HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-21-15 FA&C Committee Packet 1
OTAY WATER DISTRICT
FINANCE, ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
COMMITTEE MEETING
and
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2554 SWEETWATER SPRINGS BOULEVARD
SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
BOARDROOM
WEDNESDAY
January 21, 2015
11:30 A.M.
This is a District Committee meeting. This meeting is being posted as a special meeting
in order to comply with the Brown Act (Government Code Section §54954.2) in the event that
a quorum of the Board is present. Items will be deliberated, however, no formal board actions
will be taken at this meeting. The committee makes recommendations
to the full board for its consideration and formal action.
AGENDA
1. ROLL CALL
2. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION – OPPORTUNITY FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD ON ANY SUBJECT MATTER WITHIN THE
BOARD'S JURISDICTION BUT NOT AN ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA
DISCUSSION ITEMS
3. APPROVE AN ENGAGEMENT LETTER WITH THE AUDITING FIRM OF
TEAMAN, RAMIREZ AND SMITH, INC., TO PROVIDE AUDIT SERVICES TO
THE DISTRICT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2015 (KOEPPEN)
[5 minutes]
4. APPROVE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THE WHEELING RATE FOR THE DELIVERY
OF TREATY WATERS TO MEXICO TO $70.37 FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2015
AND SET MEXICO’S PLANNED PROJECT AND EMERGENCY REPAIR
RESERVE FUND REQUIREMENT AT $70,000 (DYCHITAN) [ 5 minutes]
5. ADOPT ORDINANCE NO. 549 AMENDING SECTION 1.03.A, DATE OF
ELECTION, OF THE DISTRICT’S CODE OF ORDINANCES (WATTON) [5
minutes]
6. DEMONSTRATION OF THE DISTRICT’S DASH BOARD (SEGURA) [5 minutes]
7. ADJOURNMENT
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BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDING:
Mitch Thompson, Chair
Jose Lopez
All items appearing on this agenda, whether or not expressly listed for action, may be
deliberated and may be subject to action by the Board.
The Agenda, and any attachments containing written information, are available at the
District’s website at www.otaywater.gov. Written changes to any items to be considered
at the open meeting, or to any attachments, will be posted on the District’s website.
Copies of the Agenda and all attachments are also available through the District Secre-
tary by contacting her at (619) 670-2280.
If you have any disability which would require accommodation in order to enable you to
participate in this meeting, please call the District Secretary at 670-2280 at least 24
hours prior to the meeting.
Certification of Posting
I certify that on January 16, 2015 I posted a copy of the foregoing agenda near
the regular meeting place of the Board of Directors of Otay Water District, said time be-
ing at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting of the Board of Directors (Government
Code Section §54954.2).
Executed at Spring Valley, California on January 16, 2015.
______/s/_ Susan Cruz, District Secretary _____
STAFF REPORT
TYPE MEETING: Regular Board
MEETING DATE: February 4, 2015
SUBMITTED BY:
Kevin Koeppen, Finance Manager
PROJECT: DIV. NO. All
APPROVED BY:
Joseph R. Beachem, Chief Financial Officer
German Alvarez, Assistant General Manager, Finance and
Administration
Mark Watton, General Manager
SUBJECT: Appointment of Auditor for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2015
GENERAL MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION:
That the Board authorize the General Manager to sign the engagement
letters from the auditing firm of Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc., to
contract for audit services for the 2015 fiscal year.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Please see Attachment A.
PURPOSE:
The District is required to retain the services of an independent
accounting firm to perform an audit of the District’s financial
records each year.
ANALYSIS:
At the Board meeting on January 7, 2014, the Board approved Teaman,
Ramirez & Smith, Inc., as the District’s auditors for a 1-year
contract, with four (4) 1-year options, with each option year subject
to Board review and approval.
Staff is recommending the appointment of Teaman, Ramirez & Smith,
Inc. as the District’s auditors for FY-2015, in conjunction with the
first 1-year contract option. This is based on their staff’s
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knowledge of the District’s operations and finances, their technical
qualifications, and their performance as the District’s auditors
during the FY-2014 audit.
The audit will consist of four major components: 1) Standard Audit
Services, to provide an audit opinion on the District’s financial
statements; 2) Agreed upon procedures related to the District’s
Investment Policy procedures, to issue a report on staff’s compliance
with District policy; 3) A State Controllers Report, required by the
State of California; and 4) Assistance in preparation of the
District’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).
The following is a tentative planning schedule for the major
activities involved in completing the FY-2015 financial audit:
May-2015: Pre-audit fieldwork (3 – 4 days).
Aug-2015: Year-end audit fieldwork (4 – 5 days).
Nov-2015: Board presentation of the audited financial statements.
Dec-2015: CAFR submission to Government Finance Officers
Association.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fee for auditing services for the Fiscal Year ending June 30,
2015, will be $26,300. This is an increase of $500 over the prior
year’s fee.
STRATEGIC GOAL:
The District ensures its continued financial health through long-term
financial planning, formalized financial policies, enhanced budget
controls, fair pricing, debt planning, and improved financial
reporting.
LEGAL IMPACT:
Required by law.
Attachments: Attachment A – Committee Action Form
Attachment B – Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc. Audit
Engagement Letter
Attachment C – Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc. State
Controllers Report Engagement Letter
Attachment D – Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc. Agreed
Upon Procedures Engagement Letter
Attachment E - Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc. Fee
Letter
ATTACHMENT A
SUBJECT/PROJECT:
Appointment of Auditor for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2015
COMMITTEE ACTION:
The Finance and Administration Committee supported staff’s
recommendation to the Board to appoint Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc.,
as the District’s auditors for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015.
NOTE:
The “Committee Action” is written in anticipation of the Committee
moving the item forward for board approval. This report will be sent
to the Board as a committee approved item, or modified to reflect any
discussion or changes as directed from the committee prior to
presentation to the full board.
•I C)CS TEAMAN, RAMIREZ & SMITH, INC. I ~ CERTIF I ED PUB LI C ACCOUNTANTS
Joseph Beachem, Chief Financial Officer
Otay Water District
2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd
Spring Valley, CA 91778-2004
January 6, 2015
We are pleased to confirm our understanding of the services we are to provide the Otay Water District
(the "District") for the year ended June 30, 2015. We will audit the fmancial statements of the business-
type activities, and each major fund, including the related notes to the fmancial statements, which
collectively comprise the basic fmancial statements, of the Otay Water District as of and for the year
ended June 30, 2015. Accounting standards generally accepted in the United States provide for certain
required supplementary information (RSI), such as management's discussion and analysis (MD&A), to
supplement the District's basic financial statements. Such information, although not a part of the basic
fmancial statements, is required by the Government Accounting Standards Board who considers it to be
an essential part of fmancial reporting for placing the basic fmancial statements in an appropriate
operational, economic, or historical contest. As part of our engagement, we will apply certain limited
procedures to the District's RSI in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United
States of America. These limited procedures will consist principally of inquiries of management regarding
the methods of preparing the information and comparing the information for consistency with
management's responses to our inquiries, the basic fmancial statements, and other knowledge we
obtained during our audit of the basic fmancial statements. We will not express an opinion or provide any
assurance on the information because the limited procedures do not provide us with sufficient evidence to
express an opinion or provide any assurance. The following RSI is required by generally accepted
accounting principles and will be subjected to certain limited procedures, but will not be audited:
1. Management's Discussion and Analysis
2. Schedule of Funding Progress for PERS
3. Schedule of Funding Progress for DPHP
The following other information accompanying the fmancial statements will not be subjected to the
auditing procedures applied in our audit of the financial statements, and for which our auditors' report
will not provide an opinion or any assurance on that other information.
1. Introductory Section
2. Statistical Section
Audit Objectives
The objective of our audit is the expression of opinions as to whether your basic fmancial statements are
fairly presented, in all material respects, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles. Our audit will be conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the
United States of America and; the standards for fmancial audits contained in Government Auditing
Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, and will include tests of the
Ric hard A. Teaman, CPA • D avid M . Ramirez, CPA • Javier H . Carrillo, CPA
4201 Brockton Ave. S uite 100, Riverside CA 92501 • 951.274.9500 • 951.274.7828 FAX • www.trscpas.com
.. { ~-~1":
_· ~·~·~·
accounting records of the District and other procedures we consider necessary to enable us to express
such opinions. We will issue a written report upon completion of our audit of the District's financial
statements. We cannot provide assurance that an unmodified opinion will be expressed. Circumstances may
arise in which it is necessary for us to modifY our opinion or add an emphasis-of-matter or other-matter
paragraph. If our opinion is other than unqualified, we will discuss the reasons with you in advance. If our
opinions on the financial statements are other than unqualified (unmodified), we will fully discuss the
reasons with you in advance. If, for any reason, we are unable to complete the audit or are unable to form
or have not formed opinions, we may decline to express opinions or to issue a report as a result of this
engagement.
We will also provide a report (that does not include an opinion) on internal control related to the financial
statements and compliance with the provisions of laws, regulations, contracts and grant agreements,
noncompliance with which could have a material effect on the financial statements as required by
Government Auditing Standards. The report on internal control and on compliance and other matters will
include a paragraph that states (1) that the purpose of the report is solely to describe the scope of testing
of internal control and compliance, and the results of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on the
effectiveness of the entity's internal control on compliance, and (2) that the report is an integral part of an
audit performed in accordance with Government Auditing Standards in considering the entity's internal
control and compliance. The paragraph will also state that the report is not suitable for any other purpose.
If during our audit we become aware that the District is subject to an audit requirement that is not
encompassed in the terms of this engagement, we will communicate to management and those charged
with governance that an audit in accordance with U.S. generally accepted auditing standards and the
standards for finanCial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards may not satisfY the relevant
legal, regulatory, or contractual requirements.
We will also provide a report on agreed upon procedures performed on the District's calculation of its
annual appropriations limit as required by Article XIII B of the California State Constitution. We will
perform the procedures in the Article XIII B Appropriations Limit Uniform Guidelines as published by
the League of California Cities. This report will include a statement that the report is intended solely for
the information and use of management, Board of Directors and specific legislative or regulatmy bodies
and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties.
Management Responsibilities
Management is responsible for the fmancial statements and all accompanying information as well as all
representations contained therein. As part of the audit, we will assist with preparation of your financial
statements, related notes, and reports to the State Controller. Reports to the State Controller are addressed
in a separate engagement letter. These nonaudit services do not constitute an audit under Government
Auditing Standards and such services will not be conducted in accordance with Government Auditing
Standards. You agree to assume all management responsibilities relating to the fmancial statements and
related notes and any other nonaudit services we provide. You will be required to acknowledge in the
written representation letter our assistance with preparation of the financial statements and that you have
reviewed and approved the fmancial statements and related notes prior to their issuance and have
accepted responsibility for them. You agree to assume all management responsibilities for any nonaudit
services we provide; oversee the services by designating an individual, preferably from senior
management, who possesses suitable skill, knowledge, or experience; evaluate the adequacy and results of
the services; and accepting responsibility for them.
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Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal controls, including
evaluating and monitoring ongoing activities, to help ensure that appropriate goals and objectives are met;
following laws and regulations; and ensuring that management is reliable and fmancial infonnation is
reliable and properly reported; for the selection and application of accounting principles; and for the
preparation and fair presentation in the fmancial statements in confonnity with U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles. Management is also responsible for implementing systems designed to achieve
compliance with applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements. You are also responsible
for the selection and application of accounting principles, for the preparation and fair presentation of the
financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and for compliance
with applicable laws and regulations and the provisions of contracts and grant agreements.
Management is also responsible for making all financial records and related information available to us
and also for ensuring that financial information is reliable, complete and properly recorded. You are also
responsible for providing us with (1) access to all infonnation of which you are aware that is relevant to
the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements, (2) additional infonnation that we may
request for the purpose of the audit, and (3) unrestricted access to persons within the government from
whom we determine it necessary to obtain audit evidence.
Your responsibilities include adjusting the financial statements to correct material misstatement and for
confinning to us in the written representation letter that the effects of any uncorrected misstatements
aggregated by us during the current engagement and pettaining to the latest period presented are
immaterial, both individually and in the aggregate, to the financial statements taken as a whole.
You are responsible for the design and implementation of programs and controls to prevent and detect
fraud, and for informing us about all known or suspected fraud affecting the government involving (1)
management, (2) employees who have significant roles in internal control, and (3) others where the fraud
or illegal acts could have a material effect on the fmancial statements. Your responsibilities include
informing us of your knowledge of any allegations of fraud or suspected fraud affecting the government
received in communications from employees, former employees, grantors, regulators, or others. In
addition, you are responsible for identifying and ensuring that the District complies with applicable laws,
regulations, contracts, agreements, and grants for taking timely and appropriate steps to remedy any fraud
and noncompliance with provisions of laws, regulations, illegal acts, violations of contracts or grant
agreements, or abuse that we may report.
You are responsible for the preparation of the supplementary information in conformity with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles. You agree to include our report on the supplementary
information in any document that contains and indicates that we have reported on the supplementary
information. You also agree to include the audited fmancial statements with any presentation of the
supplementary information that includes our report thereon or make the audited fmancial statements
readily available to users of the supplementary information no later than the date the supplementary
information is issued with our report thereon. Your responsibilities include acknowledging to us in the
written representation letter that (1) you are responsible for presentation of the supplementary information
in accordance with GAAP; (2) that you believe the supplementary information, including its form and
content, is fairly presented in accordance with GAAP; (3) that the methods of measurement or
presentation have not changed from those used in the prior period or if they have changed the reasons for
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such changes; and ( 4) you have disclosed to us any significant assumptions or interpretations underlying
the measurement or presentation of the supplementary information.
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining a process for tracking the status of audit
findings and recommendations. Management is also responsible for identifying for us previous financial
audits, attestation engagements, performance audits or other studies related to the objectives discussed in
the Audit Objectives section of this letter. This responsibility includes relaying to us corrective actions
taken to address significant findings and recommendations resulting from those audits, attestation
engagements, performance audits, or other studies. You are also responsible for providing management's
views on our current findings, conclusions, and recommendations, as well as your planned corrective
actions, for the report, and for the timing and format for providing that information.
With regard to the electronic dissemination of audited fmancial statements, including financial statements
published electronically on your website, you understand that electronic sites are a means to distribute
infmmation and, therefore, we are not required to read the information contained in these sites or to
consider the consistency of other information in the electronic site with the original document.
Audit Procedures-General
An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the
financial statements; therefore, our audit will involve judgment about the number of transactions to be
examined and the areas to be tested .. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting
policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as
evaluating the overall presentation of the fmancial statements. We will plan and perform the audit to
obtain reasonable rather than absolute assurance about whether the financial statements are free of
material misstatement, whether from (1) errors, (2) fraudulent financial reporting, (3) misappropriation of
assets, or ( 4) violations oflaws or governmental regulations that are attributable to the District or to acts
by management or employees acting on behalf of the District. Because the determination of abuse is
subjective, Government Auditing Standards do not expect auditors to provide reasonable assurance of
detecting abuse.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, combined with the inherent limitations of internal control,
and because we will not perform a detailed examination of all transactions, there is a risk that material
misstatements may exist and not be detected by us, even though the audit is properly planned and
performed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted auditing standards and Government Auditing
Standards. In addition, an audit is not designed to detect immaterial misstatements or violations of laws
or governmental regulations that do not have a direct and material effect on the financial statements.
However, we will inform the appropriate level of management of any material errors or any fraudulent
fmancial reporting or misappropriation of assets that come to our attention. We will also infmm the
appropriate level of management of any violations of laws or governmental regulations that come to our
attention, unless clearly inconsequential. Our responsibility as auditor is limited to the period covered by
our audit and does not extent to later periods for which we are not engaged as auditors.
Our procedures will include tests of documentary evidence supporting the transactions recorded in the
accounts, and may include tests of the physical existence of inventories, and direct confmnation of
receivables and certain other assets and liabilities by correspondence with selected individuals, funding
sources, creditors, and financial institutions. We will request written representations from your attorneys
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as part of the engagement, and they may bill you for responding to this inquiry. At the conclusion of our
audit, we will also require certain written representations from you about your responsibilities for the
fmanciaJ statements; compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements; and other
responsibilities required by generally accepted auditing standards.
Audit Procedures-Internal Controls
Our audit will include obtaining an understanding of the District and its environment, including internal
control sufficient to assess the risk of material misstatement of the financial statements and to design the
nature, timing, and extent of further audit procedures. Tests of controls may be performed to test the
effectiveness of certain controls that we consider relevant to preventing and detecting errors and fraud
that are material to the financial statements and to preventing and detecting misstatements resulting from
illegal acts and other noncompliance matters that have a direct and material effect on the financial
statements. Our tests, if performed, will be less in scope than would be necessary to render an opinion on
internal control and, accordingly, no opinion will be expressed in our report on internal control issued
pursuant to Government Auditing Standards.
An audit is not designed to provide assurance on internal control or to identify significant deficiencies or
material weaknesses. However, during the audit, we will communicate to management and those charged
with governance internal control related matters that are required to be communicated under AICP A
professional standards and Government Auditing Standards.
Audit Procedures-Compliance
As part of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether the fmancial statements are free of material
misstatement, we will perform tests of the District's compliance with the provisions of applicable laws,
regulations, contracts, agreements, and grants. However, the objective of our audit will not be to provide
an opinion on overall compliance and we will not express such an opinion in our report on compliance
issued pursuant to Government Auditing Standards.
Engagement Administration, Fees, and Other
We understand that your employees will prepare all cash or other confirmations we request and will
locate any documents selected by us for testing.
We will provide copies of our reports to the District; however, management is responsible for distribution
of the reports and the financial statements. Unless restricted by law or regulation, or containing privileged
and confidential information, copies of our reports are to be made available for public inspection.
The audit documentation for this engagement is the property of Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc. and
constitutes confidential infonnation. However, pursuant to authority given by law or regulation, we may
be requested to make certain audit documentation available to grantor agencies or their designee, a federal
agency providing direct or indirect funding, or the U.S. Government Accountability Office for purpose of
a quality review of the audit, to resolve audit findings, or to carry out oversight responsibilities. We will
notify you of any such request. If requested, access to such audit documentation will be provided under
the supervision of our firm. Furthermore, upon request, we may provide copies of selected audit
documentation to the aforementioned parties. These parties may intend, or decide, to distribute the copies
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or information contained therein to others, including other governmental agencies. In such cases, Teaman,
Ramirez & Smith, Inc. is not responsible for the distribution of the copies or information contained
therein.
The audit documentation for this engagement will be retained for a minimum of five years after the report
release date or for any additional period requested by a grantor or federal agency. If we are aware that a
federal awarding agency or auditee is contesting an audit fmding, we will contact the party(ies) contesting
the audit finding for guidance prior to destroying the audit documentation.
We expect to begin our fmal audit fieldwork on approximately August 2015 and to issue our reports
approximately in October 2015. Richard Teaman is the engagement partner and is responsible for
supervising the engagement and signing the reports or authorizing another individual to sign them. Our
fee for these services will be $24,800. Our invoices for these fees will be rendered as work progresses and
are payable on presentation. If we elect to terminate our services for nonpayment, our engagement will be
deemed to have been completed upon written notification of termination, even if have not completed our
report. You will be obligated to compensate us for all time expended through the date of termination. The
above fee is based on anticipated cooperation from your personnel and the assumption that unexpected
circumstances will not be encountered during the audit. If significant additional time is necessary, we will
discuss it with you and arrive at a new fee estimate before we incur the additional costs.
We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to the Otay Water District and believe this letter accurately
summarizes the significant terms of our engagement. If you have any questions, please let us know. If you
agree with the terms of our engagement as described in this letter, please sign the enclosed copy and
return it to us.
RESPONSE:
Very truly yours,
TEAMAN, RAMIREZ & SMITH, INC.
Richard A. Teaman
Certified Public Accountant
This letter correctly sets forth the understanding of the Otay Water District.
By:
Title:
Date:
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•I e>cs TEAMAN. RAMIREZ & SMITH. INC. I ~ CERT I FI ED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
Joseph Beachem, Chief Financial Officer
Otay Water District
2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd
Spring Valley, CA 91778-2004
Dear Joseph:
January 6, 2015
This letter is to confirm our understanding of the terms and objectives of our engagement and the nature and limitations of the
services we will provide.
We will compile, from information you provide, the balance sheet of the Otay Water District (the "District") for the year ended
June 30, 2015 and the related statements of revenues and expenses, and changes in fund equity for the year then ended to be
included in the forms prescribed by the California State Controller (State Controller's Report) and issue an accountant's report
thereon in accordance with Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services issued by the American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants.
The supplementary information that accompanies the State Controller's Report is additional information requested by the
California State Controller. The supplementary information will be compiled from information that is the representation of
management. We will not audit or review the supplementary information. We will not express an opinion or provide any
assurance on such supplementary information.
The objective of a compilation is to assist you in presenting fmancial information in the forms prescribed by the California State
Controller. We will utilize information that is your representation without undertaking to obtain or provide any assurance that
there are no material modifications that should be made to those forms for them to be in conformity with the basis of accounting
prescribed by the California State Controller.
You are responsible for:
• the preparation and fair presentation of the State Controller's Report in accordance with the basis of accounting
prescribed by the California State Controller.
• designing, implementing, and maintaining internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of the State
Controller's Report.
• preventing and detecting fraud.
• identifYing and ensuring that the District complies with the laws and regulations applicable to its activities.
• making all financial records and related information available to us and for the accuracy and completeness of that
information.
We will conduct our compilation in accordance with Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services issued by the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
A compilation differs significantly from a review or an audit of fmancial statements. A compilation does not contemplate
performing inquiry, analytical procedures, or other procedures performed in a review. Additionally, a compilation does not
contemplate obtaining an understanding of the District's internal control; assessing fraud risk; testing accounting records by
obtaining sufficient appropriate audit evidence through inspection, observation, confirmation, or the examination of source
documents (for example, cancelled checks or banlc images); or other procedures ordinarily performed in an audit. Accordingly,
we will not express an opinion or provide any assurance regarding the State Controller's Report being compiled.
R ichard A. Teaman, CPA • David M . Ramirez, CPA • Javier H . Carrillo, CPA
4201 B rockto n Ave. S uite 100, Riverside CA 92501 • 951.274 .9500 • 951 .274. 7828 FAX • www.trscpas.com
Our engagement cannot be relied upon to disclose errors, fraud, or illegal acts. However, we will inform the appropriate level of
management of any material errors, and of any evidence or information that comes to our attention during the performance of
our compilation procedures, that fraud may have occurred. In addition, we will inform you of any evidence or information that
comes to our attention during the performance of our compilation procedures regarding illegal acts that may have occurred,
unless they are clearly inconsequential. We have no responsibility to identify and communicate deficiencies in your internal
control as part ofthis engagement.
If, for any reason, we are unable to complete the compilation of your State Controller's Report, we will not issue a report on
such prescribed forms as a result of this engagement.
You are responsible for assuming all management responsibilities and for overseeing any other services we, provide by
designating an individual, preferably within senior management, who possesses suitable skill, knowledge, or experience. In
addition, you are responsible for evaluating the adequacy and results of the services performed and accepting responsibility for
the results of such services.
Richard Teaman is the engagement partner and is responsible for supervising the engagement and signing the report or
authorizing another individual to sign it.
Our fee to prepare the report is included in the fee quoted in the engagement letter to conduct the June 30, 2015 fmancial audit of
the District dated January 6, 2015. The fee is based on anticipated cooperation from your personnel and the assumption that
unexpected circumstances will not be encountered during the work performed. If significant additional time is necessary, we
will discuss it with you and arrive at a new fee estimate before we incur the additional costs.
We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you and believe this letter accurately summarizes the significant terms of our
engagement. If you have any questions, please let us know. If you agree with the terms of our engagement as prescribed in this
letter, please sign the enclosed copy and return it to us.
RESPONSE:
Very truly yours,
TEAMAN, RAMIREZ & SMITH, INC.
Richard A. Teaman
Certified Public Accountant
This letter conectly sets forth the understanding of the Otay Water District.
By:, ___________________ _
Title:, ______________________ _
Dme:, ________________________ _
•I C>CS TEAMAN, RAMIREZ & SMITH, INC. I ~ CERT I FI ED P UBL I C ACC OUNTANT S
Joseph Beachem, Chief Financial Officer
Otay Water District
2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd
Spring Valley, CA 91778-2004
Dear Joseph:
January 6, 2015
We are pleased to confirm our understanding of the nature and limitations of the services we are to provide for the
Otay Water District (the "District").
We will apply the agreed-upon procedures which the District's management has specified, listed in the attached
schedule, for the investments of the District for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 (prepared in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles). This engagement is solely to assist the District's management in
evaluating the compliance with the District's investment policy. Our engagement to apply agreed-upon procedures
will be conducted in accordance with attestation standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants. The sufficiency of the procedures is solely the responsibility of those parties specified in the report.
Consequently, we make no representation regarding the sufficiency of the procedures described in the attached
schedule either for the purpose for which this report has been requested or for any other purpose. If for any reason,
we are unable to complete the procedures, we will describe any restrictions on the performance of the procedures in
our repm1, or will not issue a report as a result of this engagement.
Because the agreed-upon procedures listed in the attached schedule do not constitute an examination, we will not
express an opinion on the District's investments or any elements, accounts, or items thereof. In addition, we have no
obligation to pe1form any procedures beyond those listed in the attached schedule.
We will submit a report listing the procedures performed and our findings. This report is intended solely for the
information and use of the District, and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than this
specified pru1y. Our report will contain a paragraph indicating that had we performed additional procedures, other
matters might have come to our attention that would have been reported to you.
You are responsible for the presentation of the investments of the District in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles; and for selecting the criteria and determining that such criteria are appropriate for your
purposes. You are responsible for assuming all management responsibilities and for overseeing any nonattest
services we provide by designating an individual, preferably within senior management, who possesses suitable
skill, knowledge, and/or experience. In addition, you are responsible for evaluating the adequacy and results of the
services performed and accepting responsibility for the results of such services.
Richard A. Teaman is the engagement partner and is responsible for supervising the engagement and signing the
report or authorizing another individual to sign it.
Richard A . Teaman, CPA • David M . Ramirez, CPA • Javier H . Carrillo, CPA
4201 B rockton Ave. S uite 100 , Riverside C A 92501 • 951.274.9500 • 951 .274. 7828 FAX • www.trscpas.com
We plan to begin our procedures in approximately August 2015 and, unless unforeseeable problems encountered,
the engagement should be completed in October 2015. At the conclusion of our engagement, we will require a
representation letter from management that, among other things, will confirm management's responsibility for the
presentation of the investments of the District in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Our fees for these services will be $1,500. The fee is based on anticipated cooperation your personnel and the
assumption that unexpected circumstances will not be encountered during the engagement. If significant additional
time is necessary, we will discuss it with you and arrive at a new fee before we incur the additional costs.
We appreciate the opportunity to assist you and believe this letter accurately summarizes the significant terms of our
engagement. If you have any questions, please let us know. If you agree with the terms of our engagement as
described in this letter, please sign the enclosed copy and return it to us. If the need for additional services arises,
our agreement with you will need to be revised. It is customary for us to enumerate these revisions in an addendum
to this letter. If additional specified parties of the repmt are added, we will require that they acknowledge in writing
their responsibility for the sufficiency of procedures.
RESPONSE:
Very truly yours,
TEAMAN, RAMIREZ & S:MITH, INC.
Richard A. Teaman
Certified Public Accountant
This letter correctly sets forth the understanding of the Otay Water District.
By: ___________________ _
Title: ____________________ _
Date: _____________________ _
Otay Water District Agreed-Upon Procedures
Investments
1. Obtain a copy of the District's investment policy and determine that it is in effect for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2015.
2. Select 4 investments held at year end and determine if they are allowable investments
under the District's Investment Policy.
3. For the four investments selected in #2 above, determine if they are held by a third party
custodian designated by the District.
4. Confirm the part or original investment amount and market value of the four investments
selected above with the custodian or issuer of the investments.
5. Select two investment earnings transactions that took place during the year and
recomputed the eamings to determine if they proper amount was received.
6. Trace amounts received for transactions selected at #5 above into the District's bank
accounts.
7. Select five investment transactions (buy, sell, trade, or maturity) occurring during the year
under review and determine that the transactions are permissible under the District's
investment policy.
8. Review supporting documentation for the five investments selected at #7 above to
determine if the transactions were appropriately recorded in the District's general ledger.
•I C)CS TEAMAN. RAMIREZ & SMITH. INC. I ~ c E R T IF I E D p u 8 L I c A c c 0 u N T A N T s
Kevin Keoppen, Finance Manager
Otay Water District
2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd
Spring Valley, CA 91778-2004
Dear Kevin:
January 6, 2015
Pursuant to your request, we are pleased to submit this proposal to perform the audit of the Otay Water District
for the year ending June 30, 2015.
For June 30, 2015, we propose the following fees:
Audit of Financial Statements:
Annual Audit Fee
Investment Agreed Upon Procedures
Total
$
$
2014/2015
24,800
1 500
26.300
Our proposed fee takes into consideration experience gained by the District's staff and refmements to the
District's accounting system. This proposal assumes the scope of operations for the District will not change from
the prior year. Should the scope change we would be happy to discuss those changes with you and negotiate a
new fee.
The aforementioned fees do not include a Single Audit required by federal funding. If the District reaches the
expenditure of federal funds threshold requiring a Single Audit for a particular year, there will be an additional fee
of $3,600 for that year. The District has not been required to have a Single Audit since we have been doing the
audit.
We can appreciate your concern over any costs incurred by the District and would be happy to talk to you
personally and explain in more detail our position regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Teaman, Ramirez & Smith, Inc.
Richard A. Teaman
Certified Public Accountant
Richard A. Teaman, CPA • David M. Ramirez, CPA • Javier H . Carrillo, CPA
4201 Brockton Ave. Suite 100, Riverside CA 92501 • 951 .274.9500 • 951 .274. 7828 FAx • www.trscpas.com
STAFF REPORT
TYPE MEETING: Regular Board MEETING DATE: February 4, 2015
SUBMITTED BY:
Marissa Dychitan,
Senior Accountant
Kevin Koeppen,
Finance Manager
PROJECT: DIV. NO. All
APPROVED BY:
Joseph R. Beachem, Chief Financial Officer
German Alvarez, Assistant General Manager
Mark Watton, General Manager
SUBJECT: Adjust the Wheeling Rate for the Delivery of Treaty Waters to
Mexico to $70.37 for Calendar Year 2015 and Set Mexico’s
Planned Project and Emergency Repair Reserve Fund Requirement
at $70,000
GENERAL MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION:
That the Board authorize the General Manager to adjust the wheeling
rate for the delivery of Treaty Waters to Mexico to $70.37 for
Calendar Year 2015 and set Mexico’s Planned Project and Emergency
Repair Reserve Fund requirement at $70,000.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
See Attachment A.
PURPOSE:
To adjust the wheeling rate for the delivery of Treaty Waters to
Mexico for Calendar Year 2015 and set the requirement for Mexico’s
Planned Project and Emergency Repair Reserve Fund.
2
BACKGROUND:
The agreement to provide temporary emergency deliveries to Mexico was
originally executed in 2003. In 2008, the agreement was extended for
a period of five years via Amendment No. 1, which subsequently
expired on November 9, 2013. In February 2014, the Otay Water
District’s Board of Directors approved the renewal of the agreement,
which we anticipate will be executed in March of 2015.
Staff is submitting this recommendation of adjustment to the wheeling
rate and establishing the repair reserve, funded by Mexico and held
at the San Diego County Water Authority (CWA), to be effective upon
execution of the agreement. Per the draft agreement, the District
has thirty days from the execution date to establish the wheeling
rate and repair reserve fund.
Deliveries of water to Mexico are based on a purchase schedule
provided by Mexico to the United States Commissioner on a calendar
year basis. Wheeling rates and repair reserves are based on the most
current calculation of costs and any changes to the rate shall be
approved by the District’s Board of Directors.
The $70.37 wheeling rate for Calendar Year 2015 is based on the
District’s costs of energy and Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
associated with delivering water to Mexico. The recommended rate
represents a $6.23 (9.7%) increase from the prior rate of $64.14 per
acre-foot approved by the Board on October 2, 2013. The year-over-
year increase is primarily due to rising SDG&E costs. The District
has budgeted a 9% increase in SDG&E costs for Fiscal Year 2015.
The $70,000 reserve fund is a reserve funded by Mexico and held by
CWA. The purpose of this reserve is to secure the funding of planned
and unplanned repairs, approved by Mexico, to be performed by the
Otay Water District on the Mexico connection. The recommended
$70,000 reserve was determined to be an appropriate level based on
the District’s historical cost to repair similar infrastructure in an
emergency situation. Under the currently drafted terms and
conditions, the minimum reserve shall not be less than seventy
thousand dollars ($70,000) and not greater than two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars ($250,000).
ANALYSIS:
Water is pumped to the Mexico connection from the District’s 870-1
Pump Station, which also pumps water to the District’s 870-1
Reservoir in the Otay Mesa area. There are a total of 4 energy bills
(SDG&E) attributable to the pump station and these bills are used in
3
the calculations for the energy portion of the rate the District
charges Mexico. The water volumes pumped to both Mexico and the
reservoir are added together, and the energy costs for Mexico are
allocated based on the respective percentage of the total water
volume. Similarly, maintenance costs for the District’s distribution
infrastructure from CWA to the Mexico border connection are computed
based on Mexico’s percentage of the total water volume pumped through
that portion of the District’s infrastructure. The energy costs are
then added to the maintenance and repair costs and expressed as an
overall rate per acre-foot.
Based on the methodology described above, staff has recalculated the
“unit payment due the District for delivery charges and other
expenses ($/acre-foot)” to be used by CWA on their monthly billing
invoices to Mexico for water deliveries. Effective upon execution of
the agreement, the proposed rate is $70.37 per acre-foot.
Based on a review of historical repair costs a reserve of seventy
thousand dollars ($70,000) should be established.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None. This adjustment maintains the District in a projected cost
neutral position.
STRATEGIC GOAL:
Strengthen the long-term financial plan.
LEGAL IMPACT:
None.
Attachments:
A) Committee Action Form
ATTACHMENT A
SUBJECT/PROJECT:
Adjust the Wheeling Rate for the Delivery of Treaty Waters
to Mexico to $70.37 for Calendar Year 2015 and Set Mexico’s
Planned Project and Emergency Repair Reserve Fund
Requirement at $70,000
COMMITTEE ACTION:
That the Finance, Administration and Communications Committee
recommend that the Board authorize the General Manager to adjust the
wheeling rate for the delivery of Treaty Waters to Mexico to $70.37
for Calendar Year 2015 and set Mexico’s Planned Project and Emergency
Repair Reserve Fund requirement at $70,000.
NOTE:
The “Committee Action” is written in anticipation of the Committee
moving the item forward for board approval. This report will be sent
to the Board as a committee approved item, or modified to reflect any
discussion or changes as directed from the committee prior to
presentation to the full board.
STAFF REPORT
TYPE MEETING: Regular Board MEETING DATE: February 4, 2015
SUBMITTED BY:
Mark Watton, General Manager
PROJECT: DIV. NO. All
APPROVED BY:
German Alvarez, Assistant General Manager
Mark Watton, General Manager
SUBJECT: Adopt Ordinance No. 549 Amending Section 1.03 A, Date of
Election of the District’s Code of Ordinances
GENERAL MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION:
That the Board adopt Ordinance No. 549 (Attachment B) amending
Section 1.03.A, Date of Election, of the District’s Code of
Ordinances.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
See Attachment A.
PURPOSE:
To revise the language in Section 1.03.A in the District’s Code of
Ordinances related to the election of officers for the Board of
Directors to change elections from January to December for
consistency with recent changes in state law.
ANALYSIS:
Assembly Bill 72 (“AB72”), approved in June of 2013, amended Water
Code section 71253, which now reads as follows: “Except for the
directors elected at a formation election, directors elected to
office shall take office at noon on the first Friday in December
succeeding their election.” (Water Code § 71253 (emphasis added).)
Prior to this amendment, the Water Code required directors, except
directors elected at the district formation election, to take office
on the first Monday after January succeeding their election.
According to the legislative history for AB72, the change in the law
was sponsored by several water districts who wanted to avoid “lame
duck” directors who had no motivation to act over their last month or
two of office; thus, the new law enabled directors to take office
approximately 30 days sooner than under prior law. The change in the
law also made the timing for municipal water districts consistent
with other types of California water districts, resulting in all
water district directors in California taking office on the same
date.
As a result of AB72, new or re-elected District directors now take
office in December rather than January. It is recommended that
Section 1.03.A of the District’s Code of Ordinances be amended to
move the election for officers of the Board of Directors from January
to December. Section 1.03.A currently calls for officer elections to
take place in January, or “at such time the Board deems necessary.”
Revising this section to call for elections in December, when new and
re-elected directors take office, brings the District’s Code of
Ordinances into line with new state law timelines. The Board still
maintains its discretion to move officer elections where desired.
FISCAL IMPACT: Joe Beachem, Chief Financial Officer
None.
STRATEGIC GOAL:
None.
LEGAL IMPACT:
None.
Attachments: Attachment A – Committee Action
Attachment B – Ordinance No. 549
Exhibit I – Strike-through Section 1
Attachment C – Proposed Section 1
ATTACHMENT A
SUBJECT/PROJECT:
Adopt Ordinance No. 549 Amending Section 1.03.A, Date of
Election, of the District’s Code of Ordinances
COMMITTEE ACTION:
The Finance, Administration and Communications Committee recommends
that the Board adopt Ordinance No. 549 amending Section 1.03.A,
Date of Election, of the District’s Code of Ordinances
NOTE:
The “Committee Action” is written in anticipation of the Committee
moving the item forward for board approval. This report will be sent
to the Board as a committee approved item, or modified to reflect any
discussion or changes as directed from the committee prior to
presentation to the full board.
Page 1 of 1
ORDINANCE NO. 549
AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE OTAY WATER DISTRICT
AMENDING SECTION 1.03.A,
DATE OF ELECTION,
OF THE DISTRICT’S CODE OF ORDINANCE
BE IT ORDAINED by the Board of Directors of Otay Water
District that the District’s Code of Ordinances, Section 1.03.A,
Date of Election, be amended to change the date of elections
from January to December for consistency with recent changes in
state law. The amendment is presented in Exhibit I attached to
this ordinance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the amendments to
Section 1.03.A, Date of Election, to the District’s Code of
Ordinances shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Directors of
the Otay Water District at a regular meeting duly held this 4th
day of February 2015, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
________________________________
President
ATTEST:
_____________________________
District Secretary
Attachment B
1-1
CHAPTER 2 ADMINISTRATION OF DISTRICT
SECTION 1 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
1.01 GOVERNING BODY
A. Authority of Board. The Board of Directors, act-
ing as a Board, is the governing body of the District. The
Board shall act only at its regular, regularly adjourned or
special meetings.
B. Authority of Individual Board Members. All powers
of the District shall be exercised and performed by the
Board as a body. Individual Board members, except as pro-
vided in this Code or otherwise authorized by the Board,
shall have no power to act for the District, or the Board,
or to direct the Staff of the District.
C. Compensation for District Directors. Each member
of the District Board of Directors shall be compensated as
per Board of Directors Policy 8, Directors Compensation,
Reimbursement of Expenses and Group Insurance Benefits,
under Item A, Directors Per Diem, for each day's attendance
at meetings of the Board, or for each day's service rendered
as a member of the Board at meetings or functions approved
by the Board. A request for service made by the General
Manager of the District or made or approved by the President
of the Board shall be deemed approved by the Board. The
number of days of authorized compensation for any calendar
month shall be limited to ten, regardless of the number of
meetings attended or days of service rendered.
D. Staff Direction. The Board shall work through the
General Manager to obtain such information as may be
necessary and appropriate to assist the Board in its
deliberations, and may direct Staff to implement the
policies and decisions of the Board. Individual Board
members shall not act independently to direct Staff in the
performance of their duties, or to provide or compile data,
information or reports.
1.02 OFFICERS
A. Board Officers. The Board shall elect one of its
members as President, and one of its members as Vice Presi-
dent.
B. District Officers. The Board shall appoint offi-
cers of the District as required by law. The Board may also
appoint a deputy or assistant secretary, deputy or assistant
treasurer, and such other assistants and employees as it may
deem necessary to operate the District. The secretary and
EXHIBIT I
1-2
treasurer of the District may, but need not be, members of
the Board.
1.03 ELECTION OF BOARD OFFICERS
A. Date of Election. In the month of January
December of each year, or at such time the Board deems
necessary, the Board shall elect a President and Vice Pres-
ident. Their terms shall be for one year, or until their
successors are elected. The Board may, however, at its sole
discretion and without cause reorganize and select new
officers at anytime prior to the expiration of the one-year
term.
B. Procedure for Election. The procedure in this
paragraph B shall govern the election of Board President and
Vice President, unless changed by action of the Board by
motion at the time of the election. The General Manager
shall chair the proceedings for election of the President,
which shall be the first order of business after any newly
elected directors have been seated or at anytime as the
Board deems necessary. The newly-elected President shall
assume office immediately, and shall chair the proceedings
for the election of the Vice President. The chairman shall
call for nominations from members of the Board. No second
shall be required for nominations, although one or more
members may second a nomination to indicate endorsement. No
member may nominate more than one person for the position.
Once all nominations have been made, the Chairman shall call
for a roll call vote. Each Board member shall state the
name of the candidate for whom he casts his vote. Three
votes shall be required for election. If only one person
should be nominated for an office, the Board may act by
motion to elect such nominee.
1.04 BOARD VACANCIES
Procedure for Appointment. Vacancies in the office of
Director shall be filled in accordance with the provisions
of Section 1780 of the California Government Code. Such
procedure permits the remaining members of the Board to fill
the vacancy by appointment, provided the appointment is made
within 60 days after the effective date of the vacancy, and
provided further that notice of the vacancy is given as
provided by law. In making such appointment, the Board
shall follow the same procedure as provided for the election
of its officers. In lieu of making an appointment, the
remaining members of the Board may request an election to
fill the vacancy.
1.05 DUTIES OF PRESIDENT
A. Meetings. The president shall preside over and
conduct all meetings of the Board and hearings before the
1-3
Board. In so doing, the President shall have the following
powers and responsibilities:
1. To follow the prepared agenda unless the Board
concurs in any change.
2. To determine all questions of order and parlia-
mentary procedure, unless he chooses to submit any
such question to the Board for decision.
3. To maintain order and to enforce reasonable rules
of decorum.
4. To determine at meetings of the Board, other than
public hearings, whether or not members of the
public should be heard on particular issues or
otherwise be permitted to address the Board.
5. To set reasonable limits upon the length of time
and the number of occasions on which a person may
speak at public hearings as well as other meetings
of the Board.
6. To recognize Board members who may wish to be
heard.
7. To restate, where necessary, and to put to a vote
all questions properly before the Board, and to
announce the result of each vote.
8. To terminate debate after there has been reason-
able opportunity for full discussion of any issue
and further debate would be needlessly repetitive
or otherwise not useful, and where proper, to put
the matter to a vote.
9. To rule out of order any comment by Board members,
Staff or members of the public not germane to the
issue then before the Board.
10. To respond to inquiries by Board members relating
to procedures, or to factual information bearing
upon the business before the Board.
11. To establish standing or ad hoc committees of the
Board, and to appoint the members thereof, when
requested by the General Manager.
12. To declare the meeting adjourned upon such vote by
the Board, or when in his judgment any emergency
or other cause requires adjournment.
13. To authenticate by his signature all acts, orders,
and other proceedings of the Board.
1-4
Notwithstanding the delegation of such powers to the Presi-
dent, any action taken by a majority of the Board on any of
the foregoing matters shall be determinative thereof.
B. Board Spokesman. The President shall act as
spokesman for the Board with respect to its actions and
policies, and those of the District. This provision, how-
ever, shall not preclude any other officer or employee of
the District from making appropriate comments within the
scope of his position.
C. Public Appearances. The President, or any Board
member or Staff person he designates, shall represent the
Board, where it is appropriate or desirable for the District
to appear, at meetings of other public agencies, before pub-
lic groups, or on other public occasions. However, this
provision shall not limit the attendance of any Director or
authorized officer or employee of the District.
1.06 DUTIES OF VICE-PRESIDENT
A. Powers of Vice-President. The Vice-President
shall act if the President is absent or unable to act, and
shall exercise all of the powers of the President on such
occasion.
1.07 DUTIES OF SECRETARY
A. Board Matters. With respect to the affairs of the
Board of Directors, the Secretary shall have the following
duties:
1. To take and prepare minutes of all Board meetings.
2. To keep in appropriate books the original copies
of all final minutes, ordinances and resolutions
of the Board.
3. To keep on file all Board committee reports.
4. To attest to the minutes, ordinances, resolutions
and other documents of the Board.
5. To provide notice as required by law of any spe-
cial meeting or regularly adjourned meeting.
6. To provide notice as required by law of any hear-
ing before the Board.
7. In the absence of the President and Vice-President
to call any meeting to order, and to preside until
the election of a chairman pro tem, who shall then
1-5
exercise the powers of the President at such meet-
ing.
B. Other Duties. The responsibilities enumerated in
Section 7A are not intended to limit any other duties of the
Secretary imposed by law, or assigned from time to time by
the Board, or by the General Manager if the Secretary is an
employee of the District.
C. Assistant Secretary. The Assistant Secretary
shall act if the Secretary is absent or unable to act, and
shall exercise all the powers of the Secretary on such occa-
sion.
1.08 MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
A. Time and Place of Meetings. Regular meetings of
the Board shall be held at the office of the District at
2554 Sweetwater Springs Boulevard, Spring Valley,
California, at such day and hour as may be specified from
time to time by resolution of the Board.
B. Public Nature of Meetings. All meetings of the
Board shall be open to the public, except when the Board is
convened in Closed Session as authorized under provisions of
law. Meetings of Board committees composed of not more than
two members of the Board shall not be public meetings, un-
less the committee determines otherwise.
C. Quorum and Voting Requirements. A majority of the
Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the trans-
action of business. However, no ordinance, resolution or
motion shall be passed without three affirmative votes.
D. Agendas for Board Meetings
1. The General Manager shall prepare the agendas for
meetings. Agendas shall be based upon items re-
quested by any Board member or by others in the
normal course of the District business, or as de-
termined by the General Manager.
2. Each agenda for a regular meeting shall provide an
opportunity for members of the public to address
the Board of Directors on items of interest to the
public that are within the subject matter of the
Board of Directors. Action by the Board of
Directors on any such matter shall be taken in
accordance with Section 1.08E of this Code.
3. The agenda for a regular or adjourned regular
meeting may provide for a Consent Calendar for
items which the General Manager deems to be of a
routine nature. Action by the Board of Directors
1-6
on the Consent Calendar shall be taken in accor-
dance with Section 1.08E of this Code.
4. At least 72 hours before a regular meeting of the
Board an agenda containing a brief general de-
scription of each item of business to be trans-
acted or discussed at the meeting shall be posted
at the entrance to the District business office in
a location accessible to members of the public.
E. Board Action
1. The Board shall act only by ordinance, reso-
lution or motion. The vote on ordinances
shall be recorded in the minutes. An ordi-
nance does not require two readings at sepa-
rate meetings, and unless otherwise provided
by its own terms, shall become effective upon
adoption. Ordinances, resolutions and other
motions may be adopted by a voice vote, but
on demand of any member of the Board, the
roll shall be called and the vote recorded.
All motions, including a motion to adopt an
ordinance or to approve a resolution, shall
require a second. If a second is not
received, the motion shall fail without the
requirement of a vote. Any member of the
Board, including the Chairman, can make and
second a motion, and the Chairman shall vote
on all motions unless disqualified or
abstaining. If a motion is not in writing,
and if it is necessary for full understanding
of the matter before the Board, the Chairman
shall restate the question prior to the vote.
Common motions may be stated in abbreviated
form, and will be put into complete form in
the minutes. Until the Chairman states the
question, the maker with the approval of the
second may modify his motion or withdraw it
completely. However, after the question has
been stated by the Chairman, the motion may
be changed only by motion to amend, which is
seconded and carried.
2. All items on the Consent Calendar on a Board
Meeting Agenda may be approved without dis-
cussion upon motion duly made, seconded and
approved by at least three Directors. At the
request of a Director or a member of the pub-
lic, an item on the Consent Calendar shall be
removed from the Consent Calendar and placed
on the Agenda with other items for discussion
and consideration by the Board of Directors.
1-7
3. The Board shall not take action on any item
not appearing on the agenda previously posted
for the meeting pursuant to Section 1.08D of
this Code; excepting, however, the Board may
consider items not appearing on the posted
agenda if:
(a) a majority of the Board determines that
an emergency situation) as defined in
Government Code Section 54956.5) exists;
(b) two-thirds of the Board finds that the
need to take action arose after the
agenda was posted; or
(c) the item was posted for a prior meeting
occurring not more than five days prior
to the current meeting and was continued
to the current meeting.
F. Parliamentary Procedures Affecting Motions. After
a motion has been made and seconded, any member of the Board
may make any of the following motions:
1. To continue the motion to a specific time.
2. To table the motion, the effect of which de-
fers further discussion and a vote until the
majority of the Board again wishes to resume
consideration of the motion.
3. To commit or refer the motion to a committee,
the effect of which is to defer further con-
sideration until the committee has reported
its findings to the Board.
4. To amend the motion to modify its wording be-
fore adoption, provided the suggested amend-
ment is germane to the original motion.
5. To propose a substitute motion, which has the
effect of disposing of the motion before the
Board and eliminating the necessity of a vote
on the original motion.
6. To call for the question, which in fact is a
motion to terminate further debate, and re-
quires a second and an affirmative vote of
the Board.
G. Routine Business. Matters of routine business
such as approval of the minutes, and approval of minor mat-
ters, may be expedited by assuming unanimous consent of the
members of the Board, and having the Chairman state that
1-8
without objection the matter will stand approved. If any
member should object to such unanimous consent, the Chairman
shall then call for a vote.
H. Orderly Discussion. In order to promote orderly
discussion of the issues before the Board, each member shall
be recognized by the Chair before speaking. Each member
shall have a right to speak subject to Section 1.05A, sub-
number 8 and 9 of this Code. Each member of the Board may
seek information or comment by the Staff on any question.
I. Rules of Procedure for Board Meetings. The fol-
lowing shall apply to persons desiring to address the Board
of Directors:
1. Anyone who desires to speak to the Board of
Directors on a specific subject at a particu-
lar meeting should contact the District Sec-
retary and give their name and address, re-
quest that the subject be placed on the
Agenda for that meeting and give the reason
for such request.
2. Anyone in attendance at a Board meeting, who
desires to speak to an item on the Agenda
that is being considered, may request to be
heard by stepping to the podium and stating
his or her name and address for the record.
3. Anyone in attendance at a Board meeting who
desires to speak on a subject that is not on
the Agenda for that meeting may request to do
so by stepping to the podium and stating his
or her name, address and the subject they
wish to discuss. The Board shall determine
in accordance with Section 1.08E3 of this
Code whether the subject will be taken as an
"off-docket" item and discussed at that
meeting or placed on the Agenda for the next
Board meeting.
4. No one in the audience shall be permitted to
pose questions or carry on any discussion on
any matter being considered by the board un-
less they first step to the podium and give
their name and address as required above.
Anyone failing to comply may be deemed "out
of order" by the Chairman and statements or
comments made by such person shall not be
considered by the Board of Directors.
J. Closed Sessions. Except as required by law, all
proceedings in Closed Sessions shall remain confidential.
1-9
1.09 PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Order of Procedure. Public hearings shall be
called to order by the Chairman at or as soon as practical
after the time for which the hearing has been noticed. The
Chairman shall interrupt at a reasonable point any business
before the Board in order to proceed with such noticed pub-
lic hearing. The procedure for public hearings shall gener-
ally be as follows:
1. The Secretary shall report upon the notice of the
hearing which has been given.
2. The Secretary shall indicate or summarize all
protests or correspondence which has been received
on the issue to be heard.
3. The Staff shall present such information, exhibits
and recommendations as may be appropriate.
4. The Chairman shall call upon such members of the
public as may wish to be heard.
5. Board members and Staff shall attempt to answer
such questions from members of the public as may
be germane to the issues of the hearing.
6. Board members and Staff, after recognition by the
Chairman, may ask questions of members of the pub-
lic who speak.
7. Board members shall refrain from discussing the
issues among themselves, or expressing their per-
sonal views, until all of the testimony has been
heard and the hearing has been closed.
8. If the nature of the hearing appears to warrant
sworn testimony, the Chairman may require that all
persons giving testimony do so under oath. The
oath may be administered by the Chairman, a Board
member, of by the Secretary.
9. Any member of the public may, at his own expense,
transcribe the proceedings of the hearing.
1.10 ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER
A. Applicability. While many of the principles of
Robert's Rules of Order have come to be generally accepted
as the proper, fair and efficient way of conducting a meet-
ing, such Rules were not designed for small governing boards
of public agencies, and in some instances conflict with the
law. Accordingly, while many of the fundamental concepts of
Robert's Rules of Order have been included within the provi-
1-10
sions of this Ordinance, such Rules shall not technically
apply to the affairs of the Board of Directors of this Dis-
trict.
1.11 SEAL OF THE DISTRICT
The Seal, an impression of which is hereby affixed to
this page and bearing the words "OTAY WATER DISTRICT founded
January 27, 1956" is adopted as the official Seal of this
District.
1-1
CHAPTER 2 ADMINISTRATION OF DISTRICT
SECTION 1 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
1.01 GOVERNING BODY
A. Authority of Board. The Board of Directors, act-
ing as a Board, is the governing body of the District. The
Board shall act only at its regular, regularly adjourned or
special meetings.
B. Authority of Individual Board Members. All powers
of the District shall be exercised and performed by the
Board as a body. Individual Board members, except as pro-
vided in this Code or otherwise authorized by the Board,
shall have no power to act for the District, or the Board,
or to direct the Staff of the District.
C. Compensation for District Directors. Each member
of the District Board of Directors shall be compensated as
per Board of Directors Policy 8, Directors Compensation,
Reimbursement of Expenses and Group Insurance Benefits,
under Item A, Directors Per Diem, for each day's attendance
at meetings of the Board, or for each day's service rendered
as a member of the Board at meetings or functions approved
by the Board. A request for service made by the General
Manager of the District or made or approved by the President
of the Board shall be deemed approved by the Board. The
number of days of authorized compensation for any calendar
month shall be limited to ten, regardless of the number of
meetings attended or days of service rendered.
D. Staff Direction. The Board shall work through the
General Manager to obtain such information as may be
necessary and appropriate to assist the Board in its
deliberations, and may direct Staff to implement the
policies and decisions of the Board. Individual Board
members shall not act independently to direct Staff in the
performance of their duties, or to provide or compile data,
information or reports.
1.02 OFFICERS
A. Board Officers. The Board shall elect one of its
members as President, and one of its members as Vice Presi-
dent.
B. District Officers. The Board shall appoint offi-
cers of the District as required by law. The Board may also
appoint a deputy or assistant secretary, deputy or assistant
treasurer, and such other assistants and employees as it may
deem necessary to operate the District. The secretary and
ATTACHMENT C
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treasurer of the District may, but need not be, members of
the Board.
1.03 ELECTION OF BOARD OFFICERS
A. Date of Election. In the month of December of
each year, or at such time the Board deems necessary, the
Board shall elect a President and Vice President. Their
terms shall be for one year, or until their successors are
elected. The Board may, however, at its sole discretion and
without cause reorganize and select new officers at anytime
prior to the expiration of the one-year term.
B. Procedure for Election. The procedure in this
paragraph B shall govern the election of Board President and
Vice President, unless changed by action of the Board by
motion at the time of the election. The General Manager
shall chair the proceedings for election of the President,
which shall be the first order of business after any newly
elected directors have been seated or at anytime as the
Board deems necessary. The newly-elected President shall
assume office immediately, and shall chair the proceedings
for the election of the Vice President. The chairman shall
call for nominations from members of the Board. No second
shall be required for nominations, although one or more
members may second a nomination to indicate endorsement. No
member may nominate more than one person for the position.
Once all nominations have been made, the Chairman shall call
for a roll call vote. Each Board member shall state the
name of the candidate for whom he casts his vote. Three
votes shall be required for election. If only one person
should be nominated for an office, the Board may act by
motion to elect such nominee.
1.04 BOARD VACANCIES
Procedure for Appointment. Vacancies in the office of
Director shall be filled in accordance with the provisions
of Section 1780 of the California Government Code. Such
procedure permits the remaining members of the Board to fill
the vacancy by appointment, provided the appointment is made
within 60 days after the effective date of the vacancy, and
provided further that notice of the vacancy is given as
provided by law. In making such appointment, the Board
shall follow the same procedure as provided for the election
of its officers. In lieu of making an appointment, the
remaining members of the Board may request an election to
fill the vacancy.
1.05 DUTIES OF PRESIDENT
A. Meetings. The president shall preside over and
conduct all meetings of the Board and hearings before the
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Board. In so doing, the President shall have the following
powers and responsibilities:
1. To follow the prepared agenda unless the Board
concurs in any change.
2. To determine all questions of order and parlia-
mentary procedure, unless he chooses to submit any
such question to the Board for decision.
3. To maintain order and to enforce reasonable rules
of decorum.
4. To determine at meetings of the Board, other than
public hearings, whether or not members of the
public should be heard on particular issues or
otherwise be permitted to address the Board.
5. To set reasonable limits upon the length of time
and the number of occasions on which a person may
speak at public hearings as well as other meetings
of the Board.
6. To recognize Board members who may wish to be
heard.
7. To restate, where necessary, and to put to a vote
all questions properly before the Board, and to
announce the result of each vote.
8. To terminate debate after there has been reason-
able opportunity for full discussion of any issue
and further debate would be needlessly repetitive
or otherwise not useful, and where proper, to put
the matter to a vote.
9. To rule out of order any comment by Board members,
Staff or members of the public not germane to the
issue then before the Board.
10. To respond to inquiries by Board members relating
to procedures, or to factual information bearing
upon the business before the Board.
11. To establish standing or ad hoc committees of the
Board, and to appoint the members thereof, when
requested by the General Manager.
12. To declare the meeting adjourned upon such vote by
the Board, or when in his judgment any emergency
or other cause requires adjournment.
13. To authenticate by his signature all acts, orders,
and other proceedings of the Board.
1-4
Notwithstanding the delegation of such powers to the Presi-
dent, any action taken by a majority of the Board on any of
the foregoing matters shall be determinative thereof.
B. Board Spokesman. The President shall act as
spokesman for the Board with respect to its actions and
policies, and those of the District. This provision, how-
ever, shall not preclude any other officer or employee of
the District from making appropriate comments within the
scope of his position.
C. Public Appearances. The President, or any Board
member or Staff person he designates, shall represent the
Board, where it is appropriate or desirable for the District
to appear, at meetings of other public agencies, before pub-
lic groups, or on other public occasions. However, this
provision shall not limit the attendance of any Director or
authorized officer or employee of the District.
1.06 DUTIES OF VICE-PRESIDENT
A. Powers of Vice-President. The Vice-President
shall act if the President is absent or unable to act, and
shall exercise all of the powers of the President on such
occasion.
1.07 DUTIES OF SECRETARY
A. Board Matters. With respect to the affairs of the
Board of Directors, the Secretary shall have the following
duties:
1. To take and prepare minutes of all Board meetings.
2. To keep in appropriate books the original copies
of all final minutes, ordinances and resolutions
of the Board.
3. To keep on file all Board committee reports.
4. To attest to the minutes, ordinances, resolutions
and other documents of the Board.
5. To provide notice as required by law of any spe-
cial meeting or regularly adjourned meeting.
6. To provide notice as required by law of any hear-
ing before the Board.
7. In the absence of the President and Vice-President
to call any meeting to order, and to preside until
the election of a chairman pro tem, who shall then
1-5
exercise the powers of the President at such meet-
ing.
B. Other Duties. The responsibilities enumerated in
Section 7A are not intended to limit any other duties of the
Secretary imposed by law, or assigned from time to time by
the Board, or by the General Manager if the Secretary is an
employee of the District.
C. Assistant Secretary. The Assistant Secretary
shall act if the Secretary is absent or unable to act, and
shall exercise all the powers of the Secretary on such occa-
sion.
1.08 MEETINGS OF THE BOARD
A. Time and Place of Meetings. Regular meetings of
the Board shall be held at the office of the District at
2554 Sweetwater Springs Boulevard, Spring Valley,
California, at such day and hour as may be specified from
time to time by resolution of the Board.
B. Public Nature of Meetings. All meetings of the
Board shall be open to the public, except when the Board is
convened in Closed Session as authorized under provisions of
law. Meetings of Board committees composed of not more than
two members of the Board shall not be public meetings, un-
less the committee determines otherwise.
C. Quorum and Voting Requirements. A majority of the
Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the trans-
action of business. However, no ordinance, resolution or
motion shall be passed without three affirmative votes.
D. Agendas for Board Meetings
1. The General Manager shall prepare the agendas for
meetings. Agendas shall be based upon items re-
quested by any Board member or by others in the
normal course of the District business, or as de-
termined by the General Manager.
2. Each agenda for a regular meeting shall provide an
opportunity for members of the public to address
the Board of Directors on items of interest to the
public that are within the subject matter of the
Board of Directors. Action by the Board of
Directors on any such matter shall be taken in
accordance with Section 1.08E of this Code.
3. The agenda for a regular or adjourned regular
meeting may provide for a Consent Calendar for
items which the General Manager deems to be of a
routine nature. Action by the Board of Directors
1-6
on the Consent Calendar shall be taken in accor-
dance with Section 1.08E of this Code.
4. At least 72 hours before a regular meeting of the
Board an agenda containing a brief general de-
scription of each item of business to be trans-
acted or discussed at the meeting shall be posted
at the entrance to the District business office in
a location accessible to members of the public.
E. Board Action
1. The Board shall act only by ordinance, reso-
lution or motion. The vote on ordinances
shall be recorded in the minutes. An ordi-
nance does not require two readings at sepa-
rate meetings, and unless otherwise provided
by its own terms, shall become effective upon
adoption. Ordinances, resolutions and other
motions may be adopted by a voice vote, but
on demand of any member of the Board, the
roll shall be called and the vote recorded.
All motions, including a motion to adopt an
ordinance or to approve a resolution, shall
require a second. If a second is not
received, the motion shall fail without the
requirement of a vote. Any member of the
Board, including the Chairman, can make and
second a motion, and the Chairman shall vote
on all motions unless disqualified or
abstaining. If a motion is not in writing,
and if it is necessary for full understanding
of the matter before the Board, the Chairman
shall restate the question prior to the vote.
Common motions may be stated in abbreviated
form, and will be put into complete form in
the minutes. Until the Chairman states the
question, the maker with the approval of the
second may modify his motion or withdraw it
completely. However, after the question has
been stated by the Chairman, the motion may
be changed only by motion to amend, which is
seconded and carried.
2. All items on the Consent Calendar on a Board
Meeting Agenda may be approved without dis-
cussion upon motion duly made, seconded and
approved by at least three Directors. At the
request of a Director or a member of the pub-
lic, an item on the Consent Calendar shall be
removed from the Consent Calendar and placed
on the Agenda with other items for discussion
and consideration by the Board of Directors.
1-7
3. The Board shall not take action on any item
not appearing on the agenda previously posted
for the meeting pursuant to Section 1.08D of
this Code; excepting, however, the Board may
consider items not appearing on the posted
agenda if:
(a) a majority of the Board determines that
an emergency situation) as defined in
Government Code Section 54956.5) exists;
(b) two-thirds of the Board finds that the
need to take action arose after the
agenda was posted; or
(c) the item was posted for a prior meeting
occurring not more than five days prior
to the current meeting and was continued
to the current meeting.
F. Parliamentary Procedures Affecting Motions. After
a motion has been made and seconded, any member of the Board
may make any of the following motions:
1. To continue the motion to a specific time.
2. To table the motion, the effect of which de-
fers further discussion and a vote until the
majority of the Board again wishes to resume
consideration of the motion.
3. To commit or refer the motion to a committee,
the effect of which is to defer further con-
sideration until the committee has reported
its findings to the Board.
4. To amend the motion to modify its wording be-
fore adoption, provided the suggested amend-
ment is germane to the original motion.
5. To propose a substitute motion, which has the
effect of disposing of the motion before the
Board and eliminating the necessity of a vote
on the original motion.
6. To call for the question, which in fact is a
motion to terminate further debate, and re-
quires a second and an affirmative vote of
the Board.
G. Routine Business. Matters of routine business
such as approval of the minutes, and approval of minor mat-
ters, may be expedited by assuming unanimous consent of the
members of the Board, and having the Chairman state that
1-8
without objection the matter will stand approved. If any
member should object to such unanimous consent, the Chairman
shall then call for a vote.
H. Orderly Discussion. In order to promote orderly
discussion of the issues before the Board, each member shall
be recognized by the Chair before speaking. Each member
shall have a right to speak subject to Section 1.05A, sub-
number 8 and 9 of this Code. Each member of the Board may
seek information or comment by the Staff on any question.
I. Rules of Procedure for Board Meetings. The fol-
lowing shall apply to persons desiring to address the Board
of Directors:
1. Anyone who desires to speak to the Board of
Directors on a specific subject at a particu-
lar meeting should contact the District Sec-
retary and give their name and address, re-
quest that the subject be placed on the
Agenda for that meeting and give the reason
for such request.
2. Anyone in attendance at a Board meeting, who
desires to speak to an item on the Agenda
that is being considered, may request to be
heard by stepping to the podium and stating
his or her name and address for the record.
3. Anyone in attendance at a Board meeting who
desires to speak on a subject that is not on
the Agenda for that meeting may request to do
so by stepping to the podium and stating his
or her name, address and the subject they
wish to discuss. The Board shall determine
in accordance with Section 1.08E3 of this
Code whether the subject will be taken as an
"off-docket" item and discussed at that
meeting or placed on the Agenda for the next
Board meeting.
4. No one in the audience shall be permitted to
pose questions or carry on any discussion on
any matter being considered by the board un-
less they first step to the podium and give
their name and address as required above.
Anyone failing to comply may be deemed "out
of order" by the Chairman and statements or
comments made by such person shall not be
considered by the Board of Directors.
J. Closed Sessions. Except as required by law, all
proceedings in Closed Sessions shall remain confidential.
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1.09 PUBLIC HEARINGS
A. Order of Procedure. Public hearings shall be
called to order by the Chairman at or as soon as practical
after the time for which the hearing has been noticed. The
Chairman shall interrupt at a reasonable point any business
before the Board in order to proceed with such noticed pub-
lic hearing. The procedure for public hearings shall gener-
ally be as follows:
1. The Secretary shall report upon the notice of the
hearing which has been given.
2. The Secretary shall indicate or summarize all
protests or correspondence which has been received
on the issue to be heard.
3. The Staff shall present such information, exhibits
and recommendations as may be appropriate.
4. The Chairman shall call upon such members of the
public as may wish to be heard.
5. Board members and Staff shall attempt to answer
such questions from members of the public as may
be germane to the issues of the hearing.
6. Board members and Staff, after recognition by the
Chairman, may ask questions of members of the pub-
lic who speak.
7. Board members shall refrain from discussing the
issues among themselves, or expressing their per-
sonal views, until all of the testimony has been
heard and the hearing has been closed.
8. If the nature of the hearing appears to warrant
sworn testimony, the Chairman may require that all
persons giving testimony do so under oath. The
oath may be administered by the Chairman, a Board
member, of by the Secretary.
9. Any member of the public may, at his own expense,
transcribe the proceedings of the hearing.
1.10 ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER
A. Applicability. While many of the principles of
Robert's Rules of Order have come to be generally accepted
as the proper, fair and efficient way of conducting a meet-
ing, such Rules were not designed for small governing boards
of public agencies, and in some instances conflict with the
law. Accordingly, while many of the fundamental concepts of
Robert's Rules of Order have been included within the provi-
1-10
sions of this Ordinance, such Rules shall not technically
apply to the affairs of the Board of Directors of this Dis-
trict.
1.11 SEAL OF THE DISTRICT
The Seal, an impression of which is hereby affixed to
this page and bearing the words "OTAY WATER DISTRICT founded
January 27, 1956" is adopted as the official Seal of this
District.
STAFF REPORT
TYPE MEETING: Regular Board MEETING DATE: February 4, 2015
PROJECT: DIV. NO.: ALL
SUBMITTED BY: Adolfo Segura, Assistant Chief, Administrative & IT Services
APPROVED BY:
Geoff Stevens, Chief Information Officer
German Alvarez, Assistant General Manager
Mark Watton, General Manager
SUBJECT: CONSTRUCTION OF DISTRICT’S DASHBOARD
GENERAL MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION:
No recommendation. This is an informational item only.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
See “Attachment A”.
PURPOSE:
To provide information to the Board regarding the construction of
the District’s web-based dashboard.
ANALYSIS:
Continuing our effort to keep the District’s operational presence
via technology, IT staff has developed a web-based operational
dashboard highlighting Water Supply Reliability, Water
Distribution and Facilities, and Financial Information. The new
web-based dashboard will provide a customer-centric layout that
facilitates user-friendly navigation and easy to read information.
The new dashboard will continue to enhance Otay’s transparency to
customers and education of the District’s operations.
The new web-based dashboard is similar to the County Water
Authority’s (CWA) dashboard, which was launched in the early part
of 2014. The District’s dashboard will feature the ability to
drill-down into the various operational panels, as well as provide
standardized content and easy to read graphs. The District’s
dashboard will also be available to mobile devices. Lastly, the
development effort took approximately four months and was
constructed by internal staff and through a small professional as-
needed services agreement.
Next Steps
Staff continues to hold group meetings with internal stakeholders
to obtain feedback on appearance, functionality, and
presentation. Prior to launch, specific staff will be trained
with content administration. Staff expects to launch the new
dashboard in February of 2015.
FISCAL IMPACT: Joe Beachem, Chief Financial Officer
None. This is an informational item only.
STRATEGIC GOAL:
N/A.
LEGAL IMPACT:
None.
ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A – Committee Action Report
ATTACHMENT A
SUBJECT/PROJECT: CONSTRUCTION OF DISTRICT’S DASHBOARD
COMMITTEE ACTION:
The Finance, Administration and Communications Committee met on January
21, 2015, to review this item. The Committee supports presentation to
the full Board for their consideration.
NOTE:
The “Committee Action” is written in anticipation of the Committee
moving the item forward for Board approval. This report will be sent to
the Board as a Committee approved item, or modified to reflect any
discussion or changes as directed from the Committee prior to
presentation to the full Board.