HI-DESERT WATER BOARD GETS A RAISE, SEWER PLANT UNDER BUDGET

Inflation—whether it was for directors’ compensation, or water rates—and saving money, were popular topics at Wednesday’s meeting of the Hi-Desert Water District board of directors. Managing editor Tami Roleff was there and explains…
The board of directors of the Hi-Desert Water District receive $125 per meeting, an amount that hasn’t been increased since 2004. If the compensation had been adjusted annually for inflation, it’d be about $373 per meeting. Last night, directors agreed to raise their compensation to $175 per meeting. In addition, directors agreed to hire a firm for about $69,000 to perform a study on the district’s water rates. Water rates have not increased since 2009. Director Dan Munsey said, the district needs to make sure that money coming in to district is adequate to meeting the needs of capital improvements. And under the topic of saving money, the district hired a lobbying firm that specializes in serving water districts for about $15,000 less per year than it’s currently paying now. And directors also learned that construction and management of the final stage of the wastewater reclamation facility is $1.6 million under budget.