RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Murieta Community Services District has reached a $375,000 settlement with General Manager Mimi Morris, who has agreed to resign. The agreement comes four months after her conflict with Board President Steve Booth became public.

The board approved the settlement during a special meeting on May 12. Following a 46-minute closed session with district counsel Patrick Enright, the board returned to open session, where Vice-President John Merchant reported on the outcome.

“The board voted 3 to 0 to reach a settlement agreement with Ms. Morris and that concludes the report,” Merchant said.

Merchant and Directors Tim Maybee and Linda Butler voted in favor of the agreement. Booth and Director Randy Jenco were absent.

Following the meeting, The River Valley Times filed a public records request for a copy of the settlement agreement. The district provided the document on May 13.

Settlement Agreement

The settlement agreement identifies the two parties: the employer, the district; and the employee, Morris. It states that the employee, through her attorney, submitted a government claim and made allegations related to her employment, referred to in the document as “the Action.”

“Employer adamantly denies Employee’s Allegations,” the agreement states. “Nonetheless, in order to avoid the substantial expense and inconvenience of litigation, the Parties now desire to fully and finally settle all claims asserted in, as well as all issues that were raised or could have been raised in the Action, on the terms set forth in this agreement.”

Reactions

The River Valley Times contacted Morris for comment about the settlement. In response, she emailed a lengthy statement on May 13. Morris began by outlining her contributions to the district during her tenure and concluded with the following comments: “Despite unexpected health issues that arose about a year into my tenure, I continued to push hard, advancing the progress to get the District on a solid foundation financially and operationally.

 

“Accordingly, it was a great shock to be treated with such disdain by one board member. My own commitment to the integrity of my work and my professional and personal reputation compelled me to stand up for myself in the face of such abuse.

“I would have appreciated seeing the successful outcome of my many efforts to improve the organization, and so feel a great disappointment to be leaving so many things unfinished, but some made it clear that my contributions were not welcome.”

When River Valley Times offered Booth the opportunity to respond to those comments, he emailed the following statement on May 13: “When I assumed the position on the Board of Directors in December 2022, I committed to be an agent for change, to promote transparency and accountability, and to act in the best interests of the community. I tend to be direct in my communications and to expect timely, complete, and correct staff work, especially from the highest-paid employees in the district. I do not agree with a settlement for meritless claims as it does not serve the interests of CSD or the community.” 

According to the agreement, Morris has agreed to resign.

“Upon signing this Agreement, Employee will go out on a leave of absence, using her available leave credits,” it said. “While on leave, Employee’s duties and responsibilities might be performed by an interim General Manager who will be appointed by the Board of Directors.”

The agreement further states that Morris will resign after using her accrued leave credits or earlier, if she chooses, in which case the district will pay out any unused credits. In either case, she must submit a formal letter of resignation.

Background

The conflict between Morris and Booth became public on Jan. 6, when the board held a special meeting to evaluate her performance. Before the board moved into closed session, without Booth, Morris publicly accused him of retaliation, discrimination and harassment. Morris also disclosed that she had filed an internal complaint against him following the Nov. 20 board meeting.

After entering closed session, directors voted 4-0 to place Morris on administrative leave pending an investigation into her grievance.

Booth responded to the River Valley Times on Jan. 7, stating, “I categorically deny that there has been any discrimination against her for any reason.”

Morris’ primary complaints centered on Booth’s alleged insistence that she return to the office some months after being allowed to work from home, due to a medical condition. Morris also claimed that Booth had harmed her reputation by discussing her performance during the open session of the November board meeting.

Two days after the Jan. 6 meeting, Morris’ attorney filed a government claim against the district, expanding on her allegations against Booth. However, her claim also named Merchant, Director Linda Butler and district counsel Enright as district employees allegedly responsible for “causing injury.”

Under California law, public employees must file a government claim before suing a governmental entity, providing an opportunity to resolve the issue before litigation. In an executive session during the Feb. 19 board meeting, the board voted 4-0 to deny Morris’ government claim, clearing the way for her to proceed with a lawsuit.

The board also held a special meeting on March 14 to confer with legal counsel about Morris’ situation. After the closed session, Merchant announced that Morris would return from administrative leave.

Morris resumed her duties on March 24. (See “CSD Leadership Rift Continues”).

However, on the same day, Board President Booth notified the district that he would be unable to attend any committee or board meetings for the time being.

Despite returning to work, Morris didn’t attend board committee meetings on May 6 and May 8. When The River Valley Times asked Merchant about her absence, he declined to comment, citing it as a personnel matter.