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Triunfo

Sanitation

District

1001 Partridge Drive, Suite 150, Ventura, California 93003-0704

805-658-4605

VRSD Partnership

TSD and VRSD have been partners in community service for 26 years. Triunfo enjoys a broad spectrum of VRSD management specialties including administrative, engineering and finance support. Shared use of VRSD water and wastewater professionals and technical experts increases Triunfo’s “in-house” capabilities while lowering cost. Likewise, concurrent water and wastewater operations within Triunfo provide for economy of scale and “local” public service.

Personal service is a hallmark of the TSD/VRSD partnership. VRSD has proven its responsiveness to Triunfo's short- & long-term needs. VRSD staff knows and cares about Triunfo, and efficiently and effectively meets the District’s needs.

The cost/benefit advantages of the TSD/VRSD partnership have been documented in the 2003 LAFCO Service Review Report as well as the 2000 Arroyo Associates Benchmarking Study. These studies—performed by independent experts—recognize the synergistic advantages of the two agencies working together. One of the reasons for this success is the agencies’ shared public service focus. VRSD’s mission mandates the “highest possible service at the lowest possible cost,” and it delivers on its promise. It is unique in choosing to operate as a low-cost public enterprise in 1999, voluntarily redirecting property tax revenues of over $2 million annually to local cities and the County of Ventura. As Triunfo staff, VRSD employees seek innovative, cost-saving methods of providing community service throughout the year—not just at budget time. Their success is evident in the following look at the last ten years of budget-to-actual expenses. Expense during this period has averaged $1.4 million annually. Savings from budget allocations average $142,000 per year.

TSD Reserves have grown under joint TSD/VRSD stewardship. This growth has occurred for three primary reasons. These are the acquisition and operation of the Oak Park Water Service, budget allocation vs. actual expense savings, and implementation of an aggressive program to fund accumulated depreciation and meet ongoing operational and capital needs without excessive borrowing.

Selected TSD/VRSD Accomplishments (last 10 years):

	Oak Park Water Service (previously Metropolitan Water Company) begins public operations at rates well below those proposed by its private predecessor (1993)
	Tapia WRF expansion completed, increasing Triunfo wastewater capacity share to 4.7 mgd (1993)
	LVMWD/TSD Joint Venture honored by the WateReuse Association for “Contributions to Water Reuse in California” (1995)
	Oak Park retail recycled water system constructed, increasing recycled water distribution capability and revenues (1996).
	Oak Park Water Service SCADA system installed, providing savings of $100,000 per year (1997)
	Bell Canyon Sewer extensions initiated, enabled by innovative technology (1998)
	2.1 million gallon water tank constructed at developer’s expense through cooperative public/private effort (1999)
	Electronic meter reading devices acquired for Oak Park Water Service, resulting in greater efficiency (1999)
	Credit card payment option initiated for OPWS, enhancing customer service (2000)
	Eight OPWS water tank “cell site” leases signed, creating revenues of $96,000 per year (2000)
	Legislation enacted enabling Triunfo to participate in selection of VRSD Board of Directors’ Special Districts representative (2001)
	1992 WWTP bonds refinanced, saving the District $260,000 (2002)
	OPWS COPs refinanced, saving the District $485,000 (2003)
	LVMWD/TSD Joint Venture litigation settled via mediation; Triunfo gains a vote in Joint Venture matters and Joint LVMWD/TSD Board meets for the first time with Triunfo’s Norma Callero as Chair (2003)