MVSD performance audit is a blueprint for change

There are two ways of addressing the state performance audit of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District: one is with your defenses up; the other is with an open mind.
We hope the four members of the MVSD board of directors and the mayors and city councils of Youngstown and Niles take the 74 recommendations offered by Ohio Auditor Jim Petro's office and use them as a guide for improving the operation of the water district. We would also hope that no one is foolhardy to suggest that the MVSD is the picture of operational efficiency and fiscal responsibility and that nothing needs fixed.
State auditors aren't in the habit of finding shortcomings in government or other public entities when none exist. Indeed, the office's record of uncovering waste and fraud in Mahoning Valley governments is unmatched. It is no wonder that Auditor Petro, a Republican, is one of the most respected, popular public officials in the predominantly Democratic Mahoning Valley.
Thus, when Petro's office says that the MVSD should reduce employee compensation, cut back on overtime and sick time used and direct the cost savings to capital improvement projects, the reaction should be, "Let's take a close, hard look at that," not, "They're making unfair comparisons with other water districts." The audit isn't about assigning blame or criticizing the performance of the members of the board of directors and the employees.
Drinking water
It is about independent experts reviewing the operation of one of the most important public entities in the region and making recommendations for not only getting the biggest bang for the public buck, but for ensuring that the 300,000 area residents who get their drinking water from the MVSD can rest assured that it is safe and of the highest quality possible.
Youngstown Mayor George M. Mc Kelvey, Niles Mayor Ralph Infante and the two city councils must become involved in the development of an operational and financial master plan based on the audit.
Youngstown and Niles are the only member cities of the MVSD, which sells bulk drinking water to them and the Village of McDonald. In turn, Youngstown and Niles sell the water to their residents and their suburban customers.
The four board members, two from each city, are appointed by the mayors and councils. The MVSD, the statutory agency created for the purpose of providing bulk drinking water to Youngstown and Niles, has no independent source of revenue. Because of this, the city governments should take a special interest in the performance audit. There's a motherlode of information that can be used to make the MVSD even more efficient and cost-effective than the directors and employees say it is.