Hillcrest water may bubble up to 2nd vote
Region 1 wants separate consideration by council
It may be back to the beginning for the Hillcrest water issue after two residents asked the city to hold another Proposition 218 ballot.
"I think the people in (Region) 2/3 deserve another chance to have safe, clean drinking water," said Michael Payne.
Another resident, John Fitch, asked the City Council to put the matter out to a formal vote.
"I request that you reconsider sending this out to a formal vote," said Fitch.
Councilman Kash Gill asked that City Council talk about another Proposition 218 vote when it meets later this month to review costs for connecting Region 1 to the city's water facility.
Sept. 30 is planned as a tentative meeting date. Gill read two letters from residents who wanted to revoke their votes. The city is already moving ahead to research a possible connection for a smaller group of residents in Region 1, located on the east side of Highway 99.
The council passed a resolution Tuesday to apply for low-interest loans for a water tie-in to part of the Hillcrest area.
Some residents have asked the City Council to look at connecting Region 1 only. They say that the water surcharge protest failed in Region 1, meaning the majority of residents were in favor of the city's plan.
"I think the residents did speak in Region 1, and they clearly wanted surface water," said Darin Gale, a Region 1 resident.
The possibility of another vote comes after a nearly $20-per-month surcharge to connect 4,000 homes in Hillcrest Regions 1, 2 and 3 to a city surface water plant was rejected by just over 50 percent of the property owners or utility bill holders last month.
"We did have a vote, it did not prevail," said Elaine Miles, a critic of the city's surcharge plans.
The move by the city occurred after the water in Hillcrest 2/3 showed unacceptable levels of arsenic concentrations. Additional treatment measures have brought the water into compliance with the federal standards.
Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter John Dickey at 749-4711 or jdickey@appealdemocrat.com.
