HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-26-2005 Steering Committee MinutesDRAFT
MINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
FILED
Orange County Sanitation District IN THE OFFI CE OF THE SECRETARY
ORANG E ('l"l!~f~V "HHT,H!(')I\I DISTRICT
Wednesday, October 26, 2005, at 5 p.m. NOV 16 20 05
y{ BY ____ _
A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was
held on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 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:
Steve Anderson, Chair
Jim Ferryman, Vice Chair
Carolyn Cavecche, Chair, OMTS Committee
Darryl Miller, Chairman, FAHR Committee
Tod Ridgeway, Chairman, PDC Committee
Lou Correa, County Supervisor
Directors Absent:
Jim Silva, County Supervisor
OTHERS PRESENT:
Bradley R. Hagin, General Counsel
Director Doug Davert
Director Phil Luebben
Director Mark Waldman
Don Hughes
Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources
John Freshman, Freshman and Kast
Scott Baugh, Mayer Brown Rowe and Maw (via
teleconference)
Christopher Townsend, Townsend & Associates
(2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM
No appointment was necessary.
(3) PUBLIC COMMENTS
STAFF PRESENT:
Bob Ghirelli, Acting General Manager
Nick Arhontes, Director of Regional Services and
Assets
David Ludwin, Director of Engineering
Lorenzo Tyner, Director of Finance/Treasurer
Lisa Tomko, Director of Human Resources
Gail Garrett, Committee Secretary
Sonja Morgan, Principal Public Information
Specialist
Karen Baroldi, Senior Environmental Specialist
Jeff Reed, Human Resources Manager
Jim Burrer, Engineering Supervisor
John Linder, Engineering Manager
Adam Nazaroff, Associate Engineer
Ryal Wheeler, Maintenance Supervisor
There were no comments by any member of the public.
(
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 2
October 26, 2005
(4) RECEIVE, FILE AND APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the September 28, 2005 Steering Committee meeting were approved as amended.
(5) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR
Committee Chair Steve Anderson announced David Shawver will be representing the City of Stanton
on the OCSD Board . Director Bankhead has been appointed Vice Chair of OMTS. Director Hardy
has also been appointed to OMTS .
Chair Anderson announced future meetings, noting that the Steering and Board meetings for
November and December will be held on the third Wednesdays due to the upcoming holidays.
Dr. Ghirelli introduced the legislative consultants for the Sanitation District: Eric Sapirstein, ENS
Resources; John Freshman, Freshman and Kast; Chris Townsend, Townsend Public Affairs; and
Scott Baugh, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, who participated via teleconference.
(6) REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER
Acting General Manager Robert Ghirelli gave an update on the relocation of the SARI line. The
parties involved in the relocation project are OCSD , SAWPA, County of Orange and the Army Corps
of Engineers. The General Managers met two weeks ago and concluded that a southerly alignment
of the pipe along the 91 Freeway would incur the lowest costs and least environmental impact. This
will be the preferred alternative in the EIR/EIS which will be published by the end of the year and
completed by April 2006.
Dr. Ghirelli said that funding of the project is an issue. The County has funds for the design, but not
for the entire project which is estimated at $70 million. OCSD and SAWPA will draft an agreement
for sharing the cost of the project, with the understanding that the Sanitation District will eventually
receive compensation from the County. Efforts to obtain federal and state funds will also be made .
A tour of the SARI line location is scheduled for tomorrow, October 27 for Board members, lobbyists,
and representatives from Congressman Gary Miller's office .
(7) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL
General Counsel Brad Hog in said that AB1234, which governs Directors compensation, has been
passed. The Sanitation District has written policies in place and General Counsel will verify that our
policies are in compliance. Dr. Ghirelli informed that an agenda report for AB1234 will be presented
to the Steering Committee in November.
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 3
October 26, 2005
(8) DISCUSSION ITEMS (Items A-G)
A. State and Federal Legislative Advocacy Update; and
B. Legislative Agenda -2006 Legislative Session
The Sanitation District's federal legislative consultants, Eric Sapirstein and John
Freshman, updated the committee on their activities for the past year and their plans
for 2006. Their focus is on acquisition of federal funding for secondary treatment
expansion through State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) and Water resources
Development Act (WRDA) appropriations. They continue to build support with the
Orange County and California delegation in Washington and will continue to focus on
secondary treatment funding as well as funding alternatives for the SARI line. The
Senate Committee on Environment Public Works has approved a bill in which they
included a High Priority Infrastructure Water Quality Projects section, with $300 million
a year available for grant assistance for communities that meet the high priority
eligibility.
Scott Baugh reported on the state legislative initiatives and his activities in the areas of
biosolids. His priority this year will be to monitor and actively participate in legislative
activities relating to two-year bills, including SB 120 (Florez) Water Quality; SB 926
(Florez) Sewage Sludge Management; and, HR 18 (Baca) SC Groundwater
Remediation Act.
Christopher Townsend and his firm are focused on acquisition of state funding for
District projects including Santa Ana River Interceptor line and other projects through
Propositions 40 and 50 and other grant sources. He indicated that all of the
Proposition 50 money has been given to the Department of Water Resources for
distribution.
California Senator Dean Florez will tour OCSD on December 2.
Scott Baugh will invite California Senator Campbell to the November 16 Steering
Committee.
MOVED, SECONDED AND DULY CARRIED: Direct staff to bring to the Board of
Directors a revised authorization such that each contract is renewable for one-
year periods at the discretion of the Steering Committee.
Directors requested staff include more specifics in the draft Annual Legislative
Agenda. Staff will send the draft Annual Legislative Agenda to the Steering
Committee for comments.
MOVED, SECONDED AND DULY CARRIED: that the Legislative Agenda 2006 be
approved as a draft, with additional clarification to be sent to the Steering Committee
by fax for comments.
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page4
October 26, 2005
C. AERA Master Planned Community Equivalent Annexation Fees
Jim Burrer provided a handout of the proposed service area, reported on the
proposed AERA project, and sought direction from the Committee on how to
assess annexation fees. The property owner, AERA Energy, has requested
several exclusions from the applicable Equivalent Annexation Fees, one of which
is land that is designated for use as a golf course. The Committee tabled the
matter because of issues that need to be explored and evaluated. Ordinance No.
OCSD-21 requires us to charge by acre. General Counsel will look into whether
Ordinance No. OCSD-21 should be amended for clarification should the Steering
committee and Board consider excluding the restricted property.
Staff was directed to present the Committee with a full report which would explain
the developer's drainage plans, include the golf course in the annexation fees,
provide a description of sewer capacity in the area, explain the nexus between
the annexation fee and the development costs, and describe proposed
amendments to Ordinance No. OCSD-21.
D. Huntington Beach New Lift Station "D" and Related Sewers
Nick Arhontes reported that the City of Huntington Beach has formally requested
that OCSD take over the new Gravity Pump Station and related sewers. Staff
has not conducted a review of the plans and specifications of the pump station
and is not in an informed position re maintainability and cost factors. Several
alternatives were discussed and staff was directed to take no action at present
and monitor the first five years of the operation.
E. Request for Reporting Changes
Dr. Ghirelli informed that, in response to Chair Anderson's request, the Public
Affairs department researched outside reporting methods to the Board. Sonja
Morgan said the requests for monthly news clippings, monthly board member
request summary, and State and Federal legislation updates can be implemented
at once with minimal additional staff time. On the other hand, policies and
procedures must be put in place for preparing an Outreach Calendar and Travel
summary since this would involve numerous staff members throughout the
divisions.
F. The Agenda Items scheduled to be reviewed by the Board's working committees in
November were reviewed.
G. The agenda items scheduled to be presented to the Board at tonight's meeting
were reviewed.
(9) OTHER BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY
There was no other business discussed.
(10) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A
SUBSEQUENT MEETING
Minutes of the Steering Committee
Page 5
October 26, 2005
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 Wednesday, November 16, 2005 at 5 p.m.
The next Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16, 2005 at 7 p.m.
(13) CLOSED SESSION
The Committee convened at 6:30p.m. in Closed Session, pursuant to Section 54956.9 and
54957, to discuss three matters. 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 7:00p.m., the Committee reconvened in regular session.
(14) ADJOURNMENT
The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Submitted by:
c~ 6vv-J-~
Gail Garrett
Steering Committee Secretary
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