Oceano CSD race: 3 questions for the candidates

Seven candidates are running for three four-year seats on the Oceano Community Services District board of directors.

They are Air Force veteran and small business owner Ariles Amokrane, vacation rental agent Linda Austin, technology project manager Andrew Brunet, John Clemons, retired attorney James Coalwell, filmmaker Joseph Holmes and substitute teacher Giselle Naylor. Clemons said he is not actively campaigning and declined to provide information about himself or respond to questions.

The candidates recently responded to three questions posed by The Tribune:

Q: If elected, what would you do to improve finances at the district?

Amokrane: I would open up the dunes for event organizations and capitalize on having one of the most active tourist destinations on the Central Coast. I would push toward fundraising events as alternatives to increasing taxes, which also double as more exposure for OCSD to interact with citizens and enriching a communal mindset.

Austin: The current financial state of the district is good, with a balanced budget that was just approved for the next two years. I would strive to work with the staff and board to maintain the district’s financial stability. I would assure that all the current and future needs of maintenance and infrastructure are met while continuing to build on our reserves.

Brunet: All audits would need to be completed and budget justifications done. The administration budget needs to be scrutinized, and enterprise fund allocations need to be reworked. Water and sewer funds need to be utilized strictly for water and sewer infrastructure, not to help offset administration costs. It is time for the district to tighten its administrative belt.

Coalwell: Critical to holding down costs is to pay careful attention to the current issues and, perhaps more importantly, plan wisely for the future, including infrastructure. Our prior board has given us a reserve balance, and hopefully we will build on that. Selling some of our excess reserve water on a temporary basis and hopefully qualifying for additional grants will increase our income.

Holmes: The finances of the district to me are not in need of improvement. The district has been running well and a big improvement since the new general manager has been in to put the district out of a hole.

Naylor: I would gather all labor contracts into one area and make them available for public inspection and copying; make sure every person employed, appointed, elected or contracted by the district has a designated job title. Skilled labor should be tested before being hired. The district should regularly apply for workforce grants to develop and train residents and job applicants. Reassess the salary of the general manager; examine his expenses to see if they are relevant to his job duties.

Q: The Oceano CSD was involved with a lengthy dispute with the South County Sanitation District for much of the past year over billing. Do you believe the issue was handled appropriately by the CSD? What else, if anything, do you think could have been done?

Amokrane: Unfortunately, the dispute is still not over. We still need to fight to get an equal cut of the pie. If we bring in 20 percent of the sanitation district’s customers and we’re only charging $4,930, then we need to get much more detailed financial information in order to leverage effective negotiations to get fair compensation for the city’s bill collecting.

Austin: I attended the meetings during this time. Unfortunately, after many meetings and attempts by OCSD to negotiate a contract, no resolution was made. There was a stalemate due to the atmosphere and personalities at that time that eventually led to an impasse. There could have been a little more give and take and treatment of Oceano as an equal partner.

Brunet: There has been much division between leadership of the communities. Oceano leadership did not step up with professionalism and grace, but yet decided to engage the SSLOCSD with hostility when it came to district billing. If OCSD leadership would have approached the sanitation district with a compromising proposition and professional attitude, a more practical solution could have been achieved.

Coalwell: There may be some personality issues or conflicts there that I’m not party to, but I would rather not comment on this question.

Holmes: Don’t wish to comment on the OCSD and the sanitation district issue at this time.

Naylor: John Wallace has been accused of conflicts of interest that had an effect on his ability to act as the district’s engineer, and which conflict led to overbilling the district. What were the district directors doing to audit his work? The district board has neglected to recover “public money taken from the district.” The district needs to prosecute their public claims or admit their own “failure to properly supervise” the people they hire.

Q: What do you think is the single largest issue facing the CSD, and what specific steps would you take to address it?

Amokrane: Road quality is awful. I believe raising taxes or bond measures are a last resort to acquiring capital, as it jeopardizes our community’s growth and property values. I want to implement a more involved OCSD that would host events for everyone to participate in. We could bring consumer traffic into the area as well as make money from attendees.

Austin: Water. Fortunately, Oceano has a diversified water portfolio that includes state water, groundwater, Lopez Lake and drought buffer. The community has done a good job at conservation, and I would encourage staff to continue to collaborate with other agencies and neighboring communities in finding new sources of clean, safe water.

Brunet: The largest issue facing Oceano is a crumbling infrastructure that has not been prioritized as a main focus. As a new board member I will work with the board and staff to begin doing a full, detailed investigation of all water and sewer pipes as well as obtain cost estimates for full replacement that could be broken out into phases.

Coalwell: Our most important issue is our water policy. Consider this in two aspects. First is supply. We are fortunate our prior boards secured plenty of water for Oceano. We are in the enviable position to be able to sell some of this water to our neighbors such as Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach. Allocation and use of water requires cooperation among us. Secondly, our aging infrastructure is an issue for Oceano only and requires careful attention and planning now.

Holmes: I think, to me, the biggest issue facing CSD is safety, and in safety I mean more street lighting for residents and working with the county to get sidewalks.

Naylor: Oceano is divided by culture and language when it comes to participating in CSD meetings. We need to host one Spanish-as-a-second-language class and one English-as-a-second-language class per week at the district office. This allows two groups separated by language to integrate and become comfortable with one another. The district also should incorporate more social gatherings into its calendar to encourage the feeling of community.

This story was originally published October 8, 2016 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Oceano CSD race: 3 questions for the candidates."