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Home My WebLink About09-24-2003 Steering Committee MinutesDRAFT MINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING Wednesday, September 24, 2003 A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was held on Wednesday, September, 2003 at 4 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: Shirley McCracken, Chair Steve Anderson, Vice Chair Jim Ferryman, Chairman, OMTS Committee Brian Donahue, Chairman, PDC Committee Norm Eckenrode, Past Board Chair Directors Absent: Brian Brady, Chairman, FAHR Committee Jim Silva, County Supervisor OTHERS PRESENT: (2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM No appointment was necessary. (3) CLOSED SESSION Thomas L. Woodruff, General Counsel Randy Fuhrman Gerhardt Van Dreis STAFF PRESENT: Blake Anderson, General Manager Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services Carol Beekman, Communications Services Manager Jean Tappan, Committee Secretary Nick Arhontes, Manager, Regional Assets and Services The Committee convened at 4:05p.m. in Closed Session, pursuant to Sections 54957.6 and 54956 .9, to discuss two issues recompensation and one litigation case. Minutes of the Closed Session are on file with the Board Secretary. Confidential Minutes of the Closed Session held by the Steering Committee have been prepared in accordance with Government Code Section 54957.2, and are maintained by the Board Secretary in the Official Book of Confidential Minutes of Board and Committee Closed Meetings . A report of the recommended actions will be publicly reported at the time the approved actions become final. At 5:40 p.m., the Committee reconvened in regular session. FIL ED IN TH E OFF IC E OF THE SECRETARY ORANG E r."' '~'"'""" ~ • '" ... m nN OISTRICT OCT 22 200 3 ly BY ___ ~~·- Mi'nutes of the Steering Committee Page 2 September 24, 2003 (4) PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no comments by any member of the public. (5) RECEIVE, FILE AND APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The minutes of the August 27, 2003 Steering Committee meeting were approved as drafted. (6) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR Committee Chair Shirley McCracken reported that staff provided the meeting and compensation task committee revised forms for consideration. Chair McCracken announced that our Sacramento and Washington, DC, lobbyists will be attending the October 22 Steering Committee and Board meetings to discuss the results of our efforts over the past year and objectives for 2004. It was decided that the Committee would receive the reports and recommendations from the consultants and then decide the course of action. The October 22 Steering Committee meeting will begin at 4 p.m. to allow enough time for a comprehensive discussion. Updates were provided on AB 1427, the Biosolids bill; AB 1051, Capital Facilities fees; ACA 10, Local Government Property-Related Fees; Proposition 53, Infrastructure set-asides; and federal funding support for our secondary treatment expansion. Chair McCracken announced that the tentatively scheduled workshop with the OCWD directors on October 15 has been postponed until February. General Manager Blake Anderson stated that if the State Water Board takes on the Biosolids issue by making a policy statement within the General Orders, AB 1427 will not be necessary. After some discussion, it was moved, seconded and approved to recommend that the Board of Directors pass a resolution of support for Proposition 53. Chair McCracken acknowledged the special efforts of Director Tod Ridgeway regarding the low-flow toilet program, as well as persuading Congressman Cox to sign a letter to the Chair of the Appropriations Committee that can provide us with EPA funding for our secondary treatment construction program. (7) REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER A. Status of agreement with member agencies for WDR activities Nick Arhontes reported that staff has been working with the cities and sewering agencies on the Regional Board's Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR) compliance program. A working group from members of the City Engineers Association of Orange County (CEAOC) has approached the District and proposed that the District serve as lead agency for contracting task related work and provide support to the parties of the agreement and develop fees and administer the program. An annual budget would Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 3 September 24, 2003 also be prepared. The basis for this agreement is a similar agreement that the cities have with the County of Orange for administering task related work on the countywide NPDES Stormwater Permit program. The District would provide contract management to develop the tools such as reports, templates, or studies to the parties to assist them with their responsibilities. Initial efforts are developing Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) studies and developing Communications Programs. Mr. Arhontes indicated that fair share fees for inclusion in this program would probably be based on population . The agreement could also serve as a model for other agreements for OCSD to assist cities and sewering agencies on other regional services issues in the future. General Counsel's office has the draft and after it is reviewed, it will be forwarded to the cities for final review and signatures. Several agencies included in the WDR but out of our service area such as El Toro Water District and Sunset Beach Sanitary District have expressed interest in participating. The operating military bases named in the WDR have been non responsive thus far. B. OCSD's 501h Anniversary Celebration Carol Beekman reported that a committee has been formed to plan for the District's 50 1h anniversary, which will be celebrated on June 30, 2004. Fifty ideas have been suggested and they are being evaluated. Ms. Beekman said that interviews are planned with current and former directors to create a history of the District. C. Mr. Anderson provided additional information on the low-flow toilet program as it has evolved since OCWD withdrew its support. Even with the changes to the program and lower public participation, it is still a solid investment for the Sanitation District. The agreement will not need to be modified if the District's contribution per toilet supporting the program stays as it is now. D. Mr. Anderson announced that there will be a meeting between SAWPA and OCSD general managers and general counsels to begin drafting the agreement based on the recently approved term sheet. There is a side issue of the purchase of an additional 2 mgd of capacity by SAWPA. It can move forward in parallel with the agreement. (8) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL General Counsel Tom Woodruff provided additional information on AB 1051, which obligates school districts to pay their fare share of sewage treatment operating and capital costs. It is due to be signed by the Governor by October 12, though there is considerable opposition to the issue from school districts. (9) DISCUSSION ITEMS (Items A-C) A. Consider Resolution No. OCSD 03-21, authorizing the filing of a tax assessment appeal with the State Board of Equalization re District's Kings County 'Williamson Act' property Mr Woodruff explained that this resolution of the Board is required before the State Board of Equalization will consider our request. After discussion, staff was requested Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 4 September 24, 2003 to provide an update on the biosolids program and costs associated with the options currently used. B. The Agenda Items scheduled to be reviewed by the Board's working committees in October were reviewed. C. The agenda items scheduled to be presented to the Board at tonight's meeting were reviewed. Mr. Woodruff said that he will be reporting on the results of the September 18 Adjourned PDC Committee meeting. (10) OTHER BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY There was no other business discussed. (11) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING A. Biosolids Update (12) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR ACTION AND/OR STAFF REPORT A. General Counsel's Contract Terms (13) CONSIDERATION OF UPCOMING MEETINGS The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22, 2003 at 4 p.m. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22, 2003 at 7 p.m. (14) ADJOURNMENT The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m. ·Tappan ring Committee Secretary G:\wp.dta\agenda\Steering Committee\03\SEP\092403 SC Minutes. doc