After receiving a scathing audit of the Santa Clara Valley Water
District’s financial practices, Santa Clara County supervisors
said,
”
Enough!
”
and floated the idea of absolving themselves of oversight of the
beleaguered agency.
After receiving a scathing audit of the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s financial practices, Santa Clara County supervisors said, “Enough!” and floated the idea of absolving themselves of oversight of the beleaguered agency. With the results of a more sweeping management audit of the water district due in September, the prospect for even more bad news is looming.
County Supervisor Don Gage is right when he says, “Water district directors are elected, just as we are. If they’re not doing the job, then voters should take care of that.”
Instead, with the current system, County Supervisors have to approve the water district’s budget at the same time they’re juggling their own budget numbers. That means that the supervisors, who don’t have the staff to investigate the water district’s operations fully before voting on the agency’s budget, have largely been rubber stamping district budgets.
Until supervisors got wind of problems at the water district, that is, and ordered the financial and management audits.
Unfortunately, the water district, which has one of the most laissez faire boards of any agency of which we’re aware, isn’t taking kindly to many of the fiscal audit’s sensible suggestions. We’re willing to bet that they won’t like the results of the upcoming management audit, either.
It’s time to consider sending voters a plan that would dissolve the Santa Clara Valley Water District and give the responsibility of water management to supervisors.
If supervisors simply cede oversight of the district, which makes sense in theory, that leaves a huge void because voters haven’t shown themselves to be too upset about the rising water rates, rising employee compensation packages and the ever-rising reserves at the water district. Scaring up a second candidate to give the District 1 representative, Rosemary Kamei, a race for her seat on the board of directors is next to impossible because the water district is always flying under the radar.
So, removing the oversight of the board of supervisors, who forced these audits of the water district, makes us nervous.
Instead, the supervisors, who have proven themselves fully capable of handling much larger budgets and equally complex projects in a much more economic manner than the water district, take over.
The board would do a better job all the way around and would have the money to hire staff members who deal strictly with water issues. Those staff members would be the watchdogs who would keep the bureaucrats at the water district in line.
What would have to happen to make our dream of giving supervisors responsibility for delivering clean water, keeping waterways clear and preventing flooding a reality? Community activists like San Martin residents Bob Cerruti and Terry Mahurin would have to spearhead a ballot initiative that perhaps would gain enough steam.
Continually rising water rates, obscene reserves and ineffective management of a critical resource. If, like us, you think that’s a problem, then let’s do something about it.
