Letter: Protect water rate payers
As a deeply concerned resident of Ventura, I urge the Ventura City Council to take immediate and decisive action on the twelfth amendment to the legal services agreement with Nossaman, LLP during Tuesday’s meeting. This is not just another agenda item; this is a critical opportunity to protect Ventura water ratepayers from further financial devastation.
The increasing costs associated with the settlement decision and the Ventura Water Pure project have placed an unsustainable financial burden on our community. With discussions of an additional 22% rate increase and further rate increases in 2025 on top of the recent rate increases, our residents and businesses are being pushed to the brink. This trend is not only unsustainable, it is unacceptable.
The City Council must act now and initiate the meet and confer process outlined in the settlement resolution, which includes a rigorous review of technical and financial feasibility. These steps are essential to ensuring that our City’s water projects are both technically sound and financially viable for ratepayers. These reviews must be included in the twelfth amendment to the legal services agreement with Nossaman, LLP.
If the City Attorney or Nossaman, LLP do not fully support these necessary actions, the City must immediately seek alternative legal representation that puts the interests of Ventura’s water ratepayers first. We cannot afford to have legal counsel that is passive or unwilling to challenge unnecessary expenditures and protect our community from financial harm.
Now is the time to act. Ventura’s taxpayers deserve proactive leadership that fights to keep their costs under control. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty by those elected to serve and protect the people of this city.
George Amandola, Ventura
