The North County Water District might see changes to the composition of the board.

Before his unfortunate passing last weekend, board chairman John Walker told colleagues at the June meeting that the state Comptroller’s Office said in a recent audit that employees of Chadwick Bay Intermuncipal Water Works should not be on the board. CBI is the district’s service and billing arm.

Walker and Clerk Kathy Tampio said there is a County Legislature resolution in the works that would reduce the board membership to five and make them all county legislators. The board is currently nine members. Beyond the CBI members, it includes the mayor of Brocton, supervisors of towns served by the district, and just one county legislator, Terry Niebel.

Tampio noted the resolution is a long way from becoming law — it has to get approved by a committee and then the full Legislature.

She also suggested a revision: A seven-member board that adds current members Dave Hazelton and Richard Lascola, who are not currently holding office, to the five legislators.

Niebel wasn’t having it. “We have an awful lot of experience and an awful lot of expertise on this board,” he said. “I’m concerned, I don’t want to lose that experience and expertise.”

A fellow county legislator, John Penhollow, spoke in support of Niebel. He repeatedly said that the county should not “check a box” to please the state if it means losing experienced board members.

Niebel said he hadn’t seen the state comptroller’s report so couldn’t be sure of the exact objections in the audit. Walker was apparently the only NCWD board member at the meeting in Mayville where the audit was discussed. Other board members complained they hadn’t been informed about the Mayville meeting; some said the NCWD meeting was the first they had heard of the audit.

Niebel said the resolution will almost certainly get amended. He suggested a nine-member board, which is what the NCWD has now, though he did not say what entities they should come from.