The Goleta Valley is facing a crucial time in its history with the loss of its farms and open space. Certain business interests want to have the farms rezoned and turned into high density housing . I have joined wirh Bert Bertrando in running for the two seats on the Board of the GWD .We have specific proposals to preserve the farms and open space.
Bert Bertrando and I have for over the last two years have attended and participated in almost all of the Board meetings of the Goleta Water District. We have also attended various committee meetings of the GWD's Board where crucial proposals were discussed. In addition, last year Bert and I were appointed by the Board to serve as members of the Citizens Water Rate Structure Committee which for many months reviewed factual data and received analysis from several highly qualified experts concerning the operations and current rate structure of the District. The Committee also reviewed, debated and rejected a new rate schedule for all customers which had been proposed by the staff of the District. The above months of extensive study and analysis educated Bert and I as to the great need for major changes in the policies and operations of the Goleta Water District. The future decisions about how to manage our water supply are crucial to the health and welfare of our community. We are committed to working hard to make a difference in the future management and protection of the Valley's most precious and essential resource. Our first priority is the repeal of the existing New Water Service Charge which was adopted by the GWD approximately 10 years ago. This charge has stifled the creation of all new farms and has caused many existing farms to go out of business since they could not afford the unreasonable amount charged for a new or larger water meter. In the last 10 years in the Valley there have been no new farms developed and only one meter was purchased by an existing farmer. The current charge for a new 2-inch agricultural meter is in excess of $340,000.00 and thus making it economically impossible to establish a new farm. The survey done in July of this year by the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce cited the District's New Water Service Charge as the reason it was not viable to use currently properly zoned open space for farming. The consequence of this fact is that the developers want to have the agricultural open space rezoned for development purposes. Bert and I will do everything possible to repeal this unreasonable and counter productive New Water Service Charge when we are elected to the Board. The consequence of the maintaining this charge is a policy decision of the current Board to dictate and insure that there will be no new farms in the Goleta Valley! The voters have not given the Goleta Water District this broad power to control the future of the Valley. This action is completely improper land planning by the Goleta Water District and is contrary to the articulated public policy of the County of Santa Barbara and the wishes of the residents of the Valley to preserve agricultural. No other water district in the South Coast which receives State Water has such a New Water Service Charge! For over a year we have at various public Board meetings of the GWD, asked the current Board to repeal this New Water Service Charge as being a bad law and the death knell of local farms. Each and every time our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. The Board in its last rate increase approved in May of this year even increased the New Water Service Charge by 4%! The voters now have the opportunity to express their views on the decision by the GWD to stop farming in the Goleta Valley .A vote for Bertrando and Ruskey is the first step in saving farming and open space in the Valley.
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