News Briefs

POA offices close for holidays

The Canyon Lake POA offices, including Member Services, will be closed today and tomorrow (Friday/Saturday) as well as New Year’s Day and Jan. 2.

The Country Club Restaurant will be closed today (Friday) and the Lighthouse Restaurant will be closed today (Friday) and New Year’s Day. Hours on Thursday (New Year’s Eve) will be 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

POA begins budgeting process

With the Canyon Lake POA Board of Directors’ adoption of the Operating Budget Model at its December meeting, the annual budget process has begun. The purpose of the Operating Budget Model is to ensure that resources are budgeted for those items that have been identified by the board, staff and community members as providing quality and necessary services to the membership.

Department managers are compiling their proposed budgets for next fiscal year for review by the General Manager and the Controller. The Finance Committee will begin reviewing department budgets in early January. Using the Operating Budget Model as a basis for discussion, Finance Committee members will meet with each department manager to review that department’s proposed budget.

Mandated increases to the Operating Budget, such as required wage escalations, adjustments to service contracts, utilities, taxes and insurance are being included. Also under consideration are modifications to ongoing activities based on the current goals set by the board. Some of those goals include automating member services, improving community patrol services, expanding communication within Canyon Lake and implementing projects.

Upon review of the individual department budgets, the Finance Committee will convene in late January to review any anomalies that have surfaced based on the individual reviews.

The proposed budget will be presented to the board and the community at the Budget Workshop scheduled for Feb. 18. At the workshop, the board will discuss the proposed budget with the staff, ask questions, listen to Finance Committee members and community member comments, consider the proposed assessments and provide direction to the staff as to how the board wishes to proceed.

The final budget will be presented to the Board of Directors at the March board meeting.

Historic water district partnership reached

Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD) has reached an historic partnership with Western Municipal Water District that was more than 20 years in the making. The agreements will ensure a cost-effective, reliable and safe water supply for both the districts’ service areas.

Most of Canyon Lake is serviced by EVMWD, which also owns the water rights of the lake.

After working together through temporary agreements to ensure reliable and safe water supply to their customers, a long-term partnership was approved and executed recently by the Board of Directors for both Western and EVMWD. The new agreement will provide water supply stability for both agencies as they plan for existing and future service demands across the region.

“California’s water system is incredibly complex and heavily reliant on sources from the northern part of the state,” Western’s Board President Donald D. Galleano said. “This partnership, which took more than five years to solidify, represents a model for other agencies to follow. Together, we are taking the lead to come up with creative solutions to diversify our water supply and share local resources so that our region can continue enjoying a high quality of life now and for generations to come.”

The partnership will consist of three separate agreements.

The first agreement will cement EVMWD’s capacity in Western’s 14-mile imported water Mills Gravity Line, allowing the purchase of nine cubic feet per second (CFS) of service rights by EVMWD. EVMWD will join the other project partners, including the Cities of Corona and Riverside, Temescal Valley Water District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in sharing in the proportional costs of operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of the pipeline.

The second agreement allows EVMWD to reserve an additional 12 CFS capacity in the Mills Gravity Line through 2024 at a guaranteed rate, securing a means to convey imported water for EVMWD customers into the future.

The third element is a 20-year agreement allowing Western to lease EVMWD’s water rights in the San Bernardino Basin Area totaling 4,680 acre-feet per year. The lease is enough water to serve the indoor needs of nearly 19,000 families of four every year.

Western will lease this water from EVMWD and use an existing agreement with the City of Riverside to produce, treat and deliver the water to its Riverside retail service area at a lower cost than imported water. The lease agreement, which provides a cost savings to Western customers and revenue to EVMWD of approximately $930,000 per year, also includes an optional 20-year extension.

“This innovative and multifaceted arrangement exemplifies the benefits of collaboration,” EVMWD Board President Andy Morris said. “The assurance of permanent capacity in the pipeline is a win for the growing Lake Elsinore region. President Galleano and I would like to thank the efforts of district staff whose professional, collaborative approach and tireless efforts were instrumental in making this happen.”