BOARD MEETING MINUTES

REGULAR MEETING
Saturday, January 18, 2014

A.    CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

President Boucke called the Regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Stinson Beach County Water District to order on Saturday, January 18, 2014, at 9:30 a.m., at the Stinson Beach County Water District office, located at 3785 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970.

Directors present:
Barbara Boucke, President
Lawrence Baskin, Vice President
Sandra Cross, Director
Morey Nelsen, Director
Jim Zell, Director

General Manager present:
Ed Schmidt

Staff present:
Helma Schwendig - Administrative Asst.

B.    PUBLIC EXPRESSION

None.

C.    SETTING OF AGENDA

The agenda was unanimously adopted as set.

D.    PUBLIC HEARING

1. Consideration of a request from North Bay Corporation/Redwood Empire Disposal to raise garbage rates by 41%, phased in over a 7 year period (No Franchise Fee Increase) to be effective on February 1, 2014, continued from discussion at the Saturday, November 16, 2013, Board meeting.
   A Notice of Public Hearing was mailed to all District customers and published in two local newspapers. The District did not receive any comments regarding the proposed increase from the public. At the end of the 7 year period, Redwood Empire's garbage rates [$22.58 for a 32 gallon can] would still be less than the garbage rates charged by other Marin County garbage companies.
   
   Director Cross noted that the Amendment to Contract implementation date should be changed from January 1, 2014 to February 1, 2014 and the month of February substituted wherever "January" is shown in the document. Vice President Baskin moved to approve the Amendment to Contract. Director Cross seconded the motion. The Amendment to Contract was approved unanimously. Director Cross moved to approve Draft Resolution No. GB-2014- 01 with the stipulation that in the third WHEREAS clause, the second part of the sentence "and shall be such as to assure North Bay Corporation/Redwood Empire Disposal a fair and equitable return" be deleted. Vice President Baskin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

E.    GENERAL BUSINESS

1. Discussion and possible action regarding: SBCWD, Onsite Wastewater Management Program Annual Report, to the Regional Water Quality Control Board, July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.
   The Report has been previously reviewed by the Wastewater Committee. The District performed 517 septic inspections during the period. Permits on 12 systems were revoked. The General Manager stated that he is pleased with the job being done by Chris Kelley, the District's Wastewater Inspector, and Rich Souza, the District's Wastewater Engineer, in all the different aspects involved in following the District's Onsite Wastewater Management Code (Title IV) requirements. Vice President Baskin requested that another column be added to Table 7: Enforcement Summary - Revoked Discharge Permits, Page 7, to show the current status of each revoked discharge permit.
   
   Additional suggested modifications to Title IV regarding the reference to waivers will be reviewed by the Wastewater Committee before coming to the Board.
2. Discussion re: District Committee Membership changes by the Board President and possible establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to review the District's Title I "General Provisions" and Chapter 2.01 of Title II "Board of Directors."
   President Boucke distributed the Board of Directors Committee List for 2014. She stated that every Director should have the opportunity to serve on the various committees, and she assigned the Committee membership accordingly. It has been a pleasure for her to work with the Board and the Staff during the past year. The Committee List is as follows:
   
   FINANCE COMMITTEE - President Boucke, Director Zell
   LEGAL COMMITTEE - Vice President Baskin, Director Cross
   PERSONNEL COMMITTEE - Director Nelsen, Director Zell
   WASTEWATER COMMITTEE - Director Cross, Vice President Baskin
   WATER OPERATIONS COMMITTEE - President Boucke, Director Nelsen
   AD HOC COMMITTEE: to review Title II, Board rules, President rules, etc. - President Boucke,
   Director Cross
   
   The General Manager will set up meeting dates for the committees.
3. Discuss and Review the District's practices on the establishment of the due date of water bills.
   Director Nelsen stated that several customers have commented on the District's practice of charging late fees for payments received after the due date. After much back and forth discussion by the Board, the Board decided the following: If the payment envelope is stamped by the post office on the due date, the payment is considered timely. If the payment is placed in the District's mail slot in the evening of the due date, the payment is also considered as being received timely. It is recognized that not all mail is postmarked. The District makes every effort to stamp in the payment by the due date by going to the District's mailbox on the due date before 4:00 p.m. President Boucke suggested bolding the Due Date box on the water bill.
4. Discussion and Review of the most recent creek flow measurements, discussion of water usage in Stinson Beach, and the possible setting of stricter water use.
   The General Manager noted that the average water use of a residential customer is 150 gallons per day. Commercial users average 170 gallons per day. The pumping capacity of the District's Alder Grove well has decreased substantially, as it now takes longer to recharge due to lack of rainfall. Creek flows are barely measurable. The District's Water Conservation Stage II Alert that went into effect last April 2013 did not result in a lower water usage. The water usage has actually gone up due to unprecedented warm weather and no rain.
   
   Vice President Baskin stated that the need to reduce water usage is immediate. As recommended by the General Manager, residential usage should be reduced by approximately 25%, which equates to approximately 110 gallons per day per residential meter. A flyer is to be distributed to all customers as soon as possible, alerting them to the seriousness of the current drought and that a water shortage emergency condition prevails. All residential customers shall be requested to limit their water usage to a maximum of 110 gallons per day, until sufficient rainfall, as determined by the General Manager and Water Operations Committee in consultation with the Board of Directors. A separate flyer will be prepared for property managers, restaurants, real estate agencies and posted around town and on the District's website. The Draft Water Rationing Ordinance containing enforcement and the imposition of fines will be revised for a public hearing to be held at next month's February 15 Board meeting.
5. Discussion and possible consensus to participate in the Association of California Water Agencies Joint Power Insurance Authority (ACWA/JPIA) "Commitment to Excellence Program."
   The District pays ACWA/JPIA approximately $47,000 per year for Liability, Property and Workers' Compensation Insurance. ACWA/JPIA will collaborate with the District to reduce the operations and insurance costs for the entire JPIA membership. The Board approved the District's intent to participate in this beneficial program.

F.    APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Vice President Baskin moved to approve the Minutes of December 21, 2013. Director Zell seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously.

G.    APPROVAL OF DISBURSEMENTS

President Boucke inquired if the County's charge of $14,600 for water valve adjustments for their road resurfacing project could be capitalized. Vice President Baskin moved to approve the disbursements of December 19, 2013 and January 9, 2014. Director Cross seconded the motion. The disbursements were approved unanimously.

H.    MANAGER'S REPORT

The General Manager discussed his monthly report. His completed "Management's Discussion and Analysis" is ready for publication, awaiting the return from an out-of-town trip by our financial accountants, Maze and Associates.

The report from Marianne Watada, California Department of Public Health, has not yet been received. The District's Water Operating Permit was last modified in 1978.

After a transfer of $100,000 from the District's Operating Account at Westamerica its LAIF account in Sacramento, the LAIF account balance is $1,100,000.

John Ryan, GGNRA, will be soliciting public review and comments before a final decision is made regarding the proposed Stinson Beach Central Leachfield Project.

The Local Agency Formation Commission on Marin County (LAFCO) has requested detailed information on the District's water sources, treatment, distribution system, water storage, service connections, budgets, financial reports, rate schedules, and water conservation policies.

The General Manager has been invited, with other Marin water managers, to speak at the regular Board of Supervisors meeting on January 28 regarding the District's current supply capabilities and challenges, including a timeline for taking drought-related actions.

He has ordered two Smart Things Hub Smart Sense Moisture sensors for a trial use. If they work as described, they would make an excellent referral to our customers' early on leak detections inside a home or garage.

President Boucke requested that Board members attend a conference sponsored by the North Bay Watershed Association titled "Water Resources Management: What, Where and How" to be held in Novato on April 11, 2014. Due to prior commitments by several Board members, only President Boucke, Directors Cross and Nelsen and the General Manager are able to attend.

I.    COMMITTEE REPORTS

None.

J.    CORRESPONDENCE

The Board reviewed the correspondence.

K.    ADJOURNMENT

The motion to adjourn the meeting was approved by unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 11:08 a.m.