The San Simeon Community Services District (CSD) may dissolve in 2024 following a meeting with county and state officials on Dec. 7.
Representatives of SLO County 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson and SLO’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) spoke with the district board that day about the CSD’s potential dissolution and future transfer of water and wastewater management to the county.
Former district board member Gwen Kellas said she was unhappy with what she saw as a lack of questions from the board to LAFCO Executive Officer Rob Fitzroy about the process.
“[He] returned to the podium to offer assistance and answer questions, and the board completely and totally ignored him—just left him standing there for serval minutes never once acknowledging him, [and] finally he gave up and returned to his seat!” she told New Times.
Earlier, Fitzroy had explained to the CSD that LAFCO would help determine whether the district qualifies for dissolution. If the CSD is no longer able to adequately provide the water, wastewater, and other general utility services it’s responsible for, SLO County could take over.
New Times reached out to LAFCO and SLO County officials but didn’t receive a reply before press time.
It’s been a rough year for the district. In April, two board members—Kellas and Daniel De la Rosa—resigned abruptly. The district has struggled to fill their seats. Holly Le took Kellas’ vacant seat in June, but De la Rosa’s spot is still vacant. The board missed the deadline to appoint someone to fill his seat, and now it has to wait until the next election cycle.
However, in 2022 the district divided itself into five sub-districts. Of the approximately 200 qualified candidates who could run for the position if it was a district-wide position, only 27 residents are eligible in the sub-district.
In June, longtime General Manager Charles Grace and his utility service company, Grace Environmental Services, were let go following a settlement with the SLO County’s District Attorney Office over conflict of interest charges.
Many residents have felt the impact, despite the CSD’s newly appointed General Manager Patrick Faverty and recently contracted utility service providers.
Resident Mark Ray said in a post on Nextdoor that he requested help with allegedly mischarged late fees on his water bill and, while he eventually received help, the same thing happened the next month.
These mischarges left Ray worried, he said, about how the board planned to continue operating the CSD heading into 2024. Dissolution might be the way to go, he said.
“It’s probably for the best,” Ray wrote on Nextdoor. “If they won’t even remove a fraudulent, illegal, and unjustified late charge from my monthly water bill, I don’t think they should be in charge of anything.” Δ
This article appears in 2023 Year in Review.
Correction: Gwen Kellas did NOT tell New Times anything in ref. to the Board meeting. The material, though correct, was pulled from another source or persons. I repeat, I have not spoken or communicated via any method, with anyone at New Times. G. Kellas