The San Juan Water Conservancy District (SJWCD) Board of Directors discussed vacancies on the board and appointed officers at its April 20 meeting.
Current SJWCD president Candace Jones opened the discussion by explaining that, alongside her as president, the board also has Joe Tedder as treasurer, Susan Nossaman as secretary and Charles Riehm as vice president.
Jones indicated that she does not wish to serve another term as president and suggested that the board should accept nominations for president.
After no one put forward a nomination for president, Jones moved on, asking Tedder if he would serve as treasurer.
Tedder stated that he would and the board unanimously voted to appoint him.
Jones then noted that Nossaman expressed uncertainty about whether or not she would return to the board once her term expires and suggested that it might be optimal to select a different secretary.
SJWCD Executive Assistant Sally High clarified that Rod Proffitt is currently the board’s secretary, and he confirmed that he is willing to stay in the role.
The board then unanimously voted to retain him as secretary.
Riehm expressed willingness to remain as vice president, but stated that, due to his commitments as the lay leader of the Community United Methodist Church, he did not have time to be president.
SJWCD board member Randy Cooper asked Jones to outline her time commitment as president.
She explained that managing the SJWCD’s litigation with the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) over the sale of Running Iron Ranch “has taken a fair amount of time.”
Jones added that she was willing to commit to staying involved and helping guide the litigation and the settlement process that the SJWCD is working through with PAWSD.
Outside of litigation, Jones explained that she spends time formatting agendas and reviewing minutes for the board meeting, as well as filling an ex officio role on the Southwest Basin Roundtable.
She commented that the board has been effective in sharing duties and having all board members involved, and that she hoped that the litigation would be concluded in the future and the board could refocus on reservoir planning.
Cooper then volunteered to be president.
Following a brief discussion, the board unanimously voted to appoint Cooper as president.
Board vacancies
Also at the meeting, the board briefly discussed expiring board terms, with Jones stating that she would seek reappointment to the board and that Bill Nobles would not be seeking reappointment to the board.
She added that it is currently uncertain whether Nossaman will seek reappointment.
Jones explained that appointments to the board are handled by District Court Judge Justin Fay and that the board has typically voted on whether or not to recommend the appointment of a candidate to the board.
Proffitt asked whether Crista Chagra had submitted a letter of interest to be appointed to the board to fill Nobles’ seat.
Jones stated that Chagra had not submitted a letter and that her, Nobles’ and Nossaman’s positions all expired in March and they would continue to serve until their successors are appointed.
She indicated that Chagra is the only person who has expressed any interest in serving on the board.
The board reached a consensus that, since Chagra had not submitted an application, they would not vote on her nomination at this time.
They then unanimously voted to recommend Jones’ reappointment to the board.
Following the vote, Jones explained the application process to Chagra.
Chagra indicated that she had sent letters to the incorrect address previously and had not resubmitted them due to “vacillating” about whether she wanted to serve on the board.
However, she added that, since the board needs another member and does not have one, she would resubmit her application to the proper address.
Jones encouraged Chagra to attend another board meeting to hear more about the issues it discusses before making a final decision on applying, particularly since the April 20 meeting primarily involved a lengthy executive session.
josh@pagosasun.com
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