Grand Jury Suggests Arbitration on Harbor Water Rates

Hoping to end a dispute between the county and the agency that provides water to users in Channel Islands Harbor, the Ventura County Grand Jury recommended Tuesday that the two sides solve their problem in arbitration.

The grand jury also suggested that the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District, which serves about 10,000 people, listen to tenants’ complaints about high water rates and initiate cost-saving measures.

Harbor business owners and some of the water district’s residential customers have complained about high water rates, which average about $400 a month for restaurant owners.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors threatened to break its 30-year contract with the water district unless the district lowers the rates.

“We’ve had talks and we’ve tried getting to the district,” Supervisor John Flynn said. “If they would follow the jury’s advice, the matter would be over.”

The grand jury, which studies various government issues, can make suggestions, but they do not have to be followed. This is the sixth report issued in June. Previously, the jury released all its reports at the end of the term.

Bill Higgins, general manager of the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District, agreed that his agency should cut overhead costs but denied that businesses are charged too much. He added that he didn’t know how the district might respond to the jury’s suggestions.

The last customer increase was a 17% hike two years ago to offset the cost of a new treatment plant, he said.

Businesses, such as restaurants, get a higher quality of water, which requires a complicated filtration system, Higgins said.

He added that the district will shift overhead costs to other services and spread costs by expanding its client base.

Higgins must answer the jury’s report in 90 days, and said he will answer each recommendation.