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Press release from the Garberville Sanitary District:

Garberville Sanitary District met on May 19th for their monthly Board Meeting, which was conducted through teleconferencing, in an effort to comply with social distancing and group meeting guidelines.

During this meeting, the Board continued the Prop 218 rate adjustment process until the June 23rd Board Meeting because of the COVID-19 health and safety orders. This postponement will allow the public to attend the meeting if desired and give their comments to the Board regarding service charges. If COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, arrangements will be made for members of the public to address the Board at that time.

All information regarding the District rate study and any possible adjustments can be found on the GSD website and will be updated prior to the June 23rd Board Meeting.

As an essential service, we have been working to meet the water demands of our customers while working from shelter in place locations and minimizing exposure to the public. The GSD office is closed to the public unless appointments are pre-approved by phone or email and at such time, safety precautions are enforced along with social distancing.

The Governing Board and staff realize the hardships faced during this tumultuous time and are working with customers to find payment options that assist with financial burdens while having uninterrupted water service but all customers who have deferred their payments because of financial hardship will be required to pay the outstanding service charges once the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted for businesses to open. Payment plans may be available upon request.

There have been comments made recently through social media sites which are misleading or false, so we would like to correct some of the misinformation.

1. GSD welcomes participation from the public and will always listen respectively to our customers because we work for them and will do our best to meet their water demands while implementing or considering the recommendations they make.

2. When there is a Board Member opening, we post the position as legally required while working with the Elections Department but unfortunately, in 6 years there has only been one GSD customer interested in serving on the Board because people generally do not want the commitment or responsibility of public service and they do not want the barrage of criticism that comes from those who complain about all decisions without knowing the facts or getting involved themselves.

3. As the General Manager of Garberville Sanitary District, I expect judgement of my performance because it is my responsibility to administer the policies of the Board while developing operational improvements and providing fiscal oversight. What is not acceptable is making derogatory comments about the Garberville Sanitary staff who work all hours of day and night as needed for your water demands while providing friendly customer service. They are dedicated to providing the best service possible and deserve more than they are paid because of the ongoing education and licenses they must have, along with the complex compliancy demands of the State and County Regulatory Agencies.

4. The Garberville Sanitary District Board Members are the “Very Best” among you and are dedicated to serving their community, but rather than speak negatively about the Board Members who voluntarily serve you; Thank them for their willingness to work on your behalf while providing fiscally responsible oversight of the service charges received and daily operations to provide safe water service for your consumption.

Sincerely,

Ralph Emerson
General Manager
Garberville Sanitary District