Reported By Heather Sorentrue
MINNEOLA -- For the last several years, an alliance existed between Lake County and each of the cities.
But it’s a water alliance that sprang a leak in recent weeks. The county is now the latest organization to bow out.
“I think it's important for people to know that the whole idea for the water alliance was strength in numbers,” said Lake County Commissioner Elaine Renick. “As soon as cities started backing out, then you no longer had that. I don't think it's effective for just a few cities to go forward, and that's probably what the water alliance will come down to now.”
“Today your water could be 7,000 gallons, $32. It could be five times that, and then what,” asked Minneola Mayor David Yeager. “Are we all going to jump back in and start this group again to try to make a difference?”
Yeager is vice chair of the Lake County Water Alliance. He said the advisory group lacked the teeth to really get much done to solve the region's water supply concerns.
“Before it was a recommendation board, so we would recommend something to St. Johns and that is like 'turn off your water' and that doesn't mean anything,” Yeager said. “I want to make it like an MPO, an actual real board. People show up. We make real decisions and do real resolutions and make a difference.”
“This is not that we have somehow given up the fight on water issues. It's just the opposite,” Renick said. “I think we can get a lot more done with taking a different road and less expensive than maybe ratcheting it up to the type of organization that was being put together.”
Renick said the water alliance did not accomplish much over the years and said at times they had a hard time seeing eye-to-eye.
“I think you're always going to have those differences between cities and I think maybe going our separate ways is going to be better in the long run,” Renick said.
While several cities in Lake County are backing out of the water alliance, there is also a secondary group of city engineers and utility directors that meet.
Lake County elected leaders said the group of staffers has been very effective and will move forward.
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