CAMARILLO : Water District Head to Stay as Consultant

Gina Manchester, Camrosa Water District general manager, will stay on as a consultant for six months after her resignation takes effect on March 20, according to an agreement the board approved this week.

“I think it’s a fair settlement,” Manchester said Friday. The agreement comes after newly elected district board members told her they wanted her to leave.

“We felt it was in the best interests of the district and the people that we serve that there be a change in the management of the district,” board President Jeffrey Brown said.

There are pending legal matters that the board will need to discuss with Manchester, he said.

Under the agreement, the district will retain Manchester for up to 15 hours a week at a rate of $6,187 a month, a pro-rated equivalent of her $74,000 annual salary. She has agreed to be available for consultations by telephone as long as it does not interfere with her job search.

Manchester will continue to receive health benefits until Sept. 20, when she may continue the same plan for another 18 months but must pay her own premiums, the agreement says.

She will receive $17,850 for about 500 hours of accrued vacation time, and will also take another 100 hours of vacation before her resignation date, she said.

Attached to the agreement are a resignation letter from Manchester citing regret in leaving, and a recommendation from Brown that outlines Manchester’s duties and praises her abilities.

“Gina is creative and quick to learn,” Brown’s letter says. “She will make a positive contribution to your organization.”

Manchester disputed past charges by Camrosa customers of district mismanagement. In a recall election last November, voters chose an entirely new board.

“I think there was a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of misinterpretation,” Manchester said. “Our district has had 10 years of very healthy financial condition. This district did nothing different than other districts in dealing with the drought. We had to raise our rates.”

However, she said she would have done some things differently.

“I think I would have taken a much stronger stand on softening that initial rate hike,” she said. “I don’t think that people take too kindly to getting socked with a severe rate hike.”

She said the district returned rebates totaling $181,000 last year.