CLEARLAKE— Konocti Water District Board is looking for a candidate. The consideration of the appointment was a recommended action during the Clearlake City Council Regular Meeting on Thursday at the City Hall Council Chambers.
Similar to the City Council, the Konocti Water District has an elected member board consisting of five duly-elected individuals who live within the jurisdiction of the district and are registered voters. When a board member resigns before the end of their term, the board must appoint a new member within 60 days, or the appointment must be done by the City Council.
According to city officials, the vacancy has already exceeded that time limit. That is when the Clearlake City Council has to intervene.
If neither the board nor the City Council appoints a new member, the district must hold a special election, which can be costly and is normally an unbudgeted expense.
“I’d like to thank everyone and recognize the working relationship that the city has with our friends at the water district. Over the years, we’ve had some trying times with people breaking into hydrants and stealing water,” Council member Russ Cremer said during the meeting. “I just want to publicly appreciate all the things that you’ve done, all the work during the droughts and trying to give people good water.”
“We received a letter from Konocti Water District the day of our last meeting, August 3, notifying us that they had received a resignation from a board member. Their ability to reappoint someone for that seat expired, so then it falls on the legislative body of the jurisdiction that they’re in to make that appointment, and so that’s where we are,” said City Manager Alan Flora.
Flora added the city had one applicant for the vacated position apply directly to the district, so they reached out to him/her. The city also received two other applications from the community at large. “There are two conditions to serve on the board: one being that you reside within the water district and you’re a registered voter. We were able to confirm that all three candidates meet those criteria. Unless the council wants to change the process, what we had discussed with the mayor was following the normal process for committee assignments which would be asking a few questions of each of the candidates,” said Flora.
“What we normally do is just start in alphabetical order. The two candidates that are coming up, we take them into a small conference room out here so they don’t have the opportunity to listen to the answers of the previous candidate and sort of hone their skills. Once they’re done with that sort of interview, opportunity they can stay in the room, and we’ll just swap them out, and then the Council will deliberate, take any input from the public and make an appointment,” he explained.
Once appointed, the board member holds office until December 2024, at which time, they will be asked to file candidacy papers to fill the remainder of the two-year unexpired term of office at the next General District election on Nov. 3, 2026.
In other actions, the board heard a presentation on a proclamation declaring Aug. 31, 2023 as International Overdose Awareness Day, heard a presentation of the Recreation and Events Division quarterly report, the swearing in of new and promoted Police Department employees by Chief Tim Hobbs and during closed session held conferences with legal counsel regarding multiple litigation actions taken or anticipated against the city.
The Clearlake City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the Clearlake City Hall Council Chambers, located at 14050 Olympic Drive, Clearlake. Agendas are available prior to the meetings according to the Brown Act. Minutes are available following approval and can be found online at clearlake.ca.us/143/City-Council.
