Orange County Grand Jury Report is Good News for Special Districts

June 10, 2011 - PRLog -- The Orange County Grand Jury report “Compensation Survey of Water and Sanitation Districts” is good news for Orange County special districts. After thoroughly evaluating special district compensation, financial reporting and public meeting information, the Grand Jury identified no major concerns with the practices of the Orange County special districts.  

The Orange County Grand Jury report in fact had only two recommendations, both of which the Irvine Ranch Water District is already in compliance. Specifically, the IRWD website already meets and exceeds the recommended public access transparency standards, including the placement of timely and accurate information on compensation, financial reporting and public meetings on the IRWD website. The Orange County Grand Jury report found no compensation issues or concerns with the special districts surveyed or IRWD, reaffirming the appropriateness of IRWD’s compensation policies.

IRWD was an early adopter of electronic information and first entered the internet age with a state of the art website in 1997.  In October of 2010 the IRWD website was honored by the New Media Institute as the Best in the Industry for the Government Utility Category.  “We believe in our customers’ right to expect transparent government and easy to access information,” said IRWD General Manager, Paul Jones.  “Our core belief is that we serve the public.”

All Board member and employee compensation, including salaries and benefits, are adopted by the Board of Directors in a public meeting process where customers always have an opportunity to review and comment. The public is invited to attend IRWD board meetings and the IRWD.com website offers the ability for customers to receive electronic notifications on Board Agenda postings and full Board meeting packets. An electronic Board meeting calendar is regularly updated.  

Customers who access IRWD.com can find information on compensation and transparency, easily accessible from the main website page at irwd.com.   In depth information can be found on the IRWD Operating and Capital Budget as well as details on employee, General Manager and Board member compensation and conflict of interest policies.  Additionally, a direct link is provided to the California State Controller’s Office Local Government Compensation Report on IRWD. This report includes detailed information on salary and benefits for IRWD employees, the General Manager as well as Board members.

The website also features in depth financial reports including the last three years of the IRWD Comprehensive Financial Report.  IRWD’s CAFR has earned the prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence every year.  This award recognizes governments whose CAFRs achieve the highest standards in government accounting and financial reporting.  

IRWD provides water, sewer, recycled water and urban runoff services to more than 330,000 residents in Central Orange County and is governed by a five member publicly elected Board of Directors that is responsible for the District’s policies and decision making. IRWD’s General Manager is the chief executive for the District and is responsible for all aspects of day-to-day operations including a staff of 313 and a combined annual Operating  and Capital Budget of approximately $250 million.

For more information about IRWD, please visit IRWD.com

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Irvine Ranch Water District is an independent special district, celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. The District provides high quality drinking water, wastewater services, recycled water and urban runoff treatment. Please visit www.irwd.com.