We all know it’s easy to let things fall between the cracks.
But, $1.6 million neither fits in a crack nor should it have been
stuffed into one.
This $1.6 million we speak of is the amount the City of
Hollister says San Benito Foods owes the city and the Sewer
Industrial Enterprise Fund, an amount that has accumulated during
the past three years.
We all know it’s easy to let things fall between the cracks. But, $1.6 million neither fits in a crack nor should it have been stuffed into one.
This $1.6 million we speak of is the amount the City of Hollister says San Benito Foods owes the city and the Sewer Industrial Enterprise Fund, an amount that has accumulated during the past three years.
It’s time for San Benito Foods to pay up or at least pay what the company believes it owes the city. There is dispute about the amount owed; however, any amount is an amount past due.
The situation should never have happened in the first place, but poor bookkeeping on both ends took place, and now an agreement is finally being worked out.
San Benito Foods, the city’s only cannery, and Hollister have co-existed since 1915, and the city built the industrial wastewater plant in 1972 to accommodate San Benito Foods and Tri-Valley Growers – which closed in 1991.
The cannery uses the wastewater plant from mid-July to September each year during its tomato canning season.
On one side, San Benito Foods contends it has been wrongfully overcharged for upgrades the city completed at the industrial facility. On the other side, the city stands firm on the amount owed, saying the cannery is responsible for the upgrades and repairs at the plant to comply with state and federal regulations.
It’s a delicate situation, but both sides have met and have agreed to meet again in the coming weeks to work out a resolution.
What’s encouraging is that Hollister and San Benito Foods say their relationship, aside from this financial issue, remains strong.
San Benito Foods and the City of Hollister have a long-standing partnership and it must continue. The cannery, one of the city’s and county’s largest employers, has provided jobs during the good times and bad, even during the current job-starved economy.
The $1.6 million debt should never have happened, but now it’s time to close the crack.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or fax to 637-4104 or e-mail to
ed****@fr***********.com
