East Valley Water District Wins Innovative Program Award

SAN BERNARDINO>> East Valley Water District was presented with the Innovative Program/Project Award for Succession Planning from the California Special Districts Association at their annual conference held Wednesday, Oct. 12. “We are honored to be recognized by CSDA for our succession planning efforts,” said Board Chairman Ron Coats. “Looking to the future in this manner is something outside of the box for government agencies, but an important way to plan for our future.” The district conducted a five-year gap analysis that revealed 36 percent of the current workforce would reach retirement eligibility within five years. The analysis also identified technology impacts on staff and district positions, changes in infrastructure and potential development and planning for the unknown. A comprehensive action plan was developed focusing on succession planning and addressing impending needs. The action plan included a three-phase approach to gathering information, making recommendations, developing strategies and process for implementation of employee-focused programs. As a result, the district created a Leadership Action Academy, learning lab and cross-training program and improvement to recruitment and retention tools. Positive outcomes include decreased turnover and recruitment costs, increased internal employee promotions, stability in leadership and improved employee morale. Other special districts have requested EVWD to share materials and assist them with implementation of a similar program. The district presented the plan at the Association of California Water Agencies Conference and to the Inland Empire Water Agency Human Resource Consortium. “The district is committed to providing opportunities for employees to grow professionally based on their own individual career goals,” said John Mura General Manager/CEO. “As part of this effort, the district began evaluating its workforce and began developing programs to address changes in our staffing needs.” CSDA’s Innovative Program/Project Award evaluates originality of the program and/or project, tangible and positive results produced, adaptability to other districts, and documented decrease in district costs or demonstrated improvement in the district’s quality of service without significantly increasing costs.