minutes

Regular Meeting

Governing Board of Sweetwater Authority

July 13, 2005

The Governing Board of Sweetwater Authority held a regular meeting on Wednesday, July 13, 2005, at the Sweetwater Authority Administrative Office, 505 Garrett Avenue, Chula Vista, California. Chair Pocklington called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

· ROLL CALL

Directors Present: Beauchamp, Doud, Pocklington, and Welsh.

Directors Absent: Alkire, Inzunza and Salas.

Others Present: General Manager Bostad, Operations Manager Rogers, Legal Counsel Cowett, and Board Secretary Farpón. Staff members, Rick Alexander, Debra Farrow, Hank Gaus, Kevin Kasner, Bill Olson, Jim Smyth, and Tom Woodrum.

· PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
Director Doud 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
There was none.

ACTION CALENDAR ITEMS

1. ITEMS TO BE ADDED, WITHDRAWN, OR REORDERED IN THE AGENDA
There were none.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Director Doud made a motion, seconded by Director Beauchamp, that the Governing Board approve the minutes of June 22, 2005. The motion carried.

3. APPROVAL OF DEMANDS AND WARRANTS

Director Doud made a motion, seconded by Director Beauchamp, that the Governing Board approve Warrants 100684 through 100838 including all voided checks. The motion carried.

4. FINANCE AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE (Meeting of July 5, 2005)

A. Upon a motion made by Director Welsh, seconded by Director Doud, the following resolution:

RESOLUTION 05-10

RESOLUTION OF THE GOVERNING BOARD OF SWEETWATER AUTHORITY
ADOPTING THE ANNUAL STATEMENT OF INVESTMENT POLICY

was passed and adopted by the following vote to wit:

Ayes: Directors Beauchamp, Doud, Pocklington and Welsh
Noes: None
Absent: Alkire, Inzunza and Salas
Abstain: None

B. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Doud, that the Governing Board approve a two-year extension of time-and-materials contract with Construction Testing & Engineering, Inc., 1441 Montiel Road, Suite 115, Escondido, CA, 92026, and MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc., 9177 Sky Park Court, San Diego, CA 92123, for geotechnical services. The motion carried.

C. Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Pocklington, that the Governing Board approve the implementation of a pilot Procurement Card program partnered with Cal-Card to eliminate nonvalue-added activities and to save time and money and that the cards be issued to 17 employees in the Information Systems and Purchasing Sections and the Water Quality and Distribution Departments. The system is to be audited in one year. The motion carried.

5. AD HOC COMMITTEE – ACWA CALIFORNIA BLUEPRINT OUTREACH (Meeting of July 7, 2005)

Review of PowerPoint presentation, “Keeping the Tap Flowing – A local perspective on state and local water issues.”

Director Beauchamp reported that the Committee reviewed what the Authority would like to present to local decision makers on the ACWA California Blueprint Outreach. There were minor changes and they thought it was a good presentation. They discussed which organizations should we present the program and who would present it. The presentation will be between ten to twenty minutes long, depending on how much we enhance the slides. The Board had a short discussion regarding whether directors or staff would be making the presentation. The presentation will be brought back to the Board once it is finalized. This was an information item and no action was required by the Governing Board.

6. APPROVAL OF DIRECTOR’S ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS AND FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS.

A. Council of Water Utilities, San Diego County Meeting at StoneRidge Country Club – Tuesday, July 19, 2005 – 7:15 – 8:45 a.m. Directors Alkire, Beauchamp, Doud, Pocklington, Salas and Welsh will attend this pre-approved event. No action was required by the Governing Board.

B. WaterReuse Association – San Diego Chapter – Meeting and Treatment Plant Tour - City of Carlsbad - July 20, 2005 –10:30 a.m.– 12 p.m. Director Doud made a motion, seconded by Director Pocklington, that the Governing Board approve per diem for Directors who wish to attend this event. The motion carried.

C. Best Best & Krieger LLP - The Environmental Issues Forum - The Future of Desalination in San Diego County – Doubletree Hotel – Fashion Valley - Thursday, July 21, 2005 – 7:30 a.m.– 9:00 a.m. Directors Pocklington and Salas will attend this pre-approved event. No action was required by the Governing Board.

D. ACWA Region Event sponsored by ACWA Regions 8,9, & 10 – “DESAL – Fact or Fantasy?” Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa, Dana Point - September 15, 2005 – 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Directors Beauchamp, Doud and Pocklington will attend this pre-approved event. No action was required by the Governing Board.

7. REPORT OF TREASURER – WANDA AVERY

Treasurer Avery was not present due to illness.

8. MANAGEMENT REPORT

A. Report of Operations Manager Rogers: Operations Manager Rogers reported that on Wednesday, July 6, we received a notification from the City of San Diego that the Skinner Plant was running at 95 percent capacity.

He referred to the Consumer Confidence Report that was mailed to our consumers at the end of June. He complimented the Communications Department for putting together what he thinks is the best Consumer Confidence Report that the Authority has had, at least since he has been with Sweetwater Authority. These reports serve to talk about the tests that we run and the various procedures and policies that we comply with. The negative issues have to be reported also. There were no negative issues to report, and he commended staff for that.

B. Report of General Manager Bostad: General Manager Bostad reported that last week he gave a tour of our facilities to Roy Wolfe and Robert Joe, area administrators with Metropolitan Water District. They are top leaders at MWD working for Dennis Underwood. Roy Wolf was with staff for over six hours and we were able to discuss the Intertie Pipeline Project at Loveland Reservoir. They were particularly taken with the Authority’s Urban Runoff Diversion System. Director Pocklington said that both of them were very impressed and Roy said that what he had always heard about Sweetwater Authority having great staff is accurate.

He also reported that last week he had met with some Washington D.C. support staff to Duncan Hunter and gave them a tour of the Sweetwater Authority’s system. The group had also visited CWA in the morning and they were given a tour of San Vicente and El Capitan. Our staff gave them a 22-minute tour of Loveland Reservoir. Manager Bostad thanked Director of Water Quality Thomson for his and his staff’s support.

He then showed a slide of the plaque that names the Sweetwater Dam as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Staff recently updated the language that meets the criteria and formatting that the American Society of Civil Engineers (A.S.C.E.) would like to see on this plaque. In time, this plaque will be placed at the Perdue Plant picnic area by the valve and the overview panels.

9. DIRECTOR’S COMMENTS

Director Welsh said she went to see Ms. Avery. It was very touching to see her grandson, who had flown in from New Zealand, and her granddaughter, who lives here in San Diego, and the love that they have for her.

Director Doud said his surgery was successful and there was no cancer present. He thanked everyone for the get-well card, flowers, and prayers. Sunday morning, about 5:00 a.m. he was awakened by a bright flash in his bedroom window. His next-door neighbor’s mobile home was on fire. It burnt to the ground and fortunately no one was hurt. The fire department was there with fire hydrants and hoses every 40 feet. He asked the fire captain how much water pressure we have and he said about 70 lbs and a 2 ½” fire hydrant.

Director Beauchamp said that when he was coming back from a Fish and Game meeting in Los Alamitos yesterday, there was a forum on one of the radio stations in San Diego with the Mayoral candidates hosted by Roger Hedgcock, who brought out the toilet to tap issue. Apparently some of the staff at the City of San Diego is trying to move forward with that initiative again. He said the only person that backed it was Donna Frye. The rest went along with it and had no knowledge of what the thing was. It put a lot of respect in his mind for Donna Frye. At least from his perspective with water, she knows what is going on. He was impressed.

Director Pocklington commented on the same issue and said that it started probably 15 years ago. The whole idea and concept at that time was to build a plant and provide water for many of the freeways in San Diego. That has never happened. It seems to him that they would be better off pursuing something like that rather than this toilet to tap. He thinks it is going to be a difficult, difficult situation to approve. He knows that some of the directors from City 10 believe in it and they are pursuing it.

10. CLOSED SESSION

At 6:37 p.m., in compliance with Government Code Section 54957.6, the Board recessed to convene in Closed Session to conference with Legal Counsel Cowett regarding the employment evaluation of the General Manager and the Operations Manager. There were no minutes taken, and the session was not tape-recorded.

At 6:56 p.m., Chair Pocklington declared the meeting to be in open session.

Director Welsh made a motion, seconded by Director Beauchamp, that the Governing Board approve the Finance & Personnel Committee’s recommendation for an annual salary of $180,177 and a one-time bonus of $5,856 for the General Manager, and an annual salary of $162,159 and one-time bonus of $5,270 for the Operations Manager, and that Chair Pocklington execute the agreements with both Managers to include these provisions. The motion carried.

11. ADJOURNMENT

With no further business before the Board, Chair Pocklington adjourned the meeting at 6:57 p.m., to the hour of 3:30 p.m. on July 27, 2005.