This letter responds to the July 24 T.O. Acorn article, "Oak Park man to run for seat on board of Triunfo Sanitation District." In the article, Mr. Paule alleges conflicts of interest involving how the Triunfo Sanitation District ("Triunfo") conducts business with the Ventura Regional Sanitation District ("VRSD"), including issues regarding management of funds. As general manager of VRSD, I'm compelled to set the record straight.

First, there's no conflict of interest. There is a legal contract between two public agencies that has established regional cooperation for the benefit of the community. This regional cooperation has saved taxpayers money. This approach has also resulted in reliable and environmentally sound water and wastewater services.

This approach has worked well for decades and has been recognized as a good solution for the community.

Over the years, the board of directors of Triunfo has had outside consultants review the services provided by VRSD to Triunfo and compare them with other possible service providers. Each time, the consultants have concluded, based on a cost benefit analysis, that VRSD has provided outstanding services.

Second, allegations regarding management of money made in the article repeat erroneous information discredited more than two years ago.

These allegations refer to a fund of money established for the replacement of an existing water tank that experts and regulators agree must be replaced. The monies in question were staged in a replacement fund for a period of time, while construction was delayed in order to address citizens' concerns with the environmental documentation.

As the delay continued, VRSD brought this matter forward and reimbursed Triunfo for interest not earned during the period in question. The interest was paid to Triunfo, calculated on Triunfo's own adopted investment policies in effect at the time.

It's my belief that by leveraging resources and maximizing economies of scale, VRSD has provided Triunfo with excellent, compliant and costeffective service in a manner that has kept rates low and stable for this community. Mark Lawler Ventura