Lawsuit accuses Friant Water Authority of holding secret meetings that resulted in massive fees pinned on a handful of Tulare County irrigation districts
The legal fracas over who should pay to fix the sinking Friant-Kern Canal grew Friday when three Tulare County irrigation districts sued the Friant Water Authority for imposing steep fees on the districts approved through allegedly secret communications and serial meetings. In a suit filed Nov. 1 the Terra Bella, Saucelito and Porterville irrigation districts also seek to declare the fees, up to $295 million approved in a special meeting held in August, void. “We are hoping that Friant will go back and re-do that board meeting, and if they do, that the outcome will be different,” said Sean Geivet, general manager for the three districts. “The unlawful tactics of Friant’s leadership need to cease because my three middle-sized districts can’t continue to function on an uneven playing field.” He said the districts have documents that show the fees were approved illegally.
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