Some residents say water shares remain private as council weighs taking over pipes

At a July 29 work session on irrigation infrastructure, multiple residents pushed back when the city suggested it may ask owners to turn shares over as part of a maintenance and metering plan. One resident (speaker 5) said: "I bought $7,000 worth of water, and you can't just rip it out of my hand ... I own those 2 shares," arguing certificates remain attached to property ownership and cannot be taken without transfer.

City staff acknowledged a mix of records: darker-colored parcels on the map indicate shares that the city believes have been turned in; yellow parcels reflect unverified hand-colored maps. Staff and residents offered differing tallies: the city said earlier reviews suggested roughly 32 shares had been turned in, while one staff recount suggested as many as "45 houses that don't have individual share homes." The discrepancy matters because whether a property has turned shares to the city could determine whether it must be metered under the state's criteria.

Residents asked the city to avoid imposing meter costs on owners who still hold shares and called for clear communication about any change in assessments or billing. The mayor said the city may ask property owners to transfer a share in exchange for city maintenance, or alternatively keep the farm system intact while negotiating representation and maintenance agreements. No formal change to share ownership was enacted during the session.