A merger of Montecito’s small, independent water and wastewater treatment districts, the dream of a group of wealthy Montecitans who raised more than $250,000 to win control of both agencies during recent elections, is now under study by a Los Angeles consulting firm.
In February, the Montecito Water District and Montecito Sanitary District boards voted overwhelmingly to split the $47,000 cost of a study on consolidation “to determine if there is a business case affirming that the two Districts can and should consolidate.”
“This is just to see if this is something that would work or not work for our community,” Dorinne Johnson, the sanitary district board president, said at a February 24 board meeting. “We’re not trying to rush anything.”