BOARD MEETING MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
A. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
President Boucke called the Special meeting of the Board of Directors of the Stinson Beach
County Water District to order on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, at 8:30 a.m., at the Stinson
Beach Chapel located at 32 Belvedere, 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:
General Manager: Ed Schmidt
Water Supervisor: Toby Bisson
Administrative Asst: Helma Schwendig
C. SETTING THE AGENDA At the request of President Boucke, the order of the agenda items was modified to Discuss Water Rationing Implementation Ordinance GB-2014-02 as last item No. 5. The agenda was adopted unanimously as such by the Board.
C. PUBLIC EXPRESSION
None.
D. PUBLIC HEARING/WORKSHOP
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(1) Large Family Criteria: Discuss and establish
criteria for definition of large family, determine the extra allotments of water for a large
family, and establish procedures for application and implementation of large family
allotments; (2) Restoring Water Service: Discuss and establish criteria and application
procedures for turning water service back on in the event of a termination of service;
(3) Multiple Households on one meter: Discuss and establish criteria and procedures
for increasing per day allotments where several residences are combined on one water
meter; (4) Discuss Commercial Rationing; (5) Discuss Water Rationing Implementation
Ordinance GB-2014-02.
The General Manager discussed his staff report of March 7, 2014, summarizing the action taken by the Board at the February 24, 2014 Special Board meeting. Attached was Draft Ordinance No. GB-2014-02 which raised the water rationing amount from 110 to 125 gallons per residence per day, effective April 1, 2014. The Draft Ordinance also reduced the number of notices for noncompliance from four to three and increased the fine to $400. It also authorized the Board to implement rules for implementation, including special needs, multiple households on one meter, and restoring water service. A copy of the Draft Ordinance was published in the Marin Independent Journal on March 4, 2014.
As toilets are one of the largest water users in the home, it is recommended that low flow toilets be installed. The Master List of Water Savings Ideas, which were included in the General Manager's staff report and made available to the public in attendance, listed the typical water usage for shower, bath, laundry, etc. Several different models of inside water meters can provide instant readouts to track water usage
Local realtor Jeanne Sherfey, Highway One Properties, is posting signs with water saving tips inside her vacation rentals. She is also supplementing her Vacation Rental Contract for tenants to abide by the 125 gallons per day limit for water usage per property, regardless of the size of the house or the number of occupants. She will also experiment with inside water meters and may install them in her rental properties so that the renters can see how much water they are using on a daily basis.
The General Manager wrote letters to the 24 local business owners, requesting that they reduce their water consumption by 20% and enclosing a copy of a chart showing their water usage by month during 2013. The General Manager also discussed the addendum to his staff report dated March 11, 2014. This concerned a proposed allowance of an additional allotment for large households and second units, starting from a base of 125 gallons per day for three residents and using a sliding scale based upon the total number of residents in a unit.
The General Manager received confirmation from Steve Ortega, G.G.N.R.A. that the showers, probably the largest use of water, have been locked off. A former well located in the park parking lot has been abandoned per County standards.
The General Manager met with Toby, Treasurer Stemen and Allan Richards of Stetson Engineers to request a proposal for his firm to assist the District with applying for possible government grants to develop additional water sources. This matter is an agenda item which will be discussed at this afternoon's Water Operations Committee meeting.
The Board noted that this is the 3rd year of drought and a viable plan must be set up for future water crises. In response to the Board's request for ideas and input from the community, local resident Tara Evans distributed a proposed Increased Water Allocation Request Form that she had prepared. The form requests applicants to provide household data and current water conservation efforts. The Board also reviewed letters from the public.
To assist the Board in focusing its discussion, Director Cross presented Draft Rules and Regulations to Enforce Drought Rationing that she had authored, as authorized by the Draft Ordinance. The Rules and Regulations were organized into the following sections:
1. RESIDENTIAL USE: A. Additional Allotments for Large Households B. Procedure for Obtaining Additional Allotments. C. Additional Allotments Where Two or More Households are Served by One Meter. D. Procedure for Obtaining Additional Allotments for Multi-Residential Users. E. Additional Allotments where Medically Necessary. 2. COMMERCIAL USE. 3. ENFORCEMENT.
Where four full time residents occupy a single household, the maximum daily allowance may be increased as follows: Four residents - 145 gallons per day; five residents - 160 gallons per day; six residents - 175 gallons per day, 7 or more residents - a cap of 185 gallons per day. The applicant must verify full time residency. The General Manager will approve or disapprove a request for an additional allotment. The applicant may appeal the General Manager's decision to the Board. Multi-Residental Users served by one meter will be limited to the lesser of 125 gallons per day per apartment or 80% of their monthly usage for 2013. Applicant shall provide the General Manager with a letter from a doctor verifying additional water usage needed for a medical condition. Commercial users continue to be requested to voluntarily reduce their water usage by 20%. A member of the Board stated that applications should be signed by the applicant by an oath under penalty of perjury. The applicant should also verify that he/she has installed low flow shower heads, low flow toilets, efficient clothes washers.
The Board listened, duly noted and appreciated comments from the audience. Due to the recent rains and increased water supply, Vice President Baskin suggested that the Board postpone the effective date of rationing under Draft Ordinance GB-2014-02 from April 1, 2014 to May 1, 2014. The Board's plan is to continue to postpone the rationing implementation month by month as long as the District's water supply continues to meet demand. The Draft Ordinance as well as Enforcement regulations will be discussed in more depth at the Saturday, March 15, Board meeting.
E. ADJOURNMENT
The motion to adjourn the meeting was approved by unanimous vote. The meeting was
adjourned at 10:47 a.m.