SECTIONS 25690-25699 - California Statutes

GOVERNMENT CODE

SECTION 25690-25699

25690. The board of supervisors may acquire, develop, distribute,
and sell water to the county and its inhabitants for domestic,
irrigation, agricultural, and other beneficial uses.

25691. For purposes of this article the board may acquire water
rights by purchase or condemnation and may file applications for the
appropriation of unappropriated waters.

25692. The board may acquire, construct, repair, and manage a water
system, pumps, aqueducts, reservoirs, and all other works necessary
or proper for supplying water for the use of the county and its
inhabitants.

25693. For the purposes of this article, the county may incur a
bonded indebtedness, upon the conditions, in the manner, and in
accordance with the procedure prescribed by Article 1 of Chapter 6 of
Division 3 of this title.

25694. Any tax for the purposes of this article may be levied only
if a proposal therefor, specifying the purpose, the rate of tax, and
the number of years for which the tax is to be levied, is submitted
to the qualified electors of the county, at a general or special
election, and is approved by a majority of the electors voting
thereon. No such tax may be levied if it operates to increase the
maximum rate of taxation otherwise prescribed for the county unless
the proposal therefor is approved by two-thirds of the electors
voting thereon.
Any such proposal for a tax levy shall be submitted to the
electors of the county, and the election thereon held, in conformity,
as nearly as may be practicable, with the provisions of law
applicable to the submission to the electors of a proposition for the
issuance of bonds of the county and the conduct of an election
thereon.

25695. When the acquisition, improvement, development or
construction of a water supply system is completed, and the board of
supervisors so finds and determines, the management and control of
that water system vests in the board of supervisors.

25696. In managing and controlling a water system, the board of
supervisors has authority, upon such terms and conditions as the
board shall prescribe, to establish the rate or rates for the use of
water furnished or provided by the county. All revenues derived from
such charge, are available solely for payment of the cost of
maintaining the water system and the payment of principal and
interest of bonds as they become due. The board may from time to
time, out of any surplus of such revenues, transfer to the
appropriate funds of the county such sums as in its judgment may be
available for payment of principal and interest of county bonds
issued pursuant to the provisions of this article.

25697. In any year a tax may be levied for the maintenance of the
water system in the county at a rate calculated to raise a sum of
money equal to the amount of the excess, if any, of the amount of the
estimated cost of such maintenance over the estimated amount of
revenues derived that are or will become available to defray such
cost. The rate of such a tax shall not in any year exceed fifteen
cents ($0.15) per one hundred dollars ($100) of the assessed
valuation of all taxable property within the county, unless a
proposal for a specified higher rate for a particular year is
submitted to the qualified electors of the county at a general or
special election and is approved by a majority of the electors voting
thereon.

25698. No tax for the purposes of this article may be levied for
acquisition, improvement, development, construction, maintenance or
operation upon property within incorporated cities maintaining a
municipal water system until approved by a vote of the electors
thereof as provided in Sections 25693, 25694 and 25697.

25699. The board of supervisors may establish a committee or board
to advise and make recommendations to the board of supervisors with
respect to the water resources of the county. The members appointed
to the committee or board so established shall receive no
compensation but shall be reimbursed for their necessary and actual
expenses incurred while traveling on behalf of the county either
within or without the county.