Thursday, June 25, 2015

Nevada County Civil Grand Jury releases report on Washington County Water District


The Nevada County Civil Grand Jury has determined that the Washington County Water District, which provides water, fire and emergency medical services to the unincorporated town of Washington, has violated open meeting laws and failed to consistently distribute funds designated for the district’s fire department.
The grand jury released a report detailing its findings on Wednesday; its investigation was initiated by a citizen complaint.
The water district, which serves approximately 122 customers, is financed by public funds and water use fees and is governed by a five-member board of directors elected to their positions by district voters.
Under state government code known as the Brown Act, local legislative bodies are required to hold regular meetings and post the agenda for those meetings in a public, accessible location in order to ensure that community members have the opportunity to attend and participate.
The grand jury report found that the Washington County Water District has not designated anyone to post agendas publicly; the investigation also determined that some board meetings were being held at a private residence rather than a public location.
According to the report, the board also lacks a manual detailing board policies and procedures, has been plagued by high turnover and has not taken advantage of trainings available to it as a specially created district.
The district has also failed to distribute funds earmarked in its budget for fire services, according to the report.
The district receives about $5,000 a year from Prop. 172, a public-safety sales tax, to fund its volunteer fire and emergency medical services.
In addition to that funding, the district uses a portion of the money it collects from water use fees to pay for fuel and worker’s compensation insurance for volunteer firefighters.
The grand jury found that although money was designated for the fire department in the district’s budget, that money was not distributed on a regular basis.
The report concluded that some board members lack an understanding of the district’s budget and financial procedures, and that the board has failed to regularly communicate with the district’s volunteer fire department.
The grand jury has requested that the water district board respond to its findings by Sept. 24.
June 25, 2015
The Union of Grass Valley
By Emily Lavin

No comments: