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Resident warns shareholder changes could make owners pay more than non-shareholders
Summary
A resident and irrigation shareholder told the Council his estimates suggested the proposed half-base-rate and credits could still leave some shareholders paying more overall than comparable non-shareholders; Council and staff disputed that characterization and requested further billing examples.
At the July 7 work session, resident Royce Shelley told the Council his 0.49-acre property holds 2.13 irrigation shares and that, under staff's recently adopted rate schedule and the proposed structure, he estimated the value of water he contributes at roughly $701 but estimated a potential bill of about $870 if he used his full allocation.
"I have no objection to paying the irrigation company assessment because I accepted that obligation when I acquired the water rights. However, I object to paying an additional one-half base rate after already contributing a substantial portion of my water to the city for conveyance," Shelley said, summarizing his view that shareholders should not be charged more overall than non-shareholders who purchase water in cash.
Council Member John and staff responded that the proposal should be viewed as a rental arrangement—shareholders retain ownership of their water rights while the city receives one-half of each dedicated share to cover conveyance improvements—and that the reduced base-rate was intended to provide stable revenue for long-term operations and meter maintenance. Mr. Bunker and other council members emphasized that grants covered meter installation but not ongoing replacement and repair costs, and they asked staff to prepare illustrative customer scenarios to test the resident's claim before formal action.
