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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Citizens Utility Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 3/4/2020Glendale A R I Z O N A MINUTES CITIZENS UTILITY ADVISORY COMMISSION OASIS WATER CAMPUS 7070 NORTHERN AVE. GLENDALE, ARIZONA 85303 MARCH 4, 2020 6:00 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Short called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Ronald Short, Vice Chair Robin Berryhill, Commissioner Larry Flatau, Commissioner Amber Ford, Commissioner David McGrew, Commissioner Absent: Jonathan Liebman, Chair Also Present: Kerr! Logan, Deputy Director, Water Services Michelle Woytenko, Director, Field Operations John Henny, Deputy Director, Water Services Katrina Alberty, Administrator, Water Services Megan Sheldon, Deputy Director, Water Services Ron Serio, Deputy Director, Water Services Robert Perez, Business Analyst, Field Operation Julia Cary, Financial Analyst, Water Services Candace Schulte, Management Assistant, Water Services 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS None. 4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES a. a. Citizen Utility Commission Minutes of February 5, 2020 Motion by Commissioner Flatau, second by Commissioner Ford, to approve the February 5, 2020 Citizens Utility Advisory Commission meeting minutes as written. Motion carried 5 — 0. 5. DIRECTOR'S REPORT a. Ms. Woytenko, Field Operations Director, gave a report which included the following: • Yesterday, the final assessment of the Blue Barrel Pilot Program was completed, and it was very successful. Barrel District contamination decreased from 32% down to 23% and Ocotillo District contamination decreased from 37% down to 24%. • The Landfill facility is always kept inspection ready. ADEQ inspected the Landfill with twelve-hour notice for the Annual Inspection. The ADEQ inspector during the inspection indicated he had never seen any facility quite so good. • The court ruled in Glendale's favor in the Vieste lawsuit and awarded the City attorney fees as well as damages. Vieste must file an appeal within three days, however, it is not expected they will do so. Vice Chair Short commented on an article he read regarding recycling and relayed it was challenging for most communities. Ms. Woytenko had seen the same article and said although the City was not highlighted in the article, it does show that the City is not alone in dealing with this issue. Commissioner Flatau asked if there was any discussion regarding non-residents who drop off recycling at the facility. Ms. Woytenko replied that the facility only accepts drop offs of cardboard and aluminum cans, which is the highest commodity. Ms. Woytenko stated that people are not asked for identification and no one is turned away, however this is not actively advertised. Ms. Logan gave a report, which included the following • Mr. Craig Johnson, Director, Water Services, was unable to attend this meeting and sends his apologies. • Ms. Candace Schulte has been hired as the new Water Services Management Assistant. 6. REVIEW FY20-21 OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE BUDGETS a. a. Ms. Woytenko, Field Operations Director, and Mr. Robert Perez, Business Analyst, will present the Landfill and Solid Waste FY20-21 Operating and Maintenance Budgets Ms. Woytenko introduced Mr. Perez, who would be conducting the presentation. Mr. Perez presented the following information for Solid Waste: • Five Year Forecast — Details for FY21-25 With FY20 YTD Comparative Data • Revenue and Expenses — Details for FY21 through FY25 • Business Planning: The Road Ahead • Fleet • Replacing aged equipment sooner than later • 50% of the fleet will be purchased or leased within the next two years • Community • Outreach strategy development • Alley Gating • Technology • Assessment of optimization software • Inventory management • The current software vendor was unable to meet necessary standards. • A new vendor looks promising. • A kick-off opportunity will be held soon. • This will reduce the number of routes and increase efficiency and productivity. • Operations • Recruitment and personnel retention initiative • Continue workforce optimization • What's Next for Us? • FY21 • Residential: Assessment of Current Rates • Commercial: 2.5% Increase in Rate • FY22 • Residential: N/A • Commercial: Reassess Current Rates • Our continued goal is to sustainably grow and improve our service delivery Mr. Perez opened the floor for questions. Commissioner McGraw inquired as to the criteria for fleet replacement. Mr. Perez replied that it depended on the type of vehicle, the current policy was based on the age of the vehicle, and a study was being conducted on this process this year. Commissioner McGraw asked how many vehicles needed replacement. Mr. Perez replied approximately twelve vehicles in FY21 and fourteen vehicles in FY22. Commissioner McGraw inquired if the vehicles were built to the City's specification. Mr. Perez replied in the positive. Commissioner McGraw wondered how the City's fleet compared to other cities. Mr. Perez responded that the City was behind and it is an aged fleet. Mr. Perez noted in the electric fleet arena, the City is leading the west valley. Mr. Perez reported that the City plans to add five electric vehicles per year and will be the first City to perform a cost study on electric vehicles. Ms. Woytenko commented that during the economic downturn, the strategy for every government was to increase the life cycle of its fleets, so many cities are in a similar position. Ms. Woytenko noted that there are back orders with vendors to fill demand. Commissioner McGraw asked if the purpose of the outreach strategy was due to some type of failure. Mr. Perez explained that obtaining feedback from citizens is a challenge and staff is looking at expanding into avenues such as social media. Commissioner McGraw inquired as to the desired result, meaning, how staff would know the outreach efforts were working. Mr. Perez stated staff was looking for as much feedback it could obtain, especially on recycling. Commissioner McGraw inquired if there was a cost to discontinue the development of the software with the first vendor. Ms. Woytenko responded staff was able to get the contract to net neutral. Commissioner McGraw wondered why the situation did not work out with the first vendor. Mr. Perez replied that the results were not as promised. Commissioner McGraw inquired as to the number of open staff positions. Mr. Perez replied there are six openings. Ms. Woytenko explained the retention focus was on the equipment operator positions and Mr. Perez and the Human Resources Department are researching why the City is losing these employees. Commissioner McGraw asked for the percent that overtime comprised of total salaries and the comparison to previous years. Ms. Woytenko explained the City changed the way it pays overtime, so a previous year's history would not be comparable. Ms. Woytenko stated she has researched overtime costs versus hiring an employee and will be adding drivers and trucks to bring the overtime figure under control. Commissioner Ford inquired about the goals for alley -gating. Mr. Perez stated alley -gating prevents illegal dumping, vehicle blockage, damage to City equipment, and assists the police. Mr. Perez shared feedback in that alley -gating has resulted in less drug activity. Commissioner Ford asked if the alley -gated communities were pushing non -desirable activities to adjacent, non -alley -gated communities. Mr. Perez explained that staff was provided a map of incidents in these areas and was targeting alleyways with problematic activity. Commissioner Ford requested a copy of the map. Mr. Perez will follow up. Commissioner Ford asked if alley -gating would be expanded. Ms. Woytenko replied the funding is in the program to expand to neighborhoods who want alley -gating or to those whereby the police see a need. Ms. Woytenko commented that the neighborhoods which have been alley -gated are shown to be working and there is a list for next year. Commissioner Ford reported that she called in an issue and received excellent customer service, however noted the call was escalated to two people; one of who called her back and one who did not. Commissioner Berryhill asked how the alley -gates were accessed by the police, fire, and homeowners. Ms. Woytenko explained that the chain is constructed of all locks, and each user has a lock. Ms. Woytenko stated that staff was looking at electronic locks. Commissioner Flatau noted in the military, doctors are paid to learn and then are required to stay in the military for a certain number of years. Commissioner Flatau asked if the City had considered a similar program for employee retention in the areas noted. Ms. Woytenko replied staff is working with Human Resources on techniques that will be successful. Commissioner Flatau asked about the $1.5 million increase in residential revenue for FY21-22. Mr. Perez explained Budget and Finance was predicting a growth increase for that year and a slowdown in the years after. The Field Operations presentation was concluded. Ms. Kerri Logan, Water Services Deputy Director presented the Water Services FY20-21 Operations and Maintenance Budget, which included the following information: • Revenue Forecast FY20 and FY21 • Operating Budget FY20 and FY21 • Major Expense Drivers for Operations and Maintenance FY20 and FY21 • Supplemental Requests FY21 • Specific Projects and Budget • Council Operations and Maintenance Budget Presentation FY21 • Tentatively Scheduled for April 7th Ms. Logan concluded her presentation. Commissioner Berryhill inquired about the difference between CAP and SRP in the Raw Water Account. Ms. Logan relayed that the FY21 projection for CAP was $4.3 million and SRP was $675,000, approximately. Mr. Henny explained the challenges with pumping water from the plants, which are in different zones, and the need for boosting at different plants, which increases electrical costs and rates. Ms. Logan noted that the water characteristics are different between CAP and SRP and more chemicals are needed to treat SRP water. Commissioner Berryhill inquired about the chemicals used. Ms. Logan stated the City meets or exceeds the water quality required. Commissioner Berryhill inquired about wells and private well water quality. Ms. Sheldon stated that the City's wells are tested but could not speak to private wells. Commissioner Flatau asked if the City was able to negotiate on price. Ms. Logan replied in the negative. Commissioner Ford inquired if the new Business Analyst Position and the GIS Coordinator Position would focus on equipment. Ms. Logan stated the new employees would focus on the Asset Management Program. Ms. Logan clarified the difference between the two positions. Commissioner Ford asked if the assets currently owned were already inventoried. Ms. Logan stated that items are being added all the time, which are put into the system. Mr. Serio stated that there are approximately 350,000 items. Ms. Logan reported that approximately 150,000 are in the system. Commissioner Ford asked about programs that are in place to improve things for the future. Ms. Logan replied that there are many things in place, including the following: • Addition of a Process Operations Manager to optimize treatment processes • Evaluating new software to integrate different databases • The Lucity Program, a new software for Comprehensive Asset Management • Collaborating with WestMec with issues on recruitment and hiring. Establishing a class for teens and adults to learn how to be water treatment operators to create a feeder program. Commissioner Ford suggested an Innovation Update agenda item. Commissioner Berryhill stated outreach could include many things and this was the first time she had heard of the WestMec program. Vice Chair Short asked for an Innovation Update for Solid Waste as well. Commissioner Berryhill suggested sharing innovation efforts on Facebook and Channel 11 to show the public what is being done with the funds from the rate increase. Vice Chair Short asked about the City's water supplies and noted that the City of Buckeye is looking at where it can purchase new water. Ms. Logan stated that the City has a 100 -Year Assured Water Supply and is coming up for re -designation soon. Ms. Logan expressed that the City has a good water portfolio, but staff is always open to alternatives, although return on investment must be considered. Commissioner Berryhill asked if the SRP and CAP Raw Water costs could be broken out on the budget. Ms. Logan replied the report provided tonight were more high level. Commissioner Berryhill inquired if the information could be found on the City's website. Ms. Logan will follow up. Commissioner Berryhill requested the chemical costs as well. Ms. Logan will follow up. Commissioner McGraw inquired if it would save the City money to install effluent water in certain areas. Ms. Logan relayed that it costs $1 million for one mile of eight -inch piping for effluent water and it is best to install this system when first developing a community or parcel. 7. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Commissioner Ford thanked staff for answering all the Commissioner's questions. Commissioner Berryhill welcomed Ms. Schulte to the group and thanked staff for the excellent presentations. Commissioner Flatau appreciated the presentations, stated the WestMec opportunity was news to him, and he always reads the information in the water bill. Vice Chair Short commented that he is amazed at the high quality of people on staff working for Glendale. 8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS April: No Meeting May: Current Fiscal Year Financial Updates June: No Meeting July: No Meeting 9. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Citizens Utility Advisory Commission will be held on May 6, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. at the Oasis Water Campus, 7070 W. Northern Avenue, Glendale, Arizona, 85303. 10. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner McGraw, second by Commissioner Flatau, to adjourn the meeting at 7:18 p.m. Motion carried 5 — 0. The Citizens Utility Advisory Commission meeting minutes of March 4, 2020 were submitted and approved this 2nd day of September, 2020. Denise Kazmierczak Recording Secretary