Cable to Carry City Council’s Session at Sewer Plant

Come January, Thousand Oaks residents will get a televised look at their waste water treatment plant at Hill Canyon.

Still sharply divided on the issue of raising residents’ sewer rates to pay for improvements at Hill Canyon, the City Council agreed late Tuesday to visit the plant together in January for a workshop session, which will be televised by local cable.

The residential sewer rate increase is a crucial part of the financing plan to pay for $75 million in improvements at the plant. The money generated by the increase would be used to finance bonds, but the council has stalled on the plan because neither Councilwoman Elois Zeanah nor Jaime Zukowski believes that much work needs to be done at Hill Canyon.

A four-fifths vote is required to increase monthly residential fees.

Councilman Mike Markey introduced the idea of the workshop, saying he felt that the burden should be on Zukowski and Zeanah to show him and other council members that the work is not needed.

Neither councilwoman was enthusiastic about the workshop proposal, explaining that they just visited the plant last week and do not need another tour.

“I don’t think you can take a tour to demonstrate how costs should be borne,” Zukowski said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council did make a little progress in the overall financing plan: approving by a 3-2 vote an increase in hookup fees for new development, from $3,900 per home to $5,300. Markey and Mayor Andy Fox dissented, saying they prefer to handle the whole financial package at the same time rather than on a piecemeal basis.