Disputed claim turns contentious at IID meeting

EL CENTRO — A dispute over a $1.3 million claim against Imperial Irrigation District over an air conditioning service contract turned contentious enough that board President Norma Sierra Galindo was compelled to clear the room at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Er ic Tay lor , representing himself and a company called ECS Alliance LLC, refused the board’s instructions to limit his public comments to three minutes, arguing he wanted 22 minutes to speak on the matter of the $ 1.3 million he said the IID owed his company for past work.

IID Board President Norma Sierra Galindo disagreed with Taylor, saying there is not much she can say because it is in litigation.

According to the IID, the district had a service agreement with a company called Enalasys Corp. Taylor was a subcontractor for Enalasys, and he said subcontractors were not paid for their work in 2018 when that company filed for bankruptcy.

IID has said it will honor the contract with Enalasys of $134,000, not the $ 1.3 million Taylor claims he is owed.

“In a nutshell, the contract was not with his company.

He ( once) worked for the company we contracted with,” Galindo said. “This company then subcontracted the work with various small companies, so we do not owe him or the subcontractors.”

She said Taylor is trying to recover money that is not owed to him.

IID Director Bruce Kuhn said the board was advised by legal counsel that the IID did not have a contract with Taylor’s new company.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Taylor was determined to be granted more than the normal three- minute limit during the meetings public comments to make his case.

Kuhn at one point proposed 10 minutes, but it failed to get a second, so the motion died.

After three minutes, Galindo told Taylor his time to speak in public comment was up, but he kept speaking as the board president repeatedly banged her gavel, telling him his time to speak had expired. Taylor persisted.

Galindo then ordered everyone to leave the IID chambers, so they could discuss the matter among themselves and decorum could be restored.

After seven to eight minutes the meeting reconvened, and Taylor was told by Director James Hanks the IID board was pulling the item from the consent agenda to an action item, and he could then speak for as long as he wanted at that time.

At Tuesday’s meeting Taylor said he has been unable to talk to the board about this issue since November of 2018.

Taylor, who formed his own company ECS Alliance after parting ways with Enalasys, said the subcontractors did the work, so they deserve to be paid.

IID Public Information Officer Robert Schettler reiterated that the district had a service agreement with Enalasys Corp. and is currently in a legal process to pay the approximately $134,000 owed under the agreement when it was terminated.

Schettler in the email wrote that IID does not have a contractual relationship with ECS Alliance, but the district will follow all appropriate legal avenues to review and respond accordingly to any claim made by that entity.

Taylor said he spoke with Kuhn about the situation and then received a letter from IID Counsel Frank Oswalt telling him he was harassing IID board members, even though Kuhn represents his district.

“There is really some stuff going on, and it needs to be investigated,” he said.

He also claimed he was fired after IID General Manager Henry Martinez told him his company was going to do what the district tells him to do.

“It’s just not right you guys,” he said. “I am asking you to pay your bills. You guys need to do the right thing for the public.”

Oswalt said the request should be denied partly because the request well exceeded the six-month time limit, but added Taylor, if he wants, has legal remedies he can pursue.

Kuhn asked if it is correct that the IID had a contract with Enalasys and Taylor and whether the board had approved the contract.

Oswalt cautioned Kuhn on what to say since there is pending litigation and his comments could be used against the district.