HOW WOULD A FINE SCHEDULE EFFECT MARIPOSA RESIDENTS

If you live in Mariposa County the following are some of the things you could be subject to fines if someone turns you in.


1.“Pets. No animals or livestock of any description except the usual household pets and horses as allowed by county ordinance shall be kept on any lot.

2.Parking. No vehicle shall be parked on any street in the Subdivision, nor shall any stripped-down, partially wrecked, or junk motor vehicle, or sizeable part thereof, be permitted to be parked on any street in the Subdivision or on any lot in such manner as to be visible to the occupants of other lots within the Subdivision or to the users of any street, lake or golf course therein.

3.Fuel tanks; rubbish receptacles. Every tank for the storage of fuel installed outside any building in the Subdivision shall be either buried below the surface of the ground or screened to the satisfaction of the Committee by fencing or shrubbery. Every outdoor receptacle for ashes, trash, rubbish or garbage shall be installed underground, screened or so placed and kept as not to be visible from any street, lake or golf course within the Subdivision at any time except during refuse collections.

4.Maintenance; enforcement by Association. All lots, whether occupied or unoccupied, and any improvements placed thereon, including individual sewage disposal systems, shall at all times be maintained in such a manner as to prevent their becoming unsightly by reason of unattractive growth on such lot or the accumulation of rubbish or debris thereon, or to prevent the occurrence of any health hazard. In the event any such lot or improvement thereon is not so maintained, the Association shall have the right, through its agents and employees, to enter thereon for the purpose of maintenance, restoration or repair, the cost of which shall be added to and become a part of the annual charge to which such lot is subject and which may become a lien thereon in the same manner as herein provided.

5.Nuisances. No noxious or offensive activities shall be carried on any lot nor shall anything be done on any lot that shall be or become an unreasonable annoyance or nuisance to the neighborhood.

6.Dumping or burning of trash. No trash, ashes, garbage or other refuse shall be dumped or stored on any lot nor be thrown into or left on the shoreline of any lake in the Subdivision. No outside burning of trash or garbage shall be permitted.

We have gone 45 yrs without a fine schedule and have seen numerous instances of abusses of power by Directors and violation committees. Can you imagine what would happen once they can fine you?

Please come to the Saturday May 11th meeting 10AM and let the board know how you feel about this.

For Your Listening Enjoyment

May your world be filled with warmth and good cheer

Have a Merry Christmas

and a

Prosperous New Year

Keefecat 

Thanksgiving

 

A time for sharing love and gratitude with the special people who touch our lives.

Thanksgiving is the loving thoughts that reach from heart to heart. Uniting friends and family whether near or far apart

The Keefe Family wishes you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.

What You Can Expect

 

Mary Brown and I have run a good hard honest campaign and have not resorted to any negative campaign tactics.  We have shown the voters that we follow the rules, have no special interest other than helping get our CSD and will fulfill our fiduciary duties to the district and to the community in a courteous adult manner.  We have suffered enough from CSD boards more interested in fighting each other than in the welfare of the District.

If elected, we intend to bring the following suggestions to the board and if the board approves we will work hard to see them through.

1.      Make sure that the ad for General Manager is published in all newspapers for our area and on the various industry websites

2.      The formation of a Grants Committee to actively seek out funding for infrastructure improvement and upgrading the entire treatment plant.

(We have researched this and there are stimulus monies from the American Recovery Act, grants available from the EPA and USDA just to name a few.  We also have someone who has written grants for Public Agencies that will volunteer to help.)

3.      Re-do the Prop 218 to include anywhere from 5-10 ccf's included in the $47 monthly service charge and to set tiered water rates.

(We are  waiting for the usage figures from CSD to determine if this is feasible)

4.      Analysis how CSD operates as a whole and see if there is anything we can do to make it more cost effective.

HOLD ON TO YOUR WALLETS…AGAIN

At the CSD meeting, yesterday the board voted to start the Prop 218 process on raising the monthly service fee. According to the auditor if the board does nothing CSD will be out of money sometime in April.  According to our CFO says we could go another year if we use the monies in our LAIF leaving no monies for any major repair needed.  

This means that on your Jan 1^st bill your monthly service charge will increase by $20.00 (74%) and then go up $2.00 more each year from Jul 1, 2011 to Jul 1, 2015. 

At the meeting Wes Barton (ex CSD pres) stated that he was going  to an  association meeting of Private Water Service Providers and said we would be much better off privatizing CSD.  This is something that he has been working on since he was on the board and maybe even before.

Those of you that think we would be better off privatized need to read   Private vs Public Water  Here is a few facts to ponder.

A 2006 California Water Rate Survey show that households in districts with privately owned systems are paying, on average 20.28 % more per month for clean drinking water than households served by either municipal systems or special water districts created by citizens and overseen by government officials. 

 

In the United States, regulations limit the profits of private water companies to a margin of approximately 10 percent.  However, companies get around this by leveraging their assets.  In other words, instead of using money they had borrowed for needed improvements to water operations and infrastructure, the companies invest in side businesses or other activities that diversify their operations to increase profits. In general, private companies have incentives to spend more on investments not directly related to the original purpose of improving water infrastructure so that more money goes into the pockets of corporate shareholders and executives.  

In California, three of the six corporate water companies reported a combined income of $78.88 million in 2006.  

I think what is most upsetting to me is that we ratepayers are always left holding the bag and I saw no real effort from the district in reducing their operating costs.  We really do not have a choice on the rate increase; as the board will vote on it end of November. We do have a choice in the directors we elect to get us out of this mess.

Mary Brown and I have real life experience in business and finance and I served on the Assn board successfully for my 3 yr term and improved the finances without raising the dues.

Another Prop 218

Friday CSD held a meeting to discuss their financial shortfall and ways to cut costs and increase revenue to avoid running out of money before the end of this fiscal year.  The auditor told the board president Emery Ross that if CSD kept going the way they are now CSD would be out of funds by April 2011.  The board also directed Charise Reeves the CFO to start the Prop 218 process and to give the board several alternative rate and/or service charge increases for the board to review at the next meeting.  Folks, this is very troubling but not surprising news.

Some directors blamed ratepayers who protested the two recent Prop218 rate increases.  The board decided by a board vote, the ratepayers did not have a vote. Blaming others for what was their responsibility is wrong.  The first Prop218 meeting for a water rate increase, they proposed 4 yr increases and voted in a 2-year increase.  At the second Prop218 meeting for increasing the assessment on vacant lots, it was determined, that they had to do a ballot vote and so could not proceed with their Prop218 and it was stopped by a vote of the board again not the ratepayers.

Our current situation is not the fault of any one board, management or ratepayers but the cumulative bad decisions made by many over years.  In addition, laying blame at this stage of the game is pointless.  If we do not do a Prop218, we will not have water services in April.  If we have no water what are our homes and property worth?  Those of us with mortgages will find that we cannot get fire insurance. 

I am afraid that as ratepayers, we really do not have a choice here and we will have to face the situation.  What we can do going forward is attend meetings so that we know how the money is being spent before the fact not after.  

In closing, I have to commend President Ross (who is running for reelection) for having the intestinal fortitude to start and have this Prop218 process completed just before the election.