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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Citizens Utility Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 10/4/2017 r AGENDA . CITIZENS UTILITY ADVISORY COMMISSION OASIS WATER CAMPUS 7070 NORTHERN AVE: GLENDALE, ARIZONA.85303 OCTOBER 4, 2017 6:00 P.M. FINAL MINUTES 1 CALL TO ORDER. Chair Jonathan Liebman called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m: 2. . ROLL CALL Present: Chair Jonathan Liebman, Vice Chair Ronald Short; Commissioner Robin Berryhill; Commissioner Amber Ford Absent: Commissioner Ruth Faulls Commissioner Robert Gehl;. . Commissioner Stephen DeAngelo 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS None. 4. BOARD AND COMMISSION OATH Chair Liebman swore-in reappointed Commissioners Ford and Berryhill, who also signed their Loyalty Oaths.. 5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Motion by Commissioner Ford, second by Commissioner Berryhill,to. approve the September 6, 2017 meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 4 0. _ 6. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Craig Johnson, P.E., Water Services Director, provided the Director's Report, which included the following topics: •Changes to the City's organizational chart •The Assistant City Manager position was reinstated and Jack Friedline was promoted to the position. • Michelle Woytenko was promote to Field Operations Department Director •Water Main Line Project along Deer Valley Road •The project will begin October 1st and run through February 11th. •The location is along Deer Valley Road from 59th Avenue to 67th Avenue. •A street mill and overlay of Deer Valley Road is expected to follow the main line work. •A flyer was distributed which will also be sent to residents in the area which details the traffic restrictions, map, and description of four project phases. •Additional information can be found at GlendaleAz.com/Improvements or by calling 602-532-6250. •The reason for the project is two-fold: the main line is over 30 years old and the majority of the line lies under homeowners' structural block walls and/or is in backyards. Because of the location, the line is too hard to maintain. Chair Liebman inquired as to where the water for this main line is coming from. Mr. Johnson replied that it is Zone 3 water which basically comes from Pyramid Peak. Vice Chair Short inquired as to what would happen to the existing line. Mr. Johnson stated that the current line will be abandoned in place. Vice Chair Short asked if existing easements would be vacated. Mr. Johnson replied in the positive noting that the new main line will all be on City right-of-way. • Results of the September 19, 2017 Council Workshop • Option 3 of the Rate Increase was brought before Council at the Workshop and Council is asking that Option 3 be moved forward and placed on the October 24 th Council meeting agenda. •Vice Chair Short attended the Workshop. •A copy of the 10-Year Capital Improvement Cash Flow for Financial Option 3 was distributed to the Commission. Chair Liebman asked for a brief refresher on Option 3 which Mr. Johnson provided. Chair Liebman inquired if Mr. Johnson was comfortable with the estimated level of$250,000.00 for cash on hand with Option 3. Mr. Johnson replied that Ms. Rios is comfortable with the financials and the City is still above the minimum financial requirements when using Option 3. Vice Chair Short reported that he was at the Council Workshop which lasted approximately five hours, of which the rate increase was lasted approximately one and a half hours and was a very intense discussion. Vice Chair Short complimented Mr. Johnson and Ms. Rios on an excellent job of presentation and answering questions. Vice Chair Short stated that City Manager Kevin Phelps spoke in support of the rate increase and the final vote to place on the Council agenda for action was successful at 6 to 1. 7. BULK TRASH Michelle Woytenko, Director of Field Operations, noted that during the recent public survey regarding the rate increases, residents expressed their appreciation of the Bulk Trash program. Furthermore, Councilmember Clark expressed to Ms. Woytenko that her district is in Section 4, which always has bulk collection after every holiday and asked for that to be re-considered. Torrance McDonald, Solid Waste Management Superintendent, Field Operations, gave a presentation on the following: Bulk Trash Collection Schedules and Enforcement Options •Today's Objectives • Discuss bulk trash collection schedules—current and proposed • Education and Enforcement •Consensus/Direction • Next Steps •Current Bulk Trash Collection Schedule • Map of all sections and dates for put out and pick up •Calendar view for sections and off weeks • Four off weeks beginning on the on the random fifth week of a month • Each section has pick up twelve times during the year • Proposed Bulk Trash Collection Schedule • Detailed/enlarged map of each sections and dates for put out and pick up • Residents want more detail regarding their section •Calendar view for sections and off weeks •Off weeks—after Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas •The two off weeks after Christmas will be used to pick up Christmas trees citywide Chair Liebman commented that the new schedule would be a major behavioral change for the residents. Ms. Woytenko noted that every time a major re-routing is done, it results in a six-month learning curve. Chair Liebman suggested extra support at the help desk to handle increased phone calls. • How Will People Know? •Glendale Star •Channel 11 • Monthly Utility Bill •www.glendaleaz.com/solidwaste • Hold line for customer service calls • New resident—welcoming packet • Direct mail with refrigerator magnet Vice Chair Short asked for the information to be sent to all of the HOA's in the City because bulk collection can be a big issue in the HOA's. Vice Chair short noted that there are 400 homes in his HOA and he prepares the community newsletter. Ms. Woytenko replied that her staff still has HOA contact information from the outreach for the rate increase which can be used for the proposed Bulk Collection schedule once finalized. • Education in Action • Door Hanger • Magnet • Informational Materials • Business card for questions •Weekly inspection audits— 5 inspectors on staff • Proposed Enforcement • Implement standard violation collection fee for verified early and late placement Chair Liebman stated that the new enforcement policy would also be a major behavioral change. Mr. McDonald explained that there would most likely be an educational period, such as six months, with the implementation possibly,beginning July 1, 2018. After July 1st, there could possibly be a warning system before the fee. Vice Chair Short wondered if a new enforcement policy was necessary since it appeared that the fee of$99.00 for late or off cycle pick-up was working. Mr. McDonald agreed and added that the policy is basically the same, however, there are repeat offenders for which stronger enforcement is necessary. Ms. Woytenko explained that staff will come to the home for education the first time and afterward there will be a $99.00 charge for off-cycle pick up. Chair Liebman stressed the need for explanation in the educational materials. Commissioner Berryhill stated that there are alleys in her neighborhood and even after bulk collection days, people but trash out again right away in the alley and wondered how this could be stopped. Ms. Woytenko explained that this is illegal dumping which will still be handled the same way as currently. Ms. Woytenko asked that residents report illegal dumping as there may be a way to identify who the items belong to. Chair Liebman inquired if there was an action item for the collection schedule change. Ms. Woytenko replied that it was not necessary at this time and she will take the feedback received from this evening to the Assistant City Manager. Chair Liebman asked if Council needed to vote on the changes. Ms. Woytenko explained that if a Council vote is required, the item will come back to the Commission for recommendation. 8. APPOINTMENT TERMS AND CITIZEN UTILITY ADVISORY COMMISSION ROLE Kerri Logan, Deputy Director of Water Services, presented information on the Commission appointment terms and role. Ms. Logan explained that the City has eighteen Boards and Commissions. In order to create more consistency and efficiency, the City Clerk has asked that all Board Member and Commissioner terms expire on the date of January 31 st of any given year. Ms. Logan distributed a chart with the new expiration terms for the Commissioners and noted that Ms. Julie Bower, the City Clerk, will contact each Commissioner to ensure that the change in term is acceptable. Ms. Logan facilitated a discussion was held on the frequency of Commission meetings and read aloud the purpose of the Commission as indicated in the ordinance. Ms. Logan asked if the Commissioners would like to continue to meet monthly or change to quarterly. Chair Liebman stated that at one point in the past, the Commission had a two-year strategic plan which dictated the agenda for the Commission meetings. Chair Liebman suggested updating the strategic plan and slot the topics for discussion. Chair Liebman noted that the Commission will be discussing business from another city division as well and felt that a monthly meeting was still needed. Chair Liebman commented that a quarterly meeting would be a longer meeting and he preferred a shorter, monthly meeting. Vice Chair Short, Commissioner Berryhill, and Commissioner concurred. Chair Liebman suggested a planning session or retreat to discuss agenda topics for the year. Ms. Logan asked if the Chair could foresee a strategic planning session during a regular Commission meeting and Chair Liebman replied that this could be done as well. Commissioner Ford suggested including follow-ups to previous Commission topics in the future agenda items, such as the rate increase. Chair Liebman agreed and suggested a pro-forma forecast regarding the rate increase after it takes effect including if the financial targets are being met. Commissioner Berryhill stated that she would like to receive information on the City's Salt River Urban Irrigation Audit. Ms. Logan asked Commissioner Berryhill to send her an email with specific questions regarding the topic. 9. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Chair Liebman encouraged all to attend the Council meeting on October 24th to be present for public comment and Council vote regarding the rate increase. Mr. Johnson announced that the Council meeting will be posted as a Commission meeting as well due to quorum issues. 10. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Suggestions for future agenda items include the following: • Landfill Rate Model •Action on the proposed new Bulk Trash Collection and Enforcement Process, if needed •Calendar, Agenda, and Strategic Planning for the Committee • Further discussion on the Operating and CIP Budget 11. NEXT MEETING The next meeting regular meeting of the Citizens Utility Advisory Commission will be held on November 1, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. at the Oasis Water Campus, 7070 W. Northern Avenue, Glendale, Arizona, 85303. 12. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Vice Chair Short, second by Commissioner Berryhill, to adjourn the meeting at 7:08 p.m. Motion carried 4—0. The Citizens Utility Advisory Commission meeting minutes of October 4, 2017 were approved on the 1st day of November, 2017. Denise Kazmierczak Recording Secretary C- /yeZcgia