.m. Ben Lomond meeting is a public session where opinions will be heard, protest letters counted, and a decision made on the water rate increase. Other regular business items and staff reports are to be considered at that meeting.
In addition to the five years of rate increases on the table at the Sept. 21 meeting – totaling more than 60 percent for a typical low-water-use family – the rate plan also includes automatic rate increases of up to 20 percent if district water use drops below three-year norms.