$92,600 a Year for Part-Time Work? Helix Water District Board Members Are Called to Task

To the editor:

Local water district directors have voted themselves good pay and great benefits.
The five Helix Water District directors were paid a total of $92,600 to attend meetings last year and govern the district.  Additionally, they received $60,988.56 to cover their insurance costs from the ratepayers.

Padre Dam directors’ record is a little more complicated since two board members, (Caries and Wilson) are district retirees, and collect $17,474.58 a year each plus share in the board’s insurance allocation of  $76,114.10; total costs to the district, $111,063.26 for five directors.

The directors’ per diem costs to the district were $61,750, which is less than the insurance costs.

Lakeside Water District does hold the line on per diems ($125/month- input and governance?) but annual insurance costs are $68,045.28, with  $7,500 base pay, benefits $68,045.28..

Otay Water District, which provides water for southeast county residents, paid $50,689 last year for insurance or the least amount for part-time directors. Per diems are about $20,000/year.

The difference between rates and taxes is that rates can be raised without voter approval (Prop. 218 provides for notification—little protection), but tax increases need voter approval.  The water boards (enterprise special districts) raise rates vs. taking the tough action many of our tax-based agencies are having to implement— furloughs, cuts in benefits to reduce operating costs.  Yes, your rates went up 60 percent in the last few years.

Directors vote on all insurance costs, per diems and other directors’ expenses.
Given that they are part-time employees, directors have voted themselves such generous benefits. Why do we as ratepayers expect them to hold the line with the new labor agreements (MOUs) at Helix or the ones coming up at Padre Dam and Lakeside?

How can you ask full-time employees to pay 35 percent of their insurance costs (national average for those employees lucky enough to receive health-care benefits) when part-time directors are receiving full reimbursement?  Additionally, some of the directors also receive Medicare.

Retirement benefits also must be addressed in these negotiations, but I feel the directors have weakened their position to hold the line on any negotiated element, as discussed above.

I have written and spoken to the Padre and Helix water boards requesting they consider reducing these costs, but they have chosen to continue the practice.  I would suggest that insurance benefits for board members could not exceed the equivalent of two per diems per month.

To help correct spending and governance problems, you should contact you water district.  Also, two organizations that are working on these problems at the local level are eastcountytaxhawks.com and citizensoversight.org.  Or email rateandtaxwatch@hotmail.com

Daniel McMillan, Ratepayer, El Cajon