Laguna City Council opposes water district’s proposed voting system
When it comes to treating sewage, Laguna Beach wants an equal vote like other cities and water agencies.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously opposed a weighted voting system proposed by Moulton Niguel Water District, one of 10 agencies of the South Orange County Wastewater Authority, which collects and treats sewage from more than 500,000 homes via three treatment plants and produces recycled water.
Officials from Moulton Niguel, which serves 170,000 customers in Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel and Dana Point, want their vote to carry greater worth since the district contributes the largest financial share — 43% — of SOCWA’s $21.7 million overall budget.
A change would require amending an agreement of SOCWA’s agencies, which include Laguna Beach, the South Coast Water District, which serves portions of South Laguna, the Emerald Bay Service District, and cities of San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente.
Moulton has mulled a weighted voting system for the last year and broached the subject during SOCWA workshops.
Moulton Niguel Assistant General Manager Matt Collings said weighted voting “makes more sense given the accountability climate our customers have of us while still being representative of interests of all the agencies.”
Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig had concerns with such a system, saying it could lead to SOCWA’s general manager and attorneys siding with Moulton Niguel’s stance on matters before the board.
Currently, each of the 10 agencies has a 10% stake in voting. The SOCWA board is comprised of one representative from each of the agencies.
Under a proposal from Trabuco Canyon Water District, Moulton’s vote would carry 26% worth, followed by South Coast Water District, 14%, and Laguna Beach, 11%.
Meanwhile, SOCWA is operating without a budget approved by all agencies. In June, Moulton Niguel cast the lone dissenting vote for the general budget, which requires unanimous approval.
SOCWA’s budget is split into two parts: operations and maintenance, and general administrative costs, which include payroll.
“We don’t have a problem with the general budget as constructed,” Collings said. “The concern we have is the associated accountability of the agencies for those dollars that have been invested and the accountability to our ratepayers who are investing those funds.”
“That’s a great point and I have the same concern of the accountability to the ratepayers of Laguna Beach,” Pietig said, latter adding that “I’m trying to understand why this approach was taken? In addition, we’ve had a number of other capital projects that are being held up during this entire dialogue.”
Since the budget impasse, Moulton Niguel has withheld payments for infrastructure improvements to the coastal treatment plant in Aliso Canyon, though the district continues to pay into the general and operations and maintenance funds. Moulton Niguel is one of four agencies, including Laguna Beach and South Coast Water District, who own the plant.
Collings said the district has not sent wastewater to the plant “in years.” Weighted voting would apply to all board decisions except committees working on specific projects such as facilities upgrades.
SOCWA’s members are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss weighted voting, SOCWA General Manager Betty Burnett wrote in an email. The public meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Dana Point Marina Inn at 24800 Dana Point Harbor Drive in Dana Point.
Twitter: @AldertonBryce
