Members of the SCV Water Agency board, who found themselves saying goodbye to two of their fellow directors this past year, have called a special meeting Tuesday to talk about obtaining permission to reduce the size of the board should there be any more attrition.
On Tuesday, the SCV Water board of directors is scheduled to meet at its Rio Vista Water Treatment Plant to discuss only one subject on the agenda — how to appropriately whittle 13 members down to nine members over the next three years.
The agenda item reads: “Discussion and consideration of potential legislation to permit reduction to three seats in each electoral division should further attrition occur prior to 2022.”
It was through attrition that the board of 15 was reduced to 13 over the last 12 months.
When the SCV Water Agency was created on Jan. 1, 2018, it saw the merging of two boards — one representing the now defunct Castaic Lake Water Agency and one representing the also defunct Newhall County Water District.
The emerging board included 15 directors. It was reduced to 14 in April, when director Bill Pecsi announced he would be moving away.
The board was further reduced two weeks ago when directors had to decide what to do with the seat vacated by long-standing local water board member Jacque McMillan, who retired from her seat.
The board seized the opportunity to reduce its size.
On Feb. 5, members voted to “resign” McMillan’s board position, leaving the board with 13 members.
Figuring out the best way to get the board down to nine directors — three elected members to represent each of three divisions — is what Tuesday’s special meeting is all about.
The whole question of attrition is what prompted the board to meet.
“Tomorrow’s discussion is the terms of (Senate Bill) 634 as they relate to the number of directors per division,” said Kathie Martin, spokeswoman for SCV Water.
“This action would not reduce the board size sooner. However, it would give the board the option, should another director resign, not to fill the position.”
“As written right now, each division has to retain a minimum of four directors,” Martin said. “This would change that to three, so they could choose not to fill a position. It would not require them to leave it vacant, though.”
Over the past couple of months, the profile of the SCV Water board has been defined.
Earlier this month, President Bill Cooper and Vice President Maria Gutzeit were re-elected with Director Gary Martin elected as the board’s second vice president.
A month prior to that, in early January, former 38th District Assemblyman Dante Acosta was sworn in as a board member, representing L.A. County’s Waterworks District 36 in Val Verde.
The next regular meeting of the SCV Water board is scheduled March 5 at the Rio Vista Water Treatment Plant on Bouquet Canyon Road overlooking Central Park.
The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
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