On Tuesday, January 5, 2010, the Tustin City Council voted 4-1 to apply for a grant to rebuild the collapsed Rawlings Reservoir. Tustin is applying for $10 million, the maximum allowed under the program, to go towards the estimated $16 million needed to rebuild Rawlings Reservoir. Tustin's water system needs about $45 million in repairs just to keep the system running at a sufficient capacity to pump and store groundwater to avoid buying more expensive imported water.
The lone dissenting vote was cast by Deborah Gavello, the lone Democrat on the Council. The vote is consistent with her pattern of voting against previous rate increases which would have provided funds to fix the aging water system. During meetings in September and October 2009, Gavello refused to provide the third vote needed to allow any rate increase, along with repairs and financial stabilization of the system, to occur. The two consistent votes to fix the water system came from then-Mayor Doug Davert and Councilmember John Nielsen, both Republicans.
There is also the unanswered question about what is there not to like about having a ready supply of cheap water on hand. Also, during an economic downturn like the one we are in now, public works projects provide a significant boost to the local economy as tax dollars turn into construction paychecks which turn into groceries, clothes, cars, gas, and restaurant meals. And remember that public works jobs train apprentices, which gives upward economic mobility to many people (some of whom are single mothers like Deborah Gavello.) The money spent is multiplied in the community while the community also gets improved water service. Maybe the next time the vote comes up, there will be a more thought put into the matter and the water system will get fixed.
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