The consensus of Citrus County Commissioners at their regular meeting on Jan. 9 was that they want a better agreement with the Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority (WRWSA), even if that meant the authority must be dissolved.
Led by County Commissioner Jeff Kinnard, commissioners questioned if there was even a need to sell Citrus County water to the jurisdictions under the auspices of other members of the WRWSA.
Commission Chairman Ronald Kitchen even asked, “Would anyone miss the authority if it weren’t there?” And that view sat well with TOO FAR President Larry Hartman, who had earlier in the meeting told commissioners, “It (the authority) is an end-run around smaller counties. Larger counties want our water,” Hartman said.
At the end of the discussion, Commissioner Kinnard will present his points and ideas to the water authority, and the county will draft some kind of document outlining the desires of the board, which will be presented to the full BOCC at a future date.
SO YOU KNOW:
- Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority web site
- WRWSA Mission Statement: “The Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority (WRWSA or “Authority”) is a multi-county special district of the State of Florida charged with planning for and developing cost-efficient, high-quality water supplies for its member governments. The Authority promotes environmental stewardship through its water conservation programs and will develop alternative water sources when neccessary to augment traditional water supplies to meet the region’s long-term needs.”
- Interlocal Agreement: “The WRWSA is created by Interlocal Agreement among its member counties. Originally created in 1977, the Interlocal Agreement was revised in January 2014.”