Last month the ETA ran a campaign to alert the city about the relationship between the water district and the City of Encinitas. Click here for the campaign background.

Here are some of the public comments from the Council Meeting.

The whole meeting can be viewed here (Feb 24, 2010).

In response to our inquiry regarding the use of SDWD staff and equipment for City of Encinitas projects, the City admits that staff and equipment have been used for City work. Our sources in the SDWD who tipped us to the practice gave no indication that the City has reciprocated the efforts. Because the Water District does not track the efforts, we won't be able to assess the scope or balance of the costs. We are told that the City jumps on the opportunity to nickel and dime the Water District.

An independent board of directors for the San Dieguito Water District would be able to determine if the current practices are fair to the ratepayers.

Here is the City’s response:

The San Dieguito Water District in one of four divisions within the City of Encinitas Public Works Department. There are times assistance is needed by each division in order to respond quickly to emergency situations in a cost-effective manner. Emergency cooperative response by various divisions could include sewer spills, major storm related damage, water main breaks, etc. When inter-department assistance of less than one day during normal working hours is requested, the cost for assistance is typically not tracked or charged to the other division. However, when there is overtime involved, the division being requested to assist will be reimbursed from the overtime or contractual budget by the division requesting assistance. There have been no large scale emergencies within the City that have occurred in the past two years that have required the use of District staff.