LOS ALAMITOS : Water District Seeks to Keep City in Fold

Officials at the Los Alamitos County Water District said they will fight a proposal by Los Alamitos to break away from the water district.

After a unanimous vote last week, water district directors said the proposal will not benefit the 7,000 households and business users the district serves. Instead, the plan could result in higher fees, they said.

The water district, created in 1952 before Los Alamitos became a city, maintains about 64 miles of sewer lines in Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and portions of Seal Beach and Cypress. The district, which services only the sewer system, gets an average of $1.25 a month from property owners, which is added to their property taxes, officials said.

Last month, the City Council approved a proposal to take over sewer services within the city limits. Los Alamitos makes up about half of the 4,000-acre properties that the water district serves.

Council members said the city could provide a better service by merging sewer services with other public works operations. In addition, the administrative cost of a water district office and the salaries of the general manager and board directors would be eliminated. A saving estimated as high as $70,000 could be used to increase the reserve funds for maintenance and future repairs of the sewer lines, they said.

Water district officials, however, dispute that amount, saying that the operational expenses are just a little over $30,000 a year.

But Monday, council members decided to postpone plans to file an application the Local Agency Formation Commission, which would have started the process to “detach” from the water district.

Mayor Anthony R. Selvaggi said that more time is needed to study the effects of the proposed separation, particularly on the remaining areas of the water district. In addition, he said city and water district officials should work together and avoid spending taxpayers’ money in a public relations war.

Council members said the plan should reach LAFCO, and let that agency, which is responsible for forming, dissolving, and merging public agencies, decide on the proposal.

“LAFCO understands this thing better than we do,” Selvaggi said.

Sara F. Anderson, LAFCO executive officer, said that there have been discussions between herself and Los Alamitos city staff, but she cannot make a recommendation yet on the proposal.