A tax on water users that would take from ratepayers such as those in Valley Center to help subsidize water rates in poorer water districts, is on hold, but only until January, when it could be taken up again. State Senate Bill 623 — the water tax measure — is not moving ahead in 2017 after significant concerns were expressed by stakeholders statewide, including many groups from San Diego County. The Assembly Appropriations Committee decided against moving the proposed bill to the floor in late August, effectively pushing the issue into 2018.