The Santa Clara Valley Water District is seeking public input on
the possible imposition of term limits for seats on its board of
directors, but so far the public hasn’t indicated a strong opinion
on the issue.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District is seeking public input on the possible imposition of term limits for seats on its board of directors, but so far the public hasn’t indicated a strong opinion on the issue.
At a meeting held by the board to solicit public input on the matter at the Community and Cultural Center in Morgan Hill Wednesday, only three citizens showed up to voice their support for term limits. The water district board does not currently have term limits.
Local resident and longtime water district critic Bob Cerruti said board members should be limited to two four-year terms. “Some people have been on the board for 15 to 25 years. We need some new ideas because nobody is bringing anything new to the table,” Cerruti said.
Following the meeting, board chair Rosemary Kamei said there are pros and cons to instituting term limits in special district boards such as the water district. One advantage to term limits is that it opens up competition and allows newcomers to run for the part-time office.
On the other hand, because the board is “narrow in focus” and deals with a single area of service unlike city councils, it is useful to have board members who have spent several years acquiring the specialized technical knowledge involved.
“If you don’t have the background, it would take you a long time to get up to speed,” said Kamei, who is an elected member of the board who represents the district which contains Morgan Hill. She is serving in her third four-year term.
Besides, she added, “The public always has an option to vote us out.”
The board is in the process of conducting a series of meetings to solicit input on term limits. Kamei said the meetings were prompted by state legislation passed earlier this year that made changes to the board’s structure. She said the board does not have a specific plan to propose or initiate a vote on term limits at this point.
“We’re just asking the public what they think,” said Kamei.
According to information presented at the meeting, term limits exist for seats on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, as well as the governing councils of 14 of the county’s 15 cities. However, none of the county’s special districts have term limits.
According to board vice chair Sig Sanchez, no water board in the state of California has term limits.
Sanchez said after the meeting that he was not surprised at the lack of public turnout, but he was disappointed.
He too said there are pros and cons to term limits for water board members.
“Term limits are not as important at the special district level (as they are on city councils and county boards of supervisors). We’re not full time. It’s 50 percent pay, 50 percent public service,” said Sanchez, who has served on the water district board for almost 30 years.
The SCVWD provides water service and flood protection for 1.8 million customers. The district has a total budget of $411 million for fiscal year 2008-2009, and employs 750 people.
The district board voted last month to raise their per diem stipend by 10 percent for 2009, to $260.03 per meeting, for up to 10 meetings per month.
The next meeting to solicit public input on term limits will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, at the district headquarters building, 5700 Almaden Expressway, in San Jose.
