Water-Resources Governance and the Former Fort Ord Service Area

By David W. Brown

The current governance structure of the Marina Coast Water District will likely change, and I will apply a thoughtful approach to that issue.

The area comprising the former Fort Ord -- including California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) -- is governed by FORA -- the Fort Ord Reuse Authority. FORA's members, in turn, are appointed by each local jurisdiction (Marina, Seaside, Monterey, Sand City, Del Rey Oaks, Carmel, and Monterey County). Those residents of the former Fort Ord are concerned that they are unable to vote for MCWD directors who set their water rates -- which are higher for the former Fort Ord service area (in order to pay for needed infrastructure there) than for the "old Marina" service area encompassed by the current District boundaries. On the other hand, current MCWD residents are concerned that if the district boundaries are expanded, and if a new Board elected partly from the former Fort Ord manages to "merge" the two distinct rate structures, current "old Marina" water rates would rise, and old-Marina residents might then be paying for the increased costs of new development and infrastructure on the former Fort Ord.

Several questions arise. Should the MCWD boundaries be expanded at all? Should they be expanded to include just the Marina portions of the former Fort Ord, as the City Council suggests? Should they be expanded to include the entire former-Fort-Ord service area? While I support expanding the district boundaries to include at least the Marina portions of the former Fort Ord, I am also concerned that district boundary expansion not jeopardize the current separate rate structures for old Marina and the former Fort Ord. In any event, I pledge to apply a thoughtful and balanced perspective and an open mind in dealing with these and other problems facing the Marina Coast Water District.