By DAVID STEFFEN, Staff Writer
Sunday, July 4, 2010 1:57 AM PDT
The Imperial County Civil Grand Jury stated in its final report that it had received several complaints about Brown Act violations by the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors.
The report stated some members of the public issued complaints for personal motivations but there are legitimate claims.
“Some of these complaints are just posturing on the part of disgruntled members of the community, but there is evidence that may support several of the complaints,” the report stated.
It stated there were complaints regarding voting blocs, lobbying and the amount of closed-session business.
IID Director John Pierre Menvielle said the IID is an open organization and is transparent to the public.
“There is no more transparent elected board in the Imperial Valley than the IID,” Menvielle said. “All of our board meetings are televised for the public to see.”
He said given the district’s size, there is a need for some closed-session meetings.
“Any organization that has an $800 million budget is going to have to deal with closed-session issues in order to protect the public and the ratepayer,” he said.
The grand jury report recommended board members and management be trained on the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. Menvielle said the board receives Brown Act training every two years. IID General Counsel Jeffrey Garber also said the board has received Brown Act training in the past and will in the future.
IID Director Stella Mendoza said the board works hard to follow the Brown Act precisely.
“The Board of Directors and legal counsel strive to follow the letter of the law regarding the Brown Act, and we will continue to do so,” she said.
The grand jury report also stated IID should not try to interfere with the investigation by routing interviews through counsel and management.
IID directors Michael Abatti, Jim Hanks and Anthony Sanchez could not be reached by deadline Friday. Grand jury foreman Kelly Gould said he would comment at a later time.
>> Staff Writer David Steffen can be reached at 760-337-3452 or dsteffen@ivpressonline.com
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2010/07/04/local_news/news04.txt
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