GARDEN GROVE : Bid to Take Over Sewer System Delayed

The city’s bid to absorb the Garden Grove Sanitary District is on hold until next year, frustrated City Council members have learned.

The council was told this week that the Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees restructuring of local government, will not hear the city’s proposal until February or March, Mayor Bruce A. Broadwater announced.

“They really don’t have their act together,” Broadwater said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “We’ve had our application in for 21 months.”

A commission official said, however, that the city is responsible for the delay.

“The application is still incomplete, so we can’t hear it until they complete it,” Executive Officer Sara Anderson said.

The city has proposed taking over the duties of the Garden Grove Sanitary District, which serves parts of Garden Grove in addition to Westminster, Fountain Valley and several unincorporated county areas.

The Midway City Sanitary District serves the remaining areas of Garden Grove.

The city contends that it can deliver cheaper, more efficient service than the district.

The district, however, contends that the city lacks the expertise to manage the complex sewage system and has not proved it could cut the cost of service.

The commission also maintains that the city hasn’t yet made a convincing case.

“To date, they haven’t provided us with the map and legal descriptions that we need,” Anderson said.

“A lot of outstanding issues are unresolved, concerning how service will be provided to areas that are outside city boundaries but are within the Garden Grove Sanitary District.”

But Councilman Mark Leyes said the city has offered to provide service to all areas currently served by the district.

He added that the city might pursue legal action or ballot measures to bolster its effort to take over the sanitary district.