Re: Levee Tax Assessment

Having no more to go on than what was reported on in the AD on 5/11 I am inclined to believe that the Feather River West Levee Financing Authority (FRWLFA) has successfully completed their initial mandate of bringing the levee system up to standard (See comments by Ms. Barbara Levake.) and, now needs to relinquish the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) function to the state. Obviously O&M of the levee’s can be more effectively administered by a more centralized organization that is task with overall responsibility for ensuring the viability of the entire system. Unfortunately, it is common for bureaucracies to be formed for a good purpose but when they achieve that purpose they tend to start trying to justify their continued existence instead of taking a bow and exiting the stage, thus saving money and in this case improving O&M. We should always be on the lookout for overlaps in function and responsibility and make corrections. Local control of levee O&M accomplishes little.

Proponents attempt to use what I believe to be scare tactics.:

Supposedly we quote “...receive a ‘special benefit’ which is the reduction in flood damage from well maintained levees.” Do they want us to believe this benefit will go away if the state has the responsibility for

O&M?

Quote: “Costs will be passed on to property owners without a vote, will fluctuate unpredictably and be higher in the long term. End quote. I would challenge this assertion. As O&M costs will be spread over a much larger system, on average one would expect the cost to go down? (Everything goes up!) We have elected officials at the state level who can address any perceived disparity in allocation of funds. (Or, do we not recognize officials above county?) One would think Congressman Garamendi would take exception to such a stance?

Quote: “The community will not have local levee districts to prioritize emergency response and flood fighting during high water events.” End quote. As far as I know the occurrence of a “High Water Event” is the single most high risk threat facing our community. The flood of ‘86 being a prime example. Hard for me to believe we do not have every possible contingency plan ready for implementation. One only has to think back to the Oroville dam spill and our evacuation. State is the one with the experts who have the necessary overview to direct and prioritized the response as it will be a multi-county event.

Don’t know how much it cost us to maintain FRWLFA but have to believe it could be better spent.

David Hudspeth

Yuba City