SIMI VALLEY : City Council Rejects Rebate Plan for Toilets

Saying the program is probably not worth the cost, the Simi Valley City Council rejected a plan Monday to continue offering $100 rebates to residents who replace their high-volume flush toilets with models that use much less water.

“I don’t happen to think this is money well-spent,” Councilwoman Judy Mikels said. She proposed the funds be used instead for programs that result in greater water conservation.

Mayor Greg Stratton’s motion to proceed with the rebate plan died when no other council members moved to support it.

A previous rebate program, which ended in April, led to the retrofitting of 530 toilets in 274 Simi Valley homes, city officials said.

As a result of Monday’s debate, a second phase of the program will not be initiated.

Although state officials have announced that the California’s long drought is over, city staff members and water agency officials supported the rebate program as a way to encourage residents to continue conserving. The rebate program was to have been funded by the Calleguas Municipal Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8, the retail agency that serves about 60% of Simi Valley’s residents.

The City Council, as board of directors for the waterworks district, needed to approve the rebate plan. The council was asked to allocate about $47,000 to cover the local share of rebates for 600 toilets, plus permit and inspection fees.