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
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