- When: Wednesday, November 6, 2019 1 p.m.
- Where: 1036 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945
The meeting announcement can be found here. The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will be November 13, 2019. The NID Board normally meets on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month at 9:00 a.m.
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NID Announces Centennial Spending "Limit":
After "Unsustainable" 2020 Budget Passes
On October 23rd in a 3-2 vote, the NID Board passed a Budget characterized as "unsustainable" by their General Manager. The Budget's highlights include raising water rates 46% in 2021, a new $30 million dollar bond, and $500,000 allocated for Centennial Dam every year until 2024. This was a disappointing turn of events, especially since NID's Administrative Practices Committee (APC) requested a staff report in the Spring to determine the minimum amount NID needed to spend on Centennial in order to improve fiscal responsibility. Unfortunately that report was never delivered.
Late Friday, NID staff revealed a "spending cap" for Centennial, the same amount included in the "unsustainable" budget. This proposal will be reviewed at the APC meeting this Wednesday at 1pm.
SYRCL and allies have asked NID to stop spending on Centennial where legally possible since April 2018. While that hasn't happened, SYRCL does want to acknowledge NID's efforts to examine Centennial spending. We see this as a move towards fiscal responsibility.
Unfortunately, the "spending cap" is fundamentally flawed.
NID's breakdown of Centennial spending:
- District Staff: $30,000
- Consulting work for DEIR: $170,000
- AB 52 Consultation: $300,000
- Total: $500,000
First, this "cap" does not propose the minimum NID must spend, it is a narrative to justify continued Centennial spending in light of their recent fiscal woes.
Second, SYRCL believes that NID's "diligence" requirement is met through its work on the update to the Raw Water Master Plan. NID is currently working to produce accurate data through the update process to the Raw Water Master Plan for water supply, water demand and hydrology. As NID has stated, those numbers must inform the Centennial environmental review process. Therefore, NID's continued spending on the Centennial environmental review process before the Raw Water Master Plan is finalized is fiscally irresponsible.
Finally, SYRCL is disappointed to learn that NID is considering property purchases for Centennial once again after June 2020, which they state "must be addressed" with this spending cap.
Again, in light of the PG&E bankruptcy, costly projects such as the Raw Water Master Plan, the proposed purchase of Drum-Spaulding Hydroelectric Project, water rates increases and recent budget cuts, SYRCL urges NID to stop spending on this fiscally irresponsible project. For the District, for our community, and for the Yuba and Bear River watersheds.
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Cartoon by artist Jen Rain, featuring the three pillars of Stop Centennial Dam - Environmental Law, Fiscal Responsibility, and Public Trust.
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Photo by Gary Moon.
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Continue to show your support and purchase a
Stop Centennial Dam Tee today! Only $10.
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