Conservation floats to top in Riverbank

City leaders are thinking about hiring a water cop.

If the position is approved by City Council members Tuesday, the water conservation officer would patrol neighborhoods looking for water wasters. He or she would sift through complaints, try to resolve problems, monitor water consumption, develop conservation policies, implement water recycling education and much more. And not for very much money.

The water conservation officer would make from $13.70 to $16.66 an hour, according to a proposed salary range for the job, which would end with the summer. Total pay would not top $25,000, a report says.

By comparison, Modesto’s water conservation specialist does similar tasks for up to $27.91 per hour, or more than $58,000 a year, according to that city’s website.

Riverbank’s staff report notes that the state, because of prolonged drought, has ordered agencies to cut water use 25 percent. In reality, an April 18 update shows that Riverbank has been ordered to reduce per capita water use by 32 percent compared with 2013 levels.

In other news, a budget report shows that a tenant in the Riverbank Industrial Complex is more than $193,166 behind in utility and rent payments to the Riverbank Local Redevelopment Authority, and the U.S. Army owes the authority more than $66,000 in utility and repair payments.

AQH LLC, which collects and stores electronic data, filed for bankruptcy protection in February showing various debts of more than $2.3 million. The company, also known as Aquifer LLC, is embroiled in a lawsuit with the redevelopment authority, court documents say; a bankruptcy judge ordered the authority to restore the business’s electricity service in late March, a document says.

The council also will consider a late request for a fireworks booth operated by the Enochs High School Music and Guard Boosters at Crossroads shopping center. The group previously ran a booth in an unincorporated area northwest of Oakdale and Claribel roads and missed the city’s March 31 application deadline.

Tuesday’s council meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the chamber at 6707 Third St. For more information, go to www.riverbank.org/CityCouncil/City%20Council%20Meetings/Forms/New.aspx.

This story was originally published April 27, 2015 at 5:11 AM with the headline "Conservation floats to top in Riverbank."