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Home My WebLink About07-19-2006 Steering Committee MinutesMINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING Orange County Sanitation District Wednesday, July 19, 2006, at 5 p.m. A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was held on Wednesday, July 19 , 2006 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: Jim Ferryman, Chair Doug Davert, Vice Chair Carolyn Cavecche, Chair, OMTS Committee Darryl Miller, Chairman, FAHR Committee Jim Silva , County Supervisor Steve Anderson, Past Board Chair Directors Absent: Tod Ridgeway, Chairman , PDC Committee (2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PROTEM No appointment was necessary. (3) PUBLIC COMMENTS OTHERS PRESENT: Bradley R. Hagin, General Counsel Don Hughes Rich Freschi , Board Member STAFF PRESENT: Jim Ruth , Interim General Manager Nick Arhontes, Director of Regional Assets and Services Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services Patrick Miles, Director of Information Technology Lorenzo Tyner, Director of Finance/Treasurer Layne Baroldi , Legal & Regulatory Affairs Liaison Ryal Wheeler, Maintenance Supervisor Juanita Skillman, Records Manager Alexi Robichaux, Intern Gail Garrett, Committee Secretary FIL ED IN THE OFF ICE OF THE SECRETARY ORANGE ('f"'II~I TY s """".\.T i f"'M ni STR ICi AUG 2 3 2006 ~ !(< BY ----· --·~---""-~~ . Director Rich Freschi commented on the District's election process . He recommended the District adopt a more formal process and structure to elect OCSD leadership. Director Miller informed that the FAHR Committee has strongly endorsed th is concept. This item will be agendized for further discussion at a future Steering Committee meeting . Ryal Wheeler, Maintenance Supervisor, in response to Item 6(b) in the June 28 minutes on Independent Reviews for O&M Staffing needs , prov ided a brief history of several consultant studies that have been performed in the past few years. He assured the committee members that staff has sufficient data to make informed decisions on the ir work load and staffing needs , without having to / Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 2 July 19, 2006 incur the additional cost of another independent study. Mr. Ruth then explained that the proposed O&M and RA&S staffing study was considered at the OMTS meeting and staff was directed not to proceed with the study. (4) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR Committee Chair Jim Ferryman announced the appointment of Vice Chair Davert to the GWRS Joint Cooperative Steering Committee as 3rd Alternate . Supervisor Silva, Bob Ghirelli, and Mr. Ferryman will attend the CASA conference in August. Directors are to notify staff if they wish to attend . Mr. Ferryman attended the General Manager's All Hands meeting on July 11 . He outlined his vision for the organization and assured employees that, though this past year has been difficult for the District, he has confidence in staff. He will work to instill a new board culture and emphasized that the Board of Directors are responsible for setting policy and the General Manager is responsible for managing the District's administrative and operational needs. Chair Ferryman announced the standing committee meeting dates for August, and noted that OMTS and FAHR committees will be dark in August. A Legislative Strategic Planning session is planned for October 25, 2:30-4:30 p .m. prior to the Steering Committee meeting . (5) REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER Interim General Manager Jim Ruth reviewed activities included in his July Status Report. • Benefits consultant, John Bartel, will be working with staff and the FAHR Committee to explore benefit options to reduce costs. • With the approval of the Board, Mr. Ruth will appoint Dr. Ghirelli as Acting Assistant General Manager effective July 20 . • The evaluations of the EMT by the General Manager will be completed by July 21. • Mr. Ruth will be meeting with representatives from the Labor units to initiate preliminary discussions . • Proposals from qualified firms will be solicited to conduct organizational and operational reviews of the District administrative functions . (6) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL General Counsel Brad Hog in announced that CASA has joined the biosolids lawsuit brought by the City of LA vs . Kern County. (7) CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS a. MOTION: Approve the minutes of the June 28, 2006 Steering Committee meeting as drafted . It was moved, seconded and duly carried to approve the recommended actions for items specified as ?(a) under Consent Calendar. Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 3 July 19, 2006 END OF CONSENT CALENDAR (8) ACTION ITEMS None. (9) INFORMATIONAL ITEMS a. Proposed MOU re protection of the Santa Ana River Interceptor Line Bob Ghirelli, Director of Technical Services, provided handouts and explained that staff and General Counsel had reviewed the MOU . He outlined the changes in three areas suggested by staff: (1) Limit signatories to those who have a direct financial stake in the realignment portion of SARI line; (2) Emphasize relocation of SARI as a top priority; and, (3) Ensure that existing agreements between SAWPA and OCSD remain in place . Supervisor Silva reported on his meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers in Washington D.C . He informed that the Corps are dedicated to completing the project in a timely manner, and that Flood Control Director Mr. Nakasone will be delaying his retirement for 18 months in order to see the project through. Dr. Ghirelli informed that an amendment to the language in the Water Resources Development Act has been added to raise the funding cap for the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion and the resulting $100 million is earmarked for the SARI line project. Mr. Ruth and Dr. Ghirelli will meet with OCWD General Manager, Virginia Grebbien to determine the level of interest by the Water District in being a signatory to the agreement. After a brief discussion, committee members directed staff to agendize this item for further discussion at the next Steering Committee meeting. Director Silva expressed concern about a potential conflict of interest regarding his participation in the discussion of this matter and was reassured by General Counsel that there is none . b . The Agenda Items scheduled to be reviewed by the Board's working committees in March were reviewed. c. The agenda items scheduled to be presented to the Board at tonight's meeting were reviewed. (10) OTHER BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY There were none. Minutes of the Steering Committee Page 4 July 19, 2006 (11} MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING General Counsel was directed to consider whether consultant contracts may lawfully be based on a percentage of a contract to managed. (12} MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR ACTION AND/OR STAFF REPORT a . Proposed MOU re protection of the Santa Ana River Interceptor Line b. Formal OCSD Leadership Election Process (13} CONSIDERATION OF UPCOMING MEETINGS The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 5 p.m. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 7 p.m. (14) CLOSED SESSION The Committee convened at 5:55p.m. in Closed Session, pursuant to Sections 54956.9(b), 54957(b)(1 ), and 54956.9(c), 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 6:30p.m., the Committee reconvened in regular session. (15} ADJOURNMENT The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 6:30 p .m. Submitted by: ~~ Gail Garrett Steering Committee Secretary H:\dept\agenda\Steering Committee\2006\Minutes\071906 SC Minutes.5.doc