Grand jury recommends elections for Triunfo board
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

Janna Orkney

The Triunfo Sanitation District board should be an all-elected body and should have an independent general manager, according to a report issued last week by the Ventura County grand jury.

Triunfo, which oversees water and sanitation services in Oak Park, North Ranch, Bell Canyon, Lake Sherwood and parts of Thousand Oaks, is run by a fivemember board, but only two of the members are elected. The district has no staff, and contracts with the Ventura Regional Sanitation District for financial and legal services, creating a possible conflict of interest.

The grand jury report recommended that Triunfo retain a law firm and auditor other than Ventura Regional to confirm the accuracy of past interest earnings paid by Ventura Regional to Triunfo. An investment oversight by Ventura Regional last year resulted in an estimated loss of $100,000 in interest income for Triunfo, an amount that was later reimbursed.

A complaint filed with the grand jury prompted the investigation. Under jury terms, the identity of the complainant is kept confidential.

Linda Parks

"We need to get the representation we deserve so that we can get some integrity, common sense from the board and some oversight," said Triunfo Board Member Janna Orkney, who, along with fellow board member Linda Parks has pushed for an all-elected board.

Board members Ron Stark of Oak Park, Tom Glancy, a Thousand Oaks City Council member, and James Acosta, a Ventura Regional board member from Saticoy, have not supported the change. Only Orkney and Stark are elected.

"I strongly believe in the people's right to vote," Parks said. "When you have someone in Saticoy making decisions on where to put a water tank in Oak Park, it doesn't make sense."

Stark said he has no objection to an all-elected board but wants to make sure that each of Triunfo's communities has equal representation.

"Are we talking about an atlarge board or by district?" Stark said. "You have to look at what you really want and how it affects the people."

Having an independent general manager might not be costeffective, Stark said.

"A general manager will cost $100,000 a year. Is he going to save enough money to warrant his salary?" Stark said. "You can't go helter-skelter into all these things without studying them."

The report suggested Triunfo think about consolidating with either Ventura Regional or the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District. Orkney and Parks expressed interest in a possible merger.

Although Triunfo is currently a joint venture partner with Las Virgenes in the area of wastewater services, it remains a mostly independent agency.

A full merger might make costs more efficient.

"VRSD marks things up 15 percent when they work with us. We are paying more for that unique government structure," Parks said. "If we were VRSD they wouldn't do that."

Although a merger might help Triunfo financially, neither Ventura Regional nor Las Virgenes have responded to the idea, according to Stark.

"I've been proposing this for five or six years, but the other agencies haven't come back to say, 'Yeah, that's a good idea,'" he said. "It takes two to tango."

The board has 90 days to respond to the grand jury's suggestions. Board members will formulate group and individual answers to each of the jury's recommendations at a meeting at 5:15 p.m. on July 16 at the Oak Park Library.

The board is under no obligation to follow through on any of the grand jury recommendations.

"I will continue to hope," Orkney said.