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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-09-04 Min - Board REGULAR MEETING September 4, 1990 The regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Truckee Donner Public Utility District was called to order by President Maass at 7: 10 P.M. in the TDPUD Board Room. ROLL CALL: Directors Joe Aguera, John Corbett, Richard Curran, Pat Sutton and Jim Maass were present. EMPLOYEES PRESENT: Tom Buckhouse, Mary Chapman, Tom Edgman. CONSULTANTS PRESENT: Counsel John Phelps, Tim Grover of SEA, and Kathy Pooler of Frank B. Hall. OTHERS PRESENT: Among those present in the audience were Scott Andre and Douglas Prouty. CONSENT AGENDA Award of line truck bid Director Sutton had several questions, so the matter was removed from the consent agenda. Mr. Holzmeister estimated the cost of the line truck to be $150, 000 payable over six years as a lease/purchase. If the Board awards the bid, he said he would like to investigate various financing options and bring a recommendation back to the Board prior to delivery of the truck. Director Sutton made reference to the letter from Altec declining to bid as the specifications were "too proprietary. " Counsel advised that the Public Contract Code states you cannot specify a manufacturer unless there is no other manufacturer who can provide a product "equal" to that produced by the manufacturer that you wish to specify. Tom Buckhouse noted that Altec couldn't meet or equal the type of gearing the District specified for turning the boom, but several manufacturers could. After some discussion, Director Sutton moved to award the bid for the line truck to Simon West Coast, Inc. in the amount of $173 , 689 subject to review of the specifications by legal counsel to make certain there are no flaws; seconded by Director Corbett. All Directors, aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED. TAHOE DONNER LEAK ANALYSIS STATUS REPORT Tim Grover of SEA was present and advised that Phase II of the leak analysis has progressed far enough for them to develop some preliminary conclusions. The sonic analysis is complete and the corrosion engineer has been in Tahoe Donner observing the pipeline in many excavations. Ninety nine leaks were found; half were not evident on the surface. Most of the main line leaks are located in the known problem areas, but a lot are on service lines which may 1 indicate more of an area-wide problem. In some instances, seven and eight inch rocks have been found in the zone of the pipe; also, a number of laterals with corrosion the length of the pipe have been found. Mr. Grover said all the service lines are getting near the end of their life; 15 to 18 years for galvanized pipe is the life expectancy. SEA will have a clearer picture in approximately three weeks after all the data collected has been analyzed and will be making a recommendation about changing the type of material the District uses. It was noted that a corrosion training course for staff has been scheduled for September 19. The Chairman asked Mr. Andre of the Sierra Sun, present in the audience, that the newspaper assist in letting people know what's being done to solve the water leak problems in the Tahoe Donner area. CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE ADJUSTING ELECTRIC FACILITIES FEES Electrical Engineer Buckhouse briefly summarized why a reduction in electric facilities fees charged to commercial/industrial customers is necessary. The public hearing was opened at 7:45 P.M. There were no comments or questions, and Director Corbett moved that the hearing be closed; seconded by Director Curran. All Directors, aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED. Counsel Phelps noted that the District can make refunds to commercial/industrial customers who have paid facilities fees since the effective date of AB 1600, but he did not think it was mandatory to do so. The ordinance as presented would make the reduction in fees retroactive to January 1, 1989, the effective date of AB 1600. Mr. Buckhouse recommended using January 1, 1989 as the effective date of the reduced fees. Director Sutton noted her concern that the District might rely on capacity beyond the nameplate rating due to winter load as a basis for facilities fees. Discussion ensued regarding the developers' responsibilities for providing electrical facilities in Tahoe Donner and at the Tahoe Truckee Sanitation Agency. Director Curran moved, and Director Corbett seconded, that the Board adopt ordinance No. 9001 setting forth electric connection and facilities fees and rescinding previous resolutions and ordinances as presented and that the fees be retroactive to January 1, 1989 . ROLL CALL: Aguera, Corbett, Curran and Maass, aye; Sutton, no. SO ORDAINED. PUBLIC INPUT There was no public input. DISCUSSION WITH REPRESENTATIVE OF FRANK B. HALL REGARDING DISTRICT 2 POLICY ON LIABILITY INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTORS Mr. Holzmeister noted that several questions were raised at the last Board meeting concerning the kind of liability insurance contractors who work for the District should carry. Kathy Pooler of Frank B. Hall was present and discussed the matter with the Board. After some discussion, Director Corbett moved that the Board adopt Resolution No. 9031 setting forth the requirements for contractor insurance. The motion was seconded by Director Aguera. ROLL CALL: Aguera, Corbett, Curran and Maass, aye; Sutton no, SO MOVED. Director Sutton stated she voted no because she feels the policy delegates to the Manager decisions she thinks should be made by the Board and also because the minimum amount of insurance required in the policy ($200, 000 per occurrence and $400, 000 in the aggregate) is too low in her opinion. TRUCKEE BAR ASSOCIATION REQUEST FOR USE OF THE BOARD ROOM Attorney Douglas Prouty of the Tahoe Truckee Bar Association advised that, for many years, the Association has been trying to persuade the Nevada County Superior Court to hold a Truckee session on a monthly basis to accommodate citizens in the Truckee area. Historically, the Superior Court meets only in Nevada City and, even when a client's matter will use only five minutes of the Court's time, the attorney is required to drive all the way to Nevada City and back, generally at the client's expense. Mr. Prouty noted that a combination of increased need for a Superior Court facility in this area and the appointment of a third Judge to the Nevada County Superior Court resulted in a desire on the part of the Judges to accommodate the judicial needs of this area. Currently the Bar Association is working with the Court to create guidelines to govern sessions in Truckee. It is anticipated that the Truckee session of the Nevada County Superior Court would be conducted no more than one Friday each month and that only civil matters would be heard. It was Mr. Prouty' s understanding that the Court funding is extremely limited and does not meet existing needs of the Court, Judges and other Court personnel. The cost of a meeting room alone could jeopardize the chances of having the Superior Court meet in Truckee. Mr. Prouty asked that the Board consider allowing the Nevada County Superior Court and the Truckee community to use its Board room to hold Superior Court session one Friday each month at no cost. After some discussion, Director Sutton moved that the Board authorize use of the PUD facility for Superior Court once a month through June 30, 1991 at no charge, and that if the County accepts the offer, they be required to provide a hold harmless agreement to 3 the District; seconded by Director Corbett. ROLL CALL: all Directors, aye. SO MOVED. The Chairman will write a letter explaining that the District is allowing a trial period until June 30, 1991 at no charge; if the Court wishes to continue using the room after that date, the $75 per day fee will be imposed. Also, Mr. Prouty is to be provided with a copy of the guidelines governing use of the Board room. CONSIDERATION OF PLANS FOR BOARD/MANAGER RETREAT Director Sutton noted that the North Tahoe Public Utility District has invited the Board to attend a seminar on September 28 relating to the duties of, and relationship between, Board members and the Manager. Directors Curran and Aguera agreed that this will probably be a good seminar, but is fairly generic; the retreat being planned has more to do with the internal workings of the District. Director Maass noted that the seminar conflicts with the Northern California Power Agency conference at South Shore. By consensus, the Board agreed to accept the proposal of Robert Rauch to act as facilitator, and directed the Manager to select a Saturday or Sunday after October 21, 1990 to hold the workshop. PRESENTATION OF DISTRICT CODE • The codified version of the District' s existing ordinances, resolutions and policies was presented to the Board. Mr. Holzmeister noted it' s now ready for review and refinement; it contains many conflicting sections, unclear language and practices that are out of date. The Chairman suggested that the Board review the code section by section at future meetings. DIRECTION REGARDING THE SEEKING OF PROPOSALS FOR A PERSONNEL CONSULTANT Mr. Holzmeister presented an outline of the issues concerning the positions of Office Manager and Finance Supervisor and suggested developing a formal request for proposals for a consultant to evaluate the situation. Director Corbett moved, and Director Aguera seconded, that the Manager be authorized to seek proposals for a consultant to evaluate the positions of Office Manager and Finance Supervisor and make recommendations to the Board. All Directors, aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED. Regarding consultant qualifications and background, Director Sutton noted she would like to see expertise in public finance and accounting matters so the consultant could help determine the best format in which to carry out District functions. APPOINTMENT TO WATER APPRENTICE COMMITTEE 4 • Manager Holzmeister noted that the Water Service Technician Apprentice committee consists of the General Manager, one District appointee and one Union appointee. Director Aguera moved, and Director Corbett seconded, that District Civil Engineer Andy Hyde be appointed as the District representative to the committee. All Directors, aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED. CONSIDERATION OF WRITE-OFFS Office/Finance Manager Chapman presented the current write-off list in the amount of $2 ,809 . 12 representing all accounts that closed on December 31, 1989 and prior that still have an outstanding balance. Records of the accounts are maintained for collection, she noted, should the customer ever apply for service again, and collection efforts are continued by the credit bureau. The Board noted that the write-off percentage is very low, only . 09, and complimented Senior Clerk Lissa Schreiner for her conscientious work and continual collection efforts. Director Aguera moved, and Director Corbett seconded that the Board authorize write-offs in the amount of $2,809. 12 (less recoveries of $514.95, equalling $2, 294 . 17) as set forth in Mrs. Chapman' s memo dated August 30, 1990. All Directors, aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED. DIRECTION REGARDING DRAFT MINUTES OF AUGUST 20, 1990 Director Corbett moved that the minutes of August 20, 1990 be placed in final form; seconded by Director Curran. All Directors, aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED. CORRESPONDENCE Letter concerning audit from REA Director Augera mentioned the recent letter containing suggestions from the REA. Mr. Holzmeister noted the District is not legally obligated to take any action. He said he would provide a staff analysis of the benefits of paying off the REA loans and present the information at the next meeting. BILLS FOR APPROVAL After several questions were answered, Director Aguera moved, and Director Corbett seconded, that the bills presented for consideration be approved for payment. All Directors, aye, by voice vote. SO MOVED. . STAFF REPORT A copy of the staff report dated August 31, 1990 has been attached. 5 . 1991 Budget calendar Mr. Holzmeister reviewed the 1991 budget calendar with the Board. He proposes presenting the draft to the Directors on November 5, holding a workshop on November 19, and conducting the public hearing and adopting the budget on December 3, 1990. Financial reports Manager Holzmeister briefly summarized the electric and water balance sheets, income statements, statement of general fund and investment report. water master plan The water master plan is almost ready to be submitted to the Board in draft form, Mr. Holzmeister stated. Proposition 55 The Department of Water Resources is in the final stage of completing the District' s contract for funding. By early October staff will be making presentations to the Board regarding a schedule of activities to implement Proposition 55. CLOSED SESSION The Board adjourned to closed session for the purpose of discussing pending litigation pursuant to Government Code 54956.9 (c) at 10:01 P.M. RETURN TO PUBLIC SESSION The meeting was returned to public session at 10: 45 P.M. No action was taken or direction given as a result of closed session. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 10:46 P.M. TRUCKEE DONNER PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT J es A. Maass, Pr ident Prepared by Susan M. C aig, Deputy District Cie r smc 6