Sanitary District Responds to Editorial

The Marin Independent Journal ran an editorial arguing that the Ross Valley Sanitary District needed to go out to bid on its emergency repairs -- a stand that board member and former Fairfax Mayor Frank Egger took, in his vote during the sanitary district board meeting.

There are 12 breaks in the sewer lines that need fixing at a cost of just over $1 million on an emergency basis.

The Marin IJ editorial argues:

On a 4-1 vote, with Egger dissenting, the sewer board approved "emergency" status for the work, setting the stage for possibly bypassing the state-required open-bidding process that's supposed to save taxpayers money and keep both government and contractors honest by providing fair competition."

Egger was right to ask for project-by-project estimates, rather than the $1 million to $1.5 million staff projection for all of the work together.

The district board has time to do the job the way it is supposed to be done — publicly posting its plans and estimates, inviting bids and hiring the qualified company with the lowest bid.

Staff recommended immediate repair of the 12 breaks, calling the work a critical need.

Breaks need to the found and fixed. The district deserves credit for taking action. But the district board needs to make a strong case if it is going to suspend the regular bidding process.

In a press release from the Ross Valley Sanitary District, the district says the actual motion made by Board member Pat Guasco and seconded by Peter Sullivan was to "Direct staff to bid out each individual site for repair."  The response also says that the Board agreed to use a "standard process for doing repairs."

The District is requesting that the Marin IJ correct the editorial that ran on January 4 and a copy of their request can be viewed at http://www.rvsd.org.

You can see the full press release from the Ross Valley Sanitary District attached.