Mesa Water District Honored with Rose Award by the OC Taxpayers Association

COSTA MESA, Calif.; September 26, 2019 — Mesa Water District (Mesa Water®) was recognized as the 2019 Rose Award winner in the Orange County Taxpayers Association’s (OCTax) 9th Annual Roses, Radishes and the Royalty Award, for Mesa Water’s Business Improvement Process Implementation (BiPi), which has resulted in an estimated $6.3 million in cost savings for the District over ten years. The awards recognize the best of individual, business, and public agency taxpayer policy practices.

“We’re honored to be recognized for our fiscal stewardship and the business improvement steps that Mesa Water has taken,” says Shawn Dewane, Mesa Water Board President. He continued, “As a result of this effort, Mesa Water continues to be one of Orange County’s most efficient water agencies based on annual expenditures per capita, and consistently receives an AAA rating from Fitch and Standard & Poor’s.”

In 2013, Mesa Water went through a rigorous evaluation to optimize the District’s administrative and operational processes. The recommendations that came out of the BiPi significantly improved efficiencies and productivity for Mesa Water.

Marice DePasquale, Mesa Water Board Vice President and Shawn Dewane, Mesa Water Board President holding the OCTax 2019 Rose Award, presented to the District at the Fashion Island Hotel in Newport Beach on September 25.

OCTax is a countywide organization that represents taxpayers on government tax and spending policy issues. OCTax’s awards include the following three categories: The Rose Award is given to individuals or organizations that have been friends to taxpayers in the previous year; the Radish Award is given to individuals or organizations that have not been friends to the taxpayers in the previous year; and, the Royalty Award is presented to an individual or organization that has established a legacy of service to the taxpayer.

“Mesa Water is one of the most efficient water agencies in the county. Their continuous fiscal stewardship and business improvement efforts earned them a coveted OC Tax 2019 Rose Award, highlighting Mesa Water as a leader in taxpayer policy best practices,” says Carolyn Cavecche, President and CEO of the Orange County Taxpayers Association.

Award recipients were announced at the 9th Annual Roses, Radishes and the Royalty Award event on September 25 at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, which was attended by over 200 guests.  For more information, please visit OCTax.org.

About Mesa Water

Founded on January 1, 1960, and governed by a publicly-elected, five-member Board of Directors, Mesa Water is an independent special district that provides water service to 110,000 residents in an 18-square-mile service area that includes most of Costa Mesa, a portion of Newport Beach, and John Wayne Airport. Mesa Water provides 100 percent local reliable groundwater to its customers due to the Mesa Water Reliability Facility. Visit MesaWater.org, follow @MesaWater on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, email, or call 949.631.1200 to learn more.