Change Coming To Lake County Water Authority?

    Area state representative Keith Truenow was in Umatilla on Monday, addressing a meeting of the Umatilla Kiwanis Club. With an estimated 40 people from the Umatilla and Mount Dora clubs in attendance, Truenow provided a legislative update with special focus on the upcoming effort to remake the Lake County Water Authority.
    Entering his second year serving district 31, which encompasses North Lake County and parts of northwest orange county, Truenow said his goal remains the same as when he first decided to run for office.
    “I want a return on investment to the citizens of Lake County.”
    In that vein, he has filed a bill that would see the Lake County Water Authority be placed under the control of the Lake County Commission, and be made up of an appointed, rather than elected, oversight board.
    The water authority is charged with conserving and protecting freshwater resources, as well as provide recreation and educational opportunities. It operates with its own elected board and has its own taxing authority.
    “It would go from a special district to a dependent district,” Truenow said Monday, noting that Lake County is already under the taxing authority of the St. Johns River Water Management District.
    The bill will be considered during next year’s legislative session.
    "We're going to change how that looks," Truenow said the water authority. In fact, all special districts throughout the state are undergoing a review after legislation came into effect on July 1. "All special districts are under review."
    Should Truenow’s bill become law, the water authority, which has broad powers relating to Lake County water quality as well as its own taxing authority, would be moved under the Lake County Commission, which would appoint board members, approve its millage rates and annual budgets, and more. The authority’s millage rate would still appear on taxpayers bills as a separate line item.
    “It will make it better for all of us,” he said.
    However, more than state legislative action is needed to make it all happen. Lake County voters would ultimately have to approve the switch.
    The prospect of altering how the water authority is constructed received cautious attention at Tuesday’s meeting of the Lake County Commission. The commission declined to schedule a vote on a resolution that would voice support of the move, at least until a future workshop with Truenow can be held to discuss the details of the plan and how it could impact the authority’s effectiveness going forward.
    The chance to meld certain operations to save money was of interest to commissioners, but not at the expense of risking the work being done to improve water quality in the county.
    “Water quality is more important than anything,” said commissioner Doug Shields.
    Commissioner Leslie Campione, who attended the meeting virtually, said she could only support the effort if it resulted in a more efficient operation that allowed for more work to be done.
    “If we’re able to make the tax dollars go farther, if this is a way to achieve more, make more progress,” she said.
    Commissioner Sean Parks echoed the thoughts of certain public input speakers, noting that the change could move the water authority’s operations further away from direct voter oversight, as its members would no longer be selected by voters but by appointments of the county commission.
    A date was not set for the workshop.