Robert Gilchrist Huenemann for San Benito County Water District Board 2014
Water bill too high and going higher! – if elected to the Board of Directors of the San Benito County Water District (SBCWD), I will vote against any increase in urban water rates or property taxes.
Agribusiness uses 80% of San Benito County water. If you live in Hollister, Sunnyslope or Tres Pinos or have a mutual water company, the SBCWD Board, dominated by members in agribusiness, charges you seven times more for well water than they charge agribusiness.
SBCWD gets 5.6 million dollars in property tax. This shows up on your tax bill as
“SB WATER – SAN FELIPE”. Agribusiness only pays $800,000 or 14 percent of this tax.
SBCWD owes $100 million, with balloon payments that start in 2017. Who will make those payments?
If you care about any of this, please register and vote for me. I will work to protect urban water users. I have no ties to agribusiness.
For more information, Google “sbcwaterinfo” (one word, in quotes).
Paid for by Committee to Elect Huenemann for San Benito County Water District 2014 P O Box 2372 Hollister CA 95024
Dear Voter;
If you live in any urban area in San Benito County (Hollister, Tres Pinos or San Juan), you are in Zone 6 of the San Benito County Water District (SBCWD). This affects your water bill and your property taxes, both of which are out of control and will get worse. If you care about this, please consider these facts:
San Benito County Water facts:
Zone 6: 32,000 acres of northern San Benito County where SBCWD supplies water from the federal Central Valley Project (CVP).
Agribusiness uses 80% of zone 6 well water, and up to 80% of CVP water.
The Hollister Water Department and the Sunnyslope County Water District buy CVP water from SBCWD. Price of CVP water: $170 per acre foot (AF) to agribusiness, $235/AF to M&I (Municipal and Industrial, or urban) customers. You pay 38% more than agribusiness for CVP water.
SBCWD also charges zone 6 customers for ground water (well water). If you live in urban San Benito County, most of your water comes from wells. Agribusiness pays $3.25/AF for well water. The rest of you pay $23.25/AF. Compared to agribusiness, you pay over seven times as much for well water.
SBCWD collects $5,610,264 a year in property taxes. You will find this listed on your property tax bill as SB WATER – SAN FELIPE. You pay 0.25% of your assessed land value to SBCWD every year. Agribusiness pays a paltry $792,000 or 14% of this tax. You pay the other 86%.
There is one more thing. SBCWD has a 100 million dollar loan from the federal government, with balloon payments starting in 2017. Who do you think will get stuck with this bill?
Three of the five SBCWD board members work for agribusiness.
I would like to start shifting the balance of power on the SBCWD board back to urban voters in San Benito County. So I am running for the board of directors of the SBCWD. If elected, I will replace one of the agribusiness votes on the board. I will vote against any increase in urban water prices or property taxes.
I have no ties to agribusiness. I am retired after 45 years as an electrical engineer, and have the time to serve on this board. I have a five acre parcel which has received full price M&I water from SBCWD for almost 30 years. I have never received water at the subsidized agribusiness price. I have served on the board of directors of my private mutual water company. I would greatly appreciate your vote.
Voting has never been easier. Every registered voter in California can get permanent absentee status. They mail you ballots and you mail them back. You can register to vote on line. Be sure to ask for permanent absentee status. You can find my information sources and updates on my web site at: https://sites.google.com/site/sbcwaterinfo. Or do a Google search for “sbcwaterinfo” (one word, in quotes). Thank you for taking the time to read this message.
Robert Gilchrist Huenemann