Opinion: STPUD facing tough decisions
By Richard Solbrig
Your public utility district has the responsibility of safely and reliably delivering water and wastewater services 24/7 to homes and businesses in South Lake Tahoe. Currently, we face the challenge of balancing essential facility repair and upgrades with the resulting need to increase revenue from our customers.
We are considering decisions about three specific challenges:
1. Providing adequate water to fight fires. Some neighborhoods are still not protected. This year there were several ferocious wildfires, including in Colorado, and closer to home in Yosemite, that remind us of the danger of major local wildfires. During our own Angora Fire, we were praised for having enough water for firefighters because we had implemented a series of multi-million dollar investments in the water system.
Today, many of our neighborhoods still do not have adequate water capacity to provide fire flow during a wildfire. We must invest in larger pipelines and upgraded pumps, hydrants and storage tanks to meet firefighting needs in those areas.
2. Legal requirement to install water meters on all customer connections. The state has mandated that we must finish installing water meters on every property by the year 2025.
3. Aging wastewater and recycled water systems must be updated. Our award-winning wastewater treatment system has protected Lake Tahoe and provided needed recycled water for almost half a century. This system includes pump stations that protect the Lake from sewage spills and others that pump recycled water into Alpine County as required by law. These million-dollar pump stations are nearly a half century old and must be updated to avoid sewer spills or loss of recycled water.
Balancing risk and affordability: We must balance between the speed of improvements and the rates customers pay. The faster we go, the more it costs in the short term, but the less risk of a fire catching us unprepared or of a sewer spill, loss of recycled water, or violating a state law before installing the meters.
Developing options and seeking public input: Our engineers have developed detailed plans for completing the needed improvements, prioritized them and estimated the costs.
We are developing various rate change options needed to perform the work promptly to minimize risk as well as provide other options for slowing down the work and adjusting priorities to minimize rate increases. Of course, the slower we go the more affordable it is in the near term, but, the risk of a breakdown or problem increases and long-term costs will rise.
You can learn more in person and provide your input at a public workshop scheduled for Dec. 19 at 10am in the district conference room located at 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe. We will provide numerous additional opportunities for the public to learn more and provide input in the coming months before making any final decisions concerning the facility program and rates. Final decisions will be made in late May.
Richard Solbrig is general manager of South Tahoe Public Utility District.
Hey Richard, ever thought that arms length bargaining with the unions to hold down excessive pay might not be appropriate. The gold plated wages and salaries are far above average. Try that for a balanced approach.
Why does the union bribe some of the board of directors if not expecting something in return. Legalized theft or so many rate payers believe.
With S.T.P.U.D Being the highest paid people in Eldorado County with the greatest retirement and health care plan, I Think that I would start by looking into that first.
Maybe a new administration building would help? Or, replace all the vehicles and ensure that everyone has TWO 32″ flat screen monitors on their desk?
Eliminate the specialty gourmet ground coffee deliveries to the STPUD building, then the gold plated medical insurance for the part-time board members. There must be a multitude of additional opportunities to cut that would be appreciated by ratepayers and taxpayers.
Before any rate increases are considered, I would like to see STPUD retain the services of an independent efficiency expert to review every aspect of district operations and make suggestions on cutting back infrastructure and personnel costs. It’s clear to me from speaking with my neighbors (and from these comments) that STPUD has major internal issues. There is much to be improved upon that could easily offset any need for further rate increases. While private-sector companies often look to identify and take action on cost-savings measures, the question is, whether STPUD would have the political will to follow through with any suggestions from an efficiency consultant’s eventual report.
Why would STPUD want to hire an efficiency expert? When ever they need money they just have to raise our rate, when they want an increase in their wages, just raise the rates, when several hundred thousand dollars worth of supplies are stolen by the employees, don’t find out who stole them just raise the rates, buy new, and we will pay for it. They use the public vehicle’s as there own and we pay, they use the public equipment for their own personal use and we pay for it, the list goes on and on and on, I could write a book about the waste that goes on and even went to a board meeting one time and told them of all of the stealing going on but nothing was ever done, THEY MAKE ME SICK.
It seems that there are some serious accusations against stpud that would most certainly have made headlines however i have never seen these charges or heard about the abuses. Could it just be that the accusors are against everything stpud does. Where is the proof of these accusations if they are true?
A couple of you commenters make negative remarks about almost anything that has to do with government and allowing dissenting opinions is one of the strengths of our democracy, so keep it up.
However, at some points dissenters need to engage with the process or they become nothing more than whiners and are ignored. It seems like time for a few of you to run for the boards you criticize so consistently. If three of you got elected to the STPUD Board you could cut all board member perks then work on the contracts. Or you might come to learn some realities you hadn’t made an effort to understand.
I believe that STPUD began addressing the water meter installation costs several years ago and has received about $7M in grant money to offset the cost to the residents.
While I usually don’t agree with grant money, in this case I believe grant money is the proper channel to pay for the cost of installing a meter which is being mandated by the government.
If the State or Federal government says “you must”, then they should pay to make it happen.
I’m with the majority here. Employee expenditures is where STPUD should cut costs first. My bill is too high already.
Advocate, you need to understand the meters are not needed, but mandated by SoCal politicians who want to steal more of NorCal’s water. No water can be shipped out to SoCal from Tahoe so it is almost a total waste.
The delivery of water to your home or business is only about 20% of the cost of running STPUD. And remember when you are getting someone else’s tax grant money they are getting yours.
Power tends to be very corrupting just look at the board. JR wanted to tighten things up but the voters didn’t agree so we are stuck with profligate spenders of your money.
PR, the complaints about our local government and quasi-government employees have a very simple basis. Look at the average pay scale of this group as opposed to the average in the area. The pay scale and benefit package is entirely out of proportion to the income of the area, in many people’s opinion. Combined with retirement benefits that the community simply can’t afford, creates a pretty hostile environment. Further, why should taxpayers pay for someone else’s retirement? They didn’t pay for mine.
theft of tools and supplies, district vehicles for personal use…these ‘perks’ are built into the culture of stpud employees. both common practice at stpud, acknowledged by these same employees, who consider such practices as ‘benefits’…
Having been previously employed at STPUD I recognize the expertise and talent of many who work there. It’s why you don’t often call them for problems.
Yes STPUD employees are very well paid, but not excessively more than any of your city, county and state employees here locally. In reality the salaries for STPUD employees is a drop in the bucket in comparison to the financing needs for STPUD’s system upgrades for a reliable system.
Having some knowledge of the Utility District I have always been an advocate for the continued upgrade of our antiquated water system. The future and the present demand it.
We have main lines in many streets that are so old, undersized and decayed that even starting to replace them now is going to a be a headache to keep up with.
I know Richard Solbrig to be a very honest and straight forward District Manager. He is simply bringing to light the situation that our infrastructure is seriously in need of upgrading.
I recommend everyone concerned with STPUD future system upgrades/ rate increases seperate your concerns from the employee compensation and address them seperately at the Dec 16 public workshop. Your STPUD Board of Directors are “your” elected officials.
John, Dec 19 at 10 am
STPUD is the best run public agency in the basin, because of Richard Solbrig. Go to the meeting.
Wow! The knives and pitchforks sure came out fast from the Pro 18th Century crowd. Ok, I’ll play along…
Yeah! Let’s make them use DOS on CRT Monitors, horses instead of Automobiles, take away their health care and medical benefits; I mean they are only working with toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, toilet paper, tampons, urine and feces over there anyway. Make ’em work for minimum wage like everyone else in this “Wall Mart” modeled economy using a shovel and Army surplus gas masks!
Hey! Why do we need Sewage Treatment anyway? We can go back to the good ‘ol days and just dump everything straight into the Lake; it’s a big lake.
I hope the STPUD folks are ready for this “public workshop.”
You get what you pay for. Are you sure you want your water system run and maintained by folks willing to work for parking lot attendant wages?