Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Board Meeting - December 13, 2018
Public Hearing on the Proposed Budget on December 6, 2018 By an 8-0 vote, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation Board took just 15 minutes to approve 11 items which resulted in a $1,203,988,541 budget for 2019. This is $53 million more than 2018, or a 4.6% increase. The property tax levy was raised to $643 million, an increase over 2018 of $20 million, or 3.3%. There was no discussion. (Commissioner Morita was absent.) Next Step: The Board will consider amendments to the 2019 budget at the December 20 meeting, at which time the 2019 budget will be finalized. Relevant Comments from December 6 Public Hearing on the Proposed Budget The 2019 Budget that was passed on December 13 included a number of changes from the Tentative Budget Recommendation by the MWRD Executive Director dated October 13, and additional changes from the 2019 Tentative Budget published on November 20 (which reflected amendments to the October 13 Executive Director’s Recommendation). At the December 6 Public Hearing, the Civic Federation, while overall supportive of the proposed budget, pointed out how confusing and difficult it is to review and comment on this ever-changing budget. The Civic Federation’s recommendation was that the final form of the budget that is to be considered by the Board should be published and made available to the public ahead of time. This is particularly important, said the Civic Federation, because the version of the budget passed by the Board often includes significant increases in the total appropriations and property tax levy from those contained in the Executive Director’s original recommendation, as well as from the Tentative Budget. In this case, the version passed by the Board on December 13 varied from both the October 13 and November 20 versions (which is the version the Civic Federation reviewed and commented on) in a number of ways, including: December 13 October 13 November 20 Total Appropriations: $1,203,988,541 $1,079,658,141 $1,092,299,141 Tax Levy: $ 642,783,809 $ 640,649,270 $ 640,649,270 The Civic Federation also recommended that the MWRD analyze the effect on its pension funding and have fall-back plans in case the District’s pension reform law were to be successfully challenged. Observer - Priscilla Mims
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Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Special Study Session – February 23, 2017
Three Items were on the Agenda for Discussion – Presentation by David St. Pierre, Executive Director
Purchase of Farm Land/Nutrient Trading
Survivor Pension Benefits Extension
Proposed Investment Vehicle to maximize income from Leased MWRD Properties
Public Hearing on 2017 MWRD Budget - December 1, 2016
The Civic Federation was the only speaker at this Public Hearing. However, Commissioner Avila at the end of the hearing raised concerns about the process being followed for selecting people for Deputy Director positions. Laurence Msall, President of the Civic Federation, a non-partisan government research organization, expressed support for the proposed $1.13 billion proposed budget, stating that:
However, Mr. Msall also expressed the concern over the size of the unfunded liabilities under the pension fund, despite the strides that the MWRD has taken and is taking. The Civic Federation’s report on the budget can be found HERE. While not pertinent to the budget, Commissioner Avila expressed concern that only one person (presumably the Executive Director) was making decisions about who would be hired for Deputy Director positions. Executive Director St. Pierre stated that Deputy Directors are only hired when an existing Director states an intention to retire. When that happens and the Board approves a deputy position, there is a 3-person team who interviews candidates and makes a recommendation as to whom should be hired. President Spyropoulos suggested that the process be circulated for review by the Commissioners. Commissioner Shore pointed out that if any employee feels the process has been unfair, there are procedures in place to deal with any complaints. Observer - Priscilla Mims Metropolitan Water Reclamation Board Meeting - June 2, 2016
Topics Discussed:
Study Session on Pension Funding
Study Session on Rain Barrel Program Executive Director St. Pierre presented an overview of the MWRD free rain barrel program.
Items to watch for in the future::
Observer: Priscilla Mims |
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