COSTA MESA : Budget Policy Change on Board’s Agenda
The board of directors of the Mesa Consolidated Water District will consider restricting the general manager’s authority over district funds at its meeting on Thursday.
A citizen watchdog group, the Coalition for Clean Water-Costa Mesa, asked the board to halt Karl Kemp’s practice of shifting funds between budget items without board approval. Kemp, under district policy, is required to inform the board of changes in the budget only after they are enacted.
Heather Somers, co-founder of the coalition, said Kemp had been canceling or delaying district projects to pay for unexpected expenses without the approval of the board or public comment.
Recently, Kemp told the board he would have to reallocate $1 million to pay for repairs at one of the district’s reservoirs.
Kemp said he planned to put some improvement projects on hold to fix the reservoir, but had not gotten the board to approve the action.
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