September 2002
2002 Elections Yield New Board Members and Officers
The 2002 election of Board of Director members and officers was held at the 2002 Annual Business Meeting held in conjunction with the Fall Conference in Spokane.
Larry Jones, Commissioner, Alderwood Water and Wastewater District was reelected to his second term as the At-Large-Director for Section III and was also selected by the members to serve as President of the Association for this upcoming Board year.
Matt Warner, Commissioner, East Wenatchee Water District was elected to the position of Vice President. Marcus Hoffman, Commissioner, Silverdale Water District #16 was elected by the members to serve as the Association’s Secretary. Ken Goodwin, Commissioner, Woodinville Water District was elected to his second term as the Association’s Treasurer. Ginger Desy, Commissioner, Cross Valley Water District was elected to her first term as a combined district representative. She was appointed to the Board in February.
Two New Section Leaders
Jeannie Screws, Commissioner, Annapolis Water District, Port Orchard, and Tom Agnew, Commissioner, Liberty Lake Sewer & Water District, Liberty Lake were elected to the two open At-Large-Director seats at the Annual Meeting. They will join returning At-Large-Directors Larry Jones and Pam Martin as geographic representatives to the Board of Directors. At-Large-Directors are commonly know as Section Leaders since they Chair the four geographic sections of the Association.
Tom Agnew is a Commissioner at Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District and has served the District for 2 ½ years. Prior to being elected to the Board he was active in the districts lake protection activities. He is a professional business consultant.
Jeannie Screws, Commissioner, Annapolis Water District, Port Orchard is new to her role as commissioner but has a long history with the industry and the Association in her role as a former water district office manager.
Pam Martin, Commissioner, Coal Creek Utility District was elected to her second term as Section IV At-Large-Director. Pam has served on the Board since 1998.
President’s Corner
Comments and issues by Past President Lynne Danielson
My final President’s Corner – it is amazing how fast time flies.
The last few months I have been detailing the goals, as established by the 2002 Board of Directors at their retreat in November 2001. It is important that each and every one of our members understands these goals and offer input as to their validity in meeting the needs of those we represent. Just as a reminder, here they are again:
1. Education of the legislators about who Water and Sewer Districts are and how many voters they serve.
2. Promote the education of Commissioners and staff.
3. Work cooperatively with members and outside or organizations to maximize opportunities at all lev- els for members.
4. Provide value to small districts.
Your newly elected Board of Directors will be meeting again, for another retreat, in November 2002. At that time we will be reevaluating these goals and seeking information that will determine our success or failure in meeting them. If you have concerns about these goals or comments on our successes or failures in reaching them, please contact either myself or any other board member to make sure your voice is heard.
On a more personal level, I would like to say thank you to all of our members for allowing me to serve as President for the last year. It has been a rewarding experience. The Association provides a service to all Sewer and Water Districts that is not available anywhere else in the state. It is through our combined efforts that we have been able to attain a presence at the state level. The former Associations gave us the basis for where we are today. The current Association has successfully picked up the cause and has continued to build on what was left to us by those who went before. With continued participation from our members and by broadening our membership to others we will be able to continue along this path.
Again, thank you for your assistance in making my tenure as President a success.
Lynne A. Danielson,
Commissioner, Tahuya River Valley Water District
RAM-W Workshop Offered Again for $495
Once again the Association in conjunction with the NWTC, Inc will offer a Sandia Laboratory’s RAM-W terrorism assessment workshop at a greatly reduced price for courses taught by other licensed training organizations.
This low price is available only to member districts. Consultants and other associate members may attend for a higher fee.
The workshop will be held in Tacoma on October 28, 29, & 30, 2002. This workshop presentation and the handout materials are designed and produced by Sandia Labs to provide an EPA recommended methodology for determining each utility’s ability to detect and respond to damage caused by local, national or international terrorists.
RAM-W is also an excellent method of assessing your utility’s ability to survive a major natural disaster such as wind storms, earthquakes or floods.
General Managers, Commissioners, department heads should all consider participating in a RAM-W course. WETRC will provide 2.1 CEUs for this course upon completion and receipt of license.
Contact the Association office for registration materials and additional information. Registration is limited to only 15-20 people so please respond as early as possible.
Annual Awards Presented at Fall Conference
The 2002 Annual Awards for Commissioner, Manager, and District of the Year as well as a Distinguished Service Award and a Special Recognition Award were all presented at the closing banquet on Friday evening.
Commissioner of the Year went to Past President, two term member of the Board Mike McCourt of East Wenatchee Water District and Douglas County Sewer District. Mike has been a major supporter of the Association helping to guide its creation and growth.
Manager of the Year was Awarded to Tom Peadon, Coal Creek Utility District for his years of support for the Association. Tom has served on many Standing Committees, supported the Association’s legislative efforts, and help guide his district through an extremely difficult assumption process.
Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District received the District of the Year Award for its innovative lake management program, community involvement, and strong legislative program.
Distinguished Service recognition was awarded to Moe Batra of RH2 Engineering for his many years of support to the Association, and his outstanding contributions to the industry.
A Special Recognition Award was presented posthumously to Larry Wade of Hammond Collier Wade Livingstone for his years of support to the industry, his profession and the community. His award was received by his three daughters Melinda (Wade) Gardner, Brenda Wade, and Stephanie Wade.
Expanded Awards Presentation Debuted at Fall Conference
The Nominating Committee took over the management and selection of the annual awards program following approval by the members in 2001. The committee under the leadership of Matt Warner expanded the information presented in the awards ceremony by reviewing past recipients of the various awards. The initial presentation which included a slide show which was well received and appreciated by those in attendance. This program will be expanded over the coming years in an effort to help all districts appreciate what is possible and achievable.
Special purpose water/sewer districts should be proud of their roles as regional governments providing for the public health and safety through professional water and wastewater management.
State-wide Infrastructure Inventory
The Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) is launching an infrastructure inventory database for the local cities, towns, counties, and special districts of Washington State. The purpose is to provide state and federal policy makers, agency administrators, advocate organizations, and citizens with current, comprehensive, and accurate information on the number and cost of critical capital projects and the resources available to pay for them.
Systems that this flexible, low-cost, web-based inventory will address include:
water solid waste/recycling
storm sewer telecommunications/fiber optic
bridges criminal justice facilities
sanitary sewer parks & rec. facilities
roads/streets public buildings
and others, as space and time permit
The data collection system is currently being designed, and data culled from reports submitted to state agencies will be entered in October 2002. The IACC is planning a demonstration for the legislature in the 2003 session, and the first report based on the inventory’s data from local governments will be published in the fall of 2003.
As local infrastructure providers, you will be able to play a critical role in making this inventory truly useful. First, you will be asked to review and verify the data culled from your reports to state agencies. Thereafter, all local governments will be asked to update their summary-level information according to timelines they choose as working best for them. It will then be in a centralized, uniform format that can (and will) be used for reporting to the legislature, for state-wide grant proposals, for advocacy, for citizen activity.
If you would like to know more about the local infrastructure inventory, feel free to contact John LaRocque, Public Works Board Executive Director, at (360) 725-5010 or .
The Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council is a collection of public and private sector infrastructure professionals. As a group, the IACC conducts training workshops and conferences designed to bring communities with public works needs together with the programs that can provide financial assistance (www.infrafunding.wa.gov).
This information was provided by the staff of the Public Works Board
Locke Names New Head of Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office
OLYMPIA - Sept. 20, 2002 - Gov. Gary Locke today appointed longtime conservation expert Steve Meyer as the new director of the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office.
Meyer previously served nine years as executive director of the State Conservation Commission and six years as director of governmental affairs for the National Association of Conservation Districts in Washington, D.C.
“Steve knows the state salmon programs and individuals involved, and he is the right person for this job,” Locke said. “Steve knows that I want on-the-ground results, and I want accountability for the money we are spending on salmon.”
“It is important that we continue to create helpful salmon recovery plans that can be implemented and produces results,” Locke said. “This will occur at the local and regional watershed level, working in partnership with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and other state agencies, the Northwest Power Planning Council, and tribal leaders.
RCW 90.44.100 Affidavit Not Required by Ecology
In the last issue of PIPELINE the Ecology affidavit related to the relocation or replacement of existing wells was discussed. The affidavit initially appeared to reflect the requirements contained in a recently passed statute RCW 90.44.100 (c). But in fact, Ecology made significant changes to the statutory language changing the purpose of the new law from one of helping water users make full utilization of their water rights to a process that would force the water rights holder to return un-perfected water.
When Ecology staff was confronted with this issue they indicated a willingness to change the affidavit to reflect the language in the law. Ecology management later determined to leave the affidavit as it is. They also informed water users at a couple of meetings that usage of the affidavit was voluntary. If a water right hold wished they could provide Ecology with a letter stating compliance with RCW 90.44.100 (c) and not put their water rights at risk.
Ecology was told that this looked like a blatant attempt to deceive water right holders into giving back their water rights. Ecology staff agreed it might seem that way, but that was not the prime intent of their sticking with the affidavit. At the most recent Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) meeting the head of the Water Resources Division and their Attorney’s General representative stated that a decision on changing the affidavit was still under discussion.
To reiterate our statement of last month, every water right holder wishing to submit water rights changes, or requesting other actions to existing water rights should not do so without the proper guidance from a qualified water rights attorney.
2002 Fall Conference Sponsors
The following companies graciously provide financial support for the Fall Conference and the Association. Some of these firms have been regular sponsors for years and others have just started their programs of support for special purpose water and sewer districts.
You are urged to share you gratitude to these organizations for their ongoing support.
Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 34
by Laura Szentes
In June of 1999, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board issued Statement No. 34 (GASB 34) which establishes new financial reporting requirements for state and local governments throughout the United States. Districts preparing financial statements complying with generally accepted accounting principals and having annual revenue of less than $10 million are required to implement GASB 34 in financial statements for periods beginning after June 15, 2003. However, earlier implementation is encouraged. While it will be necessary for Districts to adopt new reporting methods, the requirements are much less onerous for Districts than other types of governments such as cities and counties.
The major impacts to Districts will be to (1) account for contributed capital as revenue rather than equity, (2) provide a Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) section to financial reports, (3) use the direct method for cash flow statements and (4) restate prior periods.
A group of District representatives recently met with the State Auditor’s Office regarding implementation of GASB 34. The state suggested Districts adopt their Budgeting and Reporting System (BARS) which is essentially a chart of accounts. This would allow the State to enter data into a statewide database in a convenient matter and make that data available to legislators.
The District representatives explained that many Districts follow a chart of accounts prescribed by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and considerable effort and expense would be necessary to modify their accounting systems to adopt BARS. It was further explained that the Districts could continue to use the NARUC system and still comply with the reporting requirements of GASB 34. It was agreed that Districts would be allowed to continue use of NARUC but may be required to submit more detailed breakdowns of revenues and expenses to assist with the State’s database work.