Study of merging water and sanitary districts is unfinished, delaying discussion

Mesa Water District board members tabled plans Thursday to discuss a study on whether it would make sense to explore a merger with the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, saying a consultant needs another week to complete it.

“Unfortunately, that product has been delayed and will not be ready until next week,” Paul Shoenberger, general manager of Mesa Water, said during Thursday’s board meeting.

The board plans to take up the matter at a special meeting at 6 p.m. next Thursday, according to Stacy Taylor, Mesa Water’s external-affairs manager.

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On June 16, Mesa Water’s board awarded a $29,960 contract to Arcadis U.S. Inc. for the preliminary study, saying the consultant’s work would help show whether combining the water and sanitary districts could save ratepayers money.

Sanitary district board members voted the following week to not participate in the effort, raising concerns with how fast the process seemed to be moving and with the level of input they had in shaping what the consultant would examine.

Some sanitary district board members criticized Mesa Water for what they described as disrespectful and disappointing behavior.

Mesa Water sent a letter April 22 proposing the merger study. The two agencies have exchanged a series of messages since then.

Without the sanitary district’s participation, the consultant would use “publicly available operational and financial information” for the study, according to Mesa Water board President Shawn Dewane.

Mesa Water provides service to about 110,000 people in Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach and sections of unincorporated Orange County, including John Wayne Airport.

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District provides sewer and curbside trash collection services to about 116,700 ratepayers in an area that is similar, though not identical, to Mesa Water’s.

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Luke Money, [email protected]

Twitter: @LukeMMoney