Scathing report shows 'infighting and turmoil' at Sacramento-area water district
A grand jury report about a small water district in Sacramento County warns that its board has “spun out of control” and is mired in infighting and dysfunction. A report by the Sacramento County grand jury has found that the Florin County Water District, a small water district in Sacramento County, has been mired in infighting and dysfunction. The report, which covers about 2.5 square miles, found that about 8,000 county residents depend on the district and its groundwater wells for their needs. The investigation, which involved 20 interviews, found a "severe, almost paralyzing, dysfunction" on the five-person elected board. Issues included not cooperating with regional water managers and being ill-prepared for projects like the installation and operation of state-mandated water meters. The former general manager, who retired in 2022, had given himself and two family members raises significantly larger than what the board approved and never had a long-term capital plan in his tenure. The district also lacked inventory controls and board members never received formal training. The 15 recommendations for the report include training, employment contracts for the interim general manager and establishing human resources policies that address nepotism. No action has been taken on previous audit findings and a potential fiscal deficit.
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A grand jury report about a small water district in Sacramento County warns that its board has “spun out of control” and has been mired in infighting and dysfunction.About 8,000 county residents depend on the Florin County Water District and the 10 groundwater wells it oversees for their needs, according to the Sacramento County grand jury. The district covers about 2.5 square miles and is bordered by Florin Road on the north, Gerber Road on the south, Power Inn Road on the west and Gardner Avenue on the east. Customers include residents and businesses like Pepsi and Mission Laundry. After a couple of complaints about the management of the district, the grand jury undertook what became an eight-month investigation that involved 20 interviews. The report found “severe, almost paralyzing, dysfunction” on the five-person elected board. The issues included the district not cooperating with regional water managers and being ill-prepared for projects like the installation and operation of state-mandated water meters and future upgrades and maintenance, according to the report. “The Florin County Water District faces huge financial, infrastructure, and water management challenges that it isn’t prepared for,” grand jury foreperson Steve Caruso said in a statement. “The Grand Jury’s investigation found the Board members can’t reach agreements to set long-term policy, and they fight constantly among themselves and with the interim general manager.”KCRA 3 has reached out to the board for comment on the report. According to the report, the oversight failure followed 25 years of dominance by the district’s former general manager, who retired in 2022. During his tenure, there was never a long-term capital plan; the district lacked inventory controls and board members never received formal training, according to the report. The manager also hired his daughter as an office manager and her husband, who eventually became superintendent and is now the interim general manager. The district did build up a windfall reserve of $6 million from a three-year, 200% rate hike the board adopted in 2016. But a court ruled the way those rates were raised broke state law. The only people who received refunds were two ratepayers who challenged the decision in court. An audit completed in 2022 by the district’s accounting firm found that the manager had given himself and two family members raises that were two and a half times larger than what the board approved. The firm dropped the district as a client. After the general manager retired, his son-in-law was appointed interim GM, “although his experience did not include the executive skills detailed in the job description requirements,” the report said. Among the issues highlighted in the report since the GM’s retirement: The board has suffered from turnover.Board members and staff have bickered at chaotic meetings that have included name-calling and the board rarely takes action on agenda items.The board hasn’t approved or posted meeting minutes since 2023.No action has been taken on previous audit findings and the budget hasn’t been completed on time. There could be a looming fiscal deficit.The board hasn’t agreed on an action plan to address water meter installation by 2032.Among the report’s 15 recommendations are:Board members should get trained in official behavior and practices.The district should join with other county water agencies to learn how to work together on challenges.The board should set an employment contract for the general manager and assess the performance of the interim general manager.The board should establish human resources policies that address nepotism.The board should update its website.The board should create a five-year capital improvement plan and then study the need for a rate increase.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.
Konular: Environment-ESG