General Manager's Performance Review

ear Fellow Bear Valley Residents,

In September of this year, General Manager Bill Malinen completed his first year in service to our community. As is customary, and contractually required, the Board of Directors conducted a review of his performance. This Board unanimously approves of GM Malinen’s performance, and we are pleased to publish this letter illustrating how his leadership has served our community.

As the Board of the Community Services District, our priority must be to protect and preserve the sustainability of the vital infrastructure needed by the residents of Bear Valley Springs. Our community faces some long-term challenges. Like much of our infrastructure, our water delivery network is past its useful lifespan. New leaks pop up as quickly as the District can repair them.

It is the way of things that a non-profit entity such as the District must pass the rising costs of providing services to the community that benefits from those services. We are mindful that this may create financial hardship for some residents, and we are doing everything possible to mitigate the circumstances as much as we are able. GM Malinen’s experience and expertise have been of great assistance to the Board and of great benefit to the residents of Bear Valley Springs.

Here are a few of the numerous goals that have been met in the past year under GM Malinen’s guidance:

• Completion of the water rate study and approval of a water rate structure that brought the Water Utility onto stable financial footing and improved our ability to maintain and upgrade our water infrastructure
• Multiple contract renewals, including a new contract with Waste Management that reduced the cost by roughly $45,000 in the 2019/20 fiscal year, and potentially more in future years.
• Initiation of the Solid Waste Transfer Station reconfiguration, which protects the community’s waste transfer permit and will help reduce residents’ costs by providing better control of our waste stream
• Implementation of a new Entry Gate security system that gives residents control over their pass issuance, requires all guests to have valid credentials, and has helped to prevent unauthorized use of BVS facilities and the dumping of outside waste and debris into our transfer station.
• District IT upgrades including a new website that provides residents with easy access to information about the District
• Traffic speed study, including an inventory of signage that is need of attention for the sake of public safety
• Guardrail evaluation and repairs to improve the safety of residents and their guests
• Mailbox replacement plan to improve aesthetics within the valley and protect residents’ mail from the elements
• The implementation of recycling program that supports our community’s desire to reduce landfill waste and preserve natural resources.

Prior to GM Malinen taking control, several key department head positions were vacant for extended periods of time. This created a backlog of work that needed to be addressed. GM Malinen selected Dave Van Wagoner to head Public Works. Mr. Van Wagoner has improved the approach to corrective maintenance and has worked to implement preventative maintenance programs. Under his direction productivity has increased across the departments, improving efficiency and saving money for our community.

Hamed Jones, our Administrative Services Director was new to his position when GM Malinen arrived. Mr. Jones is responsible for keeping a watchful eye on the Districts funds. Over the past year, he and GM Malinen have worked together to overhaul the accounting policies, procedures and practices, and to produce a budget designed to be easily followed and understood by residents. This resulted in an excellent rating from our external auditors.

GM Malinen also created, and hired Megan Clark to fill, a Communications Specialist position. This position has resulted in a dramatic increase in transparency, as accurate information is now made available daily to residents via many platforms including social media and the new website. GM Malinen and Ms. Clark have been working together to continuously improve outreach efforts.

General Manager Malinen is now a property owner here in BVS. As such, he has shown desire and dedication to ensuring that the future of our beautiful Bear Valley Springs is secure, stable, and sustainable. This Board is confident that we have selected an extremely competent and community minded General Manager. We are proud and thankful to have his experience and integrity serving our community.

Bear Valley Community Services District Board of Directors

Jane Baron, Jay Carlyn, Greg Hahn, Steve Roberts, and Terry Quinn

Bill Malinen's 2018-2019 Accomplishments

Outstanding Projects Completed:

• Administrative Citations Implementation
• Capital Replacement Plan Phase I
• Guardrail Evaluation Project
• Mailbox Replacement Program (initiated)
• Manhole Project
• Police Department HVAC Replacement
• Server & Network Upgrade
• Traffic Sign Inventory
• Traffic Speed Study
• Waste Management Contract & Implementation of Recycling Program
• Water Rate Study Completion & Increase Passage
• Wells 8 & 33 Rebuilt

Other Projects

• Clarified Emergency Exit Status
• Committee report streamlining on consent agenda
• Completed storage building audit
• Creation of Employee Safety Committee
• Initiated Access Gate Control System & RFID Access
• Initiated DPAC Strategic Plan Update
• Pursuing CalFIRE grant for dead tree removal
• Road Usage Determination/Gate Rules clarified

Community

• Coffee with the GM monthly outreach
• Improved relations with BVSA
• Regular attendance at monthly “Common Interest” meeting
• Started regular monthly meetings with BVSA General Manager

Communication & Outreach

• Continued regular monthly meetings with Directors
• Development of an External Communications Plan
• District social media presence improved (Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, Youtube)
• Intranet implementation
• Meeting Room video recording/streaming
• Regular bi-weekly Department Head meetings
• Started regular monthly Administration Department meetings
• Use of monthly Bear Tracks Article space
• Website Redesign

Policies Developed & Approved by Board

• Drug Free Workplace
• Electronic Communication System Policy
• Employee Development & Training Policy
• External Communications Plan
• FMLA/CFRA/PDL/MFL
• Investment Policy Updated for FY 18/19
• Investment Policy for FY 19/20
• Investment Policy overall
• Harassment Prevention
• Public Safety Standby
• Public Works Standby
• Personnel Policies I – IX (9 of 15) updated
• Social Media Policies (Internal and External)
• Vehicle Use Policy

Staffing/Human Resources

• Communications Specialist position created & staffed
• Full Police Department Staffing
• General Services Supervisor Hiring
• Initiated Employee Evaluation reviews for all employees
• New Employee evaluation process
• Public Works Director hiring
• Preparation of various job descriptions (approved by Board)
• Roads supervisor hiring
• Staffing of vacant positions in Public Works
• Started Trust Edge training with Department Heads & Supervisors

Fiscal Management

• 2019-2020 Budget process, structure & expense reductions
• All funds under budget for expenses for FY 18-19
• General fund generated $367,000 surplus for FY 18-19
• Revamped cost allocation plan

Training

• Attended CSDA Annual Conference
• Attended CSDA General Managers Conference
• Attended PELRA Conference
• Completed Anti-harassment Training
• Completed Incident Command System (FEMA/IC) training

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