For Immediate Release, October 5, 2020

 

The CVWD Board of Directors has voted to cancel water and wastewater rate increases for the 2020/2021 fiscal year (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021). President Erickson represented the Board in indicating the District’s commitment to helping the community during these challenging times. This decision was made on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, and follows the Board’s April 2020 decision to postpone the proposed rate increase due to the economic uncertainties related to COVID-19.

 

To support the community during the pandemic, the Board had previously approved the suspension of late fees and water shutoffs for nonpayment and directed staff to work with customers on extended repayment plan options.

 

The District’s mission statement is “to provide quality water and wastewater services to the Crescenta Valley community in a dependable and economically responsible manner.”

 

To help mitigate the financial impact to the District in the most economically responsible manner, the District reduced and deferred spending to the extent possible without impacting water quality, reliability, and customer service. Areas of cost savings included permanent workforce reduction, increased operational efficiency, and deferred maintenance.

 

At the same time, amidst the pandemic, the District was able to take a step towards greater long-term infrastructure reliability for current and future generations by securing a new bond issuance. The District obtained its best credit rating in District history attributable to recent management changes and strategic initiatives that ultimately secured a very low interest rate. Proceeds from the bond will help fund critical capital improvement projects over next two years. The District will provide regular updates to the community on how these funds are being spent, project-by-project, to improve the overall reliability of the water system.

 

CVWD will re-open its office doors in late October for customers to walk-in. Face masks will be required. In the meantime many new online services such as online payment processing, new accounts, and leak check requests, have been added to the website, www.cvwd.com.

 

Board Meetings are regularly scheduled for the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. It is easier than ever to participate through teleconferencing features. Please visit the website for more details.