Rand Communities Water District continues to make progress toward being compliant with Kern County Grand Jury recommendations.
During the Jan. 9 regular board meeting, RCWD provided a major update on the condition of financial records, giving a chart comparison between the condition of the financial records from Sep. 12, 2018, when the grand jury was investigating the water district, and the condition of the financial records as of Jan. 3, 2019.
In the Sep. 12 reports, specifically for cash financial records, it was noted that there were no cash logs, no recording system of how cash is received and deposited, no petty cash file or log. There was also a problem with checks not matching up, leading to the improper disbursements of funds.
As of Jan. 3, there is a cash log that is being updated daily, cash receipts that are deposited and recorded daily, a petty cash file was created and a receipt system has been established. Checks are now accurate and petty cash is being reimbursed properly.
During the Sep. 12 report for records in general, it was noted that there was a lack of a filing system for the fiscal year 2017-18, very few documents from 2017-18 fiscal year, no real practice of filing information, and a small number of files with original invoices. There were also a large number of documents that were left unfiled, including open main and unmailed documents.
As of Jan. 3, files have been set up for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 fiscal year and there is now a formal practice in place for storing confidential items. There are still few documents from 2017-18 as well as invoices from before September 2018. All mail that is opened is being processed regularly and unmailed documents have been sent out. All documents that were not filed have been filed and properly stored.
Also during the meeting, the board discussed the posted General Manager ad, legal counsel (awaiting contact from county counsel), and monthly reports. The RCWD website is approximately 75 percent ready and should be completed within the next week or so as to be compliant with the grand jury recommendation.
President Cliff Kennedy has made contact with all entities for the possible grant funds, except the Bureau of Land Management (which has been impacted by the government shutdown) and will give a report when possible. An internal audit was completed and reports show that financial records and business documents are in good order in the office, though there still needs to be an external audit preformed.
RCWD also contacted the grand jury for clarification on three items discussed during the December special board meeting. The grand jury clarified that all board members must be bonded, waived the 60-day time frame to complete a team-building workshop, and clarified information on an outside audit.
The board has also updated the revised bylaws and were distributed to board members. The revised version began on March 14, 2018. A copy of the water code was also distributed to board members. A copy of this can be found on the California legislative information website, under California Law, Water Code, Division 12.
There has been some contention of whether the water code or bylaws prevails, as some board members believe that the bylaws stand before the water code, and others believe that the water code is above the bylaws. Secretary Carrie Hoerauf will compile and present a side-by-side comparison of both of the documents to present during the next meeting. The board will decide whether to seek out a legal opinion on this matter.
The next RCWD meeting will happen Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Rand Communities Water District Office.
January 11, 2019
Ridgecrest Daily Independent
By Lauren Jenkins
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