Inicio Esparza Strategic Plan 2026 - 2027 STRATEGIC PLAN Mesa Water District is dedicated to satisfying our community’s water needs. Mesa Water’s strategic planning process is designed to provide clarity, direction, and focus for its water service and to ensure the agency is working toward a common goal.VisionTo Be a Top Performing Public Water AgencyMission StatementMesa Water District, a local independent special district, manages its finances and water infrastructure, and advocates water policy, while reliably providing an abundance of clean, safe water to benefit the public’s quality of life.Core ValuesHealth and Safety of the Public and Our StaffExcellencePhilosophy of AbundancePerpetual Agency PhilosophyStrategic GoalsProvide an abundant, local, reliable and safe water supply.Perpetually renew and improve our infrastructure.Be financially responsible and transparent.Increase public awareness of Mesa Water.Attract, develop and retain skilled employees.Provide excellent customer service.Actively participate in regional and statewide water issues.Practice continual business improvement. Leadership Board of Directors Departments General Manager Public Notices Strategic Plan Strategic GoalsStrategic Goal #1 - Water Supply and ReliabilityProvide an abundant, local, reliable and safe water supply.Objective A: Continue to meet and surpass water quality standards.Objective B: Maintain and protect a high-quality water supply.Bring the Califronia Division of Drinking Water-approved Mesa Water Cross-Connection Control Plan to the Board for adoption by December 2026Objective C: Continue to ensure a reliable and abundant supply of water.Present backup power solutions for Wells Nos. 12 & 14 to the Board by September 2026Vigorously pursue next steps for the Local groundwater Supply Improvement Project (Local SIP) by June 2027Objective D: Ensure emergency operations.Develop and implement by December 2026 a standardized Emergency Response Process as a resource for key staff, outlining protocols for notification, reporting and documentation to ensure timely communication and accurate recordkeeping during emergenciesComplete the Reservoir 1 Upgrades Project by June 2028Strategic Goal #2 - Water InfrastructurePerpetually renew and improve our infrastructure.Objective A: Manage water infrastructure assets to assure reliability.Implement software by March 2027 to process and track underground service alert ticketsComplete the Reservoir 2 Recovery and Reservoir 2 Pump Station Upgrades Project by June 2027 Objective B: Efficiently manage our water system.Complete the Interagency Water Transfer with the City of Newport Beach and Orange County Water District (OCWD) by September 2026 Submit a plan to implement Mesa Water’s Mobile Work Order Functionality by December 2026 Complete the Interagency Water Transfer with the City of Huntington Beach and OCWD by June 2027 Objective C: Plan future projects based on data-driven and life-cycle cost decisions.Bring to the Board by August 2026 the recommendation from the Mesa Water Reliability Facility (MWRF) Electric Vehicle Charging Station Feasibility Study Complete a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Needs Assessment (SCADA) by December 2026 Release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a SCADA Master Plan by June 2027 Evaluate the development of a District Strategic Energy Plan by June 2027 Initiate Cathodic Protection Improvements by June 2027 as adopted in the Master Plan Update and Capital Improvement Program Update Objective D: Improve Mesa Water’s information technology infrastructure assets to assure reliability and security.Complete a Microsoft Office 365 optimization review by October 2026 Competitively bid Information Technology services and present results to the Board by October 2026 Implement improved meter reading software and hardware by December 2026 Strategic Goal #3 - Financial Responsibility and TransparencyBe financially responsible and transparent.Objective A: Maintain AAA financial goals and meet the appropriate designated fund level goals.Develop a standalone report for the AAA rating metrics by December 2026.Objective B: Maintain competitive rates and efficiency in per capita expenditures.Initiate a 5-year water rate study by December 2026Objective C: Fund the District’s priorities.Conduct Federal Earmarks advocacy through September 2026 for Mesa Water’s priority projects — “Mainline Valves” and “Cybersecurity” and determine 2027 priorities by March 2027 Aggressively pursue grants and low-interest loans for the Local SIP (as Notice of Funding Opportunities are released) by June 2027 Objective D: Encompass Financial Responsibility and Transparency.Conduct a thorough and transparent staff-led RFP by October 2026 to retain a firm to provide General Legal Counsel Services Standardize contracts and create a procurement matrix by December 2026 Create and implement Standard Operating Procedures across key financial processes: Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Budgeting, Cash Receipts, Financial Reporting, Payroll, Procurement, and Project Tracking by June 2027 Digitize and automate key forms and contract workflows using Laserfiche by June 2027, reducing administrative and paper costs while improving accuracy, auditability and real-time transparency Objective E: Support the selection and implementation of a new financial system. Complete the RFP and vendor selection process by January 2027 to procure a modern financial and accounting system Start the implementation guidelines for the modern financial and accounting system by April 2027 Strategic Goal #4 - Water AwarenessIncrease Public Awareness of Mesa WaterObjective A: Enhance Mesa Water’s visibility and positive recognition.Complete a website user analysis by December 2026 to enhance the userexperience of MesaWater.org Objective B: Increase awareness of Mesa Water and water among key audiences.Create a research-driven plan for a high school and college education program at the Mesa Water Education Center by December 2026 Launch quarterly public tours at the Mesa Water Education Center by March 2027 Host 100 field trips and tours at the Mesa Water Education Center by June 2027 Reach all audiences, e.g., renters, by cultivating partnerships and sponsorships with trusted local organizations and geotargeted digital and direct mail marketing by June 2027 Conduct an RFP to select a qualified social media consultant by June 2027 who will enhance Mesa Water’s digital presence, improve community engagement and support strategic communication goals Objective C: Increase customer knowledge about water-use efficiency and water-wise resources.Conduct an RFP for Professional Services to select a firm by April 2027 to provide water-wise landscaping options at the Mesa Water Education Center and at District Headquarters Host two CA water-wise landscape workshops, including smart timer education, by June 2027 Strategic Goal #5 - Human ResourcesAttract, develop and retain skilled employees.Objective A: Attract and retain a qualified, skilled, and capable workforce.Complete an Agency-Wide Classification and Compensation Study by October 2026 Complete a general salary increase survey of our benchmark agencies by June 2027 Objective B: Develop employee skills.Conduct two Elite Onboarding sessions by June 2027 Objective C: Enhance employee engagement.Administer biannual and annual employee engagement surveys by June 2027 Establish a redesigned employee recognition and engagement framework by June 2027, prioritizing impactful events and qualitative feedback loops to enhance employee satisfaction and retention Objective D: Provide a safe working environment.Explore and evaluate a Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) Wellness Program by March 2027Objective E: Improve operational processes and workflow.Update recruitment and selection Standard Operating Procedures by December 2026 Strategic Goal #6 - Customer ServiceProvide excellent customer service.Objective A: Provide outstanding internal and external customer service in a timely, courteous, and effective manner.Objective B: Enhance the customer experience.Implement a new Customer Information System by October 2026 Objective C: Measure success.Implement new metrics for the Elite Customer Services Standards by October 2026 Objective D: Continuous improvement and reinforcement.Implement a cashless payment program by June 2027 Strategic Goal #7 - Policy LeadershipActively participate in regional and statewide water issues.Objective A: Accomplish the Board’s Policy Priorities.Advocate through June 2027 to support appropriate Low Income Rate Assistance programs for residential customers of public water agencies in California Support through June 2027 industry associations’ sponsored state legislation in alignment with the District’s priority Policy Platforms and Policy Positions Continue engaging the Buried Utilities Coalition (BUC) through June 2027 to advocate on priority air quality regulations of high impact to Mesa Water Objective B: Positively influence water policy and other priority policy issues.Engage in the state of California’s Ocean Plan Amendment process through June 2027 to enable more favorable permitting conditions for water desalination projects Influence implementation of California’s water use efficiency regulation through June 2027 to provide the maximum variance for potable reuse of indoor water Advocate through June 2027 for water quality regulatory rulemaking to include a standardized cost-benefit analysis for determining economic feasibility Objective C: Optimize governmental efficiencies affecting Mesa Water.Continue improving internal efficiencies through June 2027 for Water Policy processes involving other Mesa Water departments Objective D: Facilitate Mesa Water’s impactful participation with water, government, utility and non-governmental organizationsStrategic Goal #8 - Business Improvement ProcessPractice Continual Business Improvements.Objective A: Conduct the following Annual Audits: Present to the Board by August 2026 the Gallup Employee Engagement Survey Present to the Board by October 2026 the Mesa Water Annual Financial Report (AFR) Present to the Board by October 2026 the Mesa Water District Improvement Corporation (MWDIC) AFR Present to the Board by October 2026 the District-Wide Performance Audit Present to the Board by October 2026 the Environmental, Health & Safety Audit Present to the Board by October 2026 the Customer Service Audit Present to the Board by January 2027 the FY 2026 Penetration and NIST 2.0 Delta Change Gap Assessments Objective B: Each year, in a six-year rotation, one department will be the focus of an in-depth Department Assessment. Provide four quarterly updates to the Board by June 2027 regarding the initiatives stemming from the FY 2025 Financial Services Department Assessment Implement by August 2028 the action items from the FY 2026 Engineering Department Assessment Hire a qualified consultant by December 2026 to conduct the FY 2027 Water Operations Department Assessment Hire a qualified consultant by June 2027 to conduct the FY 2028 Department Assessment Objective C: Assure annual completion of the District’s Business Improvement Process. Include the Audit Report Card in the General Manager’s Annual Review with the Board of Directors by October 2026 View PDF
