Ventura to Vote on Water Source : Utilities: The measure would most likely be advisory. The choices are between a pipeline and a desalination plant.

A majority of Ventura City Council members said Thursday that they will allow voters to voice their opinions on the city’s long-term water source during the November election, but probably only as an advisory vote.

The council members said they plan to support a city Utilities Committee’s recommendation that would permit residents to vote on whether the city should import state water or build a desalination plant.

And although the proposed ballot measure would be non-binding, at least four of the seven council members say they plan to go along with the residents’ choice when they make their final decision in the fall.

“I don’t take a vote of the public lightly,” said Mayor Gregory Carson. “If it is overwhelming on one side, I would think of that as a mandate.”

Council members say the advisory ballot measure seems to strike a balance between those who want the council to make the decision on the city’s long-term water use and those who say citizens should have the last word.

“I guess I would prefer to see it a mandatory vote, although there are people who would prefer no vote at all,” Councilman Gary Tuttle said. “I think this is the best compromise. Everyone gets something of what they wanted.

“Either way, I will respect the citizens’ opinion.”

The council is set to take action on the committee’s proposed ballot measure at its Monday night meeting. Officials have until July 14 to qualify a measure for the ballot.

Ventura officials have spent years debating how to best provide a long-term source of water for the city. Since the 1960s, Ventura has paid the state to reserve the right to tap into its reservoir at Castaic Lake. But recent technology has made it more feasible to build a seawater desalination plant.

According to a study recently released by the city’s consulting firm, Boyle Engineering Corp., it would probably be less expensive to build and operate a pipeline. But a desalination plant would provide a more reliable source of water than a pipeline tapping into the State Water Project, which has been forced to limit water consumption during drought years.

Councilmen James L. Monahan and Tom Buford said they also support the Utilities Committee’s recommendation to place a measure on the ballot that would give voters a say but not tie the council’s hands in the decision.

“I don’t have any problem with it if it was advisory or mandatory,” Monahan said, adding that he will vote the way the voters do.

But Buford said he would not base his entire decision on the public’s recommendation.

“The vote of the electorate will be one factor I take into account,” said Buford, the chairman of the Utilities Committee. The committee is made up of council members and city staff.

He added: “I cannot support a mandatory vote because we need to make the right decision. We are dealing with very technical issues that change every day.”

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Cathy Bean and Councilman Todd J. Collart said they would like to hold out for giving voters final say in the matter. Bean said she will abide by the voters’ wishes, whether the ballot measure is an advisory one or compels council action.

Jack Tingstrom, a strong state water supporter, said he is against any ballot measure but is willing to compromise.

Despite council members’ comments that they will go along with the voters’ choice, one citizens group said it is angry about the recommendation. The residents--not the council--should be given the final say on the matter, group members say.

“I’m disappointed,” said Tim Downey, chairman of the newly formed group, Desal Water. “I was hopeful the Utilities Committee would recommend a binding vote as the best alternative. An advisory vote does nothing. The council doesn’t even have to listen to the vote.”

He said group members will push ahead with gathering signatures on a measure that would force the council to implement the citizens’ choice.

“It is the only workable solution, in my mind,” Downey said.

The city’s consultant, Boyle Engineering, has urged the city to move forward with the state project because it is the least expensive option. But members of the council-appointed Citizens Water Advisory Committee have urged the city to pick the desalination option.

Without an additional water supply, Ventura is in danger of running out of ground water by 2010, one study has found.

“We’ve studied this thing to death,” said Monahan. “Let the voters tell us what they think. . . . It can be just a simple yes or no vote.”