Blog note: this article references a recent grand jury report that recommended consolidation of three sanitation districts in central Marin County.
The administrator of the Ross Valley Sanitary District has resigned to become assistant general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the district announced this week.
Greg Norby, 51, a resident of Tennessee Valley in unincorporated Mill Valley, is making the move after five years with the sanitary district. As general manager in Ross Valley he earned $228,986 annually.
Norby is expected to continue in his current role until the last week of June. He will begin the new job July 2. He will earn $242,000 annually.
District board members said they will begin seeking a replacement immediately and have called a special meeting Wednesday to discuss next steps during a closed session. The open session begins at 5 p.m. The meeting is at the district’s administrative offices at 2960 Kerner Blvd. in San Rafael.
“We want somebody who is technically proficient on the business of sanitation,” said Doug Kelly, board president. “It’s a technical job that requires technical expertise.”
Kelly said that the board and staff are sad to see Norby go, calling him “fantastic,” and “well-loved and dedicated.” Kelly said that Norby turned around the district amid public controversy, which included a lawsuit against the former general manager Brett Richards, who preceded Norby.
After a recent Marin County Civil Grand Jury report recommended consolidation of three sanitary districts in central Marin, including the Sanitary District No. 1 (Ross Valley), in an effort to save taxpayer dollars, Kelly said he supports shared services.
With the resignation of Norby, Kelly said, “I certainly see this as an opportunity for shared services, consolidation, or merger.”
Board member Mary Sylla said while shared services are not out of the cards for her, right now she hopes for a more immediate solution.
“The process of consolidation is something that could not happen in the short term,” she said. “I’m hoping that we find a new general manager to continue the amazing progress Greg has made.”
Sylla said that Norby has put the district in a good position.
“Because of his (Norby’s) work, RVSD is now a role model in the region, using proven technology along with management best practices to ensure our wastewater stays in the pipes and out of the waterways,” she said. “We wish him the best in his new endeavor and look forward to following his career and future successes.”
Under Norby’s lead, the agency has worked toward the rehabilitation of more than 35 miles of gravity sewer lines, modernization of pump stations, a 95 percent reduction in wet weather sewer overflow volumes, and a $50 million capital program with projects in varying phases of construction. The district’s private sewer lateral replacement program is an exemplary achievement, with more than 1,400 private laterals replaced and $3.5 million in grant funds allocated, board members said.
A 2014 special California State Audit sponsored by Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-Greenbrae, helped identify best practices for board governance, financial controls, ethics, and sustainable staff compensation practices. All of the state recommendations were implemented, board members said.
The district serves about 47,000 residents in Fairfax, San Anselmo, Ross, Larkspur, Greenbrae and neighboring communities, operating on a $64.7 million budget.
In his new role, Norby will oversee San Francisco’s wastewater and storm water operations, capital improvement programs, flood resilience program strategies, climate change and sea level rise initiatives.
Norby said that it’s a bittersweet situation.
“Things are going well here: the board is great, the staff is incredible,” he said.
But “to have an impact on San Francisco, the future infrastructure and water operations, these opportunities don’t come along that often,” he said.
May 1, 2018
Marin Independent Journal
By Adrian Rodriguez
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