A statewide water tax to help provide reliable drinking water quality for disadvantaged communities in California has been proposed for this year’s state budget, after it was rejected in the legislature a couple of years ago. There are no such communities in Nevada County and the Nevada Irrigation District Board of Directors did not indicate support at Wednesday’s meeting. The tax, which could change annually, would add another 95-cents on most NID customers’ monthly bills, raising 230-thousand dollars for the program fund. But Water Operations Manager Chip Close told the board that water districts, like NID, could keep only two to four-percent to administer collections for the state…

Close says, as an alternative, the Association of California Water Agencies is asking the NID Board to pass a resolution supporting legislation that establishes a Trust created with General Fund dollars, during surplus years. Director Nick Wilcox says the water tax would hit customers who are least able to afford it…

But the board is not taking action on the resolution at this time. Director Laura Peters says there’s not enough detail in the legislation and it’s too dependent on the ups and downs of the state’s fiscal health…

An NID committee will discuss the legislation at a future date before bringing it back to the Board for a vote.