Foto: Mayor Heitmann, City Attorney Greg Diaz and Ventura Water General Manager Shana Epstein speaking at the first water commission meeting.
The city of Ventura’s Water Commission met on Tuesday, June 23 for their first meeting at the Avenue Water Treatment Plant at 5895 N. Ventura Ave.
A tour of the facility, which opened in 2007 and can treat up to 10 million gallons of water per day was the first order of business at the meeting. The facility treats water that comes from wells next to the Ventura River at Foster Park.
The commissioners are:
Bryan Bondy
Grant Burton, Alternate
Ted Cook
Christopher Cooper
Gerhardt Hubner
Parker Mann, Alternate
Don Mills
Scott McCarty
Suzanne McCombs
First order of business was Cynthia M. Rodriguez, City Clerk sworing in the new commissioners that were present.
Mayor Cheryl Heitmann then thanked them for volunteering, recognized the complexity of the issues that they will be dealing with and how important their work will be in advising and guiding the City Council. She acknowledged it would be a lot of work and that the Council looks forward to working with them and is available to guide them and answer any of their questions.
Shana Epstein, Ventura Water Manager also thanked them for their service to Ventura and gave a brief over view of our water situation in Ventura and answered their questions.
Greg Diaz, Ventura City Attorney gave an important Brown Act (The Ralph M. Brown Act)presentation. The Brown act states that “the people insist, on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instructions they have drafted.” It applies to legislative bodies including council commissions. It was designed by the Legislature to ensure that the deliberations as well as the actions of local public agencies are performed at meetings open to the public and free from any veil of secrecy it states how open meetings must be run.
They closed by voting on a tentative agenda for the next six months. That agenda includes a discussion on “net zero” policies at the commission’s July 28 and subsequent meetings. Their work is about to begin.
As dictated by the Brown Act a brief public comment was made by one speaker.
