Amador County – The Amador Water Agency last week had yet to start verifying the protests submitted July 1st aimed at stopping a rate increase in the Central Amador Water Project service area. General Manager Gene Mancebo said the verification could get underway today (Monday, July 12th). The Proposition 218 protest verifications had not yet begun due to vacation time being taken, he said. At the July 1st protest, Board Clerk Chris Thompson said it would likely take about two 8-hour days to verify the protest. She said other protests, such as the Camanche water system, were easier to verify because they were all on the same piece of paper. On July 1st, organizer David Evitt delivered 1,691 protests. They need 1,313 valid protests to stop the rate increase. Thompson said they were each on individual forms, which all must be compared with the AWA database. Karen Gish of the AWA said Thompson and Mancebo were on vacation last week. The verification must look at whether signers of protests were the owners of the properties, or if they were renters. The process will also look to eliminate duplication. Protest organizer Ken Berry said there would be duplicates, but he and board members expected there to be enough protests to end the rate increase. Evitt said he, Berry, and other volunteers spent 200 to 400 hours collecting signatures door-to-door. He would say: “Hi, I’m David Evitt and I’m here to talk to you about why your water rates are going up.” He said 98 percent of the people he talked to signed a petition. Last week, Director Don Cooper said the board should “talk about how to interface with the public” and educate them about the agency. He spent 2 hours at a holiday party explaining the difference between the Central Amador Water Project service area and the Gravity Supply Line project. He said “our customers are not totally aware of what we are,” and did not know that the Central Amador Water Project was a territory and was not (in itself) the Gravity Supply Line. Vice President Debbie Dunn agreed, but said “you should build a relationship with them before you educate them,” and “you just can’t keep slamming them with information.” Cooper agreed, and said they really need a “marketing plan.” Rich Farrington agreed, saying some explanations by the board at the July 1st rate hearing seemed to help CAWP residents better understand the situation. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Monday, 12 July 2010 06:16
AWA Could Begin Prop 218 verification for CAWPthis Week
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency last week had yet to start verifying the protests submitted July 1st aimed at stopping a rate increase in the Central Amador Water Project service area. General Manager Gene Mancebo said the verification could get underway today (Monday, July 12th). The Proposition 218 protest verifications had not yet begun due to vacation time being taken, he said. At the July 1st protest, Board Clerk Chris Thompson said it would likely take about two 8-hour days to verify the protest. She said other protests, such as the Camanche water system, were easier to verify because they were all on the same piece of paper. On July 1st, organizer David Evitt delivered 1,691 protests. They need 1,313 valid protests to stop the rate increase. Thompson said they were each on individual forms, which all must be compared with the AWA database. Karen Gish of the AWA said Thompson and Mancebo were on vacation last week. The verification must look at whether signers of protests were the owners of the properties, or if they were renters. The process will also look to eliminate duplication. Protest organizer Ken Berry said there would be duplicates, but he and board members expected there to be enough protests to end the rate increase. Evitt said he, Berry, and other volunteers spent 200 to 400 hours collecting signatures door-to-door. He would say: “Hi, I’m David Evitt and I’m here to talk to you about why your water rates are going up.” He said 98 percent of the people he talked to signed a petition. Last week, Director Don Cooper said the board should “talk about how to interface with the public” and educate them about the agency. He spent 2 hours at a holiday party explaining the difference between the Central Amador Water Project service area and the Gravity Supply Line project. He said “our customers are not totally aware of what we are,” and did not know that the Central Amador Water Project was a territory and was not (in itself) the Gravity Supply Line. Vice President Debbie Dunn agreed, but said “you should build a relationship with them before you educate them,” and “you just can’t keep slamming them with information.” Cooper agreed, and said they really need a “marketing plan.” Rich Farrington agreed, saying some explanations by the board at the July 1st rate hearing seemed to help CAWP residents better understand the situation. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Latest from
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