SOUNDING OFF:

I recently experienced my first Orange County civics lesson, courtesy of a visit to a Newport Beach City Council meeting.

The matter at hand was a counting of votes on whether to install underground utilities in Balboa Island.

According to the letter sent by the Public Works Department to Balboa Island property owners: “If a majority of the ballots returned oppose the assessment district, the assessment will not be imposed and the undergrounding will not occur.”

But a funny thing happened on the way to the City Council Chamber: the “no” votes — those opposing the installation of the underground utilities were 505 — and “yes” votes, only 501, which meant that the program was over, dead, finished. But wait. Obviously the city didn’t mean what it said. The assessment engineer quickly went before the council and declared that because the vote was so close, a re-count was in order!

But when several people in the Council Chamber wanted to voice their disapproval at this betrayal of the majority of the voters, they were told that the hearing was officially over and that no other voices could be heard.

At the City Council hearing April 28, prior to the counting of the votes — but after all the votes were collected — three gentlemen, at least two of whom were civil engineers — addressed the council and audience of homeowners.

It was unfortunate that their voices were not heard before. Their points were eloquent.

First, there would be a greater hazard and peril from underground utilities than from overhead lines because of the potential for flooding and seepage into the lines below, and because the underground conduits would be blocked by concrete now covering them and replacement of any disintegrating conduits would not be easy.

Second, the alleys of Balboa Island could be torn up and in disarray for years.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this would be a project of great uncertainty; the current cost estimates were just that: estimates. Based on the real world of actual vs. projected construction costs, the underground installation could end up costing Balboa Island homeowners far, far more than anyone can tell at this time.

In these tough economic times, it is unfortunate that the mayor and City Council members seem to be turning a deaf ear to the needs of their constituents.

Most of the homeowners on Balboa Island are seniors, and many are living on fixed incomes.

To burden them with an unnecessary open-ended debt at this time — after they have voted to terminate the underground utility installation project — seems both callous and a slap in the face.

LARRY SELWITZ lives in Newport Beach.