Mesa Water’s 2011 Compensation & Benefit Summary

A Letter to the Public and Press from Mesa Consolidated Water District‘s General Manager

Mesa Consolidated Water District is dedicated to satisfying our community’s water needs. Our District is proud to provide high-quality tap water to 110,000+ customers in an 18-square-mile area made up of the City of Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach, and some unincorporated sections of Orange County, CA, including John Wayne Airport.

As an independent special district, we are unique in that we do not collect taxes to fund our operations. We also understand the importance of government accountability, openness, and transparency; and, we appreciate our responsibility to the public and press regarding government oversight, including reporting compensation.

A five-member Board of Directors governs Mesa Consolidated Water District, and the organization’s strategic plan lists financial responsibility as one of its top goals. Mesa Consolidated Water District Board members receive no pension. Additionally, no Board member receives payment for health benefits if they elect not to participate in Mesa Consolidated Water District’s group health plans. Also, there are no loans to Board members or employees.

Please click here for detailed information about our Board members’ compensation. Also included is information about my compensation as General Manager of Mesa Consolidated Water District, as well as our employee benefits and monthly salary ranges by job classification and level. This information is current, with annual updates to take place at the start of each new calendar year.

Mesa Consolidated Water District‘s #1 goal is to provide a safe and reliable water supply at comparable rates, with other top goals including continued infrastructure renewal, and a commitment to financial responsibility. Toward that end, over the past decade, the District has reduced its staff size by 15 percent, and reduced overtime by 27 percent.

Mesa Consolidated Water District is a proud recipient of two prestigious awards for its excellent financial and operational performance:

• For the past 17 consecutive years, Mesa Consolidated Water District has received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (“GFOA”); and,
  
  
• Since 2007 (when this accreditation was inaugurated), Mesa Consolidated Water District is a California Special Districts Association (“CSDA”) District of Distinction, accredited by the Special District Leadership Foundation. This accreditation recognizes agencies that provide essential public services in a fiscally responsible manner.

Furthermore, a recent independent poll shows that 91 percent of Mesa Consolidated Water District customers are satisfied with their water quality and customer service.

According to Fred R. Bockmiller, Jr., P.E., President, Mesa Consolidated Water District Board of Directors: “Mesa Consolidated Water District is a financially strong, fiscally responsible organization committed to good governance, and ethical, sound operating practices. The organization’s liabilities are fully funded, with no outstanding retirement liabilities. Mesa Consolidated Water District’s top, and only, priority is water, with the primary goal of providing safe and reliable water to our customers.”

Mesa Consolidated Water District’s Board of Directors and Staff welcomes this opportunity to provide our compensation information to the public and press. We also invite you to visit us, or join us at our Board meetings (which take place twice monthly on Tuesdays starting at 7:00 p.m.), at 1965 Placentia Avenue in Costa Mesa, CA, 92627. Please also feel free to review our Website at www.MesaWater.org, or call us at (949) 631-1200 if we can be of any assistance.

Sincerely,