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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20.b. Committee Minutes - Administration 08-06-2024Page 1 of 8 Item 20.b. 110ENTRAL SAN August 15, 2024 FROM: KATIE YOUNG, SECRETARYOF THE DISTRICT SUBJECT: AUGUST6, 2024 -ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE - CHAIR MCGILLAND MEMBER HOCKETT Attached are minutes of the above Committee meeting. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Administration Committee minutes 08-06-24 August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 161 of 189 Page 2 of 8 LCENTRAL SAN BOARD OF DIRECTORS: REGULAR MEETING OF THE MARIAH N. LAURITZEN President CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA MICHAEL R.MCGILL SANITARY DISTRICT President Pro Tem ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE BARBARA D.HOCKETT TAD J PILECKI FLORENCE T WEDIATGTON M I N U T E S PHONE: (925) 228-9500 FAX. (925) 372-0192 Tuesday, August 6, 2024 www.central.yan.org 8:30 a.m. Committee: Chair Mike McGill Member Barbara Hockett Staff. Katie Young, Secretary of the District Greg Norby, Deputy General Manager - Operations Philip Leiber, Deputy General Manager - Administration Charles Mallory, Information Technology Manager Emily Barnett, Communications and Government Relations Manager Melody LaBella, Resource Recovery Program Manager Nitin Goel, Operations Optimization Manager Teji O'Malley, Human Resources and Organizational Development Manager Ben Lavender, Community Affairs Representative Karen DeLong, Administrative Services Assistant 1. Call Meetina to Order Chair McGill called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m. 2. Public Comments IJCm 3. Items for Committee Recommendation to Board a. Review draft Position Paper to update Board Policy (BP) No. 024 — Occupational Health and Safety August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 162 of 189 Page 3 of 8 Administration Committee Minutes August 6, 2024 Page 2 Ms. O'Malley provided an overview of the draft Position Paper provided in the agenda materials. There were no substantive changes to the policy, only clarifying language and more details. COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval. b. Review draft Position Paper to update Board Policy (BP) No. 031 - Use of Temporary Employees Ms. O'Malley provided an overview of the draft Position Paper provided in the agenda materials. The title of Department Director was changed to Deputy General Manager and there were other minor changes for clarification also included in the updated policy. In response to an inquiry from Chair McGill, Ms. O'Malley confirmed that the 2,080 hours requirement had always been included in the policy. COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval. C. Review draft Position Paper to authorize the General Manager to execute an amendment to an existing professional consulting services agreement with Bienati Consulting Group, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $45,000, increasing the total cost ceiling to $317,200 and extending the agreement by three years, through September 30, 2028, to facilitate the performance appraisals for the executive management team (General Manager, Secretary of the District, and District Counsel) Ms. O'Malley provided an overview of the draft Position Paper provided in the agenda materials. All services provided by Bienati Consulting were included in the original contract for transparency. The section of the contract pertaining to performance appraisals may need to be segregated and identified as sole source services. In response to Chair McGill's inquiry for clarification, Ms. O'Malley explained that, if approved, she would work with Purchasing with the aim of creating a separate contract for the performance appraisal portion and would bring only that portion before the Board for review. The remaining portions of the original contract would be reviewed when the contract is due for renewal. COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval. August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 163 of 189 Page 4 of 8 Administration Committee Minutes August 6, 2024 Page 3 d. Review draft Position Paper to consider transition of one Senior Engineer — Limited Duration Position (S83 $6,432.62 - $7,778.00 biweekly) to Senior Engineer (regular, permanent position) (S83 $6,432.62 - $7,778.00 biweekly) Ms. O'Malley provided an overview of the draft Position Paper provided in the agenda materials. The Limited Duration (LD) position for the Operations Optimization Department was included in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget. With the recent adoption of the Nutrients Permit by the Regional Board, the departmental needs for this position are greater than the five-year limited term would cover. This transition will not have any fiscal effect for this year but will raise the Districts' Budgeted Full Time Employee (FTE) count by one (from 302 to 303). Mr. Goel stated that this position is key for managing the Nutrients Management Planning and Pre -Design project, and that this would also be a supervisory position for the asset management group and the innovation and efficiency group. In response to Chair McGill's question about the factor driving the change at this time, Ms. O'Malley explained that it is the Nutrients Permit issue that is the driving force to change this position from limited to full time, as the scope is greater than five years. Other advantages would include succession planning, retention, and maintaining continuity within the department. Mr. Leiber reiterated that a benefit of designating this position as permanent is the ability to supervise the two groups previously mentioned, which was not permissible for the LD position. Member Hockett opined that this change is a fabulous idea for continuity and an opportunity to bring this project together with vision, efficiency and oversight. Chair McGill fully agreed, while stating a desire to keep total headcount in mind moving forward. COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval. e. Review draft Position Paper to authorize the General Manager to execute a new professional services agreement for up to five years with Sustainable Contra Costa in an amount up to $464,000 over the potential five-year term, to continue providing comprehensive student educational programming within Central San's service area Ms. Barnett gave an overview of the information included in the draft Position Paper. Sustainable Contra Costa (SuCoCo) has been a August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 164 of 189 Page 5 of 8 Administration Committee Minutes August 6, 2024 Page 4 longstanding partner and were the only responsive party to the recent Request for Proposal (RFP). There are not many providers for this depth of service in this area. SuCoCo provides in-depth programing for events and community outreach, and along with Contra Costa Water District (CCWD), a special focus on the "One Water" message to the community. The Communications program has expanded threefold with the help of SuCoCo. They know our programs and are responsive to the needs of the District. Member Hockett opined that this is a worthwhile partnership, and Chair McGill agreed, stating that he has always been a supporter of Sustainable Contra Costa. Ms. Barnett stated that this is a unique and beneficial partnership for the District. COMMITTEE ACTION: Recommended Board approval. 4. Other Items a. Conduct biennial review of the following Board Policies (BP): BP 003 - Hiring of District Retirees BP 004 - Integrated Pest Management BP 012 - Parliamentary Procedures BP 021 - Social Media Communication BP 023 - Board Ethics and Conduct BP 025 - Naming of District Facilities BP 026 - Legislative Advocacy BP 027 - Energy BP 038 - Climate Change Ms. Young stated that the BP's included in this item had no comments or corrections from staff, however staff were present to discuss any questions if needed. Regarding BP 027 and BP 038, Ms. LaBella stated that she wanted to wait until after the solar project was completed before reviewing BP 027 — Energy. It fortunately worked out that the project's economics remained in alignment with the current policy. For any kind of Net Zero commitment moving forward, Ms. LaBella explained that she wants the Board to have the corresponding cost information to assist the Board in making any decision on a Net Zero commitment. As a result, the issue of Net Zero will be addressed in the upcoming Energy Management and Pre -Design Project being led by Mr. Goel. August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 165 of 189 Page 6 of 8 Administration Committee Minutes August 6, 2024 Page 5 Mr. Goel briefly discussed the new Energy Management Planning and Pre -Design project. This project which will evaluate options for Net Zero and assist Central San staff and policy makers by evaluating Central San's current and future energy demands and developing an Energy Optimization Roadmap that will act as a guide for Central San in providing an adequate and sustainable portfolio of energy sources and supplies that will support Central San's operation for the next 20 years. The Request for Proposals was issued on August 5, 2024 and consulting firms have already shown quite a bit of interest. Updating the Board on the project's progress will be a continuous process. Chair McGill shared that at the recent California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) conference, there were differing opinions on where to focus energy for climate change solutions. Member Hockett responded that this is what Mr. Goel's group is focused on evaluating. Mr. Goel added that the Energy Management Planning and Pre -Design project will evaluate technologies aiming to address the above-mentioned issues. This project is focused on reducing greenhouse footprint. To an inquiry from Chair McGill regarding how long it took to complete the solar project, Ms. LaBella replied that a solar consultant was hired in April of 2019. It took one and a half years after the RFP was issued to complete the solar project, and those delays were mostly due to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), although Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has not yet turned on the lines, as of August, 2024. Member Hockett stated that just because there is interest in the goal of Net Zero, the District should make sure that the cost benefit is favorable. Mr. Norby added that the presentation and discussion from CASA are a small part of the puzzle for energy overall. What motivated the important step of undertaking the Energy Roadmap Study was a confluence of some very big topics. These include the pragmatic impacts of the power purchase agreement, and how that is shifting the energy profile, the overall macro picture from the first greenhouse gas inventory that the District conducted, the Annual and Quarterly energy profiles that are provided to the board, and the future for the incineration, which affects the entire energy picture of the District. The specific policy objectives for net zero and carbon neutral will really be a byproduct. The District's entire energy use profile will undergo major renovation in the next five to ten years. Three to four major drivers, such as nutrients treatment, aeration and recycled water use will shift our energy use profile. Central San in the age of climate change essentially gets 90% of its energy through fossil fuel. Setting aside the policy and environmental concerns and looking at August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 166 of 189 Page 7 of 8 Administration Committee Minutes August 6, 2024 Page 6 operational resilience and sustainability as a business model with cost -of - service drivers, energy profile is a large part of that picture. Member Hockett inquired if there was an opportunity for artificial intelligence (Al) to be integrated into this process. Mr. Leiber responded that Mr. Mallory made an Al presentation to this Committee in the past year and will be looking for opportunities for report backs in the future. Chair McGill stated that historically in industrial culture the District has used resources as a no -cost disposal point. Since the District has put a cost on expected return, how does one make sure the District is not assuming no cost when there may be a future expense. Ms. Labella reiterated the need to be mindful of ignoring any potential costs in recovering and using resources. Regarding BP 038 -Climate Change, Chair McGill asked if wildfire should be included in the text, to which Ms. LaBella agreed and Mr. Leiber suggested that it could be readily added on line five after "extreme droughts." Ms. Young will update as suggested and bring to the full Board for approval. Regarding BP 023 -Board Ethics and Conduct, Chair McGill mentioned the additional requirements in section number seven regarding the Brown Act expiring in 2025. Ms. Young will confer with Legal to add the stipulations and bring back to the Committee with current language if necessary. Regarding BP 025 -Naming of District Facilities, Member Hockett voiced her concern regarding naming of District facilities after Board Members. She opined that this becomes a popularity contest and does not belong with a Board. Chair McGill shared that the policy began as a means to bring ideas forward on which the Board could vote. Mr. Leiber indicated that the language in the BP could be tightened and gave examples of changing the voting requirements to unanimous or subjecting the decision to an additional voting body. With further discussion, the Committee agreed to leave the item unchanged. There were no further comments. August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 167 of 189 Page 8 of 8 Administration Committee Minutes August 6, 2024 Page 7 COMMITTEE ACTION: Reviewed the policies listed above, provided amendments to BP 038 and suggestions for BP 023. 5. Announcements None 6. Suaaestions for Future Aaenda 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. 7. Future Scheduled Meeti a. Tuesday, September 3, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. 8. Adjournment — at 9:28 a.m. August 15, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 168 of 189