District in red, open to talks with city
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The North County Water District has lost about $150,000 in the fiscal year through August, district board chairman Dan Pacos said.
Pacos reported the news at the district's September board meeting. "Keep in mind, these are eight months' costs with two months' revenue, he said."
Board members noted the city of Dunkirk's interest in renegotiating its contract with the district.
"We would have to renegotiate 10 years into a 40-year contract," Pacos said. "The formula is pretty complex but pretty concrete."
The contract makes the city sole provider of the NCWD's water. The rate that the district buys its water from the city is calculated through a complicated formula devised by SUNY Fredonia professor Peter Reinelt.
"The only one who can figure that out is that professor," said NCWD board member Craig Miller.
Pacos said that it does not spell out, either in the contract or Reinelt's formula, where the numbers are coming from. Pacos worried that only one person fully controls and knows the formula, a concern he has stated repeatedly recently.
The board chairman also pointed out that "we have to agree to amend or change the contract."
For his part, "I'm all for less complication," Pacos said.
In other news from the NCWD's September board meeting, member Rich Lewis chewed out district engineers CPL. The firm had no one at the meeting to hear it.
Lewis said CPL is continually failing to send reports or representatives to NCWD meetings. "This is totally unacceptable, with the amount of money we're spending on these people," he said.
"They have no problem cashing the checks and sending the bills," Lewis said. He asked the board to fire off a strongly worded letter to CPL, demanding that they provide reports and/or representation at meetings.
All nine people that were there from the 11-member board voted to approve Lewis' request.