Joshua Basin Water District’s finance committee chair Robert Johnson wants to see things in writing. Johnson knows an oral contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. That’s why last night Johnson voted against a loan he knows the district needs. Reporter Mike Lipsitz has the details…
At last night’s special meeting of the Joshua Basin Water District’s board of directors a spirited discussion culminated in a four-to-one decision to approve final documents associated with a $3.1 million installment loan with finance committee chair, Bob Johnson, casting the dissenting vote. Despite strong assurances from general manager Curt Sauer that the loan would fund the mainline replacement program only, Johnson wanted to have in writing a statement that loan proceeds could never be directed elsewhere. And prudent as that may be, timetables, red tape, and logistics made the request impractical at best. So with four directors voting to approve the loan documents, Johnson’s vote against could not stop the process. According to Sauer, without the loan, it would take another three years before adequate funds from the recent rate increase would be sufficient to kick off the program.
JOSHUA TREE WATER BOARD MEMBER DISSENTS ON $3 MILLION LOAN
