BBARWA Rate Increase Update

Big Bear, Ca, April 26, 2011, 12:00pm - The Big Bear Area Wastewater Agency held a special meeting on April 26^th for the fiscal year of 2012 budget workshop.  BBARWA staff made a presentation and laid out the expense and income projections for the coming fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2011.  Staff reported that some of the operating expenses have been reduced including salaries and benefits due to a reduction of full time employees from 16 to 14, after two employees retired; reductions in estimated electrical costs and contractual services, and revenues are projected to remain flat, due to a slow building economy.  BBARWA staff that originally presented to the board months prior an 8% increase to the member agencies, which include the City of Big Bear Lake, Community Services District, and County area of Fawnskin, was reduced to a 5% increase in this most recent budget proposal.  Board members working with staff in this budget workshop reallocated money to upcoming capitol projects including the rebuild of the lake plant pumping station in Big Bear Lake, which saved rate payers over a million dollars, thus resulting in a proposed rate increase somewhere near 4%.  This 4% increase would equal somewhere in the $6 range a year, per Equivalent Dwelling Unit or EDU. In tonight’s regular meeting, the BBARWA Board will have on their agenda adoption of this budget, which will finalize any rate increase to be charged to the member agencies.  Tonight’s meeting will take place at the BBARWA office on Palomino starting at 5pm, with public testimony welcomed.

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Only 135 Protest Letters Recieved For Possible BBARWA Rate Increase

Big Bear, Ca, April 21, 2011, 4:00pm - On April 20^th, the Big Bear Area Wastewater Agency Board of Directors met to have a public hearing to fulfill the proposition 218 requirements prior to increasing any sewage treatment rates.  The hearing was a protest hearing in which rates could be blocked by a public protest vote of greater than 50%.  The 26,459 notification letters were mailed, and approximately 135 protests were received, far short of the 13,231 protests needed.  The board certified the results, and doing so opens the door to the possibility of raising the rates as much as 6% followed by up to five years of raises no greater than 5%.  In the coming weeks the BBARWA board will actually decide what increase, if any, will be necessary to keep the sewage treatment plant fiscally viable.  The next meetings will be April 26^th for a budget workshop, and April 27^th to ratify any changes.  The public is welcome to attend and give testimony.

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BBARWA Approves Sewer Master Plan

Big Bear, Ca, March 24, 2011, 12:00pm - At last night’s BBARWA meeting, board members voted to adopt the mitigated negative declaration, which is an environmental study done initially when starting a master plan, and approve the sewer master plan, which includes five years of capital improvement projects.  Board members also discussed the sewer connection fee, and the possible increase, which is needed for system capacity increases as new homes and businesses are built and connected into the existing sewer system.   BBARWA committee members also discussed the rate study, which relates to the recent letter that was sent out to all property owners in the Big Bear Valley relating to the proposed rate increase to the sewer system customers.  Approval of the rates will take place after public hearings are held on the subject.  The meeting was adjourned in the memory of Dr. Bob Davies, who served on BBARWA from 1992 to 1994.

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BBARWA Employees Give Back To The Kids

Big Bear, Ca, March 14, 2011, 3:00pm - This past summer a group of employees from the Big Bear Area Wastewater Agency competed in the Old Miners Outhouse Races and won.  With their prize winnings from the race, they decided to give back to the community, in particular, to the kids.  Team BBARWA gave their prize winnings to Bear Valley Unified School District and decided they wanted to continue to help the schools.  BBARWA employees decided they would set up a collection jar where spare change could be put, and over 7 months, they found that they had collected $500.00.  The employees then challenged BBARWA Manager Steve Schindler to match the donation, and he did resulting in a $1000.00 donation to Bear Valley Unified School District.  Tim Larson, the Director of Special Programs and Personnel accepted the donation on behalf of the School District.  $500.00 of the donation will go to helping students who are in need of assistance, and the other $500 will go towards helping a student go to trade school.  “I am proud of the employees,” said Schindler, “They do a great job at work and are giving back to the community.”  The BBARWA Employees have already set up another collection jar and are planning on donating to the school district again next year.

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BBARWA Discusses Possible Rate Increase

Big Bear, Ca, February 18, 2011, 3:00pm - The Big Bear Area Wastewater Agency met this morning to discuss a possible rate increase for BBARWA’s three clients, the City of Big Bear Lake, the CSD, and Fawnskin.  The rate increase is needed for the replacement of a sewage pump station located in Big Bear Lake, just west of the China Gardens area, and a load-balancing chamber located at the BBARWA plant.  Both the station and chamber are over 55 years old, and are in great need of replacement.  BBARWA’s first step towards an increase to fix these stations, and enhance the capacity in which BBARWA can serve the valley, will be to send out a letter to all rate payers in the three districts BBARWA serves, providing information on the possible increase, and a date and time when rate payers can protest the proposed increase if they disagree with it.  The letter is scheduled to be sent sometime next week.

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BBARWA Meets To Discuss Master Plan, & Rate Study

Big Bear, Ca, February 17, 2011, 4:00pm - Tomorrow morning there will be a special meeting of the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency at 9:00am at the BBARWA offices at 121 Palomino Drive, in Big Bear City.  Board members will discuss the sewer master plan, the comprehensive sewer rate study, and a connection fee analysis.  Members of the public are encouraged to attend and will be able to speak during public comment time.

BBARWA Wins Outhouse Race: Gives Winnings to Family and School District

Big Bear Lake, Ca, September 03, 2010, 4:00pm - The Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency, also known as BBARWA, has recently become the first to win the Old Miners Outhouse Race.  Team BBARWA consisted of 5 employees including: Fred Uhler, Jeremy Sweeney, Troy Bemisdafer, Clayton Cunningham, and Ron Roberts,  who pushed and steered the outhouse to victory.  It was fitting that BBARWA took home the top prize of $550.00.  The teammates then banded together and decided to give their winnings back to the community.  The Old Miners was helping a family raise funds for a tombstone after the passing of a loved one, and Team BBARWA chipped in $140.00 of their prize winnings to complete the amount needed.  Team BBARWA then decided to give the rest of their winnings, plus some of their own funds, resulting in $500.00 to the Bear Valley Unified School District, to help children in need.  Team BBARWA met with Superintendent Dr. Nancy Wright, and Director of Business Services for the school district, Walter Con to present them with the donation.  Dr. Wright was very grateful, and thanked Team BBARWA for their generous support.  Con stated that he would get in touch with the school principals to determine who the funds should go to.  Dr. Wright and Con both thanked Team BBARWA, and appreciated their generosity.

CSD, School Board and BBARWA Hold Meetings Week of June 21

Big Bear Valley, CA — East Valley residents will have opportunity to provide public comment on the fiscal year 2010/2011 budget of the Big Bear City Community Services District this evening, as the June 7 meeting of the CSD Board had been adjourned due to lack of a quorum. The district’s investment policy and a proposed resolution, to have delinquent trash and water service fees placed on the tax roll, are also on the agenda for this evening’s 5:30pm meeting, to be held at the CSD offices at 139 E. Big Bear Boulevard in Big Bear City.
Other meetings of this week include the already-noticed meeting of the Bear Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees, scheduled to review the budget in a 5:15pm workshop this evening (June 21). The 2010/2011 budget is scheduled for school board adoption on Wednesday; open session for the June 23 meeting at the school district offices on Moonridge Road is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm.
Also on Wednesday, the Governing Board for the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency meets for their regular monthly meeting at 5pm, at the BBARWA offices located at 121 Palomino Drive in Big Bear City. The BBARWA Board will hear an informational presentation on Load Equalization Basin Feasibility, as well as an informational report on the agency’s investments.

DWP, School Board and BBARWA Meet This Week, Among Other Agencies

Big Bear Valley, CA — This being the fourth week of the month, a number of regular government meetings are scheduled to take place. In addition to this evening’s City Council meeting and tomorrow morning’s San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board of Commissioners for the Department of Water and Power convene at 9am Tuesday; the April 27 DWP meeting, to be held at their offices at 41972 Garstin Drive, will include review of TRT Committee recommendations and a review of the draft budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Though not their regularly scheduled meeting, the Healthcare District Board meets at 6:30pm Tuesday for a business meeting, during which time the creation of a new Chief Operating Officer position will be discussed. On Wednesday the 28th, the Governing Board for the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency meets at the BBARWA facility in Big Bear City at 5pm. Also on Wednesday, the much anticipated meeting of the Board of Trustees for Bear Valley Unified School District takes place; the open session portion of the meeting, to be held at 6:30pm at Big Bear Middle School, is agendized to include action on budget cut recommendations. The Big Bear Municipal Water District also meets this week, for a special meeting on Friday at 9:30am, to conduct a special workshop regarding lake management master planning.

BBARWA Receives Distinguished Budget Award

Big Bear Lake, CA – The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, known as the GFOA, presented the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency with it’s Distinguished Budget Award last night at the Agency’s Board meeting. This is the second consecutive year that BBARWA has received the award. The award was presented by Mr. Mark Alvarado, a representative of GFOA and the Administrative Services Director and Assistant City Manager of the City of Monrovia.  According to Mr. Alvarado, the award represents a significant achievement by BBARWA and reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the award, BBARWA had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation and be rated “proficient” in fourteen mandatory criteria. The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association servicing over 17,600 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

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