Council to Place Advisory Water Measure on Ballot : Ventura: Voters will be asked in November to recommend whether to tap state supplies or build a desalination plant.

Ventura residents will be asked to vote in the November election on which long-term water source the city should pursue, but city officials will have the final say on the matter.

The City Council voted 7 to 0 Monday to draft a non-binding ballot measure asking residents whether Ventura should import state water or build a desalination plant.

The outcome of the election will be taken into consideration when council members decide the water issue in the fall. At least four of the seven council members say they plan to go along with the residents’ choice.

The officials agreed that the measure would 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 final say.

“We’ve done our best to come up with something that would appeal to the council members . . . and to the people who want to have their voices heard on this issue,” Councilman Tom Buford said.

The council voted to place the advisory measure before the voters after nearly two hours of debate. At one point during the discussion, Councilman Todd J. Collart made a motion to put a binding measure before the voters. But only Councilwoman Cathy Bean supported his suggestion.

In the end, the two decided to go along with the majority and support the advisory measure.

“It’s better than having nothing,” Bean said.

The council directed the city attorney to draft the language of the measure for final approval Monday. The council has until July 14 to request that county elections officials place the issue on the November ballot.

The language will probably include the cost of desalination, estimated at $1,924 per acre-foot with the cost to an average household estimated at $53 a month for water bills. The state project is estimated at $823 per acre-foot, with the cost to the average household estimated at $42 a month.

Mayor Greg Carson said he was pleased with the outcome. “This gives us flexibility. I think we do need to have the final say.”

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

Tim Downey, the chairman of a newly formed group called Desal Water, said he was disappointed with the council’s decision, adding that he wanted the council to place a binding measure before the voters.

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