[Kern County] Rand Water District continues work on grand jury recommendations

The Rand Communities Water District met for the second time in January, continuing to push through the Kern County Grand Jury recommendations.

The two-hour meeting consisted of a handful of things; however, the most exciting news for the board was the three applications received for the General Manager position that is currently vacant. A lot of the Grand Jury recommendations will require someone in the general manager position in order to be compliant. So if all goes well, RCWD will be on its way to completing the majoring of the recommendations.

Some of the action items specified for the general manager include random drug testing for employees, accurate inventory practices, maintaining records for all metered water produced and sold, DMV registration, and updated job descriptions and salaries.

Interviews for the position will be held over the next two weeks.

There was also a resolution that passed in a 3-2 vote that all members of the board have a water account with RCWD. The grand jury reported that a board member bragged about not having an account and taking water from neighbors, so it was the recommendation of the grand jury that all members have a water account. Directors Ghulam Din and William Liebscher voted against the resolution regarding water accounts.

There was also a presentation given by RCWD vice president Ernest Napolis, which included pictures of wells and boosters to show the physical conditions for review to see if they needed any attention. The board will review the costs for the areas that need repairs.

Din also gave a presentation on the cost of pumping, which indicated that the cost of pumping a gallon to be on fourth of one cent per gallon (0.025). This was reviewed in conjunction with the sale of non-potable water to Northwind, which was a debated topic during last months meeting. The grand jury noted that there were handshake deals occurring before the grand jury report was released, though Northwind’s contract is now a formally signed one.

Lastly, the board handed out a comparison document of the Water Code and RCWD bylaws. The 91-page document will be discussed during the February meeting.

The next RCWD board meeting is scheduled on Feb. 13, at 7 p.m., at the RCWD offices.

January 25, 2019

Ridgecrest Daily Independent

By Lauren Jennings