Stark differences emerged between incumbent St. Helena Mayor Del Britton and his challenger, City Councilmember Bonnie Schoch, during two election forums last week at Vintage Hall and Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park.

“One of the problems facing us right now is the City Council has no consensus and we’re not moving forward,” said Schoch, adding that the council has become intimidating to businesses and needs to be “more user-friendly.”

Schoch helped represent the city during a September mediation hearing that resolved a dispute between the city and the owner of Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park. She said she would put those negotiation and consensus-building skills to work if elected mayor.

Britton said the council has been productive for the last few years even though it’s facing “a lot of problems.” The diverse views on the council are a plus because they represent a range of views held by locals, he said.

I’m not sure “that any one person should monopolize a council and determine what that council should say or not say,” said Britton.

The key policy difference that emerged last week was on an issue that has divided St. Helena for years: Should the city halt development until it upgrades its water and sewer systems, or should it allow limited growth to boost revenues and help pay for those improvements?

Growth vs. water

Britton said the city needs to hold off on development — with the exception of affordable and workforce housing — until it has a more reliable water supply. The future of the city’s Napa water connection is uncertain, and relying on groundwater could threaten the agricultural industry which keeps St. Helena’s economy running, he said.

“I don’t think we should be moving forward with commercial or residential development until we have a handle on what we have today and what we can guarantee in the future,” he said.

Britton said the local economy relies on tourism, generated by the wine industry, even though locals don’t always appreciate the impact that tourists have on local infrastructure.

Schoch said she favors controlled growth, including perhaps another hotel, “because that’s what pays for a lot of infrastructure changes,” and denounced the “scare tactics” she said are used by Britton and others who warn that the city is running out of water and should halt development.

Scientific data prepared by independent consultants suggests the city has enough water to build out its general plan, said Schoch.

She pointed to conservation and tertiary, or gray water, treatment as the best ways to boost the city’s water supply. As soon as within the next 12 months, the city’s treatment plant could have the ability to generate gray water — although the city lacks the pipes to deliver it to water users, she said.

Britton acknowledged that tertiary treatment is the council’s goal, but cautioned that upgrading the treatment plant and building the infrastructure to deliver it to customers was once estimated at $60 million.

A half-cent sales tax increase might be needed to finance such infrastructure improvements, said Britton.

The city needs to have enough water to maintain the lifestyle St. Helenans are used to, with lawns and swimming pools, he said.

“Sure, we could eliminate swimming pools, and that would give us more water. But that conflicts with our goal to keep St. Helena a nice place to live and enjoy ourselves,” said Britton.

Schoch said there are ways for the city to conserve water without sacrificing swimming pools, such as by requiring people to truck in water from outside of town to fill their pools.

“We cannot keep St. Helena frozen in time,” she said. “But we must move forward cautiously.”

Uncertain future

The candidates, who each hold degrees in economics, agreed the city needs to be more fiscally conservative than ever to keep the city afloat as economic uncertainty grips the nation and the city faces possible hits to its three main sources of revenue: sales tax, property tax and transient occupancy tax.

Britton said the city needs to work with the Chamber of Commerce to predict how the city’s economy will be affected and what local government should do to prepare for those changes.

Schoch said she has a record of challenging the council every time it proposes dipping into the city’s reserves.

“We should challenge every dollar that’s spent in this city,” she said.

Both also agreed that completing the flood project should be the council’s number one priority next year. Once that project is finished, the city needs to turn its attention to Fulton Lane, Sulphur Creek, and other flood control hotspots, they said.

Britton said his other top priorities as mayor would be making sure development doesn’t outpace infrastructure improvements and looking into ways for the city to reduce its carbon footprint.

In addition to flood control, Schoch included protecting the city’s economy and completing the general plan as her top goals.

Wine Train

The two differ on what the city’s policy should be regarding the Napa Valley Wine Train.

Britton said allowing passengers to disembark in St. Helena “would cause big turmoil” downtown due to the lack of restrooms and the added bus traffic, especially if the number of passengers is anywhere near the 1,500 figure the Wine Train once quoted to its investors.

Schoch said that given the Wine Train’s new management, it’s time for the city to reopen talks about letting passengers off in St. Helena — although 1,500 people would obviously be unacceptable.

It would benefit the city to get some Wine Train passengers to patronize local businesses without putting any more cars on the road. “I think this is the time to visit this subject again and see if we can find a way to make this a win-win for both of us,” she said.