Santa Barbara County Grand Jury • 2022-2023 • Agency Response
Response to: Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District – Aspects of Governance

Santa Maria Valley Board Secretary Keith Hadick, Div. 3 Andy Adam Gerald Mahoney, Div.4 Water Conservation District*

Published: September 21, 2023 4 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 4 findings

F1
The vacancies on the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District Board of Directors reduce the efficacy of the Board and impede good governance by limiting procedural actions. Since the Board has only four District Directors for the seven total divisions, the Board is often deadlocked, so motions fail to pass. Response to finding No 1: Respondent agrees with finding. In fact, the board has filled a fifth seat with new Director Randy Shear. The board intends to fill the remaining seats by appointment.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
The training received by the Directors of the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District is insufficient for the requirements of their role. Response to finding No 2: Respondent agrees with finding. The board will work with District Counsel to ensure that the board receives training as required by AB 1234.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
The Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District is short-staffed and the one employee who works in the District Office is overburdened. Response to finding No 3: Respondent agrees with finding. The board has directed staff to prepare an RFP for a General Manager. Following retention of a General Manager, the board will work to fill the other suggested positions with the aid of the General Manager.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
The Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District's financial management practices do not satisfy public expectations for transparency and fiscal accountability from a governing body, where information is created and freely available to. the public in a timely manner, in open data formats, and without restrictions on use and reuse. Santa Barbara Grand Jury September 21, 2023
Related Recommendations (3)
R4a
That the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District's independent audits of financial reports, including opinions on internal controls, be completed no later than 180 days after the fiscal year's end. Response to No. 4a recommendation: Respondent agrees with finding.
R4b
That the Directors of the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District establish written policies and procedures for expenditures made by District Directors and employees using District credit cards, which include the requirement that a receipt and other supporting documents be submitted monthly. <b>Response to No. 4b recommendation</b>: Respondent agrees with finding.
R4c
That the Directors of the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District establish written policies and protocols within three months for the use of District-owned vehicles and equipment, including that personal use of District-owned vehicles and equipment be strictly prohibited. <b>Response to No. 4c recommendation</b>: Respondent agrees with finding. Sincerely, Keith Hadick New Stackel Officers Directors President Keith Hadick Vacant, Div. Andy Adam, Div. SANTA MARIA VALLEY Keith Hadick, Div. 3 <b>Board Secretary</b> Gerald Mahoney, Div.4 Andy Adam WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Vacant, Div. Casey Conrad, Div. P.O. BOX 364 Randy Sharer, Div. SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA 93456 PHONE (805) 925-5212 FAX (805) 739-0763 E-MAIL districtoffice@smvwcd.org September 21, 2023 Via First Class mail and Email: sbcgj@sbcourts.org Grand Jury Chambers Santa Barbara County Courthouse 1100 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 June 21, 2023 Grand Jury Report and Responses Re: Lack of Transparency and Due Diligence at the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District The Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District welcomes the report of the Grand Jury and their effort to improve the practices of the District. The District responds to each request as follows:

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.