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Ross Valley board directs its CMSA representatives to oppose San Rafael–CMSA management agreement
Summary
The Ross Valley Sanitary District board voted to direct its CMSA-appointed commissioners to oppose a proposed management and operations services agreement between San Rafael Sanitary District (SRSD) and the Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA). Directors cited governance, transparency and conflict-of-interest concerns and urged further negotiation or broader consolidation talks.
Ross Valley Sanitary District (RVSD) directors on Jan. 21 directed their representatives on the Central Marin Sanitation Agency to oppose a proposed management and operations services agreement between San Rafael Sanitary District (SRSD) and CMSA.
Staff presented the draft agreement and a chronology of negotiations that began after a May 2024 SRSD letter requesting consideration of a service agreement integrating SRSD into CMSA. Staff said the version in the board packet was superseded by later drafts circulated as recently as Jan. 20 and asked directors to provide direction before CMSA’s Feb. 10 meeting.
Several directors said the contract raises governance and transparency problems. Director Tom Gaffney said the draft establishes “one manager reporting to two districts,” calling that structure “a managerial impossibility.” Director Gaffney and others cited an independent RSG study and said not all of its governance recommendations had been satisfied.
President Kelly raised a conflict-of-interest concern, saying representatives from San Rafael who sit on CMSA have previously participated in decisions RVSD viewed as problematic. “I strongly believe that the representatives of the San Rafael Sanitary District … have an obvious conflict of interest and cannot vote on this issue,” Kelly said during discussion.
After public comment and staff answers to legal questions, a director moved that RVSD’s CMSA appointees oppose the item should it come before CMSA on Feb. 10. The motion was seconded and the board voted in favor by voice vote.
The board did not adopt a written ordinance or amend RVSD policy; the action was a direction to RVSD’s appointed CMSA commissioners. Staff noted legal concerns remain under review and that revised contract drafts were still circulating among parties.
What’s next: the matter may be considered by the CMSA board at its Feb. 10 meeting; RVSD’s appointees will be instructed to vote against the proposed agreement unless the terms are changed.
(Reporting in this article is based on the board discussion and the motion recorded during Item 12. The transcript records the motion and voice vote but does not list individual roll-call votes.)
