Score: 0 (0/7/0)
Santa Cruz County Grand Jury • 2018-2019

San Lorenzo Valley Water District Encouraging the Flow of Information to the Public

Published: May 31, 2018 23 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 3 findings

F1
The lack of effective communication between the District and the community regarding the administration of the Assessment District has caused public concern regarding the timing and implementation of Assessment District projects.
Related Recommendations (4)
R1
LADOC should produce an annual report detailing the status of Assessment District revenues and expenditures.(F1, F2)
R2
The District should schedule annual public study sessions or workshops to review the LADOC annual report and discuss the administration of the Assessment District (AD), in order to provide in depth information to the public about the timing, funding, and execution of AD projects. (F1, F3)
R3
The Board and LADOC should work in concert to create a charter for LADOC that describes in detail the committee’s responsibilities and its authority to fulfill its oversight role. (F1, F2)
R8
The District should provide formal training to all Board and committee members and senior staff on how to communicate with the public on contentious issues. (F1, F3) Required Response Respond Within/ Respondent Findings Recommendations Respond By San Lorenzo Valley 90 Days Water District Board F1 – F3 R1 – R8 August 29, 2018 of Directors Abbreviations and Definitions ● CIP: Capital Improvement Program (also called Capital Improvement Plan) ● CTV: Community Television of Santa Cruz County ● Gantt Chart: “A Gantt chart is a visual view of tasks scheduled over time.”[105] ● Glyphosate: “Glyphosate is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses.”[106] ● LADOC: Lompico Assessment District Oversight Committee ● LAFCO: Local Agency Formation Commission for Santa Cruz County ● LCWD: Lompico County Water District ● Resolution 953-A: LAFCO resolution (also called the “merger agreement”) approving SLVWD’s annexation of LCWD (also called the “merger”) ● SCADA: Supervisory control and data acquisition system ● SLVWD: San Lorenzo Valley Water District, also referred to in this report as “the District”
F2
The District has not provided adequate authority, guidance, training, or support to the Lompico Assessment District Oversight Committee (LADOC) to ensure that the committee can fulfill its assessment district oversight responsibilities, thus reducing transparency and accountability to the public.
Related Recommendations (5)
R1
LADOC should produce an annual report detailing the status of Assessment District revenues and expenditures.(F1, F2)
R3
The Board and LADOC should work in concert to create a charter for LADOC that describes in detail the committee’s responsibilities and its authority to fulfill its oversight role. (F1, F2)
R4
The Board should ensure that LADOC receives adequate professional, technical, and administrative support from the District, as well as the authority to carry out its oversight responsibilities. (F2)
R5
The District should provide formal training for all LADOC citizen committee members in governance, meeting management, and the Brown Act. (F2)
R6
The District should provide formal training about assessment districts to LADOC members and all others involved in the administration of the Assessment District. (F2)
F3
Lack of effective District communication practices has reduced public access to the decision-making process, and contributed to acrimony and on-going relationship challenges with the community, causing stress on elected officials and staff, as well as frustration among ratepayers.
Related Recommendations (3)
R2
The District should schedule annual public study sessions or workshops to review the LADOC annual report and discuss the administration of the Assessment District (AD), in order to provide in depth information to the public about the timing, funding, and execution of AD projects. (F1, F3)
R7
The District should record all Board and committee meetings, and post the recordings online for public access. (F3)
R8
The District should provide formal training to all Board and committee members and senior staff on how to communicate with the public on contentious issues. (F1, F3) Required Response Respond Within/ Respondent Findings Recommendations Respond By San Lorenzo Valley 90 Days Water District Board F1 – F3 R1 – R8 August 29, 2018 of Directors Abbreviations and Definitions ● CIP: Capital Improvement Program (also called Capital Improvement Plan) ● CTV: Community Television of Santa Cruz County ● Gantt Chart: “A Gantt chart is a visual view of tasks scheduled over time.”[105] ● Glyphosate: “Glyphosate is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses.”[106] ● LADOC: Lompico Assessment District Oversight Committee ● LAFCO: Local Agency Formation Commission for Santa Cruz County ● LCWD: Lompico County Water District ● Resolution 953-A: LAFCO resolution (also called the “merger agreement”) approving SLVWD’s annexation of LCWD (also called the “merger”) ● SCADA: Supervisory control and data acquisition system ● SLVWD: San Lorenzo Valley Water District, also referred to in this report as “the District”

Additional Recommendations 65

These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.