MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS OF THE
IRONHOUSE
SANITARY DISTRICT
August 4, 2015
The Board of Directors of the Ironhouse
Sanitary District (ISD) met in regular session on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, in
the Board meeting room at ISD’s offices at 450 Walnut Meadows Drive, Oakley,
California.
1. Call to Order
President
David Contreras called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
The
pledge of allegiance was led by John Moore.
Roll
Call
Directors present: David Contreras, C. Lauritzen,
S. Morgan, Michael Painter and Doug Scheer
Members absent: None
Staff/Consultants
Present: Chad Davisson, General Manager
Susan
Walde, District Secretary
John
Moore, District Counsel
Michael
Welty, Financial Officer
Roni Gehlke, Outreach Consultant
Interested Parties: Vanessa Perry, Councilwoman
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
M/S C. Lauritzen,
D. Scheer, and the Board voted unanimously to approve the agenda.
In favor: D.
Contreras, C. Lauritzen, S. Morgan, M. Painter and D. Scheer. Opposed: None. Absent none.
3. APPROVAL
OF THE MINUTES of the July 9, 2015 Special
Workshop Meeting of the Board.
M/S S. Morgan, C.
Lauritzen and the Board voted to approve the minutes of the July 9, 2015 Special
Workshop Meeting.
In favor: D.
Contreras, C. Lauritzen, S. Morgan, M. Painter and D. Scheer. Opposed: None. Absent none.
4. PUBLIC
COMMENTS. Communications
from the public on subjects not on the agenda.
Ms. Vanessa Perry
spoke to the Board about an upcoming event asking for the District support. On
October 10, 2015, there will be an Out of the Darkness Community Walk to help
support the fight against suicide in Oakley.
She handed out postcards supporting the event and encouraged all to
attend. The event will be held at the
Cypress Grove Community Park.
5. CONSENT CALENDAR -
5A. Approval
of Payment Order, Report on Financial Position & Operating Performance.
5B. Acceptance
of Grant Deed from Contra Costa County Sanitation District No. 15, for APN:
032-330-018-6 (Res 15-05)
5C. Acceptance of Amendments to Contract with
Phil Batchelor for Consulting Services.
M/S C. Lauritzen, S.
Morgan and the Board voted to approve the Consent Calendar.
In favor: D.
Contreras, C. Lauritzen, S. Morgan, M. Painter and D. Scheer. Opposed: None. Absent: None.
6. BUSINESS BEFORE THE BOARD
6A. INTRODUCTION STATEMENT
BY NEW GENERAL MANAGER – CHAD DAVISSON.
Mr. Chad Davisson stated that he is happy to be here
and impressed with the quality of the staff and the facility. He stated that ultimately he will be working
with staff to develop the items that go before the Board. He will help to facilitate a dialog to inform
the Board with the information needed to make appropriate policy for the
district and establish a level of trust.
6B. PUBLIC HEARING – FOR THE ANNUAL SEWER USE
REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015/2016.
(Ordinance No. 60 Board Order 15-45)
Mr. Davisson reported to the Board that 14,975.62
units were submitted to the County on July 14, 2015. The total revenue is $9,853,957.96. Last year 14,750.44 units were submitted
which equals an increase of 225.18 units.
At 7:08 p.m., President Contreras opened the public
hearing for the Annual Sewer Use Report for Fiscal Year 15/16.
President Contreras asked for any comments from the
parties in attendance.
There being no public comments, written or oral,
President Contreras closed the public hearing at 7:09 p.m.
Director
Lauritzen stated that as an elected official his testimony is that he owns a
home in Bodega Bay and reported on the potable water/sewer rates of which the
sewer rates are $115.63 twice as high as our District of $658 annual $54.83 mo.
In looking outside our community, our
rates are not out of line in comparison to other wastewater services.
Director
Contreras state the rates are aligning with the other districts that are
increasing their rates for upgrades their facilities.
Mr.
Davisson stated that he has been involved in rate studies and the rate in West
County is $632 per year. Generally, a rate analysis put them in the middle of
the study. Per the service we are
providing, we are a value and not out of line with other districts based on his
prior experience.
M/S M. Painter, C. Lauritzen and the Board voted
unanimously to adopt the Ordinance No. 60
and Order No. 15-45 and approve the annual sewer use report for fiscal year 2015/2016. Staff was directed to submit said tax roll to
County Auditor per ISD Ordinance NO. 25 Health and Safety Code Sections 5473
and 5373.11. (Ord. 60 and BO 15-45).
In favor: D.
Contreras, C. Lauritzen, S. Morgan, M. Painter and D. Scheer. Opposed: None. Absent: None.
6C. ASSESSMENT STATUS
REPORT.
Mr. Davisson
reported on the updated items completed on the assessment report included in
the staff report to the Board.
Director
Lauritzen address the assessment item on emergency services. He encourages staff to receive and make
emergency training available, stay in-touch with, and support the community
with our resources we have available.
Discussion was held on available programs for emergency services.
Ms.
Morgan asked about receiving a report on usage of the commercial fill
station. Staff stated they will be
working on a report to the Board.
The
assessment status report was accepted.
6D. APPROVAL OF
REIMBURSEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN IRONHOUSE SANITARY DISTRICT AND CORPORATION FOR
BETTER HOUSING FOR $237,685.44.
Mr. Davisson
explained to the Board that the Corporation for Better Housing constructed a
15-inch relief sewer in Carol Lane and a 14-inch forcemain from the Ironwood
Pump Station. In 2008, they began
construction and the construction of the Carol Lane relief sewer was unable to
be completed in the vicinity of Carol Lane and Main Street due to utility
conflicts. Construction to finish this
segment of the 15-inch sewer commenced again in 2015. ISD entered into a reimbursement agreement in
June 2008 with Corporation for Better Housing for the facilities constructed
prior to discovering the utility conflicts.
The amount paid in 2008 was $399,170.56.
The correct amount that should have been paid was $421,201.20. The difference of $22,036.64 has been
included in the total amount due of $237,685.44. Facilities constructed were inspected by ISD
staff and are now fully operational. If
approved by the Board, the payment structure will be set as in the
reimbursement policy. The discrepancies
were incorrect assessment of fees.
Director Lauritzen
asked about checks and balances going forward to make sure a discrepancy is not
overlooked.
M/S C. Lauritzen,
D. Scheer and the Board voted unanimously to approve the Reimbursement
Agreement between Ironhouse Sanitary District and Corporation for Better
Housing for an amount not to exceed $237, 685.44.
In favor: D.
Contreras, C. Lauritzen, S. Morgan, M. Painter and D. Scheer. Opposed: None. Absent: None.
6E. REPORT ON SOLAR
Mr. Davisson reported to the Board that he
is getting up to speed in reviewing the documents on the Solar project. He finds the rate structure very concerning. He is aggressively reaching out to see what
resources are available to address the contract. He has concerns regarding the structure of
the contract. The District provided the
date to make the findings and will need to pursue with legal. In addition, he will discuss this matter with
his colleagues at the upcoming CASA conference as well. Mr. Davisson will make this a top priority to
get resolved as soon as possible and will bring a status report to the Board at
every meeting.
7. STAFF REPORTS
Mr. Davisson reported that the staff reports were provided
in the Board packet. He will be
providing a report for the Board that encompasses all departments into one
report.
8. BOARD MEMBER ADVISORY REPORTS
Written reports submitted.
70th Anniversary Event
Mr. Davisson reported that the District has received
$2,600 in sponsorship funds to date. Ms.
Morgan asked for the event to be placed in a more prominent location on the
website for viewing.
President Contreras asked Ms. Morgan to contact assemblymember
Jim Frazier’s office for his availability to attend the event. He reported the plaque has been ordered and
the permanent location is yet to be determined.
Staff will be contacting past Board members and their families to attend. CCTV will be televising the event to
broadcast at a later date. Invitations
will be sent to local dignitaries and local agencies. The District will have VIP’s in attendance
and it gives the District the opportunity for us to identify to the public of
our services we have available.
Susan Morgan
– Ms. Morgan reported that she attended the BIMID meeting in Bethel
Island. All ballots for the Special
Benefit Assessment for levee repairs will be counted on the 6th of
August.
Outreach –
President Contreras stated that it was brought to the attention
of the Board that with the exposure of the recycled water the FOG activity has
increased. It is the intent of the
Outreach Committee to educate the public and having recycled water
participation at the district has given just that exposure.
Director Lauritzen stated that we are protecting our
aquifer with the recycled water facility.
We recognize that many of the people are here because their wells have
gone dry and dried up. We are taking
care of their future.
Mr. Davisson stated that we capture the attention that
we are a sustainable water supply. We
spend time with the traffic and clients and recognize they want this project to
be a permeant opportunity for our customers.
We need to engage people in the regulatory agencies with our services we
provide.
Director Lauritzen stated that we need to promote
bringing jobs to our community and inspire business with our recycled water.
Director Scheer is concerned that the opinion of the
public is the delta is recharging their well supply. We need to educate the public.
Director Lauritzen asked about the EC numbers
available and can we provide them on a regular basis. Mr. Davisson stated that he will have the EC
numbers reported to the Board.
Mr. Davisson reported that he is working on infrastructure
and a formal request to the Water Board on expanding hours for Recycled
Water. The ultimate goal is to have the
ability to expand the hours.
9. Future Agenda Items for Consideration
10. ADJOURNMENT
President Contreras
adjourned the regular meeting at 7:58 p.m. until Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at
7:00 p.m. for the next regular meeting in the Ironhouse Sanitary District
offices at 450 Walnut Meadows Drive, Oakley, California.
No comments:
Post a Comment