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09-02-10SOUTH TAHOE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT Richard Solbri , General Mana er IIIIM Dale Rise, President Paul Sciuto, Assistant General Manager 111.11111111111/ BOARD MEMBERS Mary Lou Mosbacher, Vice President James R. Jones, Director Eric W. Schafer, Director Chris Cefalu, Director REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SOUTH TAHOE PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 MINUTES The Board of Directors of the South Tahoe Public Utility District met in a regular session, September 2, 2010, 2:00 P.M., District Office, 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Vice President Mosbacher, Directors Cefalu, Schafer, Jones. President Rise was absent. STAFF: Solbrig, Sharp, Sciuto, Hughes, Cocking, Curtis, Torney, Hoggatt, Ryan, Bird, Bledsoe, Attorney Kvistad GUESTS: Bruce Budman, Dennis Kinkhuff, Ernie Claudio ROLL CALL Dennis Cocking led the pledge to the flag. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (1) Paul Hughes, Chief Financial Officer, welcomed customer, Bruce Budman, to the Board meeting and reported since Mr. Budman's last appearance on August 19, staff has met about his request to waive water fees for service to his undeveloped property in the Angora fire area. Additional time is needed to develop a recom- mendation to bring to the Board for consideration. Mr. Budman stated several other property owners have the same problem and object to water service fees being imposed when lots are vacant and no water is being used. The Finance Committee will discuss this issue at their September 16 meeting, and a final recommendation will be made soon thereafter. COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 PAGE - 2 (2) Customer, Dennis Kinkhuff, reported a meter was COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE installed in the duplex he lives in and he now pays (continued) much less for water. He stated this was proof he has been overcharged for the past 20 years and claimed he is owed a refund. Staff will meet with Mr. Kinkhuff to explain the process of going from a non -metered to a metered environment, and to review his account. Moved Schafer / Second Jones / Rise Absent / Passed CONSENT CALENDAR to approve the Consent Calendar as submitted: a. Alpine County Groundwater Monitoring Wells - Authorized staff to advertise for bids for the construction of seven new monitoring wells; b. Luther Pass Pump Station Standby Power Generation Facility - Approved Agreement 100013 between Southwest Gas Corporation and the District to reroute the existing underground natural gas line, in the estimated amount of $1,641.43; c. Headworks Replacement Project: Phase 1 Demolition - Approved Change Order No. 2 to Evans Brothers, Inc., in the amount of $116,550; d. Approved Regular Board Meeting Minutes: August 5, 2010; e. Approved Regular Board Meeting Minutes: August 19, 2010. ITEMS FOR BOARD ACTION The 10 -Year Financial Plan allocates $4M through 2012 and an additional $6M through 2020 for several irrigation improvement projects developed from the Diamond Valley Ranch Master Plan. Engineering services are needed to complete a pre -design and engineer's opinion of probable costs for an integrated system that includes all planned improvements, including plans and specifica- tions for the initial stage of construction starting in 2011. Four proposals were received from engineering consulting firms. Staff reviewed and ranked the proposals based on a pre -determined set of criteria, and selected the technical proposal submitted by Domenichelli and Associates. DIAMOND VALLEY RANCH IRRIGATION IMPROVEMENTS REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 PAGE - 3 Moved Jones / Second Schafer / Rise Absent / Passed to accept the proposal received from Domenichelli and Associates, in the amount of $431,097. Moved Schafer / Second Jones / Rise Absent / Passed to approve payment in the amount of $3,181,968.98. Water and Wastewater Operations Committee Meeting: The committee met on August 30. Minutes of the meeting are available upon request. Director Schafer reported on his attendance at a recent CASA (California Association of Sanitation Agencies) conference that covered trends in the wastewater industry, including system improvements and new technology. He also reported on the legislation being considered in reaction to the high salaries and pensions awarded to staff and Board members with the City of Bell. Richard Solbrig reported on five items: 1) He attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the South Tahoe High School and saw the results of how the bond money was spent. At the same time, he was able to communicate information about the Twin Peaks fire hydrant test, which effected the water pressure in the area. 2) In response to a question posed by a Board member regarding how the District was doing as compared to the rest of the industry, he learned of a Utility Management Initiative that provides a method for self -scoring. He will provide these attributes to the Board at a future meeting. 3) He recommended the Board designate an ad hoc committee to assist with the Management MOU, which expires at the end of this calendar year. 4) Health Plan memos have been distributed regarding ways to save the plan money and be smart consumers. 5) A Health Improvement Plan, developed by staff and Barton Hospital, will be presented to the Board in October. Assistant General Manager / Engineer: Paul Sciuto reported Teichert Construction has completed the installation of approximately 1,300 meters within city limits. Campbell Construction has nearly completed the meter installations in the county. The state gave verbal approval to reduce the number of meters installed because of the change orders and cost overruns. Out of the original 1,261 installations that were to be completed under the grant funding, approximately 960 will be done. DIAMOND VALLEY RANCH IRRIGATION IMPROVEMENTS (continued) PAYMENT OF CLAIMS BOARD MEMBER STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS BOARD MEMBER REPORTS GENERAL MANAGER REPORTS STAFF REPORTS REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES - SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 PAGE - 4 Chief Financial Officer: Paul Hughes reported on two items: STAFF REPORTS 1) Water production for 2010 went down 14 1/2 % over 2009, (continued) which impacted consumptive based revenues by 12%. Severe weather and/or the water conservation program are more aspects to take into consideration when setting rates. 2) A new audit team is on site reviewing the District's financial recordkeeping. Attorney: Gary Kvistad reported the Little Hoover Commission released a new report focusing on how the state manages water throughout California. It gives recommendations on restructuring the state board and management of state water projects. He will provide a summary of impacts soon. The Board did not enter into closed session to discuss items listed on the agenda. The meeting was adjourned at 3:15 P.M. ATTESTS 12 I, Kathy Sharp,/'Clerkk of of thard ADJOURNMENT Dale Rise, Board President South Tahoe Public Utility District South Taho Public Utility District r BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING GUEST SIGN -IN SHEET DATE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BROWN ACT: COMPLETION OF THIS INFORMATION IS VOLUNTARY, NOT MANDATORY, AND IS NOT A PRECONDITION FOR ATTENDANCE.