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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-25-2007 Steering Committee Minutes,, . --~ MINUTES OF STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING Orange County Sanitation District Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. A meeting of the Steering Committee of the Orange County Sanitation District was hel? on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 5:30p.m., in the District's AdministrativdU.lQ l~.1~) QE.f!1qt9~ Off1ce. OA~I:i'·~~~¥ANn'Afi~'6~T2CT (1) A quorum was declared present, as follows: STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Directors Present: Jim Ferryman, Chair Doug Davert, Vice Chair Mark Waldman, Administration Committee Chair Larry Crandall, Operations Committee Chair Steve Anderson Phil Luebben Cathy Green OTHERS PRESENT: Bradley R. Hagin, General Counsel Heather Dian, Townsend Public Affairs Chris Townsend, Townsend Public Affairs PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE: Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources (2) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR PRO TEM No appointment was necessary. (3) PUBLIC COMMENTS There were none. (4) REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR MAY 2 3 2007 DIRECTORS ABSENT .f ..j/ None B~ ~~----'--------- STAFF PRESENT: Jim Ruth, General Manager Bob Ghirelli, Assistant General Manager Nick Arhontes, Director of Operations and Maintenance Jim Herberg, Director of Engineering Lorenzo Tyner, Director of Finance and Administrative Services Michael Gold, Legislative Affairs Liaison Juanita Skillman, Records Management Specialist Norbert Gaia, IT Analyst Gail Garrett, Committee Secretary Federal advocate, Eric Sapirstein, informed the committee via teleconference that the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) was passed out of the House of Representatives but did not contain authorization language for the SARI line. We had been seeking the authorization in WRDA last year to relocate the SARI line. We are seeking authorization language the Senate version, which would put OCSD in a good position to receive Federal funding to reimburse us in the future, if necessary. Mr. Sapirstein outlined a strategy to insert the SARI authorization in WRDA in the Senate, expressing that with Senator Boxer as the committee chair overseeing the bill and solid relationships with committee staff, we stand a good chance of success . -Minut es of the Steering Committee Page 2 April 25, 2007 The committee asked Mr. Sapirstein to move forward and work with staff on next steps. OCSD received recognition from the California Water Environment Association Annual Conference for its support in the education and training of California's wastewater professionals. Paula Zeller, Senior Plant Operator and outgoing president of CWEA, was honored at the event. Chair Ferryman, Director Anderson, and several staff members will attend the CASA Spring conference in Napa next month. A report will be provided at the May Board meeting. Chair Ferryman announced the upcoming committee meetings for April. (5) REPORT OF GENERAL MANAGER Jim Ruth briefly reported on the month's activities and achievements: excellent progress is being made on Design-Build legislation; separate SARI financing agreements with the County have been drafted by OCSD and SAWPA; Chair Ferryman will give an overview of OCSD's progress and Board direction at our All Hands meeting on Thursday, April 26; recruitment for the IT Systems & Operations Manager position should be completed by May 30; labor negotiations are progressing slowly with proposals and counter-proposals being exchanged; SAWPA has requested that we revisit our 1972 agreement to examine ongoing operational and capital needs; the IPMC Office Space Study has been completed and the results will be reviewed by staff. (6) REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL General Counsel Brad Hogin did not provide a report . (7) ACTION ITEMS a. MOVED, SECONDED AND DULY CARRIED: Approve minutes of the March 28, 2007 Steering Committee meeting . b. MOVED, SECONDED AND DULY CARRIED: Recommend that the Board of Directors: (1) Approve Santa Ana River Interceptor (SARI) Line Loan and Repayment Agreement No. D07-042 with the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD), providing for a no-interest loan until July 2016 of 60% of the successful bid amount for improvements to the SARI Line, for an amount not to exceed $60,000,000; and, (2) Authorize the release of $35,000,000 to OCFCD immediately after the award of the contract, and to allow the remaining balance to be released 12 months later. Director of Finance and Administration, Lorenzo Tyner, assured committee members that this financial agreement would not impact our budget. (8) INFORMATIONAL ITEMS a. Michael Gold introduced lobbyist Heather Dion who provided a brief update on Senate and Assembly bills Townsend Public Affairs staff has been tracking . The full Steering Committee will travel to Sacramento on May 30 to meet with state legislators. Townsend Public Affairs staff will schedule meetings throughout the day, culminating with a "Meet & Greet" affair in the evening hosted by OCSD. ... Minu tes of the Steering Committee Page 3 April 25, 2007 b . The Agenda Items scheduled to be reviewed by the Board's work ing committees in April were reviewed. c. The agenda items scheduled to be presented to the Board at the April25, 2007 meeting were reviewed. (9) OTHER BUSINESS, COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY There were none. (10) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR WOULD LIKE STAFF TO REPORT ON AT A SUBSEQUENT MEETING There were none. (12) MATTERS WHICH A DIRECTOR MAY WISH TO PLACE ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR ACTION AND/OR STAFF REPORT There were none. (13) CONSIDERATION OF UPCOMING MEETINGS The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 5:30p.m. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 6:30p.m . (14) CLOSED SESSION The Committee convened at 6:15p.m. in Closed Session, pursuant to Sections 54956.8, 54956.9, 54957, or 54957.6 to discuss one matter. Minutes of the Closed Session are on file with the Clerk of the Board. 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 Clerk of the Board 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 6:25p.m ., the Committee reconvened in regular session. (15) ADJOURNMENT The Chair declared the meeting adjourned at 6:25p.m. Submitted by : Gail Garrett Steering Committee Secretary H:\dep t\a genda\Committees\Steering Committee\2007\Minutes\042507 SC Minutes. doc