Supervisors to stay neutral on Paso Robles groundwater vote

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors has decided not to participate in the election to form a groundwater management district for the Paso Robles basin.

After a brief discussion Tuesday, supervisors followed a staff recommendation to stay neutral on the issue. Supervisors had the opportunity to participate in the district formation vote because the county owns 29 acres scattered throughout the basin, mostly in the form of vacant lots.

Property owners and voters in the Paso basin are deciding three issues: whether to form a groundwater management district, whether to levy a parcel tax to pay for district operations, and who to elect to the district’s board of directors, if the district is formed. Mail-in ballots are due by March 8.

Supervisors discussed but took no action on the county’s ballot and approved taking no action along with all of the items on Tuesday’s consent agenda. Supervisor Debbie Arnold moved to vote “no” on the question of whether to form the district, but it died for the lack of a second.

The county also will not participate in the other two ballot issues: the vote to approve the parcel tax to fund the district and its board elections.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 3:14 PM with the headline "Supervisors to stay neutral on Paso Robles groundwater vote."