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Advisory members push for more O&M, domestic-well support and clearer affordability plans as consolidations accelerate
Summary
Participants at the March 12 SAFER advisory meeting urged staff to expand operation-and-maintenance funding reach, clarify why O&M grants concentrate on administrator-assigned systems, and publish case studies showing pre- and post-consolidation rate impacts on households.
Advisory members at the State Water Resources Control Board's SAFER meeting on March 12 pressed staff for more aggressive use of operation-and-maintenance (O&M) funds, better outreach about how domestic-well programs are spending their allocations, and clearer communication to communities about likely rate changes after consolidation.
Kristen Dobin (UC Agriculture and Natural Resources) asked whether O&M funding is reaching systems before they require state-appointed administrators and urged staff to use O&M proactively to prevent failures. Jeff Budzel (Division of Financial Assistance) said there are two grant agreements: one that funds an administrator's activities and a separate O&M grant that goes directly to the system for day-to-day costs. "You'll have two grant agreements," he explained, adding that administrators receive a separate contract for…
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