About Cambria

Transparency is our friend, if we know where to look.  Luckily for you, I happen to have a few excellent resources up my sleeve. This year, for the first time, senators and representatives must disclose their earmark requests for budget appropriations every year. Representative Capps’ site notes that she has requested $2 Million for the Fiscal year 2009-10 (Federal Fiscal year begins in October.) Of course, we can’t count that money yet. There are quite a few more hoops we must jump through. I have a request in to Rep. Capps to ask her a few questions about her earmark for Cambria. I will post additional information as I have  it. If you know a shortcut to speaking with Mrs. Capps, (short of hiring a lobbyist), please contact me. amanda at aboutcambria.com

President Sanders has called a special meeting Monday to consider a rate increase in water and wastewater rates. The daytime meeting may keep some people from attending, but I plan to be there. The agenda (also available on cambriacsd.org) is included below.

CAMBRIA COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
CALL BY THE PRESIDENT AND FINAL AGENDA
FOR SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
I, Greg Sanders, President of the Cambria Community Services District Board of Directors, hereby call a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors pursuant to California Government Code Section 54956. The Special Meeting will be held: Monday, June 15, 2009, 12:30 PM, 1000 Main Street, Veterans Memorial Building, Cambria, CA. The purpose of the special meeting is to discuss or transact the following business:
AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CAMBRIA COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2009, 12:30 PM
1000 MAIN STREET
Cambria, CA
1. OPENING
A. Call to Order
B. Pledge of Allegiance
C. Establishment of Quorum
2. PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public wishing to address the Board on any item described in
this Notice may do so when recognized by the Board President. Public comment on this agenda will be
limited to 3 minutes per person.
3. PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PROPOSED WATER AND SEWER RATES
A. Public Hearing on Proposed Water Service Rate Increase in the Amount of
9.75%, Effective 7/1/09, and Consider Adoption of Resolution 24-2009 per
Government Code Section 61115 Establishing CCSD Water Service Rates
1. Report Results of Proposition 218 Water Rates Protest Response
2. Consider Adoption of Resolution 24-2009 per Government Code §61115
Establishing CCSD Water Service Rates
B. Public Hearing on Proposed Sewer Service Rate Increase in the Amount of 15%,
Effective 7/1/09, and Consider Adoption of Resolution 25-2009 per Government
Code Section 61115 Establishing Sewer Service Rates
1. Report Results of Proposition 218 Sewer Rates Protest Response
2. Consider Adoption of Resolution 25-2009 per Government Code §61115
Establishing Sewer Service Rates
4. PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public wishing to address the Board on any item described in
this Notice may do so when recognized by the Board President. Public comment on this agenda will be
limited to 3 minutes per person.
5. ADJOURN
Notice of this special meeting shall be delivered to each member of the Board of Directors and
to each local newspaper of general circulation and radio or television station who have
requested such notice. Notice must be received at least twenty-four (24) hours before the time
set for the special meeting.
Dated: June 11, 2009

Guidance for You and Me:

A 2005 publication titled  “Dollars and Sense: Financial Reporting and Management Guidelines for Public Water Agency Officials” was developed by ACWA as an introduction to the governmental financial environment and the fiduciary responsibilities of district directors and management. It is aimed at helping individuals without a financial background gain a better understanding of sound financial practices as well as key reporting and auditing requirements.

The purpose of an independent financial audit is to provide assurance apart from district management that district financial statements (reports) are reliable–that is, that the financial statements fairly present, in material respects, the financial position, the results of operations, and cash flows of the district. Such assurance is important to district directors, management and the customers, taxpayers and community or communities they serve.

Operating the district’s utility system in an open and transparent manner and demonstrating that the district  is a proper steward of public resources, including public funds, is essential to maintaining public trust. Therefore, any system designed to track, control and report on the financial affairs of a special district should include the following elements:

1. Internal accounting systems sufficient to track and document all financial transactions of the agency and adhere to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
2. Internal controls designed in an effort to detect errors and deter fraud or other forms of financial abuse
3. Regular, frequent reports to the governing body on all significant financial activities of the agency using reporting that clarify the data being presented in a non-intimidating, usable format. The readers of the reports should be able to determine what the financial status of the district / agency is without the assistance of a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
4. Written policies governing all significant financial affairs of the district, including a written policy on any funds that are held in reserve, (minimum and maximum amounts to be held and any specific use / designation for these reserves)
5. An annual financial audit by a qualified independent auditor.
6. Publication of all significant financial reports of the district, including the annual audit in a form that is readily available to the public.

Auditors do not attempt to ensure that all of the data contained in the financial statements are 100 percent accurate, rather the auditor is testing that the financial statements are free from any material misstatements. Auditors do not attempt to examine individually every transaction or event affecting a district’s financial statements. Instead, auditors perform their work on a “test basis”, which is often statistically based to provide a certain level of confidence.

For CCSD Directors:

Governing board members can gain a more thorough understanding of the district’s financial health by reviewing notes to financial statements as well as any estimates, assumptions, post retirement benefits and potential debts not listed as a liability. An annual audit provides the district governing board with the opportunity to provide policy guidance to district management in any areas deemed necessary, and the audit provides a “checks and balances” opportunity between an elected board and district management.
There are eleven questions  the district governing board and management should ask during the process of producing basic financial statements:

1. Is the district better off today than it was one year ago?
2. Are there any estimates in the financial statements? If so, what are they and what assumptions are used (e.g., interest rates, discount factors, usage rates)
3. Are there any pension and/or post retirement benefits being funded by the district? Is there any unfunded pension or post-retirement liability?
4. Is there any debt or potential debt of the district not presented in the financial statements?
5. Are there any deviations from GAAP?
6. Are there any differences between the published annual audited financial statements and the internal financial statements used by staff and directors to manage the district? If so what are they?
7. How do the statements compare to annual budgets and projections?
8. Do the investments tie to portfolio report?What is the review process to insure the financial statements are appropriate and accurate?
9. Does the district have written fiscal policy and procedure manuals?
10. Are the employees, board members and volunteers who handle cash and investment bonded?
11. Is there adequate insurance coverage to safeguard the district’s assets?

All content provided herein is from a Association of California Water Agencies publication.  (ACWA)  ACWA’s mission is to assist its members in promoting the development, management and reasonable beneficial use of good quality water at the lowest practical cost in an environmentally balanced manner.
ACWA is a statewide non-profit association whose 440 public agency members are responsible for about 90% of the water deliveries in California.

Today the Board of Supervisors will meet and decide whether they will extend the 0% permit allocation for Cambria until June 2012. I’ll be there. Then tomorrow night at 6:30 the NCAC will meet at Rabobank. On the agenda (available on the NCAC website) is a discussion of the possibility of classifying vacation rentals as commercial accounts.

In the meantime, check out the storytelling powers of Rives on my new favorite website: TED.com

[pro-player width='334' height='326' autostart='true' type='MP4']http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/download/video/5153/talk/108[/pro-player]

A verbivore’s Diversion