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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Citizens Utility Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 8/4/2021C 0!%- 11117 Glendale A R I Z O N A MINUTES CITIZENS UTILITY ADVISORY COMMISSION OASIS WATER CAMPUS 7070 W. NORTHERN AVE. GLENDALE, ARIZONA 85303 AUGUST 4, 2021 6:00 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Berryhill called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Robin Berryhill Commissioner Larry Flatau Commissioner Amber Ford Commissioner Jon Froke Commissioner Ronald Short Absent: Vice Chair David McGrew Attendees: Craig Johnson, P.E.,, Director, Water Services Michelle Woytenko, Director, Field Operations Katrina Alberty, Deputy Director, Water Services Megan Sheldon, Deputy Director, Environmental Resources - Water Services Candace Schulte, Management Assistant, Water Services Ron Serio, Deputy Director, Water Services John Henny, Deputy Director, Water Services Dan Hatch, Financial Administrator, Water Services Kerry Sheward, Administrator, Water Services 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS None. 4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Motion by Commissioner Flatau, second by Commissioner Ford, to approve the minutes of the May 5, 2021 Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Meeting as written. Motion carried 5 — 0. a. Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Minutes of May 5, 2021. 61 6. a. a. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Ms. Michele Woytenko, Director of Field Operations, reported the following: • The Solid Waste Rate discussion will not be held this evening as more time is needed for further analysis of alternative options to the Glendale Materials Recycling Facility, which is now closed due to a fire and operational efficiencies. The topic can be placed on the September agenda. • The department is working on efficiencies for Solid Waste service and improvements via technology. • New tablets have been mounted on the collection trucks to assist with routing and track locations. Up until recently, paper maps for routes were utilized and now routes are automated on the new tablets. This has resulted in greater efficiencies for collections. The tablets also track any hard driving, hard breaking, or speeding in the collection trucks. Lastly, a driver can use the tablet to snap a photo of a downed tree limb or other issue spotted while on their route, so that the matter can be resolved quickly. Mr. Craig Johnson, Director of Water Services, reported the following: • A brief status update of the projects at the City's water and wastewater facilities. • There is a lot of pipe work underway. .,Valves are being replaced in conjunction with the streets repaving project. • A sewer project will be conducted on Union Hills avenue at Highway 101. The lining is coming loose on this pipe. • Work on the lift station at Luke Air Force Base has begun and will be completed in Spring 2022, before Luke Days is held. • The department had a goal of spending $60 million during the last fiscal year and has spent approximately $72 to $75 million. • On July 27th, a public outreach meeting was held on Facebook Live which went very well. • City offices will be closed on September 6th for the holiday. RATE DISCUSSION & PUBLIC OUTREACH RESULTS a. Water/Sewer Rate Discussion & Public Outreach Results Ms. Alberty gave a presentation on the Results of the Public Outreach Plan for the 2022 Proposed Water & Sewer Rates, which included information on the following: • Public Outreach Update o Dedicated Website and Email o Informational Video (played this evening for the Commission) oCouncilmember District Newsletters o Glendale Chamber of Commerce o Flyers in English and Spanish placed at City facilities, libraries, and aquatic centers o Press Releases o Media Interviews oSocial Media o Postcard mailers to over 60,000 service addresses • Public Meeting Update o Meeting held on July 27th at 2:00 p.m. on Facebook Live and in person option as well oAttendee Counts • In person: approximately 20 people • Before, during, and after the meeting, there were 688 views on Facebook and 179 views on YouTube. Live streaming of the meeting and subsequent taped viewings have resulted in more participation than the in-person option. • The meeting was held at 2:00 p.m. on a weekday as suggested by the Public Affairs Department. In the past, there was low participation on evening and weekend public meetings. • Next Steps oAugust 10, 2021: Council Workshop / Present Public Outreach Results oAugust 10, 2021: Council Meeting / Adopt Notice of Intention and Set Public Hearing Date •October 26, 2021: Council Meeting / Conduct Public Hearing on Proposed Rate Adjustments •October 26, 2021: Council Meeting / Formal Vote on Proposed Rate Adjustments •January 1, 2022: Effective Billing Cycle, if Rates are Approved Ms. Alberty announced the comments received from the Public Outreach Meeting were compiled and will be sent to Council. Commissioner Short stated that he watched the meeting on Channel 11 and complimented staff on an excellent job with the presentations and answering questions. Commissioner Short said that the meeting was a tremendous opportunity for the public to speak with experts on the topic. Commissioner Ford asked if responses to questions that could not be answered during the meeting would be made available to the public. Ms. Alberty replied in the negative and explained that the questions requiring additional follow up were not sent to her, rather to appropriate department personnel. Commissioner Ford noted that one specific topic of concern voiced during the meeting was water quality. Commissioner Ford suggested providing information to the public which shows the link between a rate increase and quality water. Commissioner Ford stated that she watched the public meeting live and complimented staff on the presentations. Mr. Johnson assured the City has high quality water and never compromises on water quality. Commissioner Flatau reported that he watched the meeting as well and stated that it was well managed. Commissioner Flatau asked if a similar presentation would be given to Council. Mr. Johnson relayed that Council would take the public comments for use in its consideration. Chair Berryhill thanked staff for the excellent presentation and stated that staff does a lot of work to ensure the public can learn and understand the information. 7. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS Commissioner Flatau thanked staff for the professional presentation this evening. 8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS September 1, 2021: Solid Waste Collections/Landfill Rate Discussion October 6, 2021: 1. Chair and Vice Chair Recommendations 2. Water Supply Update 3. Balanced Scorecard Review November 3, 2021: Water Services & Field Operations Financial Updates 9. NEXT MEETING The next regular meeting of the Citizens Utility Advisory Commission will be held on September 1, 2021 at 6:00 p.m., at the Oasis Water Campus, 7070 W. Northern Ave., Glendale, Arizona, 85303. 10. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Flatau, second by Commissioner Ford, to adjourn the meeting at 6:58 p.m. Motion carried 5 — 0. The Citizens Utility Advisory Commission meeting minutes of August 4, 2021 were submitted and approved this 1st day of September, 2021. �a" &"k- C Denise Kazmierczak Recording Secretary