The future of $1.5 million hangs in the balance until the Santa
Clara Valley Water District’s meeting Tuesday morning. Up for
debate is the high cost of adding a ballot measure to limit the
number of terms for the seven-member board of directors. Currently,
board members do not have term limits.
The future of $1.5 million hangs in the balance until the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s meeting Tuesday morning. Up for debate is the high cost of adding a ballot measure to limit the number of terms for the seven-member board of directors. Currently, board members do not have term limits.
At a meeting last month, District 1 Director Rosemary Kamei requested that the ad hoc committee formed to discuss the issue meet by today to make the 10-day posting requirement to place it on the July 27 agenda. The committee is expected to write a resolution suitable to submit to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters by the county’s Aug. 6 deadline.
The issue caused a quick squabble among two board members when Director Joe Judge of District 2 said he needed more background.
Judge was a member of the special legislative committee formed to discuss term limits, among other issues.
“Joe, I don’t know where you were,” Kamei said. She added that there were many discussions with district counsel about if the board could impose limits on themselves; “They said, ‘No, it must by the will of the people.'”
We talked about it for some time, Kamei said, explaining further the importance of getting the committee updated information before the Aug. 6 deadline.
To which Judge snorted, “I know more about term limits than you do.”
The same committee of Judge, Joe Wilson and Tony Estremera recommended that the board adopt four four-year terms and directors will have the option to run again after any absence or vacancy.
The board must vote on whether or not to spend $1.5 million – an amount estimated by the Registrar and one that triggered an audible reaction from some board members – to let voters decide on their term limits by the July 27 meeting. The cost to place a measure on a general election ballot decreases as the number of measures increase. A water district staff member commented that while it could be cheaper to wait until 2011 it’s impossible to predict if more measures will be on that ballot.
Term limits were first considered in May 2008 by the board and three public meetings were held around the county since then. A total of 14 comments were solicited, 10 of which were in favor of term limits. The proposed term limits are two, three or four, four-year terms. Also, the committee will recommend whether a board member has a right to return after an absence or if their term has expired.
