MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS INDIAN WELLS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT. June 12, 2017

Transcription

1 r~ MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS INDIAN WELLS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT June 12, 2017 The Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Indian Wells CALL TO ORDER Valley Water District was called to order by President Brown at 6:00 p.m. in the Board of Directors Hearing Room, 500 West Ridgecrest Boulevard, Ridgecrest, California. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Jennifer Keep. PLEDGE DIRECTORS PRESENT: DIRECTORS ABSENT: ALSO PRESENT: President Peter E. Brown Vice-President Charles F. Cordell Director Charles D. Griffin Director Ronald R. Kicinski Director Donald J. Cortichiato Jim Worth, Attorney; Don Zdeba, General Manager; Jason Lillian, Operations Superintendent; Renee Morquecho, Chief Engineer; Jennifer Keep, Chief Financial Officer; Rose Koch, Recording Secretary ROLL CALL AGENDA DECLARATION Recording Secretary, Rose Koch, reported that the agenda for tonight's Regular Board Meeting was posted on Friday, June 9, AGENDA DECLARATION None. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATION CONFLICT OF INTEREST PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND CO:MMENTS Judie Decker complimented the Board of Directors and staff on a complete meeting agenda and Board Packet. PUBLIC COMMENTS Don Zdeba announced that Jennifer Keep will be leaving employment with the District effective July 9th. Don Zdeba and the Board of Directors complimented her for exemplary years of service as Chief Financial Officer. Meeting was recessed at 6:05 p.m. and re-convened at 6:12 p.m. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION: was made by Vice-President Cordell and seconded by Director Griffin to approve the Minutes of the May 8, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, and to approve payment of Accounts Payable totaling $987, Motion was carried. (Ayes: Brown, Cordell, Griffin, Kicinski. Nays: None. Absent: Cortichiato) 1 CONSENT CALENDAR

2 PLANT AND EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE P & E Resolution No was presented to accept the dedication of water RESO system improvements for an 8-inch fire service and 4-inch domestic service for the Southern California Edison (SCE) Ridgecrest Service Center on East Upjohn Avenue. Improvements were constructed and installed by Hal Hays Construction at a cost of $21, Motion: was made by Director Kicinski and seconded by Director Griffin, approving Resolution No accepting the dedication of water system improvements for an 8-inch fire service and 4- inch domestic service for the Southern California Edison (SCE) Ridgecrest Service Center on East Upjohn Avenue at an amount of $21, The Motion was carried, by the following roll call vote: President Brown: Vice-President Cordell: Director Griffin: Director Kicinski: Director Cortichiato: Absent FINANCE COMMITTEE FINANCE Jennifer Keep presented the bid results of Surplus 2017 (included in BID RESULTS the Board Packet). There are several items that did not receive any bids and the committee had recommended donating the remaining items to Desert Area Resources and Training (DART). MOTION: was made by Director Griffin and seconded by Director Kicinski to approve the bids received and donate remaining surplus items to DART. Motion was carried. (Ayes: Brown, Griffin, Kicinski. Nays: None. Abstain: Cordell. Absent: Cortichiato) ADMINISTRATION/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ADMIN/EXEC Resolution No was California Water Agencies Requirements. presented for supporting Association of RESO (ACWA) Policy Statement on Bay-Delta Flows ACWA is requesting its member agencies to adopt a resolution supporting ACWA's policy statement on Bay-Delta Flows requirements. ACWA's Board of Directors has adopted a strong policy statement urging the State Water Resources Control Board to set aside its problematic "unimpaired flow" approach to setting new water quality objectives in the Bay-Delta watershed. ACWA believes the state's policy on flows should embrace a collaborative, comprehensive approach that protects and promotes both water supply reliability and ecosystem health. The State Water Board staff proposal to base new water quality objectives on a "percentage of unimpaired flow" could lead to wide spread fallowing of agricultural land and negatively affect water reliability for much of the state's population. The singular focus on 2

3 unimpaired flow is incompatible with the state's goals and other broader policy commitments in Administration's California Water Action Plan. policy of the Jerry coequal Brown's Motion: was made by Director Kicinski and seconded by Vice President Cordell, approving Resolution No supporting ACWA's Policy Statement on Bay-Delta flows requirement. The Motion was carried, by the following roll call vote : President Brown: Vice-President Cordell: Director Griffin: Director Kicinski: Director Cortichiato: Absent Resolution No was presented for the election of Directors to RESO the Special District Risk Management Authority (SDRMA) Board of Directors. The committee recommended voting for Timothy Unruh, Mike Scheafer, David Aranda, and Jean Bracy for the SDRMA Board of Directors. Motion: was made by Director Griffin and seconded by Director Kicinski, approving Resolution No voting for Timothy Unruh, Mike Scheafer, David Aranda, and Jean Bracy for the 2017 SDRMA Board of Directors. The Motion was carried, by the following roll call vote: President Brown: Vice-President Cordell : Director Griffin: Director Kicinski: Director Cortichiato: Absent Don Zdeba reported that Helen Baker's Unanticipated Use Claim for 340 UNANTICIPATED E. Franklin Avenue was denied because it was within $ of the USE CLAIM $ minimum for claims. The committee recommended following Unanticipated Use Claims and reject allowance and reduction in her bill. the District's Policy for Helen Baker's claim for an MOTION: was made by Director Kicinski and seconded by Vice President Cordell to reject Helen Baker's claim for an allowance and reduction in her bill for 340 E. Franklin Avenue. Director Griffin commented that Ms. Baker may be elderly and that this may be a financial burden to her. Director Kicinski commented that the District has a policy. is granted to Ms. Baker, than we would have to do for everyone. If this Vice-President Cordell agreed with Director Kicinski that the Board should follow policy. 3

4 Motion was carried. (Ayes: Brown, Cordell, Kicinski. Griffin. Absent: Cortichiato) Nays: INDIAN WELLS VALLEY WATER DISTRICT 2017 WATER SHORTAGE CONTINGENCY PLAN IWVWD 2017 WATER SHORTAGE Don Zdeba reported that originally Ordinance No. 101 was drafted to CONTINGENCY comply with SB 814. It was noted that the District's existing Water PLAN Shortage Contingency Plan (Plan), approved in 1992, was out-of-date. Staff made the decision to rewrite the Water Shortage Contingency Plan, incorporating the information to comply with SB 814. In order to approve the 2017 Water Shortage Contingency Plan (Ordinance No. 101), it must be published in a local newspaper five days prior to the meeting it will be adopted and then published again within 10 days of adoption. Water Code Section allows you to write a summary of the document in order to save costs of publishing the 109-page 2017 Water Shortage Contingency Plan. Staff is asking for approval from the Board of Directors to appoint General Manager Don Zdeba to prepare a summary of the 2017 Water Shortage Contingency Plan which will be published in the local newspaper five days prior to the meeting it will be adopted and again within 10 days after adoption. The draft 2017 Water Shortage Contingency Plan will be available on the District's website in its entirety. Legal Counsel Jim Worth recommended that if there are any changes or concerns with the draft Plan, to please do so now. MOTION: was made by Director Kicinski and seconded by Vice President Cordell appointing General Manager Don Zdeba to prepare a summary of the 2017 Water Shortage Contingency Plan and to publish five days prior to the meeting it will be adopted and again within fifteen (15) days after adoption. Motion was carried. (Ayes: Brown, Cordell, Griffin, Kicinski. Nays: None. Absent: Cortichiato) GENERAL MANAGER COMPENSATION GM COMPENSATION This item was deferred until after Closed Session. INDIAN WELLS VALLEY GROUNDWATER AUTHORITY (IWVGA) IWVGA Peter Brown reported that the IWVGA has finalized the names of the large agriculture users and approved Article 5 of the Bylaws. Applications are being taken for the Public Advisory Committee (PAC). To date, they have received 24 applications. Items for discussion at the next meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 15th are as follows: ~ Public Advisory Committee ~ Committee structures ~ Water Resource Manager position Director Griffin commented that the Indian Wells Valley Water District is a vital agency and should be included in the selection process for the Water Resource Manager. Director Griffin reported that he just 4

5 received the packet for the next meeting this frustrates Director Griffin that there is no time able to discuss at the District's Board Meeting. morning. to review This and be Director Kicinski agreed with Director Griffin. Director Kicinski commented that the Indian Wells Valley Water District being left out of the selection process is unacceptable. GENERAL MANAGER AND STAFF UPDATE Don Zdeba updated the safety record to 881 consecutive days without a recordable injury. Metered water production at the wells for the month of May was 208,276,000 gallons (639.2 acre-feet). The number the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is using for comparison is metered water through the distribution system or consumption, and non-revenue water which is water lost to leaks, flushing activities, blow-offs, etc. For the month of May, the number is 145,105,000 gallons (445.3 acre-feet). The conservation results for May were reported to the SWRCB on June 2nct. Consumption was down 30.1% compared to May This follows decreases of 14.1%, 23.8% and 35.4% in the months of April, March and February, respectively. The 20% conservation target established by the Board of Directors took effect last June 1st. Since that time, the cumulative result is 22.2%. GENERAL MANAGER & STAFF UPDATE SAFETY, PRODUCTION & NEW SERVICES For the month essentially the of May, same as the District's reported in May 2016 and an 11.3% R-gpcd was 125, decrease from May There were four new connections during the month of May resulting in capital facility fees of $20,272. Total number of new connections for this fiscal year is 53, contributing $420,683 in additional revenue. Public Outreach: PUBLIC Don Zdeba attended the Community Collaborative meeting at City OUTREACH Hall on June 5th. Mr. Zdeba provided the following update: ~ May's conservation results. ~ Actions taken at the May 18th IWV Groundwater Authority meeting. ~ Actions to be taken at the June 15th IWV Groundwater Authority meeting (appointment of PAC representatives, possible appointment of a Water Resource Manager and independent legal counsel). ~ Upcoming visit June 14th and 15th by the Danes to discuss Denmark's experience with groundwater management and the proposed aerial geophysical surveys of three California basins including the Indian Wells Valley. ~ Unveiling of the billboard sponsored in partnership with Sun Outdoor Advertising. ~ Distributed to attendees calendars featuring local third grader conservation messages. Don Zdeba reported that the May 2Jrd billboard unveiling was very successful and was covered by local media. The creator of the selected conservation message attended with her parents and Mrs. Metelko's entire third grade class from Gateway Elementary. Superintendent Ernie Bell and Michelle Savko represented Sierra Sands 5

6 School District administration. The billboard was only on display at the China Lake Boulevard and Bowman Road location for one week, however it will be relocated to Inyokern Road where it will remain through the summer. Once school resumes, it will be taken down and presented to Gateway Elementary. A postcard was mailed to all customers with information about efficient use and maintenance of evaporative coolers. The postcard featured the same message as the billboard. The message was also included with other selected entries in a available in the District office. 16-month calendar now The Board of Directors scheduled the mid-year Board Workshop for July MID-YEAR 13th at 9:00 a.m. Items for the agenda should be brought to Don Zdeba BOARD and Rose Koch's attention. WORKSHOP Don Zdeba updated the Board of Directors on the January 24, 2017 Special Board Workshop Action Items: Cost of Service Study: Staff run scenarios keeping the current tiers, 3% increase annually, and reviewing the debt service. Staff to present scenarios at a subsequent Board Meeting. Update: Staff continues to make progress on the adjustments that were discussed at the January 24, 2017 Board Workshop as well as preparing the Cost of Service Study report, which is the supporting documentation for the need and validity of the proposed rate adjustments in accordance with Proposition 218. When complete, the Cost of Service Report will be provided to legal counsel for review before bringing it to the Finance Committee. Ordinance No. 101 Excessive Water Use: Staff draft Ordinance No. 101 to reflect a 1% increase in Tiers 3 and 4 for all residential/commercial (if applicable) users if the Governor declares a State drought condition or local drought condition. If there is an Indian Wells Valley Water District emergency water shortage condition, draft as proposed in Section 5 (as proposed) Local Water Supply Shortage Condition for all residential/commercial (if applicable) users. Update: The draft 2017 Water Shortage Contingency Plan (Ordinance No. 101) was presented at the June 12th Regular Board Meeting for discussion and comments. Ordinance No. 101 will be presented at the July loth Regular Board Meeting for adoption. General Manager Don Zdeba was designated to write a Plan summary to publish in the local newspaper five days prior to the meeting and published again within fifteen (15) days of adoption. Renee Morquecho reported that after the well was disinfected a second time, the samples again tested present for coliform bacteria (absent for E. coli). At that point, several samples were collected and sent to a specialized lab (Water Systems Engineering (WSE)) and a recommendation sought. The District, along with Layne and Chuck Krieger, participated in a conference call with Mike Schnieders of WSE. Mr. Schnieders commented on the extent of the bacterial population found in the water even after four hours of pumping. Al though he could provide several methods for possibly disinfecting the well, the current design of the well with the liner hampers treatment and l imits the effectiveness. Staff has decided to begin pumping the well to atmosphere with chlorination (dosing to be determined) in order to show a "kill" of the coliform bacteria before the water enters the distribution system. This process will begin next week. 6 BOARD WORKSHOP UPDATE 2017 WELL 33 REHAB

7 All four HVAC units are installed along with new programmable OPTERRA SOLAR thermostats at the District office. The Data Acquisition System (DAS) PROJECT has been installed and programmed at all sites except Well 30. At this time, OpTerra is working on punch list items and preparing to pour a concrete pad for the new transformer at Well 30. Well 34: Layne is scheduled to mobilize on Monday June 19th. A WSIP biological species class will be held that morning before construction begins. Well 35: The District has negotiated a Change Order with Hydro Resources West for the superchlorination of Well 35. Hydro-Resources and the District have agreed that if the specific capacity of the well is raised to ~24 gpm/ft then Hydro-Resources will be responsible for the cost of superchlorination. If the specific capacity is less than 24 gpm/ft, then the District will pay for the superchlorination. Hydro-Resources will mobilize this week to begin the process. Jennifer Keep reported that year-to-date revenues as of April 30, 2017 FINANCIAL are $9,971,191 and expenses are $8,468,498, so revenues exceeded STATUS expenses by $1,502,693, which exceeds budget by $939,323. Estimated year-to-date revenues as of May 31, 2017 are $10,825,841 and estimated expenses are $9,349,498, so estimated revenues exceed estimated expenses by $1,476,343, which is better than budget by $1,087,962. Staff continues to receive daily reports regarding leaks and high AMI PROJECT consumption. Staff continues to tweak the parameters behind the reports, especially now that customers are regularly using their evaporative coolers. The collector site on the hospital roof stopped collecting data last week. Neptune is attempting to resolve the problem remotely. This is the only collector site that uses the cellular network. Jennifer Keep reported on the following conservation items:../ State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Water Waster Report - There were 11 water waste reports during May There was one second formal warning and no third notices resulting in penalties.../ Staff has contacted the top 25 users for the month of May.../ Cash for Grass - One hundred and six (106) yards have been completed resulting in removal of 119,117.5 square feet of turf ($119,117.50). There are 27 yards (37,849 square feet) in the process of being converted. There are 37 yards ($82, 000) that are pre-approved and are awaiting notice for pre-inspection. There is approximately 14,000 sq. ft. for applications (3) pending. There is $129,000 Cash for Grass funds available from the revised $382, 000 budget. Approximately acre-feet of water per year will be saved from yards that have been converted.../ XERIC Ambassador Consultations: One consultation was completed for the month of May. CONSERVATION Jason Lillian reported that Arsenic Treatment Plant 1 treated ARSENIC 24, 534, 000 gallons and Plant 2 treated 13, 513, 000 gallons. The acid FACILITIES piping for Plant 2 has been ordered. The epoxy-coated variable speed pump #1 was received and set last week. 7

8 For the month of May, ten services were repaired and 51 were replaced. OPERATIONS Three hundred and forty feet of mainline was installed on East Bataan REPORT Avenue. The NO-DES truck had 34 runs filtering 299,040 gallons. The average influent turbidity was NTU' s and the average effluent turbidity was 1.6 NTU's. Twenty five valves were turned. BOARD COMMENTS/FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Director Kicinski thanked Judie Decker on her comment regarding the Board Meeting Agendas and Board Packets. BOARD COMMENTS Director Kicinski commented on the audio recording of May's meeting. Despite the chatter in the audience, it is audible. Vice-President Cordell expressed appreciation to Jennifer Keep for her years of service as Chief Financial Officer. Director Griffin also expressed appreciation to Jennifer Keep. Director Griffin thanked the public for attending. President Brown commended Director Kicinski on his thoroughness. President Brown thanked Jennifer Keep for her service at the District. With no further Board or Public comments, President Brown recessed the meeting and adjourned to Closed Session at 7:30 p.m. CLOSED SESSION The meeting was reconvened in Closed Session at 7:36 p.m. CLOSED SESSION The meeting was recalled to Open Session at 8:29 p.m. Referring to Agenda Item 7.F. General Manager Compensation : MOTION: was made by Director Kicinski and seconded by Vice President Cordell to amend a portion of the Employment Contract of the General Manager by increasing the General Manager's annual salary by 5%, retroactive April 1, Motion was carried. (Ayes: Brown, Cordell, Griffin, Kicinski. Nays: None. Absent: Cortichiato) No further action was taken that would require disclosure under the Brown Act. ADJOURNMENT ADJOURNMENT APPROVED: July 10,