HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-18-2001 Steering Committee Minutesr-:ll.~ED
IN iHE OFFi CE Or THE SECRETAFlY
ORMJGE COUNTY SANITAfiO N DISTRICT
DRAFT AUG 22 200 1
MINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING I<
Wednesday, July 18, 2001
A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was held on
Wednesday, July 18, 2001 at 5 p.m., in the District's Administrative Office.
(1) The roll was called and a quorum declared present, as follows:
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Directors Present:
Norm Eckenrode, Chair
Peter Green, Vice Chair
Pat McGuigan, Chairman , OMTS Committee
Steve Anderson, PDC Committee
Shirley McCracken, Chairman, FAHR Committee
Directors Absent:
Jim Silva, County Supervisor
(2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM
No appointment was necessary.
(3) PUBLIC COMMENTS
OTHERS PRESENT:
Thomas Nixon, General Counsel
Don Hughes
Ryal Wheeler
STAFF PRESENT:
Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services
David Ludwin, Director of Engineering
Gary Streed, Director of Finance
Lisa Tomko, Director of Human Resources
Lisa Lawson, Communications Manager
Jean Tappan, Committee Secretary
There were no comments by any member of the public.
(4) RECEIVE, FILE AND APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the June 27, 2001 Steering Committee meeting were approved as drafted.
(5) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Committee Chair Norm Eckenrode reported on the Directors Workshop held Saturday, July 14.
There were 11 directors and 3 alternates in attendance, as well as 55 others from the public. The
main topic of discussion was levels of treatment. At least four more workshops are planned in the
next 15 months.
Chair Eckenrode reminded the directors of the upcoming August 15-18 CASA Annual Conference in
San Diego. .
A meeting has tentatively been scheduled for 3:30p.m. on Wednesday, August 22, with Huntington
Beach and County leadership and staff to discuss beach issues.
,J
Minutes of the Steering Committee
·page 2
July 18, 2001
Director Peter Green complimented staff on the excellent session on July 14. His fellow
councilpersons found it very informative.
Director Pat McGuigan requested that staff give as much notification on upcoming meetings as
possible (three months if possible), even if it needs to be changed later. All committee members
agreed that Saturday morning meetings work best.
Director McGuigan also reported that she visited the Orange County Fair and complimented staff on
OCSD's booth.
(6) REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER
Gary Streed, Director of Finance, represented the General Manager.
A. Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services, updated the members on Huntington
Beach activities. The fourth of six surveys begins tomorrow (Thursday, July 19) and
will end at noon on Saturday. Some near-shore work is being done by Scripps
Institute to check currents around the power plant. Staff is taking a second look at the
work done in 1999. The Source Control program has been diverted for the next
month to look at whether there may have been an on-shore source that was missed .
Lisa Lawson, Communication Services Manager, reported that the media has been
invited into the lab during this weekend's survey to see how the samples are
managed. The media will have been invited to every phase of the investigation
process at the end of this phase .
B. Ms. Lawson provided an overview of the recent public opinion survey. The results will
be presented to the Board next month.
(7) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL
General Counsel Tom Nixon discussed proposed changes to the public comment section of the
agenda for Board meetings . It was decided that the Board Chair would determine whether to limit the
comment period to 30 minutes based on the number of requests to speak that are submitted. Upon
vote of the Board, an additional comment period could be added toward the end of the meeting.
(8) DISCUSSION ITEMS (Items A-B)
A. Groundwater Replenishment System Issues
David Ludwin conveyed the concerns of members of the Joint Coordinating
Committee and staff on two issues: 1) Disclosure of communications that staff and
JCC members have with prospective consultants; and 2) Procedures for the selection
of consultant services. The Directors agreed that staff should continue to meet with
consultants to allow open communication about the project and to help insure that the
best-qualified firm is ultimately selected . However, no firm shall be excluded for any
reason from meeting with staff. The Committee members also agreed that no
Directors should serve on the selection committee.
Director McGuigan, with support of the other Committee members, asked General
Counsel to prepare a draft policy for consideration at the next Steering Committee
meeting and by the PDC Committee and the Board in September that would prohibit
Minutes of the Steering Committee
·Page 3
July 18, 2001
the Directors from having any ex parte communication with prospective consultants on
any project for the District. Staff would be required to disclose all communications
with prospective consultants.
B. The Agenda Items scheduled to be considered by the Board's working committees in
August were reviewed.
(9) OTHER BUSINESS. COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS. IF ANY
It was announced that Agenda Item 14.d. on the Board agenda would be pulled because the JCC
has not yet approved on this agreement.
(10) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A
SUBSEQUENT MEETING
There were none.
(11) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR
ACTION AND/OR STAFF REPORT
There were none.
(12) CONSIDERATION OF UPCOMING MEETINGS
The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for August 22, 2001 at 5 p.m.
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for August 22, 2001 at 7 p.m.
(13) CLOSED SESSION
The Committee convened at 6:05p.m. in Closed Session, pursuant to Section 54957.6, to
discuss with District's Labor Negotiators salaries, benefits, terms and conditions of employment
for At-will Contracts with Executive Management, Division Managers and Confidential Group
members. Minutes of the Closed Session are on file with the Board Secretary. The minutes of
the Joint Board will report on the actions when they are approved.
At 6:18p.m., the Committee reconvened in regular session.
(14.) ADJOURNMENT
The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.
J a Tappan
S ring Committee Secretary
G:lwp.dtalagenda\Steering Committee\01\Jul\071801 SC Minutes.doc