Eastsound Water’s Member Engagement Process Group to Present Recommendations

— by Margie Doyle —

Paul Kamin, General Manager of the Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) spoke recently of the process involved whereby 20 EWUA members came to some recommendations, which they will present before the board at the Oct. 18 board meeting.

The participants spent the better part of the first two nights, Sept. 20 and 22, in open discussions regarding the question posed by Fred Klein, meeting moderator:

“How should the costs of operating and maintaining our local water system be shared equitably and fairly among the membership?”

The final meeting day of the rate advisory group was more structured. Each person had the opportunity to make recommendations, and generated about 30 recommendations. Then each person weighed in as to whether he or she supported the recommendation, were ambivalent about it, or would advise not to proceed with the recommendations.

This was all recorded in a spread sheet and volunteers then reviewed and refined the recommendations by Sept. 30. The recommendations will be presented by two volunteers at the Oct. 18 board meeting. All can attend the meeting, to be held at 5 p.m. in the board room at EWUA offices, on Lovers Lane and Enchanted Forest Road at 5 p.m. Kamin asks that those planning to attend call EWUA offices at 376- 2127….or stop by the EWUA office, so that a larger room can be reserved for the meeting, if necessary.

On Sept. 30, Paul Kamin said, “Given the effort made and potential significance of the changes to be made, I imagine the board would want that level of transparency,” said Kamin. Following the board meeting the recommendations will be put online to garner feedback for a larger cross section of the EWUA membership.

Kamin commented that most recommendations would result in the majority of the EWUA paying higher rates. “I’m confident we can garner feedback from the membership,” Kamin said.

In soliciting members for the rate advisory group, Fred Klein, who moderated the September meetings, wrote, “The EWUA Board passed a new, tiered rate structure [in April] in an effort to incentivize high volume users to increase the level of their memberships so that they were commensurate with their water usage.

> “Those affected by the new rate structure raised some concerns and, in response, the EWUA Board suspended the new rate structure for six months, and now, with this invitation, is reaching out to the membership at large to elicit and discuss recommendations to address the questions of ‘equitable and fair’ rates.”