Score: +6
(6/1/0)
Riverside County Grand Jury
• 2008-2009
Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 7 findings
F1
For several years the District followed an annual budget preparation practice of minimizing expected revenue and maximizing expected expenses, thus providing a distorted picture of each year’s anticipated results.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The District should budget anticipated revenue and expenses more realistically, within a five per cent margin, to present a more useful picture of the financial health of the organization.
F2
Excessive reserves were accumulated over several years. These reserves were beyond what most special districts would require to cover unanticipated expenditures. The District tried unsuccessfully to increase its assessment in 2007. 1
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Reserves, both restricted and unrestricted, should be reduced.
F3
In spite of repeated recommendations from outside auditors, the District has failed to complete a financial policies and procedures manual.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
A financial policies and procedures manual should be completed, providing guidance on accounting practices, purchasing, credit card usage, travel, expense accounts, banking, and other financial matters.
F4
The 1997 personnel policies and procedures manual is incomplete and outdated. It does not reflect current labor laws, regulations, and District personnel administration.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
District personnel policies and procedures should be documented and updated, at the earliest possible time. These revisions should be communicated regularly to employees and updated periodically.
F5
Investigation and sworn testimony from trustees and employees revealed that the prior general manager and legal counsel together had managed the organization in a heavy-handed and dictatorial manner, thus contributing to the dysfunctionality of the District. The District has been without a permanent general manager since May 2008, and the search for a replacement has taken at least ten months. Investigation revealed that this delay has caused much uncertainty and turmoil among the employees.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The search for a permanent general manager should be expedited.
F6
An October 2007 study by the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) recommended that the District assume vector control responsibility for the eastern portion of Riverside County, from the Coachella Valley to the California – Arizona state line, including the city of Blythe.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
A LAFCO recommendation regarding expansion of the District should be deferred until remedial action by the District on these recommendations is considered and completed.
F7
Control products used in mosquito and vector suppression activities are a large share of the District’s operating budget. These products are budgeted at $2,141,000 in the 2008-2009 budget, and include expenditures for Choice, a product under investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency. Both trustees and management have questioned the use of Choice. 8. (a) In all of the interviews conducted, lack of communication was a constant theme. This lack of effective communication among trustees, appointing bodies and the Riverside County nine cities, management, employees, and the community was evident. This reflects a recurring problem contributing to the dysfunctionality of the District. (b) Sworn testimony revealed that on a regular basis, aside from an annual outside audit, the District failed to consider viewpoints from similar organizations, valley opinion leaders, and the community, thus resulting in insularity of management. (c) Sworn testimony revealed that former management discouraged any outside consultation. As a result, the District has not utilized the services of outside consultants on organizational structure, trustee policies and procedures, updated personnel policies, appropriate financial documentation and reporting, and management practices. 2
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Use of the suppression chemical called Choice should be discontinued once the present supply is exhausted. 3
Additional Recommendations 1
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R8The District should consider retention of outside consultation on organizational development, including but not limited to: trustee recruitment and training; trustee policies and procedures; management structure, systems and procedures; and most importantly, communication among trustees, senior management, employees, and communities in the valley. Further, appointing authorities (Riverside County and the nine cities) should develop criteria for trustee qualification and apply more intense vetting of potential trustees prior to appointment, thereby improving the quality of appointments to the District Board of Trustees. Report Issued: 04/14/09 Report Public: 04/16/09 Response Due: 07/13/09 4
Agency Responses 1
Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.