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Council debates leasing 20 acre-feet of culinary water; policy not finalized
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Summary
The council discussed a proposed lease of up to 20 acre-feet of culinary water from the Farren Canal arrangement amid drought conditions. A motion to approve the town's water-needs policy was made and seconded, but members declined to finalize the policy without seeing the written agreement and discussed a special meeting or tabling the decision.
Chair (S2) told the council the town has a draft water-leasing agreement that would supply the town with up to 20 acre-feet of culinary water annually from the Farren Canal arrangement, and said the town would pay roughly $500 for the extra water this year.
“they're gonna lease us 20 acre feet a year,” Chair (S2) said, explaining the lease is intended to cover culinary needs and that, because of the drought, the town may receive about 14 acre-feet this year (roughly the equivalent of 56 shares).
Committee member (S3) moved to approve the town’s water-needs policy; Committee member (S4) seconded. Several council members said they were reluctant to approve a policy they had not yet seen in writing. Councilors discussed options including approving with an addendum that the town clerk or designated official verify the agreement text, calling a special meeting once the written agreement is available, or tabling the request until members could review the typed agreement.
S2 said the agreement had been under development for years and urged the council to act but acknowledged that the written document — prepared by Trent Jackson at the town’s request — was not yet in hand. Members debated timing and the risk of delaying access to water in a year they described as “tight.” One member noted the agreement includes a provision that the town would not actively pursue water purchases that could drive up agricultural prices.
No formal roll-call vote on approval is recorded in the transcript. The council discussed texting Trent Jackson to confirm whether the agreement was ready and considered calling a special meeting to act once the written agreement was available.