June
2008 | by Henry
Abarbanel
The
good news? Our
regional water
quality is improving.
The bad news?
Progress in this
area is not cheap.
Continuing improvement
will be costly,
but at least we
can ensure that
the financial
burden is fairly
distributed.
Over
the past seven
years the State
of California
through its regional
water-quality
boards has begun
implementing the
Federal Clean
Water Act. Few
citizens disapprove
of clean water,
but equally rare
are the citizens
who are aware
how they are paying
for it.
With
no funds to
implement the
excellent program
of inspections,
diversions
of used water
from flowing
directly into
the ocean, and
the like that
actually have
improved the
quality of our
water, the State
turned to its
usual source
of “makeup” funding:
the cities
and counties
of California.
Since the
State's rules
hold sway over
local government,
rules were
established
that carry
fines as large
as $10,000
daily for failing
to comply.
For
Del Mar, and all
other cities in
California , this
has meant enormous
new expenses at
a time when revenues
are challenged
and other, often
local, expenditures
are rising. In
the coming 2008/9
fiscal year, Del
Mar is mandated
to spend about
$500,000 on actions
implementing the
new clean-water
rules. This amounts
to about 5% of
our general expenditure
budget.
We
do not have a
realistic choice
whether to spend
these funds. We
do have a realistic
choice how to
collect them from
ourselves, and
there are two
real choices:
(1) collect them
based on the amount
of water your
household uses,
or (2) collect
them based on
the County's assessed
valuation of your
property.
This
year we have an
opportunity to
vote on this choice.
In
choice (1), which
I freely admit
I favor, your
use of water determines
how much you will
pay of these required
clean-water fees.
You can change
your water-use
habits and change
the amount you
will pay. You
are in control,
and the charges
are connected
to a real question:
How much water
do you use?
In
choice (2), which
I think is unfair,
your property
value determines
how much you pay
for clean water.
If you have been
in Del Mar a long
time, you will
pay very little.
If you have been
here ten years
or less, guess
what? You get
to subsidize clean
water for others.
I
have been here
nearly 26 years
(and am totally
glad I moved here),
and I could vote
for others to
subsidize my clean-water
program. However,
I will not do
that as Del Mar's
deepest strength
is working together
as a community,
not as a collection
of selfish individuals.
Please
join me in voting
this year to collect
our clean-water
program fees based
on our utility
bills, so they
correlate with
water use. It
is fair; it is
the Del Mar way.
Henry
Abarbanel is a
city council member.
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