CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Clearlake Oaks County Water District Board this week is set to discuss a proposal to either increase its members' compensation for attending meetings or offer them health insurance.
The meeting will be held beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Live Oak Senior Center, 12519 Foothill Blvd. and The Plaza.
District General Manager Matt Bassett said the meeting is being held at the senior center, rather than the district's administration building on Highway 20, as more than 100 people are expected to attend.
“We've been promised that the attendance will be very noticeable,” said Bassett.
The large expected attendance is in response to some community members' concerns over the proposal, and why these changes are being considered now, he said.
The board will consider giving members a raise from $50 for a regular meeting and $25 for a special meeting to $100 per meeting or event, for a maximum monthly compensation of $600, Bassett explained.
Alternately, there is a proposal to give each board member full health insurance. The top end of that proposal would include medical, dental and vision at a monthly cost to the district of $679 per board member, according to Bassett.
Those benefits would be available only to board members, not their families, he said.
Bassett also emphasized, “This is not a lifetime benefit, this is only when you're on the board.”
That, however, is assuming the proposal is approved, said Bassett, who noted that the board is expected to have some other mid-range options to consider Thursday as well.
The increased pay or benefits proposal was brought forward at the district's regular Aug. 21 meeting by board member Dena Barron, Bassett said.
Bassett said the impetus behind the proposal was not just to support current board members, who oversee a corporation with a $2.2 million annual budget – a job that brings with it a tremendous amount of responsibility and oversight.
He said the sitting board – which, in addition to Barron, consists of President Iris Hudson, Vice President Judy Heeszel, and directors Robert Kiser and Richard Kuehn – hopes to use the promise of better pay or health insurance to attract new board members.
The board has had trouble in recent years attracting new members, and they want to change that, Bassett said.
The recruitment issue is an increased concern now as Hudson – who has served on the board for several years – announced in June that she would be leaving the board when her term ends later this year.
Bassett said he hopes the discussion will attract a crowd to the Thursday meeting.
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Clearlake Oaks County Water District Board to consider increased pay or medical insurance for members
- Elizabeth Larson
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