Meeting tonight | EWUA’s recurring governance problem

EWUA’s Board meets tonight, September 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Orcas Fire Hall 

||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON |||

EWUA’s Board meets tonight, September 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Orcas Fire Hall. As of this morning, EWUA has not emailed or posted an agenda or formal notice containing the meeting details and anticipated business. The most recent posted minutes are from June; the July entry says no meeting occurred. EWUA website

That is not an isolated oversight. It reflects a recurring pattern in which members learn about important decisions after the fact, cannot locate the supporting Board record, and receive incomplete or no answers to reasonable questions.

Rates without the complete math

EWUA announced a 10% rate increase only after questions were raised about it. The Association then said its original emails had not reached everyone, but no agenda, minutes, motion, vote, or resolution documenting the Board’s approval has been made available to members.

The explanation emphasized the union agreement, yet employee raises are 2.8% in year one, 2% in year two, and 1.5% in year three—approximately 6.4% compounded over three years—plus standby pay. EWUA also reported that wages and benefits finished 2025 approximately $163,000 below forecast.

Members should be shown how much revenue the increase will generate and how it is allocated among employee compensation, management compensation, legal expenses, debt service, and the Clark Well project.

Did the assistance program change?

Helping low-income members afford water service is a worthy goal. The concern is whether EWUA implemented the program the Board discussed and approved.

The public discussion and resulting vote appeared to contemplate voluntary member contributions, similar to OPALCO’s PAL program. The subsequent announcement instead says the discount will come from EWUA’s operations budget.

Those are different funding models. What did the approved motion actually say? Did the Board take another vote? If not, who changed the funding method between the meeting and the announcement?

Elections and member choice

The September 11 Source provided an election schedule, with applications due September 29 and voting ending November 12. That information is welcome.

However, EWUA’s recently adopted conflict-of-interest policy prevents both current and former employees from serving on the Board—apparently a new restriction in EWUA’s history. Members deserve an explanation of why former employees are categorically excluded and how reducing the field of qualified candidates serves the membership.

The larger pattern

Seventeen employees have reportedly left under the current General Manager, including three accounting employees. Multiple directors have also resigned before completing their terms.

At the same time:

• The Clark Well project remains overdue, with unanswered questions about its final cost, budget overruns, borrowing, and procurement.
• EWUA added a highly compensated, off-island Operations Manager rather than developing or promoting an experienced local operator.
• Current operators report that the organizational consultant is addressing communication among operators, but not the underlying relationship between staff, management, and the Board.
• Management compensation and legal expenses have risen significantly.
• The Board declined the petition signed by 118 members seeking an independent investigation, later indicating that the issue could be reconsidered after collective bargaining. Bargaining is now complete, but no independent review has been announced.
• EWUA says its lawyers conducted an internal investigation and found no concerns, but declined to explain its scope, methods, or findings or to provide a report.

An undisclosed internal legal review is not an independent investigation, and simply declaring allegations “discredited” is not a substitute for examining them openly.

These are not separate communication mistakes. They demonstrate a continuing failure of Board oversight, management accountability, and meaningful member engagement.

Transparency is not a polished announcement after a decision has been made. It means posting the agenda, documenting the vote, answering the questions, producing the records, and showing members the complete math.