Fees of Office and Expense Reimbursements

At the last meeting we were presented with the annual audit of the District's finances. Thought I would share one page with you, that reflects the amount of money the Board members were given for both Fees of Office and expense reimbursements. Fees of Office are the amounts actually paid to a Director during the District's fiscal year (April 1, 2011-March 31, 2012) for attending to District business. Example: Attending a regular Board meeting = $150.

According to the Texas Water Code, section 49.060, the limit on Fees of Office that a Director may receive during a fiscal year is $7200. The Board could choose to cap it at less than that amount by resolution, but the maximum allowed by law is $7200. On July 19, 2005 the WCID#89 Board passed a resolution to allow the maximum permitted by law.

So, what was the amount given to each Director for the past fiscal year? The first figure is for Fees of Office, the second for expense reimbursements, and the final number is the total amount.

Sharyn Smalls           $6450       $3439      $9889
Arthur Washington   $5550       $3018      $8568
Byron Watson           $5100       $2623      $7723
AK Babers                $4650       $2554      $7204
Jeraine Root              $3000       $  209      $3209

WCID#89 holds two regular Board meetings each month, so 24 times $150 = $3600. Directors also receive Fees of Office for the days that they spend attending conferences or other educational seminars, and for tending to the business of the District.

As you recall from a previous post, I had major surgery in the summer of 2011 and had to miss a few regular Board meetings. My expense reimbursement was much less than the others because I did not attend the 2011 AWBD Summer Conference in Ft. Worth nor the Mid-Winter Conference in Dallas. We do receive mileage reimbursements for travel to/from regular meetings.