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As of September 1 the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority’s (SVSWA) finances are no longer managed by the City of Salinas. Per an action of the Board at its monthly meeting in August, the agency now runs an in-house financial management system and handles its own banking and investment accounts. In addition, the SVSWA’s Board of Directors appointed General Manager Stephen Johnson as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Finance Manager Roberto Moreno to the position of Controller/Treasurer. These measures replace the fiscal agent services and administrative support previously provided by the City.
Before granting the SVSWA financial autonomy, the City of Salinas required the agency to run its new in-house accounting system parallel to the City’s for 60 days to ensure accuracy. “After the trial phase, our records matched those of the City exactly, proving that we are fully capable of managing our own finances,” says newly assigned CAO Stephen Johnson. “The new arrangement cuts out the middle man, so to speak, between our agency and the public. This makes us more flexible and efficient in serving the residents of the Salinas Valley.”
Since its founding in 1997, the SVSWA has parted from the City’s oversight in several steps--first in the transfer of waste hauler payments from the City directly to the SVSWA in 1999, and then the separation of hiring procedures and the transfer of existing employees in 2004. The SVSWA is accountable to its Board of Directors, comprising elected officials of member cities Salinas, Gonzales, Greenfield, Soledad and King City, as well as Monterey County.
The Authority, formed in 1997, is a joint powers agency made up of the cities of Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Salinas, and Soledad as well as the eastern half of unincorporated Monterey County. The agency promotes the environmental health of the Salinas Valley through planning, public education and management of an innovative solid waste system emphasizing recycling, energy recovery and state of the art technology. Staff can be reached at (831) 755-1300 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or on the web at www.svswa.org.