Quincy irrigation district seeks candidates

Elections for Division 5,6 set for Dec. 12

QUINCY — Nominations are being accepted for two positions on the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District's board of directors.

The deadline for filing a petition of nomination is Monday at 5 p.m. Copies are available at the district office in Quincy.

Elections for director positions representing Divisions 5 and 6 are held Dec. 12. Terms of office are three years. Bill Stevens and Lamar Gilbert are incumbents in Division 5 and 6, respectively.

The irrigation district's business manager/treasurer, Kathy Tobin, said the top duty of the position is to represent water users.

"That's who they work for, who we all work for," she said.

A director makes decisions regarding policies, assessment rates and budgeting, ensuring the district complies with all federal and state laws. A director must be a landowner, Tobin continued, so they have a vested interest. Most board members are active farmers, she said.

"Water users need to feel that who represents them is speaking for them, and if they don't feel the director is speaking for them, then they have the right to either run themselves or have somebody run who they feel would speak for them," Tobin said.

A director also makes sure land owners are aware of what's transpiring in the district.

"Over the last few years, we've been inundated with a lot of new regulations," Tobin said. "When you look at the canal system, it hasn't grown, but when you look at the number of people we have at the irrigation district, it has grown, and that's mainly due to a lot of state and federal regulations that have been imposed upon us."

Tobin thinks a landowner with a business background makes for an ideal candidate, which allows them to read financial information and make monetary decisions. The person should be community-minded, she advised.

"Someone who cares about their community, has lived in the community for a while and will listen to water users and represent them," she said.

Tobin stressed the time commitment involved in the position.

"There are times when this position is quite time consuming," she said. Right now, for example, the district is going through budgeting and a director must sit on various committees.

"It's just not something you show up once a month at a board meeting. It extends above and beyond that. I think someone running would need to know this is a really serious board and a serious responsibility."

For more information, call the district offices in Quincy at 509-787-3591 or in Royal City at 509-346-2301.