JPA Chair Bill Marble Issues Public Statement –
Woodland City Councilmember and Chair of the Joint Powers Agreement Body for the surface water project, Bill Marble, issued a statement in open session on Thursday.
At this time, a scheduled meeting for Monday will be canceled. The process of negotiations remains highly sensitive and complex among many parties.
He continued to highlight four agreements that are currently in negotiations.
1.Water Agreement with Conaway Preservation Group and Tri-City Water and Farm, the principal purpose for which is to acquire water rights from Conaway Preservation Group for use in summer and other times when the Agency will be restricted from diverted water under its expected and less senior water right permit.
2.Joint Intake Agreement with Reclamation District RD 2035, the principal purpose for which is to share an intake site and jointly design, construct, operate and maintain a screened water intake on the Sacramento River.
3.Real Property Agreement with RD 2035, Conaway Preservation Group and Tri-City Water and Farm, the principal purpose for which is to acquire an intake site and pipeline and other easements for the project.
4.Installment Purchase Agreements with Cities of Davis and Woodland, the principal purpose for which is to back-up and secure the Agency’s water right purchase agreement through city commitments to fix and collect water rates to cover the purchase obligation.
“The Board will not consider these agreements until they are in their final form, and until the public has had a chance for review and comment. We have directed our negotiators to prepare these agreements no later than Tuesday, December 14 for this Board’s consideration at a special meeting later that week,” Mr. Marble added.
We are apparently now probably looking at January, at the earliest. Mr. Marble indicated in his statement that if the agreements cannot be in their final written form by early next week so that the public has an opportunity to review and provide input, the Board will not be able to reconsider the agreements until January.
In addition, there is a public hearing in front of the State Water Resources Control Board on January 18, 2010.
Councilmembers Joe Krovoza and Stephen Souza currently are the Davis Councilmembers that sit on the JPA Board. They will have some sort of this statement this weekend, although it will not be accompanied by further information from the body as a whole.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
Glad the JPA is unwilling to consider anything unless/until it is in final form…