Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1513618
CEO/GM A Year of Growth • 2 0 2 3 A N N UA L R E P O R T 3 This Annual Report shines a spotlight on each department within the District and highlights their signicant achievements over the last year. I am honored to have spent my rst year as the CEO/General Manager advancing the commitments made to our customers and community to continual innovation, scal responsibility, and exceptional public service. These commitments remain at the forefront of my priorities. I feel humbled to lead this exceptional District and to serve our customers. Another big change this year included the welcoming of two new board members – Rocky Qualin in September 2022 and Brian Fordyce in December 2022. With that said, we continue to move towards "Securing a sustainable future." Year one of the Five Year Strategic Business Plan is ofcially in the books. It has laid the foundation toward fullling our mission of providing quality water and services to our customers in the most cost-effective manner possible. The plan has also ensured our infrastructure is professionally operated, maintained and improved. FY 2023 marked the rst year of a zero percent internal water and wastewater rate increase for the next five years. This comes at a pivotal time as ratepayers are being faced with pass-through increases from our wholesale service providers and increasing pressures from inationary costs for goods and services. The East County Advanced Water Purication Program (AWP) facilities continue to take shape with more construction that got underway in FY 2023. I'd like to take a moment to thank the community for being patient and adjusting to the ever-evolving construction impacts. Once complete, the East County AWP will produce up to 11.5 million gallons of water each day -- supplying up to 30 percent of East County's drinking water supply. It'll create a reliable and sustainable drinking water source that will reduce dependence on imported water. Construction is expected to last for the next couple of years with puried water production beginning in 2026. We prioritize providing our customers with high quality, cost-efcient and reliable services. In FY 2023, we accomplished this while focusing on technology and innovation to help secure a sustainable future for all of the services we offer our community. I look forward to the continued success of the Five Year Strategic Business Plan and the future achievements of the skilled Padre Dam team. Best Regards, Kyle Swanson CEO/General Manager Fiscal Year 2023 marked a tremendous amount of change for Padre Dam.