The Soquel Creek Water District has recently received two awards recognizing the agency’s transparency and commitment of being open and accessible with information to the public.
On April 24, the California Special District Leadership Foundation re-accredited the “Transparency Certificate of Excellence” Award to the District. In order to receive the award, a special district must demonstrate the completion of eight essential governance transparency requirements, including conducting ethics training for all board members, properly conducting open and public meetings, and filing financial transactions and compensation reports with the State Controller in a timely manner.
The District also fulfilled the 15 website requirements required by the Special District Leadership Foundation. The requirements include providing readily available information to the public, such as board agendas and packets, past board meeting minutes, the current district budget, and the most recent financial audit.
The District was first honored with a “Transparency Certificate of Excellence” Award in 2015 when it was the first special district in Santa Cruz County to be recognized for their transparency efforts.
On May 8, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) bestowed the District with a ‘Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting’ for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). This Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting and an impartial panel deemed the District embodies a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story.
“The District Board and Staff are to be commended for their contributions that empower the public with information and facilitate engagement and oversight,” said Ron Duncan, Soquel Creek Water District’s General Manager, “We are honored to receive this type of recognition.”
The Special District Leadership Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization formed to promote good governance and best practices among California’s special districts through certification, accreditation and other recognition programs.
The Government Finance officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of nearly 19,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners.