Cayucos Needs A Community Services District

By John M. Carsel

A Community Services District will provide better government for Cayucos.

Some naysayers speak of the proposed Cayucos Community Services District as if it were the Los Osos CSD. There is a tendency to forget that the sewer problem existed before the CSD and would exist even if Los Osos did not have a CSD. The problem is not the CSD; it is the sewer. Those that criticize the idea of a CSD don't speak of the Avila Beach CSD, the Templeton CSD, the Creston Hills Ranch CSD, the California Valley CSD, the San Simeon CSD, the Heritage Ranch CSD, the Oceano CSD, nor the Nipomo CSD. Why not? You know the answer. These communities don't have the "sewer issue." And they didn't have it before they were formed. But Los Osos did. And that's the problem. The sewer. Period.

Some folks refer to the adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But with an infrastructure, you fix it BEFORE it breaks. Because of changing demographics, the Cayucos fire department is facing a serious problem with attracting firefighters. Even after increasing the overall payments, as of May there were only 13 active firefighters. The Fire Protection District was looking at various options, such as "hiring CDF to take operational control and provide staffing" to " . . . consolidation . . . with other nearby fire departments." ONLY by the existence of a Community Services District can the surplus monies from the Lighting District be transferred to the Fire Department. Hopefully these monies would enable the continued existence of the Fire Department as the Cayucos Fire Department, and not as the CDF or Greater Morro Bay Fire Department. But if not, the additional "clout" of a Community Services District will provide Cayucos with greater bargaining power in any ensuing negotiations.

Likewise, the increased "clout" of a Community Services District would give Cayucos greater negotiating power in discussions with the City of Morro Bay and the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Wastewater generated in Cayucos and Morro Bay is collected in a sewer system and transported to the Morro Bay treatment plant. A Joint Powers Agreement between the Cayucos Sanitary District and Morro Bay provides Cayucos with an approximate 35% of the plant capacity. In 2001 Cayucos used about 27% of its entitlement, but when Morro Bay's wastewater was added the plant was at about 98 percent of its capacity. Expansion of the plant was necessary to handle the increasing flow from Morro Bay. Additionally, the Regional Water Quality Control Board stated that the plant would have to be reconstructed to meet full secondary treatment standards, which the current ocean discharge does not. Should Cayucos pay 35% of the reconstruction costs, if Morro Bay requires expansion? Should it be apportioned? The Community Services District is the appropriate agency to be involved in these negotiations with the City of Morro Bay.

Some community members have expressed concern over the potential for the "water issue" to become like Los Osos' "sewer issue." We in Cayucos have three (3) water purveyors to supply our 3000 plus population. There are two (2) private companies serving the Northern portion of town (Morro Rock View Mutual Water Company and Paso Robles Beach Water Association) and the San Luis Obispo County run CSA10a, serves the Southern portion of town. All three water purveyors use the same water source. While CSA10a would be absorbed into the Community Services District, the two (2) private water companies will not. The CSA10a water users would have their water supplied by the Community Services District and ONLY THOSE USERS WILL PAY FOR IT. Folks who do not use water supplied by the former CSA10a WILL NOT PAY FOR IT. The users of the two (2) private water companies will continue to use and pay for water to their respective company. THEY WILL NOT PAY THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT. The Community Services District cannot legally charge anyone for water not supplied to them. And this goes for Capital Improvements also.

The Cayucos Citizen's Advisory Council has had a committee studying the pros and cons of forming a Community Services District for many years. Only very recently did a committee of the CCAC meet with members of the County's Public Works Department to discuss the issue of the purchase of Lake Naciamento water to supplement existing water for CSA10a users. Of concern were the initial substantial rate increases projected by the County. The Morro Rock View Mutual Water Company was also interested in obtaining supplemental water through the Lake Naciamento water project. As a result of many meetings and information exchanges, the Public Works Department has committed to the position that new water hookups in CSA10a will pay for the Naciamento water (as the need for it is at build out which is due to new hookups and likely won't occur for 25 years, if ever.) The Department's recommendation to the Board of Supervisor's will be for a mild rate increase for cost of living and capital improvements planning, with foreseeable future increases for the actual cost of capital improvements. By law, these costs cannot be paid by persons who are not users. That means that once the Community Services District is functioning, ONLY PERSONS WITHIN CSA10A'S BOUNDARIES NOW CAN PAY FOR WATER AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. Persons served by the two (2) private water companies CANNOT LEGALLY PAY FOR FORMER CSA10A.'S WATER OR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.

All this means is that there cannot be a "water issue" in Cayucos.

After an impartial analysis the Executive Officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission, Paul L. Hood, informed the Commission that if the Community Services District were formed, the resultant organization would be more effective than the three (3) current separate service providers. The property tax revenues for each entity would remain intact and could legally only be used for the purpose for which they were collected. Commingling funds is not legally permitted. There would be fewer government structures and elimination of duplicate administrative services. Current employees would have the first right of refusal to jobs with the Community Services District. The Commission voted unanimously to Approve the Reorganization to Establish the Cayucos Community Services District.

Currently, the odds are very great that the reader of this paper has never attended a meeting of the Sanitary District nor a meeting of the Fire Protection District. Advance notice to the community has not been given. Minutes of meetings have not been distributed. There is no effort made to involve Cayucans in these matters. The approach has been more of a "we know what's best and how to do it. Trust us." And then you get a rate increase for your sewer bill and you don't know why. Or you learn that your fire department is thinking about contracting with CDF to provide you with service. How much better would it be if there was an organization large enough to warrant publicity and be in the public eye yet small enough to be approachable and responsive. How much better would it be if you received email notices of meetings or concerns, agendas and minutes. How much better would it be if meetings could be televised, so if you couldn't attend you would still be able to see and hear and know. How much better would it be if you, the residents of Cayucos, had the ability to spend an hour or so a month to be able to know what's going on in your community and to be able to encourage the actions you wanted and discourage the actions you didn't want. How much better would it be to be a part of your own destiny.

Except for the resistance to change, good government dictates the formation of the Cayucos Community Services District. Increased efficiency, lower expense and greater responsiveness to the electorate. Cayucos should have no less.

See the following website for additional information: http://www.cayucos-csd.info/