The Mark West Area Community Services District
is CLOSE TO BECOMING A REALITY!!

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The MWCSC’s desire to form a community services district is driven by the desire to provide a mechanism for allowing local participation in certain services. By acting as a liaison for the community and the existing water purveyor, the CSD would be able to participate in the negotiation of rate increases and in the analysis of future water considerations. It is hoped that the local participation will help minimize the cost to ratepayers.

The CSD would also have the power to work with the county administration and school districts to provide more community-based activities and recreation opportunities. It might be possible to utilize existing school facilities to provide classes to the community that are offset by fees to cover the use of the facility, the instructors, and janitorial service. Furthermore, the CSD would work in conjunction with the Mark West Area Chamber of Commerce to inform the community of annual and intermittent community gatherings.

The Mark West area is a small community located between Windsor and Santa Rosa. It is currently the most populated unincorporated area in Sonoma County with a population of over 7,000. The Mark West area is evolving at a fast rate and includes some of Sonoma County’s more prominent features, such as the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts and the future site of Sutter Hospital. While the Mark West area hosts many of these destinations, there is currently not a recognizable central location where the community can gather. It is hoped that the CSD would be able to provide this need for community togetherness and pride.

As a portion of the Fourth Supervisorial District that stretches from Cloverdale to Santa Rosa, only limited attention can be focused on the Mark West area. By creating a CSD in the Mark West area, the residents would have contact with a local agency for assistance with their concerns and issues. By working as a liaison between the local citizens and the County, the CSD will be able to represent the community before the Board of Supervisors.

It is the hope and the goal of the Mark West Community Services District to provide the community with lighting zones and to someday enhance park and recreation and additional law enforcement services. The residents will benefit from the district as it helps to create a central point of contact for emerging issues. Volunteers will soon begin circulating petitions in the Mark West Area.

Our Supervisor, Paul Kelley, will present the petitions to the County Board of Supervisors and ask them to initiate district formation.

We appreciate your help and support.

The Mark West Area Community Services Committee

Cal/Am Rate Case

Good News!!

Today (May 15, 2008) the California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to adopt Commissioner Bohn’s alternate proposal for the Larkfield District which DOES NOT include consolidation with the Sacramento District.

The decision by the Commission today does however, approve the Revenue Requirement contained in the settlement agreement between Cal-Am and DRA, which means that water rates in Larkfield will go up about $25 per month.

As of yet, we have not received any indication as to when we will meet with Cal-Am and DRA to discuss Tiered Rates.

District Formation

Economic & Planning System's Draft Feasibility Study to determine the costs of running the district versus the expected revenue from franchise fees, maintenance contracts, etc. has been submitted to the committee for review and comment. We will meet on May 29, 2008 to draft comments for submittal to the Sonoma County Water Agency.

The final version of the Feasibility Study will be presented to the community at a public meeting hosted by the Sonoma County Water Agency.

Community Outreach

We are seeking volunteers from interested members of the community to join The Community Services District Formation Committee (CSDFC) which will meet periodically with Supervisor Paul Kelly, as well as assist in gathering more community support of the formation of a district.

If you are interested in joining, or you know someone who is, please contact us for more information.