New Yorba Linda Water District directors begin terms after district's most contentious election

Curious about the winds of change expected to blow through the Yorba Linda Water District upon the seating of four new directors after the most contentious election in district history?

Here's a look at some of the new board's actions since taking office:

--General Manager Marc Marcantonio's contract, due to expire in September, was extended three years into 2020. At the past board's final meeting, Marcantonio was granted a $25,225 raise to $216,900, but a contract extension was deferred until the new directors took office.

In an email, new board president Wayne Miller told me the board decided “its first priority was to maintain organizational stability while moving ahead....After some discussion, five directors and selected staff worked with/through our attorney and came to terms” with Marcantonio.

However, Public Information Manager Damon Micalizzi, whose salary became an issue in the past campaign, resigned and is now working as public affairs director at the county Municipal Water District, the wholesale water supplier for 28 agencies, including the Yorba Linda district.

--The board's regular meeting times were changed from 8:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month to evenings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, with closed sessions at 5:30 p.m. and public sessions at 6:30 p.m.

Prior boards resisted moving to evening meetings due to added costs and an alleged lack of interest on the part of residents. But now, work schedules of staff attending meetings will be adjusted, with extra pay for only one employee at an hourly overtime rate of $41.83.

--A discussion of director salaries and benefits was scheduled for the board's first Tuesday meeting on Jan. 24, at the request of Miller, although any potential changes would come at a future session when resolutions would be presented for formal action.

Currently, directors earn $150 per meeting for up to 10 meetings per month that also include City Council, planning commission and other agency meetings for a maximum $18,000 each year, unchanged since 2003. State law would allow $282 per meeting.

Directors also are eligible for the same medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits as full-time employees. The past board's most recent annual benefits cost from $8,963 to $15,124 per participant.

--Potential reductions in the monthly basic service charge and possible rebates for past payments await a report from a committee directors are creating to study the agency's rate structure. The group replaces the Citizens Advisory Committee, organized after the district was criticized in the aftermath of the 2008 Freeway Complex fire.

The past board's increase in the basic charge was one factor that sparked the recall of two board members and defeat of an incumbent in November. Application deadline to serve on the volunteer, short-term committee is Feb. 16, with appointments announced March 1.