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.