Tour of Sewage Plant Leaves Officials Still Divided on Expansion

They came. They saw. They argued over what they saw.

And when the City Council’s tour of the Hill Canyon Treatment Plant was finished Friday afternoon, council members remained as sharply divided as ever over the proposed $75-million expansion of the waste-water facility.

Councilwomen Elois Zeanah and Jaime Zukowski were still opposed to the plan, which would require a $7.35 increase in monthly sewer fees for residents and a steep hike in connection charges for developers. The two council members say the 35-year-old sewage-treatment plant needs only minor improvements. They contend the council majority and city officials are engaged in a conspiracy to expand the plant so developers can build more housing.

“This is hyperbole,” Zeanah said while arguing with Mayor Andy Fox over options to the 15-year plan.

“This council and staff members have used intimidation against other council members because they want a $75-million improvement project,” Zeanah said.

Meanwhile, Fox and Councilman Mike Markey were still adamant in supporting the expansion, saying it is absolutely necessary to prevent raw sewage spills and other environmental catastrophes. Councilwoman Judy Lazar, who has sided with Fox and Markey, did not take the tour.

“I think the important thing is to keep the smell here, not on Moorpark Road,” Fox said, staring into the cloudy brown water of a sewage settling pond. “That’s what this issue is all about.”

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State law requires a 4-1 vote before the city can raise monthly sewer fees. So without the support of either Zeanah or Zukowski, there will be no expansion. The Hill Canyon tour, which was televised on cable, was billed by city leaders as an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the sewage plant and possibly reach an agreement.

The tour began cheerfully enough. “Ah, I love that smell,” quipped City Manager Grant Brimhall, strolling through the machines that sort sludge from water.

But as Douglas Frost, the plant’s operations supervisor, explained why he believes parts of the plant need improvement, Zeanah and Zukowski questioned the necessity of the proposals.

When Frost explained that Hill Canyon needs to accommodate high sewage flow during rainstorms, Zeanah said measures could be taken to ensure that rainwater did not mix with sewage before reaching the plant. “This is an alarmist position,” she told Frost.

With council members sitting around a makeshift dais in a concrete basement to discuss the tour, there were more disagreements.

Much of the arguments had to do with one of the central themes of opposition for Zeanah and Zukowski: the amount that existing residents would have to pay for the expansion. Existing residents would pay about 30% of the costs, with new residents paying the rest.

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Thomas E. Gaffney of Bartle Wells Associates, the city’s San Francisco-based financial advisor for the project, said Thousand Oaks’ monthly sewer rate of $10.50 is by far the lowest in Ventura County. With the proposed increase, he said, the rate would still be on par with other California municipalities. The proposed connection-fee increase--from $3,900 to $5,310 per residential unit--would be the highest in the county, he said.

Gaffney said unless Thousand Oaks raises fees, the city’s waste-water utility will probably be unable to sell bonds in the future. And he warned that Thousand Oaks could face lawsuits if it tried to place the burden of the expansion costs solely on developers and new users.

“Quite frankly . . . you have to do it,” he said.

That answer did not sit well with Zeanah and Zukowski, who aggressively questioned Gaffney on his financial estimates.

Afterward, Markey and Fox tried to make a point that the sewer expansion was about dollars and sense, not growth. They asked city Public Works Director Don Nelson what Thousand Oaks residents would have to pay if the impasse continued and the council had to opt for a smaller upgrade, just for existing residents.

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Nelson said such a project would cost between $45 million and $50 million, and would require the city to dramatically raise its sewer rates to $25 a month.

Zeanah accused Fox of grandstanding and using “scare tactics” to win favor for the expansion. Fox interrupted Zeanah in mid-sentence, saying he “would like some comments from the professionals.”

The bickering could clearly have continued, had council members not grown weary and ended the meeting, which had dragged on well past the expected two hours.

Is there any hope for a resolution? Fox says he does not know if it is possible.

“It may come to a discussion not of what is right, but of who is right,” Fox said, shaking his head. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”