minutes

Regular Meeting

Governing Board of Sweetwater Authority

May 14, 2003

The Governing Board of Sweetwater Authority held a regular meeting on Wednesday, May 14, 2003, at the Sweetwater Authority Administrative Office, 505 Garrett Avenue, Chula Vista, California. Chair Doud called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Directors Present: Beauchamp, Doud, Inzunza, Pocklington, Welsh, Wolniewicz and Wright.

Directors Absent: None.

Others Present: General Manager Bostad, Operations Manager Rogers, Legal Counsel Cowett, Treasurer Avery, and Board Secretary Farpón-Friedman. Staff members Hank Gaus, Mary Ann Mann, Bill Olson, Paula Roberts, George Silva, Jim Smyth, and Tom Woodrum.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Director Pocklington conducted the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT (Government Code Section (54954.3)
There were no members of the public present for comment.

CHAIR ’S PRESENTATION

Chair Doud introduced Susana Orozco, winner of the $1,000 scholarship from Sweetwater Authority, which will be officially presented to her at the Bonita Vista High School’s graduation ceremony.

ITEMS TO BE ADDED, WITHDRAWN, OR REORDERED IN THE AGENDA

General Manager Bostad requested that the Conference with Labor Negotiator under Closed Session, which was listed as Item 13 on the agenda, be reordered to Item 1.

1. CLOSED SESSION

At 6:03 p.m., in compliance with Government Code Section 54956.9 (b) and (c) the Board recessed to convene in Closed Session to conference with Labor Negotiator William Floyd regarding labor negotiations.

There were no minutes taken, and the session was not tape-recorded. Everybody left the boardroom except the Management Team, Treasurer, Board Secretary and Legal Counsel.

At 6:48 p.m., Chair Doud declared the meeting to be in open session, and there was no reportable action.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Director Wright made a motion, seconded by Director Wolniewicz, that the Board approve the minutes of April 23, 2003. The motion carried.

3. APPROVAL OF DEMANDS AND WARRANTS

Director Wright made a motion, seconded by Director Wolniewicz, that the Board approve Warrants 88451 through 88671 including all voided checks. The motion carried.

CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS

4. COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE (Meeting of April 25, 2003)

CONSENT ITEMS

Director Pocklington made a motion, seconded by Director Beauchamp, that the Governing Board approve consent Item A. Items C, D and E were Information items. Item B was pulled by Chair Doud for discussion. The motion carried.

A. Approve the amended goals and objectives and Program Budget for 2003/2004 Fiscal Year.

C. Consideration of developing key messages and an outreach program to address community concerns regarding delays in establishing a recreation program at Sweetwater Reservoir. This was an information item and no action was required by the Governing Board.

D. Consideration of providing a support letter for efforts by California Rebuild America Coalition and the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) to increase long-term planning and investment in state water supply infrastructure systems. This was an information item and no action was required by the Governing Board.

E. Press releases, other items prepared for public information distribution, and update on major projects. This was an information item and no action was required by the Governing Board.

B. Consideration of contracting for a baseline public opinion survey to measure the impacts of increased customer newsletter circulation: Chair Doud stated that, because of the budget crisis in California, he does not think it is appropriate to spend $10,000 for this public opinion survey. Director Welsh concurred with Chair Doud. Director Pocklington noted that the Communications Committee had already cut back $48,000 on the budget. Director Wright also expressed his disagreement with this expenditure and asked from staff information on how much the first Communications Budget was and the number of people on the staff. Director Beauchamp talked in favor of this action. He believes it is important that we put numbers on the magnitude of concerns that the community has and this would give us quantified information so that we can serve the people in the way they expect it. Director Pocklington made a motion, seconded by Director Beauchamp, that the Governing Board authorize staff to work with the San Diego State University Social Science Research Laboratory to develop and administer a public opinion survey at an approximate cost of $10,000 and subject to Governing Board review of the survey instrument. The motion carried with Directors Doud, Welsh, and Wright opposing it.

5. SECURITY COMMITTEE (Meeting of May 2, 2003)

CLOSED SESSION

Director Pocklington reported that, in compliance with Government Code Section 54957, the Security Committee met in closed session to discuss security issues. Director Pocklington noted that there was no reportable action.

6. FINANCE AND PERSONEL COMMITTEE (Meeting of May 2, 2003)

CLOSED SESSION

Director Wolniewicz reported that, in compliance with Government Code Section 54957.6, the Finance and Personnel Committee met in closed session to discuss labor negotiations. Director Wolniewicz noted that there was no reportable action.

ACTION CALENDAR ITEMS

7. OPERATIONS COMMITTEE (Meeting of May 12, 2003)

A. Director Beauchamp made a motion, seconded by Director Wolniewicz, that the Governing Board approve a remote service connection to the 12-inch water main in 4052 Paseo de la Vista, Bonita. The motion carried.

B. Director Beauchamp made a motion, seconded by Director Wolniewicz, that the Governing Board approve Cingular Wireless’ request to proceed with the cellular facilities at the O.D. Arnold Tank Site, subject to the restricted fencing scheme developed by staff. The motion carried.

C. Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Demineralization Facility – Status of Operation. This was an information item and no action was required by the Governing Board.

D. National City Well no. 4 – Status of construction. This was an information item and no action was required by the Governing Board.

E. Metropolitan Water District Reservoir Storage Program – Status of Operations. This was an information item and no action was required by the Governing Board.

8. NEW BUSINESS

A. Upon a motion made by Director Pocklington, seconded by Director Wolniewicz, the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION 03-08
PROCLAIMING NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK MAY 18-24, 2003

was passed and Adopted by the following vote, to wit:

Ayes: Directors Beauchamp, Doud, Inzunza, Pocklington, Welsh, Wolniewicz, and Wright
Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None

B. Upon a motion made by Director Pocklington, seconded by Director Wolniewicz, the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION 03-09
PROCLAIMING MAY 2003 AS WATER AWARENESS MONTH
IN THE AUTHORITY’S SERVICE AREA

was passed and Adopted by the following vote, to wit:

Ayes: Directors Beauchamp, Doud, Inzunza, Pocklington, Welsh, Wolniewicz, and Wright
Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None

9. APPROVAL OF DIRECTORS’ ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS AND FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

A. Leadership Summit “Shaping the Future for California” sponsored by the Network: Building a Foundation for Women – May 16, 2003 at the Sheraton San Diego Resort and Marina. No one will be attending. No action was required by the Governing Board.

B. Council of Water Utilities Breakfast – May 20, 2003, 7:15 – 8:45 a.m. at StoneRidge Country Club. All members of the Board will attend this pre-approved event. No action was required by the Governing Board.

C. Water Education Foundation’s 2003 Water Law & Policy Briefing – July 17-18, 2003 – Hyatt Regency Islandia, San Diego. Directors Doud, Pocklington, Welsh, Wolniewicz and Wright will attend this pre-approved event. No action was required by the Governing Board.

D. Urban Water Institute’s Spring Conference – June 4-6, 2003 – The Universal Sheraton Hotel, Universal City. Directors Doud and Wolniewicz will attend this pre-approved event. No action was required by the Governing Board.

E. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Doud, that the Governing Board approve per diem for Director Wright’s attendance at the 1st Friday Breakfast on May 2, 2003. The motion carried.

F. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Beauchamp, that the Governing Board approve per diem for Director Doud’s attendance at the City of Chula Vista Council meeting on May 6, 2003 to receive a proclamation proclaiming the month of May as Water Awareness Month. The motion carried.

G. Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan Study – Notice of Public Workshop – Wednesday, May 21, 2003 – Bob’s on the Bay, Sunset Room, Chula Vista Marina. Directors Beauchamp, Inzunza, Pocklington and Wolniewicz will attend this workshop. Director Doud made a motion, seconded by Director Pocklington, that the Governing Board approve per diem for directors who wish to attend this workshop. The motion carried.

10. REPORT OF TREASURER – WANDA AVERY

Ms. Avery reported that the Local Agency Investment Fund (LAIF) interest rate was 1.79 percent today. Director Welsh said that at the ACWA meeting they heard that some districts were thinking of taking all their money out of LAIF. She added that with Governor Gray Davis trying to reach out, LAIF might not be as safe as had been thought. She wanted to go on record that she was asking if the money could be put in a bank checking account. Operations Manager Rogers referred to a letter that our Finance Director had received from the Treasurer of the State of California saying that the state has absolutely no intention in raiding the LAIF accounts.

11. MANAGEMENT REPORT

A. Report of Rainfall and Reservoir Levels – Operations Manager Rogers: Operations Manager Rogers talked about the last meeting of the Chula Vista Interagency Task Force during which General Manager Bostad made a presentation regarding Sweetwater Authority’s water needs and future plans. Council Member Salas recommended strongly to the council that there be a separate workshop for the entire City Council with the same presentations from the Otay Water District, Sweetwater Authority, and the County Water Authority.

B. Report of General Manager Bostad: General Manager Bostad had nothing to report.

12. REPORT OF CALFED/BAY-DELTA OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND NWRA REPRESENTATIVE - DIRECTOR WRIGHT

Director Wright had no reports on CALFED or NWRA.

He referred to two press releases from Tampa, one of which talks about a brine discharge problem. He noted that there are two plants at Tampa. One is the Big Ben Powerplant, which is up and running and doing quite well. The other one at Tarpon Springs may have some problems. He also talked about a bill introduced in the Congress to let the military and the Department of Defense off the hook on the Endangered Species Act. He then referred to an agriculture-type bill by Senator Machado, and to a press release regarding the Bureau of Reclamation 20/25 report, which says that the bureau’s Head of the Interior is going to throw some money to desalination and help the west solve some of their problems.

13. DIRECTORS’ COMMENTS

Director Pocklington said he attended the ACWA conference where he did not hear good news. They talked about the energy crisis and said that the situation would be stable for two more years, but after that we may have the same problem. The top 48 states have peaked in the production of natural gas and there are only three areas left that have not been tapped into, off the coast of Florida, California, and the state of Alaska, but the chances of getting natural gas from there are slim. He said that although there is plenty of natural gas in the world, the Soviet Union, Indonesia, and Australia have enough natural gas that they are willing to sell, it is difficult to build pipelines. He also said that there are rumors about Sempra building a plant. They tried to build one in San Francisco and, although they initially got an okay from the government, the environmentalists said no and it is not going to happen.

Director Beauchamp said that Friday, Saturday and Sunday he would be taking the Bay Delta Tour. He stated that the Cinco De Mayo booth was a good experience to hear people’s concerns and that a good portion of the public is informed about issues and ask about water quality. He also talked about perchlorate, which has become an issue with lettuce growers. Lettuce is an accumulator so perchlorate levels in lettuce are higher because of the way biology accumulates in some issues. He said that lettuce might not be the clean product that it is thought to be because of the Colorado perchlorate issue on the Yuma lettuce. We may need to buy the Salinas Valley lettuce.

Director Doud said that at each Director’s place there was a copy of the press release from the hearing last Friday attended by Assemblyman Juan Vargas, who introduced our director Mayor Inzunza.

14. CLOSED SESSION

At 7:32 p.m., in compliance with Government Code Section 54956.9 (b) and (c) the Board recessed to convene in Closed Session to conference with legal Counsel Cowett regarding a pending litigation. There were no minutes taken, and the session was not tape- recorded.

At 7:33 p.m., Chair Doud declared the meeting to be in open session, and there was no reportable action.

15. ADJOURNMENT

With no further business before the Board, Chair Doud adjourned the meeting at 7:40 p.m., to the hour of 3:30 p.m., on May 28, 2003.