Valley Sanitary District Sets Public Hearing

Valley Sanitary District Seeks Input on Boundary Maps to Determine Future Board Representation

INDIO — Valley Sanitary District is seeking feedback from customers at a public hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, about the development of new voting district division maps.

The redistricting effort is based on population changes identified in the latest U.S. Census. Districts are adjusted every 10 years to maintain balance among divisions and ensure fair representation.

“As a special district providing a vital public health service – the collection and treatment of wastewater – it is imperative that our customers feel empowered to help determine how they are represented,” General Manager Beverli Marshall said in a prepared statement. “The public hearing is one of the ways Valley Sanitary District is involving them in the process.”

The maps define the boundaries for the District’s five divisions, each with roughly 16,000 residents represented by an elected Board member. Because communities grow at different rates, boundary adjustments are required after each Census.

The public hearing will start at 1 p.m. in the conference room at Valley Sanitary District, 45500 Van Buren St. in Indio. A second public hearing will be held at the District on March 22 at 1 p.m. The public may also attend the hearing virtually via a Zoom option that will be noted on the meeting agenda and on the District’s website.

In April 2020, the District’s Board of Directors unanimously approved moving from at-large elections to a division-based system. District elections are held every two years in November on even-numbered years. Terms are staggered, with two terms expiring in one even-numbered year, and three terms expiring the following even-numbered year.

Questions about the public hearings or the process may be directed to Clerk of the Board Holly Gould at (760) 238-5400 or hevans@valley-sanitary.org.

 

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About Valley Sanitary District

Valley Sanitary District, founded in 1925 to collect and treat wastewater, is a special district that believes in the environmental stewardship of providing a vital public service to roughly 82,000 people within its 19.5-square-mile territory in Indio. Learn more at valley-sanitary.org.