Westwood CSD approves billing system revision
The board of directors for the Westwood Community Services District approved a revision to the billing system for water use at their monthly meeting Monday, March 2. The billing procedure will reflect meter size rather than the number of houses on the lot or apartment units served. Water usage over what is allotted for the size of the meter will be billed. Customers with a regular household meter are allowed 30,000 gallons a month and are charged $.35 for every 1,000 gallons over that amount.
According to Susan Coffi, district secretary, a public hearing for the change in the billing procedure was not necessary since the change will reduce rates for some customers. Legal counsel was consulted prior to the action item being placed on the meeting agenda.
Also approved was a radio upgrade for the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system with the amount spent not to exceed $13,000. This remote monitoring system provides oversight for the water tank, wastewater pumps and springhouse without the need to be onsite visually observing operations. For example, the amount of water pumped to the holding tank can be remotely tracked to keep the tank from overflowing. Coffi said the district has already upgraded the software for this system.
Approval of a concept proposed by Mountain Meadows Conservancy to obtain grant funding from Pacific Gas and Electric Company for improvements at Westwood Beach was tabled until the April meeting. With two directors absent and another also a member of the board for the conservancy, a vote could not be taken.
Lassen County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Heffley spoke to the board about posting no smoking ordinances at Westwood Park. This ordinance would prevent smoking, chewing tobacco or vaping within the vicinity of children’s activities. The ordinance will be an action item on the agenda at the April meeting.
The ordinance is part of an anti-tobacco prevention and education effort by the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department aimed at youth and funded with grant money from Prop 56. The funds provide assemblies and School Resource Officers to three outlying school districts, which includes Westwood. Heffley is a School Resource Officer.
The next meeting of the board of directors for the Westwood Community Services District is at 7 p.m. Monday, April 6, at the Lassen County Visitor Center-Westwood Station.
