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Strategic planning committee outlines consolidation talks and MOU timeline with neighboring districts
Summary
The strategic planning committee reported progress toward a memorandum of understanding among three districts to explore consolidation. Committee members discussed cost-sharing by growth/revenue, an estimated planning cost range (tens of thousands), and next steps for staff to draft the MOU for board review.
The Montecito Sanitary District’s strategic planning committee briefed the board on a multi-district effort to explore consolidation and the next administrative steps. Committee members said staff and the three general managers will prepare a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that signals intent to pursue consolidation — with detailed service planning and cost-sharing to follow.
A committee member summarized the planned schedule and scope: the MOU will be a high-level instrument saying the three districts want to pursue consolidation; detailed decisions (plan for service, cost sharing, staffing and capital needs) will come later. The committee reported an expectation that staff will prepare the MOU by the end of February and that the districts will meet 2nd and 4th Mondays at 9 a.m. to coordinate the work.
Directors discussed cost considerations. The committee cited a prior example where a discharge-line replacement was estimated at $4.2 million for another district, and committee members noted that full-scale consolidation or major capital projects (e.g., recycling or plant construction) could cost far more. One committee speaker estimated the planning and consolidation administrative effort could fall in an $80,000–$100,000 range but said prior studies and reports already performed could reduce that figure.
Why it matters: Consolidation could change governance, staffing and how capital projects are financed across the three districts. The committee described the MOU as an early organizational step — staff will draft a document for boards to review, revise and formally approve at future meetings.
