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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