KXO RADIO - IID - Board Gets Clued In On How the Entity Will Look

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Written by George Gale
Tuesday, 08 August 2006
(THE IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT BOARD GETS AN OUTLINE ON HOW THE NEW LOCAL ENTITY WILL LOOK)…AS DIRECTED, THE IID GENERAL MANAGER CHARLES HOSKINS PRESENTED THE BOARD WITH AN OUTLINE AS TO HOW THE NEW LOCAL ENTITY WILL BE PUT TOGETHER. THE DISTRICT CALLS IT ‘RECONSTITUTING’ THE ENTITY, WHICH WAS DISBANDED AT THE LAST IID BOARD MEETING. AT THAT TIME HOSKINS SAID THE ENTITY WAS TOO LARGE, WITH 11 MEMBERS, TO COME TO A CONSENSUS AS TO HOW TO SPEND MITIGATION MONIES ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS RESULTING FROM LAND FALLOWING. THE FALLOWING IS TO PROVIDE CONSERVED WATER TO SAN DIEGO FOR TRANSFER AND TO MAINTAIN THE WATER LEVELS AT THE SALTON SEA. THE DISTRICT ALSO FALLOWS TO COMPLY WITH AN AGREEMENT WITH A NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE, BUT THAT DOES NOT INVOLVE MITIGATION MONIES. THIS WEEK HOSKINS TOLD THE BOARD THE NEW ENTITY WOULD BE COMPRISED OF 5 MEMBERS AND BE STAFFED BY THE DISTRICT. A CONSULTANT WOULD BE HIRED TO WORK WITH THE ENTITY TO ENSURE IT COMPLIED WITH THE REVISED FOURTH AMENDMENT OF THE QUANTIFICATION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT, WHICH CREATED THE ENTITY. APPLICANTS FOR SOME OF THE $3.5 MILLION IN MITIGATION FUNDS ON HAND ARE BEING PUT ON HOLD UNTIL THE NEW ENTITY IS IN PLACE. A LIST OF FIVE RECOMMENDED NAMES TO SERVE ON THE ENTITY WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD AT THEIR FIRST MEETING IN SEPTEMBER, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO BE HELD IN LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA. THE NEW ENTITIES FIRST PRIORITY WILL BE THE DISBURCEMENT OF FUNDS, FOLLOWED BY THE VIGUROUS PURSUITOF ARBITRATION IN THE DISPUTE WITH SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY. THE AUTHORITY CONTENDS THEY SHOULD NOT PAY FALLOWING MITIGATION BECAUSE ANY NEGATIVE IMPACTS FROM FALLOWING IS BEING MADE UP THRU ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTIN THE COUNTY, THE NEW HOME GROWTH, THE NEW MALL, ETC. THE IID CONTENDS ONE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OTHER. IID BOARD PRESIDENT ANDY HORNE ASKED THAT AN UPDATE ON THAT DISPUTE BE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC AT AN UPCOMING BOARD MEETING.