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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdministration MINUTES 03-09-21 Page 2 of 9 CENTRALSAN CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA SANITAR TRICT 5019 • BOARD OF DIRECTORS: REGULAR MEETING OF THE TA°LPILEcxI President CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA DAVID R. WILLIAMS SANITARY DISTRICT President Pro Tem ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE BARBARA°URIT EN MICHAEL R.MCGILL MINUTES PHONE: (925)228-9500 FAX.- (925)372-0192 Tuesday, March 9, 2021 www.centralsan.org 9:00 a.m. (All attendees participated via videoconference) Committee: Chair David Williams Member Tad Pilecki Staff. Roger S. Bailey, General Manager Kent Alm, District Counsel Philip Leiber, Director of Finance and Administration Steve McDonald, Director of Operations Jean-Marc Petit, Director of Engineering and Technical Services (left after Item 5.c.) John Huie, Information Technology Manager ((joined during Item 4.a. and left after Item 5.b.) Danea Gemmell, Planning and Development Services Division Manager Teji O'Malley, Human Resources and Organizational Development Manager Dennis Chebotarev, Information Technology Supervisor (left after Item 5.b.) Jerry Ledbetter, Safety Officer (left after Item 5.a.) Christina Gee, Management Analyst Benjamin Johnson, Internal Auditor (left after Item 5.b.) Donna Anderson, Assistant to the Secretary of the District 1. Public Notice Regarding COVID-19 This meeting was held in accordance with the Brown Act as in effect under the State Emergency Services Act, the Governor's Emergency Declaration related to COVID-19, and the Governor's Executive Order N-29-20 issued on March 17, 2020 that allowed Board Members, District staff, and the public to participate in and conduct the meeting by teleconference, videoconference, or both. The agenda included instructions for options in which the public could participate in the meeting. March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 331 of 340 Page 3 of 9 Administration Committee Minutes March 9, 2021 Page 2 2. Call Meeting to Order Chair Williams called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. 3. Public Comments — None. 4. Items for Committee Recommendation to Board a.* Review draft Position Paper to consider adopting new Board Policy No. BP 043 - Buffer Property Management, effective May 1, 2021 Ms. Gemmell provided an overview of the item, noting that she and Mr. Alm have worked together to develop the draft policy included with the agenda material. It was noted that the draft policy and the criteria embedded therein are compatible with Health and Safety Code Section 6514.1, which governs the lease of public lands that are unneeded. Member Pilecki recalled that when the Board directed staff to develop this policy at the January 21, 2021 meeting, it sought information on current restrictions on any of the buffer properties (for example, restrictions on use of property located adjacent to the nearby airport). The Board also wanted the policy to maintain a certain amount of flexibility when assessing prospective lessees. Given that the Board policy is a standalone document that will be utilized without benefit of the accompanying Position Paper, Member Pilecki suggested that some of the information in the draft Position Paper be included in the policy wording. He also shared his comments, questions, and suggested changes to the POLICY and LEASING CRITERIA sections, including four additional leasing criteria (see attached). Upon discussion, staff said it would use the Committee's input to develop a revised draft for review at a future meeting. COMMITTEE ACTION: Provided input to staff and requested a revised draft policy be brought back at a future meeting. 5. Other Items a. Receive Safety Program 2020 Annual Report Mr. Ledbetter reviewed the presentation included with the agenda material. Member Pilecki acknowledged that the Safety Team has done a great job, especially given the hurdles associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted Mr. Ledbetter's comment that there was a 60% reduction in injuries March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 332 of 340 Page 4 of 9 Administration Committee Minutes March 9, 2021 Page 3 during 2020 and that the pandemic had probably made staff more safety conscious. He asked how that rise in consciousness can be continued in the future. Mr. Ledbetter said training is the key to keeping safety awareness at the forefront. Staff is aware that a proactive approach is the best indicator of success. Chair Williams asked if the training, including online training, demonstrates proper lifting technique to reduce strains and back injuries. Mr. Ledbetter acknowledged that in-person training is preferred, but the online training videos also demonstrate proper lifting technique. However, he noted that none of the stress and strain injuries in 2020 were due to back strain. Rather, they were incurred stepping off a curb or trying to prevent a fall. COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the report. b. Receive update on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System Project implementation Mr. Huie reviewed the presentation included with the agenda material. During the presentation, and in response to a question from Member Pilecki, Mr. Huie confirmed that the budgeting module was only for the Operations and Maintenance portion of the budget, not the Capital portion. Mr. Huie asked Mr. Leiber to comment on module change requests and the overall project cost to date. Mr. Leiber said the change requests thus far have been within the overall budget. A good portion of the contingency has been used to accommodate the change orders. In terms of total project budget approved in June 2019, he said it remains $5,205,000. The budget included a project contingency of$527,000, which has now been used for the change orders totaling $525,000 for Emtec and Oracle. The budget included $1,855,000 for internal labor. That amount has been exceeded slightly by$1,000 through February 15 (slide 6). The Permitting module will not be implemented until December 2021 and it is predicted that another$250,000 will be needed for internal labor. The intention is to transfer$125,000 from the contingency this fiscal year and then another $125,000 in the next fiscal year to keep the project on budget. With this latest change due to the Permitting module, the timeline will be longer than envisioned but the amount that will be paid to the outside vendors will not be increased. Continuing his presentation, Mr. Huie said while most modules have gone live at this point, there remains a lot of training and learning going on with staff. In those areas where the implementation has not gone as smoothly as hoped, staff is circling back to bolster staff and make improvements March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 333 of 340 Page 5 of 9 Administration Committee Minutes March 9, 2021 Page 4 where necessary. He said staff is already seeing improvements in terms of automating processes, expanded levels of approval, and more meaningful reporting and data retrieval. At the same time, this has created a lot of change over a short period of time, with staff that has been dealing with a pandemic and remote working. There has been frustration among some staff while trying to figure things out, which is considered normal and is expected to settle down. All in all, he believes that implementing the Oracle system has been worthwhile and will provide benefits which will increase over time. He asked the Board to bear with staff as it continues to learn and refine the system. Chair Williams asked if a billing module will be included. Mr. Leiber said only one of six respondents to the ERP Request for Proposal (RFP) process responded with a billing component, but that vendor was not selected for other reasons. Presently, Mr. Huie said staff was not sure if a vendor would be found that would have a billing component suited to Central San's needs, which are relatively simple compared with most other agencies that issue monthly bills. In looking at ways to move away from the SunGard billing system, a company called Third Wave is being considered to do a needs assessment for project requirements so a determination can be made whether to consider an RFP process with an outside vendor or develop a billing program in house. The latter is not something that would normally be done, but the District's billing needs are relatively simple so it may be feasible. Member Pilecki asked if more funds will be needed for a billing module. Mr. Huie said yes, probably in the next fiscal year's budget. Member Pilecki recalled that when the SunGard system was implemented many years ago, it was considered a nightmare from the beginning. Having heard no comments of that nature with the Oracle implementation, he considered that a good thing. From his viewpoint, he was very happy with the progress to date. Mr. Huie said the level of effort from staff has been simply outstanding. COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the update. C. Discuss the upcoming Central San Academy Virtual Session Ms. Gee said there are now 55 people signed up for the Virtual Academy, including 32 new attendees and 23 returning alumni. She said the virtual sessions will be held via Teams. Member Pilecki was concerned that the agenda may be too ambitious for the time allowed. He suggested either shortening the agenda or March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 334 of 340 Page 6 of 9 Administration Committee Minutes March 9, 2021 Page 5 increasing the time. Having said that, he was glad that the Academy will be able to continue in this format. Chair Williams opined that the two-day timeframe and 90-minute sessions were just about perfect in terms of holding attendees'interest for remote meetings. COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the information and provided input to staff. d. Receive pension reform update associated with employees identified under the estoppel class Ms. O'Malley recapped the information contained in the agenda material. Mr. Alm said a Case Management Conference was scheduled for next week. According to the Case Management Statements filed by the parties, he said the estoppel class is an area where there is no disagreement. The understanding is that the Contra Costa Employees' Retirement Association (CCCERA) will attempt to put forward a stipulation as to how the Supreme Court ruling applies to CCCERA procedures. The intent is to get all parties out of the case via stipulation (including Central San), at which time there would be no need for additional litigation. Member Pilecki sought clarification as to the way Judge Flinn defined the estoppel class. Ms. O'Malley said it was employees who had at least 160 hours of vacation on the books, although they could have as much as 320 hours. So, Member Pilecki said estoppel class employees had to have 160 hours for the first sale and then they could sell up to another 160 hours on the second sale. Ms. O'Malley said that was correct. Member Pilecki said he had received quite a few calls and emails from retirees because they did not understand the CCCERA letter, which was sent to seven retirees. He also heard from other retirees who had not received the letter but were concerned that they might be subject to a claw back as well. Additionally, Member Pilecki pointed out that any affected employee would have overpaid their pension contributions because they assumed that the hours sold would be pensionable. The same is true of Central San's employer contributions on behalf of those employees. He said that aspect has not been addressed by CCCERA and needs to be sorted out. Ms. O'Malley confirmed that reconciling past contributions has yet to be addressed. She said CCCERA does not believe the matter should be remanded back to trial court to answer that question. March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 335 of 340 Page 7 of 9 Administration Committee Minutes March 9, 2021 Page 6 Member Pilecki asked if any of the Case Management Statements brought up the issue of overpayment on the part of employers and employees. Mr. Alm said he did not recall that specifically. Member Pilecki said he knows that the seven retirees who received letters over-contributed to their pensions. What he does not know is whether employees who have yet to retire have been over-contributing based on their eligibility for spiking. Were they charged a higher rate? Ms. O'Malley said yes, because their contribution rates were based on the assumption that they could spike. Chair Williams asked if Central San is on record for raising this issue with CCCERA. Ms. O'Malley said yes. She has reached out to them several times and they will advise when they have more information from the trial court. COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the information. e. Review timelines (Gantt charts) for activities related to upcoming labor negotiations with the Management Group, Management Support/Confidential Group, and Public Employees Union, Local #1 The Committee expressed appreciation for the three-month look-ahead information that has been added to the cover memorandum. COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the information and provided input to staff. f. Virtual Externship Program and Purdue University Information Session Ms. O'Malley introduced this new program, formulated by Ms. Gee, stating it is an extension of less formal externship efforts over the past year or so. Ms. Gee said staff has received 122 applications for the virtual program. Staff from across the District will host the students virtually to show them the types of projects they work on at Central San. Ms. O'Malley said several students are from other countries, including Mexico and Nigeria, and two students are from China but they attend school in the United States. She said the plan is to have two sessions per year, one in the spring and another in the fall. The Committee was enthusiastic about the program and excited to find out how it goes. COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the information. March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 336 of 340 Page 8 of 9 Administration Committee Minutes March 9, 2021 Page 7 6. Announcements a. Mr. Bailey said a special Board meeting will be held Thursday, March 11, 2021, for a closed session regarding labor negotiations. 7. Suggestions for Future Agenda Items a. Receive list of upcoming agenda items and provide suggestions for any other future agenda items COMMITTEE ACTION: Received the list and provided input to staff. 8. Future Scheduled Meetings Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. 9. Adjournment— at 10:49 a.m. * Attachment March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 337 of 340 Page 9 of 9 Committee Item 4.a. (Input from Member Pilecki on proposed Board policy) BUFFER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PURPOSE To provide guidance for management of Central San's buffer properties. This policy is for buffer properties that are located between the treatment plant and surrounding properties not owned by Central San. Leasing criteria and prioritization will be utilized for any unneeded buffer property that is proposed for lease to others. POLICY It is Central San's policy to obtain and manage buffer property around the treatment plant to avoid incompatible land uses (to whom-treatment plant, adjacent property or both) and minimize disturbances (such as noise or orders)to the community. In applying this policy, Central San shall review, every five years at a minimum, its buffer properties to determine the need and use thereof.This applies to all buffer properties, not just the ones that are leased out. Central San will maintain...wastewater. Board can modify this policy on a case by case basis. LEASING CRITERIA For leasing...properties. 1. Land use must be compatible with Central San's and surrounding property owner's land use. ... 2. Adherence to all applicable laws, rules, regulations and permits. 3. Market lease rates or a comparable public benefit (define comparable public benefit) ... 4. Other Public Agencies (should we incorporate non-profits over private entities also?) ... 5. Public/surrounding property owner's acceptability ... 6. No comment 7. Financial stability to pay rent timely and make lease required improvements ... 8. No comment 9. Maximum lease duration is 10 years. 10. References and Background checks. 11. Can Local infrastructure support new tenant? 12. Does new tenant bring large numbers of the public in close proximity of the WWTP? March 18, 2021 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 338 of 340