La Misión Water Company

About

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
COMITÉ DE AGUAS DE VECINOS DEL FRACCIONAMIENTE PLAYA LA MISIÓN
Y DE LA COLONIA SANTA ANITA, A.C.
doing business as LA MISIÓN WATER COMPANY
January 2024

Responsibilities of the Board of Directors

  1. All customers of La Misión Water Company are considered members of the Water Company. The Water Company’s officers will be duly elected by water users from La Misión Vieja de San Miguel and shall consist of a President, Vice President , Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers will administer the company and remain in office for a two-year term unless removed by a majority of the Water Company members. These officers will receive no salary, honorarium, or perquisite of any kind. If you are a member, you can volunteer to serve on the Board
  2. The Water Company’s official headquarters is located on Junipero Serra next to the Policia Caseta.
    Our email address is lamisionwaterco@gmail.com.
    Our website is www.lamisionwaterco.org.
    Our mailing address is:
    La Misión Water Company
    4635 Border Village Rd
    PMB #6-2
    San Ysidro, CA 92173
  3. The Water Company’s functions will be:
    • Maintain all necessary government authorizations for our water supply.
    • Collect and pay those fees charged by the authorities under (a) above.
    • Conduct periodic water quality tests as required by the authorities.
    • Collect the money necessary for the maintenance of the well and water distribution system.
    • Ensure the proper use and reasonable consumption of La Misión’s water.
    • In general, attend to anything related to the use, consumption, and adequacy of the water supply and the maintenance and installation of water lines.
  4. The Annual meeting of all water users will be held in mid-April or on the Saturday of US Labor Day weekend concurrent with the LMPOA annual meeting each year:
    • The Water Company officers will make a full annual report to the water users on the status of the water supply and the accounting of the funds collected.
    • The balance sheet shall be reported in accordance with our constitution.
  5. The company may call an Extraordinary General Assembly meeting of the water users when Water Company business requires an urgent community decision. Decisions reached at Annual or Extraordinary meetings will be valid if agreed upon by a majority of those assembled and will be binding on those who are absent from the meeting and those who dissent from the majority’s will.
  6. At least thirty days in advance of an Annual or Extraordinary meeting of members, proxies shall be distributed to all members via e-mail or general mail service and shall consist of the following information:
    • A copy of the agenda for the upcoming meeting along with a brief description of issues relating to the agenda will be provided.
    • Members may vote on issues using an absentee ballot or assign their voting rights to the Board of Directors or to another member in good standing.
    • Proxies and absentee ballots must be received at the Water Company at least three days prior to the day of the scheduled meeting to be valid and counted.
  7. Individual Board members are authorized to make expenditures up to $500 per situation while making every attempt to coordinate with the other Board members. Expenditures greater than $500 require board approval. Any expenditure over $2,500 will require atleast two cost bids before work is undertaken. Bids will be presented to and approved by the board prior to execution.
  8. Chuy Gonzalez is our Water Company “Maintenance Supervisor” and is authorized to make emergency repairs based on his knowledge and experience. He is not subject to orders or direction given by a homeowner who is not an elected officer of the Water Company. His emergency cell phone number is 646-121-9800.

Eligibility for new water service

  1. CONAGUA, the federal water authority of Mexico, dictates the amount of water that we can pump out of the aquifer. Consequently, we do not have an unlimited number of new service contracts available. New service contracts will be awarded to those who demonstrate that they are responsible residents of the Stocker subdivision:
    • There is a moratorium on awarding new service contracts outside the Stocker community. New service contracts will only be awarded to residents living within the defined perimeter of the Stocker subdivision.
    • To get water, new applicants must be members of La Misión Property Owners Association  (LMPOA) and keep current on dues. Failure to stay current on both LMPOA and La Misión Water Company dues will void the water service contract.
    • For new construction, applicants must get approval of architectural plans from LMPOA’s PDC (Property Development Committee) and obtain a valid building permit from Rosarito Control Urbano. The water company will grant provisional service if the applicant has applied for a building permit but hasn’t yet received it, but they must have approval of their architectural plans from the PDC. When the building permit is obtained and presented to the water company, the “provisional” status will change to “permanent.”
    • We will no longer award water to new applicants who already have municipal service from CESP. If you currently have LMWC and a municipal service (CESP/E or CESP/T), you may keep them, but we request that you use your municipal service whenever possible to conserve water for other members who depend solely on La Misión Water Company for their water.
    • Water will not be provided to mobile homes or factory-built homes (i.e., double-wide). However, if you plan to use a high-quality factory-built home provider, check with the Property Development Committee. They will determine if the architectural plan meets required standards.
    • Members persistently over-using (exceeding gallons per day limits as stated in paragraph 19), run the risk of losing their membership privilege.
  2. Application for new water service can be made by filling out our application form accompanied by:
    • Basic contact information such as owner’s name, US address if any, phone, email, local address (where water service will be installed).
    • Proof of ownership of the property such as Fideicomiso, bill of sale, Mexican title, or tax receipt (impuesto) bearing the applicant’s name.
    • If it’s new construction, a valid building permit issued by Control Urbano Rosarito is required.
    • The Water Company may agree to provisional water service in advance of obtaining a building permit if architectural plans have been approved by the Property Development Committee of LMPOA. La Misión Water Company reserves the right to revoke provisional water service if a building permit is not obtained and provided to the water company.
  3. It is the water user’s responsibility to notify the Water Company of any changes in billing address or e-mail address. This is especially important if we are trying to notify you of an emergency at your house such as a flood caused by a leak in the water system inside your home or on your property.

Connection Policies

  1. Water Company Connection Policy:
    • A separate meter is required for each home. That meter may also service casitas or guesthouses located on the same lot so long as the same owner owns all of the improvements located on the lot. If separate owners own homes located on a lot, one meter for each home is required.
    • An owner of two or more homes located on one lot may request separate water meters for each home located on the lot, and if approved by the board, the owner would pay the normal connection fee, annual and over-use fees as applicable for each meter.
    • An individual home-site that occupies two or more contiguous lots, requires a meter for the home-site and that meter may also service casitas or guesthouses located on the home-site, unless one or more of the casitas or guest houses are owned by a different owner, in which case each home owed by a different owner would require a separate meter.
    • In addition to the normal connection fee, customers will be advised of any unusual additional costs to bring water from the company’s existing line to the customer’s meter, such as any charges for jackhammering rocks or additional pumps or equipment needed to provide service to the customer meter.
  2. Restrictions
    • Selling or providing La Misión Water Company water to others with or without your permission is strictly prohibited and may result in permanent termination of the user’s participation in the water company.
    • La Misión water MAY NOT be transported off a member’s property for any reason other than a fire emergency.
    • Damage by “others” to any part of the water system will be invoiced at water company repair costs. Homeowners will be held responsible for the actions of their renters/contractors/workers for any damage done to any part of the water system.
  3. The Water Conservation Program is using individual flow meters to minimize loss of water due to toilets running, sprinklers left on excessively, leaking pipes, etc. The property owners are responsible for everything beyond the Water Company flow meters. If the Water Company detects leaks on an individual’s property, the water service will be shut off to conserve water and the property owner notified, if possible. If a customer has both La Misión Water Company service and municipal service, a three-way valve or check-valves shall be installed at both the LMWC meter and at the CESP/E or CESP/T meter to prevent back-flowing of water from one system to the other and potentially huge over-use penalties. LMWC will install the valves at a cost as listed in paragraph Limits and fees below.
  4. A water system Preventative Maintenance Program continues to be monitored to prolong the life of the equipment and avoid excessive capital improvement outlays. System isolation valves have been added to avoid large area shutdowns for repairs. The piping distribution system shall be a minimum of 24” deep wherever possible. Repairs and installations shall be consistent with commercial grade quality. System Regulators shall be employed to prevent damage from excessive water pressure. While the water company delivers water service reliably to its customers, the water company does not guarantee the amount of pressure (PSI). We recommend that our customers maintain their own pila and pressure system to guarantee the performance of equipment such as tankless hot water heaters.

Over-use and the appeals process

  1. It is the aim of our over-use policy to conserve water, promote consciousness of the use of water, avoid negligence, and prevent “hogging” of this shared and limited resource.
  2. Starting in January of 2024, the water company will bill overuse of water every three months (quarterly) instead of monthly.
  3. The allotment of water will continue to be 5,400 gallons per month, or 16,200 gallons per quarter.
  4. The benefit to members is that overuse will be based on the total amount of water used during a three-month period. For example, let’s say you had family come to visit for a couple of weeks and your water use increased dramatically for one month and you exceeded the 5,400-gallon allotment. You may be able to “recover” if you used less during the other two months. So, if your usage stays within the total three-month allotment of 16,200 gallons, you will not be charged for overuse.
  5. If you overuse your allotment, you will receive your bill at the following times:
    • First-quarter billings are sent out during the first week of April.
    • Second-quarter billings are sent out during the first week of July.
    • Third-quarter billings are sent out during the first week of October.
    • Fourth-quarter billings are sent out during the first week of January.
  6. Chronic over-users, and those who have had catastrophic over-use, will continue to receive their bills monthly.
  7. The price for over-use will continue to be $.05 (five cents) per gallon over the allotment. Watch out for over-use; it adds up quickly. Members are advised to check toilets that keep running, faucets that drip, and pilas that do not shut off.
  8. The water company would consider reducing overuse fees to $0.01 (one cent) per gallon if the overuse resulted from an unavoidable incident. To be considered for a fee reduction, members must appeal the over-use fee within the due date, show that they could not have reasonably known about the loss, show that they took immediate steps to stop the loss when it was discovered and that they have corrected the problem that caused the loss (e.g. show repair bills).
  9. Members may appeal any billing or policy of the Water Company including an over-use invoice. You must notify the Water Company before the due date of the invoice. Notification should be sent by email to lamisionwaterco@gmail.com. Or you may mail it via USPS to:
    La Misión Water Company
    4635 Border Village Rd
    PMB #6-2
    San Ysidro, CA 92173

Limits and fees

  1. For 2024, you are permitted to use a maximum of 5,400 gallons per month or 16,200 gallons per quarter. Chronic use can result in termination of water service.
  2. Fee schedule as of 1 January 2024 in US dollars:
    • Annual Fee – $365 for on-time payment, $415 if paid after 31 January.
    • New meter connection fee (non-recurring): $900. See Connection Policies 1.4
    • Re-connection fee after termination of service by water company: $200 plus all outstanding unpaid fees.
    • Transfer fee (new owner of home with existing LMWC service): $200.
    • Overuse fees are $.05 (five cents) per gallon. See Overuse and the Appeals Process above.
    • Monthly overuse late fee: $25 for bills up to $1,000. $50 for bills over $1,000.
    • Returned check fee: $50.
    • Lockable valve at meter to prevent unauthorized use: $100.
    • Check valve to prevent backflow: $100.
    • Special assessment fees: As determined by Board of Directors
  3. We do not accept checks. Payment may be made in cash or via PayPal. Use PayPal’s “send” feature and direct your payment to: lamisionwaterco@gmail.com. Or go to our website http://www.lamisionwaterco.org/ and select the Pay Bills tab.
  4. In case of termination of water service for non-payment, reconnection will be automatic if all fees due are paid within two weeks of disconnection. After two weeks, reconnection is at the discretion of the Board. Should the board approve reconnection, a $200 reconnection fee is due plus any unpaid water bills. The board may also require prepayment of the annual usage fee prior to reconnection. If a user is disconnected, any attempt to reconnect without the consent of the Water Company will result in termination of the user’s participation in the Water Company.

Our website

  1. The Water Company maintains the website http://www.lamisionwaterco.org/ where the following information is available for use by all customers:
    • Current and recent history of each customers’ meter readings.
    • The latest edition of Policies and Procedures with rules which apply upon posting.
    • Messages from the Board of Directors regarding issues important to all customers of LMWC.
    • Bill-Pay feature for customer payment of annual fees, over-use fees and satisfaction of any invoices issued by LMWC.
    • Latest water quality test results.
    • Useful information regarding conservation and maintenance of the customer’s own water system conducive to managing water usage.

Board of Directors

John Stadelmann, President
646-155-0003

Paul Ross, Vice-President
646-155-0363

Sandy Stadelmann, Treasurer
646-155-0003

Dennis Rosenberg, Secretary
646-155-0092