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Residents urge delay and flag affordability as board weighs sewer design work
Summary
Multiple residents warned the district against rushing design spending before a pending regional study and stressed the affordability risk for fixed-income homeowners, saying a premature vote could provoke community backlash ahead of any Prop 218 financing decision.
Residents and property owners told the Los Olivos Police Services District board they fear the financial impact of a large sewer project and urged delaying major design spending until a regional study and grant prospects are clearer.
An online commenter (Speaker 10) urged the board to delay its decision and warned that moving now could generate “a lot of community anger,” saying an estimated $60,000,000 construction cost would be unaffordable for many property owners and could force some to sell. The commenter said a Regen-commissioned regional report expected in about 30 days could surface lower-cost alternatives and argued the board has a fiduciary duty to consider those findings before committing to expensive design work.
Multiple residents in the room echoed affordability concerns. Michael (Speaker 5) described long family ties to the valley and warned the financial burden could displace homeowners. Jeanne Hellingsworth (Speaker 11) told the board it would be wasteful to commit nearly $1.5 million to design before the regional analysis. The general manager responded to public estimates by saying staff construction estimates seen to date are closer to $45,000,000 and that the board has not seen estimates above $53,000,000.
Board members said they understand cost concerns and framed the Option B authorization as a way to get the detailed project description and accurate cost comparisons needed to pursue grants and prepare for a Prop 218 ballot measure rather than as a final construction commitment. Several board members stressed that assessment engineering and grant-seeking remain critical next steps before any construction financing decision.
