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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-25-2012 Steering Committee Agenda Packet04/25/12 Steering Committee Agenda Page 1 of 3 Orange County Sanitation District Regular Meeting of the Steering Committee Wednesday, April 25, 2012 5:00 P.M. Administration Building Conference Rooms A & B 10844 Ellis Avenue Fountain Valley, CA 92708 (714) 593-7130 AGENDA DECLARATION OF QUORUM: PUBLIC COMMENTS: If you wish to speak, please complete a Speaker’s Form and give it to the Clerk of the Board. Speakers are requested to limit comments to three minutes. REPORTS: The Committee Chair and the General Manager may present verbal reports on miscellaneous matters of general interest to the Directors. These reports are for information only and require no action by the Directors. INFORMATION ITEMS: 1. Public Affairs Report CONSENT CALENDAR: 2. Approve Minutes of the March 21, 2012 Special Steering Committee Meeting. 3. Approve Minutes of the March 28, 2012 Regular Steering Committee Meeting. ACTION ITEMS: 4. Select Honor Walk Recipient(s) from the list of nominated retired employees: Pat Bourdy, Gregg Pamson and Jim Wybenga. 5. Receive and file the OCSD General Manager Transition Plan. 04/25/12 Steering Committee Agenda Page 2 of 3 CLOSED SESSION During the course of conducting the business set forth on this agenda as a regular meeting of the Board, the Chair may convene the Board in closed session to consider matters of pending real estate negotiations, pending or potential litigation, or personnel matters, pursuant to Government Code Sections 54956.8, 54956.9, 54957 or 54957.6, as noted. Reports relating to (a) purchase and sale of real property; (b) matters of pending or potential litigation; (c) employment actions or negotiations with employee representatives; or which are exempt from public disclosure under the California Public Records Act, may be reviewed by the Board during a permitted closed session and are not available for public inspection. At such time as the Board takes final action on any of these subjects, the minutes will reflect all required disclosures of information. Convene in closed session. (1) CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL RE. ANTICIPATED LITIGATION (Government Code Section 54956.9(b)) Significant Exposure to Litigation Number of Potential Cases: 1 (a) Vallejo Gallery Claim for Damages (2) CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL RE. EXISTING LITIGATION (Government Code Section 54956.9(a)) Case: Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority v. Orange County Water District Contractual Arbitration before Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services Reconvene in regular session. Consideration of action, if any, on matters considered in closed session. OTHER BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS OR SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA ITEMS, IF ANY: 04/25/12 Steering Committee Agenda Page 3 of 3 ADJOURNMENT: The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. Accommodations for the Disabled: Meeting Rooms are wheelchair accessible. If you require any special disability related accommodations, please contact the Orange County Sanitation District Clerk of the Board’s office at (714) 593-7130 at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. Requests must specify the nature of the disability and the type of accommodation requested. Agenda Posting: In accordance with the requirements of California Government Code Section 54954.2, this agenda has been posted outside the main gate of the Sanitation District’s Administration Building located at 10844 Ellis Avenue, Fountain Valley, California, not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting date and time above. All public records relating to each agenda item, including any public records distributed less than 72 hours prior to the meeting to all, or a majority of the Board of Directors, are available for public inspection in the office of the Clerk of the Board. NOTICE TO DIRECTORS: To place items on the agenda for the Committee Meeting, items must be submitted to the Clerk of the Board 14 days before the meeting. Maria E. Ayala Clerk of the Board (714) 593-7130 mayala@ocsd.com For any questions on the agenda, Committee members may contact staff at: General Manager Jim Ruth (714) 593-7110 jruth@ocsd.com Assistant General Manager Bob Ghirelli (714) 593-7400 rghirelli@ocsd.com Assistant General Manager Jim Herberg (714) 593-7300 jherberg@ocsd.com Director of Facility Support Services Nick Arhontes (714) 593-7210 narhontes@ocsd.com Director of Finance and Administrative Services Lorenzo Tyner (714) 593-7550 ltyner@ocsd.com Director of Human Resources Jeff Reed (714) 593-7144 jreed@ocsd.com Director of Operations & Maintenance Ed Torres (714) 593-7080 etorres@ocsd.com Page 1 of 4 STEERING COMMITTEE Meeting Date 04/25/2012 To Bd. of Dir. AGENDA REPORT Item Number 1 Item Number Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Ruth, General Manager Originator: Michael Gold, Public Affairs Manager SUBJECT: Public Affairs Update GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION Information Only SUMMARY This report is the monthly Public Affairs Division update that includes legislative and political information from Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, lobbyists’ activities, and outreach education and communication programs to member cities, employees and the public. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Public Affairs Update OCSD’s outreach continues to grow As reported in the past, the Public Affairs team is leading efforts to ramp up our outreach efforts in the service area. We are demonstrating our “We’re here for you” message by explaining who we are and what we do to educate the public about what to flush down the drain and keeping our sewers clean. In addition to the numerous tours and community events, we are also visiting local legislative offices and city PIOs to talk about how OCSD protects public health and the environment. This year, we have participated in 40 community outreach events, met with 17 cities and legislative offices and, given tours to 2,145 guests. Our new web presence has expanded our outreach attracting more people to find out who we are and what we do. Federal Legislative Update Legislative Advocate: Eric Sapirstein, ENS Resources Congress spent half of the past month on its Spring Recess. Prior to recessing, it set the stage for a busy May and June as they prepare for the elections that will dominate everything through the party conventions in August and September. The gridlock in Congress thawed ever so slightly as legislation moved in committees. Bipartisan Page 2 of 4 agreement on the need to address water infrastructure seemed to percolate through the House and Senate; however, any significant progress remains elusive until after November. Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Even as Congress tries to bridge the infrastructure gap, they cannot agree on a budget. The House approved a budget blueprint prior to its recess that slashes domestic spending for infrastructure as well as other discretionary spending. This budget resolution was dead on arrival in the Senate. This continued gridlock means that the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will develop their own spending priorities absent an overall agreement on spending levels. To some extent, the House exacerbated the gridlock by passing spending levels different from what had been agreed upon by the Super Committee last year. The House plan imposes more strict cuts than the previous agreement. Most Congressional leaders believe that all final decisions will be punted until November and the fate of Congressional (and White House) control will be decided. As we have discussed before, Congress will probably pass continuing resolutions to avoid an embarrassing protracted debate just before the election. If all these factors hold true, November and December could turn out to be the busiest legislative period in a quite a while with many stall initiatives (including infrastructure) moving forward. Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) Both the House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over WRDA began the serious process of developing options to renew WRDA but with the House ban on earmarks, there are many open questions as to what they will develop. It is possible the House will focus on policy issues while letting the Senate authorize projects. This approach throws the heavy lifting to the conference committee. Yet, after all is said and done, the Senate may still filibuster any attempts to earmark a WRDA bill because a number of Senators agree with the House members on no project earmarks. One issue that is certain to gain traction in a WRDA rewrite is the ongoing debate surrounding USEPA’s definition of which waters of the U.S. should be regulated under the Clean Water Act. This one issue could derail progress on WRDA. Conflict of Interest Regulation and Appointment to Water Boards Despite assurances from USEPA Office of Water officials that the agency is seeking input on how to update the income restriction rule, no formal request for comments has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget. As a result, Representative Gary Miller used a recent hearing to question USEPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator Nancy Stoner how the agency intended to address the matter. Stoner noted that the issue was under review; however, without any information or deadline, Mr. Miller is considering other approaches, including the budget process, to mandate a change. Page 3 of 4 State Legislative Update Legislative Advocates: Christopher Townsend, Heather Dion and Casey Elliott, Townsend Public Affairs State Political Highlights To address the deficit, Governor Brown recently asked the Legislature to fast-track some budget cuts but the Democrats in the Legislature have been reluctant. Assembly Democrats rejected his cuts to welfare and Cal Grants and the Senate Democrats have signaled that they will wait until May to act. These proposed cuts account for $1.3 billion of the Governor’s nearly $4 billion in proposed cuts. It important to note that unlike previous years, the state is not in immediate danger of running out of cash to pay its bills. On March 14, the Governor and the Democratic legislative leaders announced an agreement with the California Federation of Teachers that paves the way for joint support of a single tax measure on the November ballot. This measure combines the Governor’s tax initiative with elements of the “Millionaires Tax” initiative that was supported by CFT and other groups. The new language includes: · An increase in the State sales tax by .25% for four years. · The following increases in the personal income tax for the next seven years: o Over $250,000 ($500,000 for joint filers) – 1% increase o Over $300,000 ($600,000) – 2% increase o Over $500,000 ($1,000,000) – 3% increase These funds will not go directly to the State’s general fund, but will help fund education, public safety realignment and other items thereby relieving pressure on the State’s general fund for other priorities. The new compromise proposal reduces the increase in the State sales tax proposed by the Governor, but increases the personal income tax for those making over $300,000. Additionally, the compromise measure would keep the higher income tax brackets in effect for two years longer than the Governor’s original proposal. The tax proposal could generate up to $2 billion more in funding through June 2013 than the Governor’s original initiative. Brown needs to gather almost 900,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. The Legislative Analyst's Office estimated that the tax increase would generate $6.8 billion in fiscal 2012-13. Brown had estimated raising $9 billion. While the Governor lauded the compromise, civil rights attorney Molly Munger dropped another $1.5 million into the campaign to qualify her own rival tax plan for the November ballot. Munger has now contributed $3.4 million of her own money to her measure, which would raise an estimated $10 billion for schools and early childhood development programs by increasing personal income rates on a sliding scale for Californians making more than $7,316. Page 4 of 4 Specific Activities for the Month: · TPA continues to monitor, report, and promote the following state legislative and advocacy goals: o Proactive protection of OCSD property tax funding. o Outreach and education at both the staff-staff and elected-board member levels. TPA will be scheduling legislative briefings with staff in April to support these efforts. o Ongoing analysis of legislative measures including but not limited to environmental mandates that could affect the District’s operations, local government transparency measures, and budget measures redirecting fees to local wastewater agencies. o The potential for regulatory streamlining and pension reform. o Round II of IRWM funding § Expected to be announced in late Summer 2012; § Approximately $13 million will be available, an amount similar to Round 1; § Based on feedback from DWR, SAWPA is expected to focus on funding multi-jurisdictional projects in Round 2. · TPA is monitoring, analyzing and tracking legislation as it is introduced on behalf of the OCSD. TPA also drafts letters, when appropriate, for OCSD consideration on particular budget or legislative matters of interest. · TPA has arranged for and participated in meetings with OCSD staff: o Assembly Member Mansoor’s Field Representative David Taylor o Assembly Member Solorio’s Field Representative John Han o Future meetings include: § Senator Correa’s District Director Tammy Tran (4/18) § Assembly Member Silva’s District Director Erik Weigland (4/18) § Senator Huff’s District Director Tim Shaw (4/24) § The remainder of the offices will be scheduled for the month of May. PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS N/A ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CEQA N/A BUDGET / DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY COMPLIANCE N/A Form No. DW-102-1 Agenda Report – SC Revised: 01/08/07 Page 1 STEERING COMMITTEE Meeting Date 04/25/12 To Bd. of Dir. AGENDA REPORT Item Number 4 Item Number Orange County Sanitation District FROM: James D. Ruth, General Manager Originator: Michael Gold, Public Affairs SUBJECT: Selection of Honor Walk Recipients GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION Select Honor Walk Recipient(s) from the list of nominated retired employees: Pat Bourdy, Gregg Pamson and Jim Wybenga. SUMMARY The Steering Committee is being asked to consider and act on the nomination of three retired employees to receive Honor Walk bricks in 2012. PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS Resolution establishing a policy for naming facilities and placing of monuments and other memorials – June 25, 2008. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION In 2008 the Steering Committee adopted a resolution that provided a framework for recognizing past Board Members and retired staff for their outstanding contributions. One of the results of this resolution and the discussions that followed was the creation of the Honor Walk in front of the Administration Building in 2009 with the first honoree recognized in 2010. This year, the Steering Committee is being asked to consider nominees to receive an Honor Walk brick in 2012. In late July 2009, the Honor Walk bricks were installed in front of the Administration Building and staff circulated a form to accept nominations for the Walk. Honorees could be past board members or retired staff who made significant contributions to OCSD and the people it serves. The policy and procedures developed by the Steering Committee stipulate that the General Manager makes recommendations to the Steering Committee for retired staff nominees and the Steering Committee will deliberate and decide on past Board Members. Form No. DW-102-1 Agenda Report – SC Revised: 01/08/07 Page 2 The criteria adopted by the Board of Directors for selecting an Honor Walk are: · Have a long standing affiliation with the Orange County Sanitation District. · Enhanced the quality of operations and/or leadership directly contributing to the well-being of the District and people served by the District. · Made an exceptional contribution to the community through their leadership, involvement or substantial commitment of time or improvement of the quality of life. Past Board Member nominee This year, no past Board Members were nominated for an Honor Walk brick by current Board Members. Retired staff nominees Five employees were nominated for Honor Walk bricks this year; however, in a change from the previous two years, a committee of employees from different divisions representing various years of service reviewed the five candidates and made recommendations to the Executive Management Team (EMT). The committee of five carefully reviewed the applicants, interviewed current staff and took additional comments. Based on their work, the committee recommended three honorees this year because of their unique and outstanding contributions to OCSD. The three employees had nearly 100 years of service to the public and OCSD and made contributions in different ways. For example, Pat Bourdy improved the Plant 1 scrubber caustic delivery system reducing the number of pumps we had to use. Gregg Pamson implemented a program that saved OCSD over $3 million and Jim Wybenga helped create OCSD’s pre-treatment system. The EMT unanimously accepted these three recommendations and the General Manager is recommending all three for an Honor Walk brick this year. Page 1 of 2 STEERING COMMITTEE Meeting Date 04/25/12 To Bd. of Dir. AGENDA REPORT Item Number 5 Item Number Orange County Sanitation District FROM: Larry R. Crandall, Board Chair SUBJECT: General Manager Transition Plan STEERING COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATION Receive and file OCSD General Manager Transition Plan SUMMARY Completing the execution of the organization succession plan has been very important to OCSD and its Board of Directors. One of the most important pieces to this plan was to ensure the long-term organization stability within the key role of the General Manager position. The Steering Committee has developed the General Manager Transition Plan below. We have established the following Milestones to complete the Transition readiness: Apr 30, 2012 Director of Engineering (DOE) – Internal Candidate Review Jul 1, 2012 DOE Internal Candidate – Go / No Go Oct 1, 2012 Go è Move forward with the Internal Candidate and begin 90-day Transition Plan – OR – No Go è Begin 90-day external recruitment Jan 1, 2013 Go è Internal Candidate is in place serving as DOE and 90-day stabilization period begins Mar 1, 2013 Decision on union negotiation consulting assistance finalized and union negotiations begin Apr 1, 2013 General Manager Transition Plan completed In summary, we believe this Transition Plan identifies any constraints that could affect the General Manager transition. Pending litigation should also be evaluated to see if there are any significant technical management dependencies that would have an impact. PRIOR COMMITTEE/BOARD ACTIONS N/A ADDITIONAL INFORMATION This outlined plan is not an edict, but rather serves as a plan that will require further refinement pending collaborative discussion on other pending issues. Page 2 of 2 CEQA N/A BUDGET / DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY COMPLIANCE N/A ATTACHMENTS None