Garland French, on water

An article in the “Water!” series this week printed answers from three City Council members (Nick Johnson, Mike Patrick and Dave Creighton) to questions posed by the North Coast News in an email.

Garland French did not get the original email, but replied to a follow-up:

Our city council responsibility is to provide for the best quality water
service at the lowest possible costs to to community.
I am not convinced yet that the path being proposed by the city is best.
Spending yet another six to nine million on a new treatment facility,
investing in a new and still developing treatment technology and drilling
more shallow wells with their own new set of quality problems is taking on
a whole new set of issues. Not to mention the millions of new debt that
rate payers will be paying for.
We are waiting for county answers to our questions about providing our
water. According to the county’s Water System Plan (WSP) the new Hogans
Corner Wells have the capability to provide our full current and future
water needs and will not require a costly treatment facility. The question
is how, when and at what costs. We have had only fragmented and
contratictory information about this. We need  a clearly documented plan
and proposal so we can make an intelligent and informed decision and do
what is in the best interest of the city and our citizens.

As for the inter fund loan. I believe these loans are oK provided they are
properly justified, used only in exceptional need cases and the borrowing
fund department can demonstrate ability to repay it. I am troubled by the
past practice of using utility funds to finance other aspects of city
operations. That has clearly been the case and I believe has contributed
to keeping utility rates high.

Water quality and costs was a high priority issue with people that I
constantly heard about when running for office and it is still one that I
am stopped on the street about. We (the council) need to get this right.