Board dissolves Water Vision working group and ad hoc oversight committee; public and members disagree

The board voted Aug. 26 to dissolve the Water Vision working group and, in a separate motion, to dissolve the ad hoc oversight committee. The motions followed a long public interchange: working-group members said the group had been chartered with multiple tasks and had generated work products the new general manager could use, while others argued the groups had been waiting for staff capacity and that the incoming general manager should decide whether to continue them.

Board members favoring dissolution argued the groups were temporary by design and that standing committees and incoming professional staff (a general manager and water operations director) should handle future work. Opponents contended working-group participants provide community expertise and continuity and warned that disbanding the group would slow progress on an urban water management plan and related tasks. The motions passed by roll call; staff will document the work produced by the groups so it is available to new leadership.