RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - A missent letter to a developer, the search for a new general manager, and the impact of recent rains on local reservoirs were among the topics discussed when the Rancho Murieta Community Services District board met Feb. 18.

Directors also tabled proposed changes to the security department and spent considerable time on water issues. See related stories in this issue.

Developer Letter

A mistakenly sent letter triggered a tense exchange at the board meeting.

When directors were asked to approve the consent calendar – minutes and routine items not requiring discussion – Director Tim Maybee requested that a proposed action to rescind a Nov. 19 letter from Interim General Manager Amelia Wilder to developer Bob Keil be pulled for separate review.

In the letter, Wilder told Keil that he and his partners would be required to provide a third water storage tank (estimated to cost at least $8 million) before the district would issue a water meter for the 51st lot in the 198-lot Residences subdivision.

Saying he wanted to focus on process rather than personalities, Maybee questioned who had directed the general manager to send such a consequential letter without formal board action.

President John Merchant, who serves on the Ad Hoc Administrative Committee with Director Bill Gere, said the committee had directed the letter. He described its release as the result of a “misunderstanding” during a late-night closed session at the November board meeting.

District Counsel Patrick Enright clarified that Wilder drafted the original letter and that he reviewed it briefly during the closed session. He said it was his understanding that the letter would not be sent until after a committee meeting scheduled about 10 days later. Gere said in the discussion that he didn’t participate in drafting the letter.

 
From left, President John Merchant, Director Bill Gere and Director Tim Maybee discuss a mistakenly sent letter at the board meeting. Photo by Gail Bullen

Maybee asked Enright directly whether it was within the scope of an ad hoc committee to direct the general manager on a matter that should require full board action.

Enright responded that regardless of whether the topic fell within the committee’s purview, an ad hoc committee does not have the authority to make or reverse board decisions. He said any such directive should be authorized by the full board.

Asked what impact rescinding the Nov. 19 letter would have on the district’s position with the developer, Enright said the district was essentially “in the same position.”

Maybee then sought clarification on who was handling negotiations moving forward.

“As a point of order, you’ve been directed by the board, on behalf of the board, to negotiate with developers, correct?” he asked.

“That’s my understanding,” Enright replied.

The general counsel said he is drafting a new letter to Keil and his attorney outlining “exactly what the district’s asking” for project approval. The draft will be brought back to the board before it is sent, he said, “so that we’re all on the same page as to exactly what we’re requesting.”

During public comment, Keil criticized what he called Wilder’s “very unprofessional letter” and what he described as a broader pattern behind it. He said responding to the letter cost him $25,000 in attorney and engineering fees.

Keil also accused one unnamed board member of acting as a “rogue” director.

“I’ve given you a 16-page example of everything that he’s done, but yet, because it is a closed session, we can’t really discuss it,” he told the board.

Gere made the motion to rescind the letter, which the board approved unanimously.

Reservoirs, Granlees Dam

Interim Director of Operations Travis Bohannon reported that recent storms dropped about 4.3 inches of rain in three days, leaving the raw‑water system nearly full: Clementia and Calero are spilling, and Chesbro is about 93% full.

Because storage is so high and the Cosumnes is running high and muddy, the district has shut off the Granlees pumps and will wait for better water quality before resuming diversions. He added that the wastewater ponds are about 60% full, so the district is now managing an abundance of water in both reservoirs and wastewater storage, rather than a shortage.

On a more somber note, Bohannon told the board that while the forebay at Granlees Dam was running high from recent storms, a resident ignored multiple “Keep Off/No Trespassing” signs and walked to the edge to take photographs. A staff member on site pointed out the warning signs, he said, but “they just completely ignored him and continued to do what they were doing.”

Bohannon stressed that when flows are that high, “it’s not safe” and said the incident underscored both the district’s liability exposure and the need to move forward with plans for permanent fencing around the forebay.

“No matter how many signs we put up, people just don’t listen,” he said.

 

 

Developer Bob Keil explains that a missent letter cost him $25,000 in attorney and engineering fees. Photo by Gail Bullen

General Manager

The board also considered a revised general manager job description, the result of several months of work by the Personnel Committee.

Committee Chair Linda Butler said the panel’s first priority was to clearly separate the board’s role from the general manager’s role, using the California Special Districts Association Board Member Handbook and government code as guides. The revision also reaffirms that the general manager “serves at the pleasure of the board” and is responsible for implementing the board’s mission and objectives.

Butler said the update primarily clarifies and tightens the language, breaking up what she described as “word salad” into more clearly defined duties. She emphasized that the GM’s performance should be regularly reviewed by the board and that the position is not a remote job. The revised description, she said, is intended to provide a more practical framework as the district recruits a permanent general manager.

The board unanimously approved the updated job description.

In her report, Interim General Manager Amelia Wilder said she has already begun the process of hiring a search firm and expects to bring three proposals to the board at its March meeting.

Other Business

Director of Finance and Administration Cecilia Min reported that she has paused her work on the 2023-24 and 2024-25 audits until mid-March in order to prepare a preliminary budget for 2026-27. Other staff members are continuing audit work in the meantime.

The board approved a job description for an operations manager, accepted a grant deed for the Riverview subdivision detention pond and approved a $16,641 contract for annual fats, oils, and grease (FOG) inspections of commercial kitchens.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 18.