Message from the General Manager
Hello, and welcome to our website. As is often the case, we regularly add new content, so please check back often as things are always changing.
The Town of Discovery Bay is not a city; rather we are a type of municipal government known as a Community Services District, or CSD. In unincorporated areas such as Discovery Bay, basic services like water, sewer, security and fire protection are usually provided by the county. Because counties often consist of large and diverse geographical areas, providing a consistent and adequate service level across all areas can be difficult. Consequently, the Community Services District Law (Government Code §61000-61850) was created to provide an alternate method of providing services in unincorporated areas. In most cases, and due to the scope of their requirements, counties cannot provide tailored services to any one community. This leaves residents with little if any local control over services and no easy way to address problems or complaints. A CSD provides a method of offering local control on essential municipal services.
The Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District was formed in 1998 by a vote of the residents. The District provides domestic water supply, treatment, and delivery as well as wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal to the approximately 14,000 residents and businesses that call Discovery Bay home. We are also responsible for park maintenance and landscaping on many of our boulevards, streets and roads. I’m certain you’ve seen our Town vehicles around town as our staff is constantly improving the beauty of our community.
Besides a lazy afternoon fishing off your dock, taking a turn at the end of tow rope, or hitting the links, there’s a lot happening here in Discovery Bay! There are numerous marina based activities such as the Big Cat Poker Run held every August, the annual Paddle for Fame held the last Saturday of June or the Great American Campout held at Cornell Park, also in June, to the many concerts on the lawn, Crab Feeds, the annual Earth Day Celebration, and a whole host of other activities. There is always something happening in or around town. I encourage you to get out and see what floats your boat!
Discovery Bay is a great place to not only “Live where you Play”, but it’s also a great place to do business. The Discovery Bay Chamber of Commerce hosts monthly business “mixers” at different locations around town to show off the local business community. Check the Chamber’s website at www.discoverybaychamber.com for additional information on their many community activities.
From the standpoint of your local government, the CSD operates on a combined operating and capital budget of $7.9 million for the Fiscal Year 2012-13. The budget is balanced and presents a spending plan where revenues meet expenditures. Included in the Capital Improvement Program are projects that continue to address the long-term capital needs of the District. A robust capital replacement fund represents an ongoing structural element of long term financial sustainability. Additionally, we have added $327,000 into the District’s Reserve Account.
While we provide water, sewer, and parks and landscape services at this time, we do keep our ear to the pulse of what is happening around us. We also stay current on issues close to home, like last year’s Egeria densa infestation. The District’s efforts assisted in the plan to apply pesticides that would kill the invasive water week without damaging local food crops.
As Discovery Bay continues to mature, I can assure you that the Board of Director’s and the entire staff are working diligently to provide a comfortable place where residents can live, work and play and where we can enjoy the many of the qualities we all like in a small town. Please join us at one of our Board of Director’s meetings that are held the first and third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm.
If you would like to discuss Discovery Bay and any issue you may have as a resident, please be sure to contact me at the District Office by calling 925-634-1131.
Sincerely,
Rick Howard, General Manager
Town of Discovery Bay CSD
