HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdministration MINUTES 08-06-19 Page 2 of 8
ol&)i Cwil ENTRAL SAN
CONTRACENTRAL • IMHOFF PLACE, MARTINEZ, CA 9AS53-A392
REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
DAVID R, WILLIAMS
CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA President
SANITARY DISTRICT MICHAEL R.MCGILL
President Pro Tem
ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE PAUL H.CASEY
JAMES A.NEJEDLY
TAD J PHECKI
MINUTES
PHONE: (925)228-9500
FAX.- (925)372-0192
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 www.centralsan.org
8:30 a.m.
Executive Conference Room
5019 Imhoff Place
Martinez, California
Committee:
Chair David Williams
Member Mike McGill
Staff.-
Roger S. Bailey, General Manager
Katie Young, Secretary of the District
Kenton L. Alm, District Counsel
Ann Sasaki, Deputy General Manager
Phil Leiber, Director of Finance and Administration
Emily Barnett, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Manager (left after
Item 3.d.)
Danea Gemmell, Planning and Development Services Division Manager (left after Item 3.c.)
Thomas Brightbill, Senior Engineer (left after Item 3.b.)
Ben Lavender, Community Affairs Representative (arrived during Item 3.c.; left after
Item 3.d.)
Lupe Saldana, Administrative Services Supervisor (left after Item 3.a.)
Donna Anderson, Assistant to the Secretary of the District
1. Call Meeting to Order
Chair Williams called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m.
2. Public Comments
None.
August 15, 2019 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 147 of 153
Page 3 of 8
Administration Committee Minutes
August 6, 2019
Page 2
3. Agenda Items
a. Review draft Position Paper to approve proposed revisions to Board
Policy No. BP 006 - Records Management Program, and adopt Resolution
No. 2019- amending Central San's records retention schedules and
rescinding Resolution No. 2012-014
Ms. Young introduced the item, noting it has been a massive undertaking
to update the records retention schedules. That effort, spearheaded by
Lupe Sa/dana, involved numerous consultations with an outside
consultant, District Counsel Kent Alm, and staff throughout every division
of the District.
Mr. Alm relayed several items of interest regarding the project:
1) The laws on records management date back to when records were
primarily paper-based. There is a more recent requirement to be
compliant with respect to electronic records, so it is important to
revisit the retention schedules and recordkeeping practices every
few years to assure compliance.
2) Increasingly, records are maintained in electronic format as part of
computerized database systems. As technology changes, these
systems may become obsolete or replaced, and it remains an issue
as to the best practice for retaining the electronic data in those
systems. Therefore, a new retention category was developed in
conjunction with the Information Technology (IT) Division to retain
those records for the life of the system plus 10 years, meaning the
system will be supported by IT for 10 years after it is no longer
being used so the data will be accessible if needed.
3) In his opinion, the standards for having secure electronic records
are going to continue to evolve and it is incumbent on staff and
District Counsel to stay abreast of changes to those standards.
Current law allows the destruction of paper records before their
retention periods expire only when the agency has met strict
standards for maintaining them in an electronic format.
Ms. Saldana responded to several questions from Chair Williams in which
she confirmed that most of Central San's records continue to be paper-
based, although more and more are becoming electronic; and all retention
periods in the updated schedules meet or exceed the minimum required
retention periods. Mr. Alm noted that the updated retention periods are
fairly conservative in his opinion.
August 15, 2019 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 148 of 153
Page 4 of 8
Administration Committee Minutes
August 6, 2019
Page 3
With respect to the second item above concerning the retention period of
"Life of System + 10 years,"Member McGill said that it may be difficult to
maintain some software systems for the full 10-year period. Mr. Alm said
his understanding is that while there may not be continued vendor support
for the entire period, IT staff intends to keep the systems running for that
long, at least to the extent possible. Member McGill asked if that
explanation should be part of the Board policy. Upon discussion, it was
suggested that it would be appropriate to include a statement in the
procedures to the effect that obsolete software systems, or those no
longer being used, will be maintained by IT for 10 years, or as long as
software and technology allow.
Member McGill said he likes having alternatives and options spelled out in
staff reports and requested that the Alternatives/Considerations section of
the Position Paper be augmented to include the consequences if the
Board were to reject the proposed changes. Chair Williams also requested
a change to the Financial Impacts section.
COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval and several
recommended changes to the Position Paper.
b. Review draft Position Paper to approve proposed revisions to Board
Policy No. BP 011 — Policy for the Submission and Tabulation of
Proposition 218 Notice Written Protests
Both Committee Members provided feedback that the policy should be
clearer regarding verbal protests.
Given the one-protest-per-parcel requirement, Member McGill asked what
would happen if a property owner does not wish to protest but one of its
tenants does. Mr. Alm explained that Proposition 218 does not address
renters, but the clarifying statutory language specifically states that a
protest by a property owner overrides that of a tenant. Conversely, if a
renter does not wish to protest but the owner does, under the law, the
owner's preference would override the tenants. Member McGill also
asked how a scenario would be handled if a tenant in a single-parcel four-
plex lodged a protest. Mr. Alm said that neither Proposition 218 nor the
current statutes address such a scenario. If the Board so desires,
language could be incorporated into the policy to cover them. Member
McGill said he would like clarity on these sorts of issues relative to the
policy. Chair Williams said he was not in favor of Central San having to
police this effort because of the amount of staff time involved.
COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended that staff make additional
revisions to the protest policy related to verbal protests for
consideration at a future Committee meeting.
August 15, 2019 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 149 of 153
Page 5 of 8
Administration Committee Minutes
August 6, 2019
Page 4
C. Conduct biennial review of Board Policy Nos. BP 030 - Cost of Service
Studies and BP 032 - Reimbursement of Toastmaster Dues
BP 030— Cost of Service Studies
A discussion took place regarding two applicable Government Code
statutes and whether the current policy wording is consistent with both:
1) One mandates a cost of service study at least once every 10 years
that addresses the cost of providing public utility service to public
schools (Section 54999.7), and
2) Another provides that a wastewater agency may adopt a schedule
of fees and charges for a period not to exceed five years (Section
53756).
As a practical matter, Mr. Bailey said staff conducts cost of service studies
(or obtains updated studies) whenever rates are under consideration to
validate assumptions and assure the proposed rates do not exceed the
cost of providing the services. Mr. Leiber pointed out that sometimes it is
appropriate to conduct less than a full study and, as currently written, the
policy allows for that. Member McGill opined that the policy should specify
that an appropriate level of study will be conducted any time rates are
considered.
The Committee directed staff to make additional changes to the policy
based on the discussion and return to the Committee for further review
once those changes have been made.
BP 032— Reimbursement of Toastmaster Dues
Chair Williams suggested a change to the first line of the Policy Statement
that did not alter the meaning but simplified the wording.
COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended the following regarding:
• BP 030 — Cost of Service Studies, requested that staff make
additional revisions to the policy based on the Committee's
feedback for consideration at a future Committee meeting.
• Regarding BP 032 — Reimbursement of Toastmaster Dues,
recommended Board approval of the minor wording change to
the Policy Statement.
d. Review draft Position Paper to authorize the General Manager to enter
into a three-year professional services agreement with Sustainable Contra
Costa in an amount not to exceed $245,000 to continue providing
comprehensive student educational programming within Central San's
service area
August 15, 2019 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 150 of 153
Page 6 of 8
Administration Committee Minutes
August 6, 2019
Page 5
Ms. Barnett introduced Community Affairs Representative Ben Lavender,
who has been with Central San for nearly a year and whose focus has
been to take student educational programming to the next level.
Chair Williams said that while he believes educational programming is
important, he was seeking the connection to wastewater and Central
San's mission. While reviewing the agenda material, he saw that
community outreach, including educational programming, is part of the
District's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit
requirements, so he was more comfortable with the proposal.
Ms. Barnett said the student education programs and other customer
communications permit requirements have been in place for many years
and the regulators are monitoring this component of Central San's
mission. While it would be simpler to do the bare minimum, she and her
group wish to accomplish the requirement to the best of their ability. The
old programming no longer meets state and federal standards and
guidelines in which learning is an interactive approach that integrates
science, technology, engineering, math (STEM). She said students learn
very differently today and educational programs must be engaging, hands-
on, and STEM-focused. An additional benefit to Central San is that it
creates a pipeline to a future employee base. Involving students at the
kindergarten level and reinforcing the messaging year after year until they
graduate is the best way to create conscious customers, ones who also
think about pollution prevention and reducing impacts on sewer
infrastructure.
Ms. Barnett said the educational programming will be in a transition phase
over the next three years as programming updates are made, new
programming is added for middle schools (the only level not currently part
of the program), and instructors are taught how to teach the modules.
Only two service providers responded to the request for proposal (RFP)
for the three-year period, one of which was Sustainable Contra Costa, an
organization that Central San has been working with for student
educational programming over the past couple of years. She believes they
are the right contractor for this transition period and their bid was the
lowest.
Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) also has an educational program and
us doing new and exciting things as well. Once this transition phase is
completed, Ms. Barnett said it is hoped that Central San can join forces
with CCWD and perhaps other agencies toward a "one water"approach to
student educational programming.
August 15, 2019 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 151 of 153
Page 7 of 8
Administration Committee Minutes
August 6, 2019
Page 6
Member McGill said Monterey Bay Aquarium has a large program to
educate students because they know it pays off in the long run. He
inquired about the Delta Discovery Voyage. Ms. Barnett said the Marine
Science Institute's Delta Discovery Voyage currently serves about 3,900
students, a little less than half of whom are in Central San's service area.
The District contributes approximately$40,000 a year toward that program
and subsidizes some of the bus transportation. She added that the lack of
affordable transportation to programs can be an impediment to student
access to educational programs outside the classroom.
Several comments were made by Member McGill as follows:
1) He is very supportive of the movement toward a "one water"
approach to educational programming.
2) He recently attended an International Society of Technology in
Education (ISTE) conference for grades Kindergarten through 12
and learned that the methods used to teach previous generations
do not exist anymore because the world has changed. Thus, he
encourages the evolution in educational programming such as that
described.
3) He has been a strong supporter of Sustainable Contra Costa.
In response to a question from Chair Williams, Ms. Barnett briefly
reviewed the programming offered at various grade levels, noting that she
and Mr. Lavender will be giving a comprehensive presentation on Central
San's educational programming at the next Board meeting on August 15.
Chair Williams asked Mr. Lavender if the teachers that he has been
training are from Sustainable Contra Costa. Mr. Lavender said no, they
are subcontractors for Sustainable Contra Costa and some hold PhDs.
He said they are probably as excited as the students about the new
curriculum. It is a phenomenal opportunity, and the teachers admit the
students are eager for the experience.
The Committee suggested adding to the Position Paper a bit more
information about the nexus to Central San's mission, the RFP process,
Sustainable Contra Costa, and the Community Affairs Representative's
role in developing the educational programming.
COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval and several
recommended changes to the Position Paper.
August 15, 2019 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 152 of 153
Page 8 of 8
Administration Committee Minutes
August 6, 2019
Page 7
e. Review draft Position Paper to temporarily suspend the provisions of
District Code Section 2.04.010 due to unavailability of several Board
Members at the first meeting in December, and schedule the matter of
selecting the 2020 Board President and President Pro Tem for the
November 21, 2019, regularly scheduled Board meeting
COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval.
4. Announcements
a. Mr. Bailey said a meeting has been scheduled on August 13, 2019, with
all parties involved in the Refinery Water Exchange Project.
5. Suggestions for Future Agenda Items
a. Receive list of upcoming agenda items and provide suggestions for any
other future agenda items
1) Member McGill emphasized his desire to discuss his earlier request
for active shooter training and possible security improvements in
the Board Room. Ms. Sasaki said staff is in the process of
preparing this item for discussion by the Committee.
COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the list and provided input to staff.
6. Future Scheduled Meetings
Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
7. Adjournment — at 9:57 a.m.
August 15, 2019 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 153 of 153