Costa Mesa council to decide whether to support merger
Costa Mesa City Council members will decide if they want to support a possible merger of the Costa Mesa Sanitary and Mesa Water districts.
Council members are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to take an official stand on Measure TT, an advisory question Mesa Water placed on the Nov.8 ballot to gauge public support for the concept of combining the two special districts.
Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer is seeking consensus from his colleagues to support the measure, according to Tuesday’s agenda.
Measure TT isn’t binding, so even if it passes, consolidation isn’t guaranteed. Mesa Water officials, however, have said the results will indicate whether ratepayers support a merger.
“The City Council’s consideration of taking a formal position on Measure TT validates the proposal’s merit and the need for further exploration of the potential $15.6million one-time cost savings and $2.7million annual cost savings that could be achieved by consolidating Mesa Water and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District,” Mesa Water External Affairs Manager Stacy Taylor said in an email Friday.
A Mesa Water consultant, Arcadis U.S. Inc., identified those possible savings in a study earlier this year. The study also concluded those savings could result in a $650 rebate for each ratepayer and up to a 28% reduction in wastewater rates.
Sanitary District General Manager Scott Carroll declined to comment on the council’s possible action Friday. He said board President Mike Scheafer is planning to speak on the item during Tuesday’s meeting.
In June Mesa Water officials commissioned the Arcadis analysis to examine whether a merger made financial and operational sense. District board members later decided to put the question before voters, saying residents should have a say in the process, especially given the level of possible savings.
The sanitary district declined to participate in the effort, raising concerns with the level of input it had in shaping the study and how fast the process was moving.
Since its release, sanitary district officials have blasted the study’s findings as flawed and inaccurate. They claim the measure is a political stunt and that Mesa Water is attempting to stage a hostile takeover.
Mesa Water officials have said they stand by the study’s findings.
In August, Scheafer took Mesa Water to court over the wording of Measure TT, which had once cited all the possible savings identified in the Arcadis study. Attorneys for both parties struck a deal on Aug.31 that removed all the disputed language from the ballot question. It now reads, “Shall the Mesa Water District and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District pursue consolidation?”
Mesa Water provides service to about 110,000 people in Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach and sections of unincorporated Orange County, including John Wayne Airport.
The sanitary district provides sewer and curbside trash collection services to about 116,700 ratepayers in an area that is similar, though not identical, to Mesa Water’s.
Those who are ratepayers in either district can vote on the ballot measure.
Along with the merger question, Costa Mesa voters will decide the fates of eight other measures on November’s ballot.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting starts at 5:45p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.
