FPUD workshop today!

The Fallbrook Public Utility District will hold an open-to-the-public workshop to discuss the budget shortfall today, Jan. 6, at 3:30 p.m.

With the state taking away $1 million in property taxes from FPUD this fiscal year and another $1 million next year, district officials are seeking public input on how to compensate the loss. Open for discussion will be delaying engineering projects, dipping into district reserves, rate increases, and reducing services.

Water districts and other special districts across the state are feeling the pinch. They are bailing out the state’s budget crisis by being forced to give up their local property tax revenues for two years, and possibly a third.

But because California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 1A on Nov. 2, 2004, this raid on local governments must cease after that.

In other budget news, FPUD received $250,000 from the federal Bureau of Reclamation for studying the feasibility of using local water from the Santa Margarita River. Termed the conjunctive-use project because the groundwater basin is replenished with surface water supplies when available and then pumped out when needed, the project would bring a new and cheaper water supply source to FPUD, meeting 40 percent of the district’s total needs.

To date, the Bureau has awarded FPUD $700,000 for the feasibility study, thanks to the lobbying efforts of former Congressman Ron Packard and Packard Government Affairs.

The environmental impact study is currently underway. This project could provide a local, reliable water supply, an endeavor that is especially beneficial in light of California’s uncertain water future.