Clean Water Services details multi-part plan to "rebuild trust" with staff, customers and partners

Chair Catherine Harrington of the Clean Water Services Board of Directors opened a June 10 work session on a “plan to rebuild trust,” saying the board would review a packet that includes exhibit A (the plan), a slide set and Resolution and Order 25-5 passed April 8. Acting CEO/general manager Rick said staff would lead a presentation and bring communications staff forward to explain outreach and engagement work under way.

The plan centers on 14 separate actions tied to the April resolution and order. "We're here today to talk about a plan to rebuild trust," Rick said. He and staff described three areas of emphasis: financial accountability (including an outside fiscal and performance review), clearer travel and meal controls for executive leadership, and a proactive communications and engagement program for employees, partner governments and customers.

On financial oversight, staff reported the professional services agreement to hire an outside investigator for a fiscal and performance review is out for signature. The acting CEO said the finance department is conducting a comprehensive review of executive-team management expenses and that two months of expense records already have been submitted to general counsel; staff plan to present a report to the board in July. "We are hiring an outside investigator to conduct a fiscal and performance review," staff said in the presentation materials circulating with the agenda.

Regarding travel, training and meals, staff said they have revised the district travel and training policy and are evaluating approval processes. The board was told that general counsel and the chief compliance officer are rejecting noncompliant travel and training reimbursements identified in the review. On executive meals, staff said district policy will be revised so the district will not reimburse local meal purchases by members of the executive management team and that all purchasing cards held by executive leadership have been returned.

Communications and engagement work was a major focus. Communications and community engagement director Karen DeBaker (Karen) and a colleague, Joe (communications lead), described a shift from reactive to proactive communications built around themes of accountability, transparency and “back to basics.” They listed employee newsletters, a monthly partners newsletter, public newsletters, bill inserts, bill explainers on the website and more frequent small-group meetings with city managers and utility-billing staff. The acting CEO said an all-leaders town-hall is scheduled for June 17 (about 130 attendees expected) and that staff will brief the board again on July 18.

Staff also announced near-term and longer-term operational actions: launching an employee hotline (planned for the week following the work session), evaluating the low-income assistance program with recommendations to follow, conducting a cost-of-service study and pursuing a centralized records-management system to improve responses to public-records requests. On captive insurance, staff said an expedited domicile review is under way with a target in July, and that the CEO must serve as the member representative under applicable law while future nominations will come to the board for approval.

Board members raised several operational and governance questions during discussion. They asked for clarity about who receives bill inserts, how shared billing with cities is handled and how sample bills and explainers are being used to reduce customer confusion. Several directors urged staff to compare Clean Water Services' records-management and public-records work with Washington County's systems and to report back. A director also asked the board to revisit previous governance-structure discussions that explored alternate models for representation and partner involvement.

Staff framed many items as "in progress" rather than final decisions. For example, staff said they will provide a schedule in July for the low-income assistance evaluation and for implementing cost-of-service recommendations in the fall. On records management, staff confirmed the need for a policy and a system and said digital solutions staff are already exploring options (the work is included in the budget planning). The acting CEO asked the board for flexibility as staff present options tied to next year's budget process and for guidance on organizational structure as they begin an executive search.

The meeting closed with directors asking staff to bring back comparative information from the 2023 and 2025 CWS Essentials sessions and to ensure board members are added to the CWAC interested-parties list. Chair Harrington adjourned the session without formal board votes recorded at this meeting.