Loading...
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 C:\Documents and Settings\brh\Loca/ Settings\ Temporary Internet Fi/es\OLKZB\102605 SC Minutes DRAFT21 .doc