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Minutes - CAC - 2020-05-20COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MAY 20, 2020 (TELECONFERENCE MEETING VIA ZOOM) NOTE: THIS MEETING WAS CONDUCTED UTILIZING TELECONFERENCING PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54952.2 AND THE GOVERNOR’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS IN EFFECT WAIVING SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THAT SECTION. CAC Members present Daniel Baume, Mike Carey, Dickie Fernández, Monte Fields, Judy Gielow, Seth Greiner, Elodie Katz, Sue Lester, Phil Marsh, Andrew Nielson, Judy Takaya CAC Members absent None Board Members present Arlene Schafer Staff present Scott Carroll (General Manager), Gina Terraneo (Management Analyst II), Angela Colunga (Office Specialist) Others present None Meeting called to order at 6:00 P.M. A. OPENING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Call to Order CAC Chair Carey called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. Procedural: 2. Roll Call Management Analyst II, Gina Terraneo, conducted roll call. She noted that Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Members Baume, Carey, Fernández, Gielow, Greiner, Katz, Lester, Nielson and Takaya were present. CAC Member Fields arrived at 6:03 P.M., and CAC Member Marsh arrived at 6:27 P.M. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 2 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 20, 2020 _____________________________________________________________________ Procedural: 3. Public Comments - Speakers will be limited to three minutes. The three minutes per speaker time allotted may be extended for good cause by a majority vote of the committee. CAC Chair Carey opened public comments. He noted that the CAC Member Gielow requested to make a public comment. Ms. Terraneo stated that CAC Member Gielow was having technical audio difficulties. She suggested that CAC Member Gielow share her comments during Committee Member & Staff Comments. Seeing no members of the public present and wishing to speak, CAC Chair Carey closed public comments. B. ITEMS Action: 1. Review and Discuss Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee provide feedback and suggestions to staff. General Manager, Scott Carroll provided report details. He reviewed the incorporated edits from the CAC’s previous meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 2020. He resumed the CAC’s discussion of the second element of the Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan which is Solid Waste. CAC Member Gielow requested to discuss the core value of Fiduciary Responsibility within the Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. She stated that the statement associated with Fiduciary Responsibility is the same as the one listed in the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan. She suggested replacing the statement’s adjectives with “fairness,” “justice,” and “impartiality.” Mr. Carroll stated that the District chose the word “competitive” to indicate that the District compares their rates to similar agencies. CAC Member Baume inquired about which word CAC Member Gielow would prefer instead of “competitive.” CAC Member Gielow stated that “impartiality” can replace “competitive.” CAC Member Lester stated that the word “competitive” is a common Human Resources term that is used when describing salaries and benefits. CAC Chair Carey commented that the word “competitive” is not adversarial in the context of Fiduciary Responsibility. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 3 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 20, 2020 _____________________________________________________________________ CAC Member Fernández expressed agreement with CAC Chair Carey and CAC Member Lester. Mr. Carroll noted that he will share CAC Member Gielow’s comment with the Board of Directors. He continued reviewing the associated strategies and action plans for Solid Waste. CAC Vice Chair Katz inquired if the District’s Large Item Collection Program includes additional recyclables like large plastics. She asked if large items such as tree trunks will be processed as organic waste. Mr. Carroll stated that the Large Item Collection Program focuses on recycling white goods and does not include large plastics. He noted that items such as tree trunks will be taken to CR&R’s Anaerobic Digestor. CAC Chair Carey inquired if the District’s waste hauler completes a waste characterization study or if the District hires a contractor to perform the analysis. Mr. Carroll shared that the District’s waste hauler performs a waste characterization study, but not as frequently as District staff prefers. He noted that the District will be hiring consultants to perform additional waste study analyses. CAC Member Greiner inquired about the District’s waste diversion rate in comparison to other districts within Orange County. Mr. Carroll stated that the District diverts residential waste while other districts in the County divert residential and commercial waste. He noted that when comparing solely residential waste to other local districts, the District has the highest rate of diversion. CAC Vice Chair Katz inquired about the waste characterization study in comparison to the CR&R Master Manifest report. Mr. Carroll noted that the waste characterization study takes samples of residential waste to analyze what type of waste is collected. CAC Chair Carey inquired if the District’s plan to increase its Code Enforcement presence will require the Code Enforcement Officer to work additional hours. Mr. Carroll stated that the Code Enforcement Officer will remain a part-time employee, but that the role of the position will be expanded to include more strategies focused on reducing contamination. CAC Member Gielow inquired about the District’s Operations Code regarding the placement of trash carts in alleyways. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 4 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 20, 2020 _____________________________________________________________________ Mr. Carroll clarified that if a resident is required to place their trash cart in an alleyway for service, then the trash cart must be placed on private property and should not block vehicle traffic through the alleyway. CAC Member Gielow shared that the Boy Scouts of America have requested to be informed on the preferred location to perform their American flag ceremonies. Mr. Carroll stated that the District partners with a local Costa Mesa Boy Scout troop that takes the District’s collection of retired flags to a local fire station for a burning ceremony. He noted that more information on the program is posted on the District’s website. CAC Member Gielow inquired about how other local troops can get involved with the District’s American Flag Retirement Drop Box program. Mr. Carroll requested for CAC Member Gielow to share the contact information of additional Costa Mesa Boy Scout troops for further discussion. He reviewed the objective statement and associated strategies and action plans of the third element of the Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan with is Emergency Preparedness. CAC Member Nielson inquired if infectious disease has been included in the District’s emergency preparedness plans. Mr. Carroll noted that the District focuses on emergency preparedness for natural disasters like earthquakes, wind advisories, and floods. CAC Vice Chair Katz inquired if the District has contacted its waste hauler to discuss potential service disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Carroll shared that there have been no disruptions in solid waste services, but all recyclables are currently being processed as regular trash and disposed at the landfills. He stated that all recycling efforts have been suspended due to social distancing guidelines. He noted that diversion rates will decrease due the suspension. CAC Chair Carey stated that there are new protocols to resume waste sorting. Mr. Carroll continued reviewing the associated strategies and action plans of Emergency Preparedness. CAC Vice Chair Katz inquired if the District’s preparation, in conjunction with the Great California Shakeout, will focus more on wastewater than solid waste issues. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 5 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 20, 2020 _____________________________________________________________________ CAC Chair Carey stated that the Great California Shakeout tends to focus on overall earthquake preparedness to develop an emergency plan. CAC Member Baume inquired if the District’s emergency preparedness plans are accessible to the public and if the District keeps an active record of such files. Mr. Carroll stated that the District’s plans are not accessible to the public due to sensitivity issues. He shared that each District staff member has a copy of the District’s emergency preparedness plans as well as additional copies in the District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). CAC Member Fields noted that the Emergency Preparedness element focuses on operational matters rather than administrative strategies and training. He inquired about the ability to contact the District during emergencies and offsite emergency planning locations. Mr. Carroll noted that each administrative staff member has a specific role within the EOC. He shared that the wastewater staff will be in the field to check for damages to infrastructure while the administrative staff will be in the EOC to document information and expenditures, handle logistics, and contact local agencies. He discussed the objective statement and associated strategies and action plans of the fourth element, Partnerships. Secretary Schafer recommended including an action plan in Partnerships that focuses on sharing District information with the California Special Districts Association (CSDA). Mr. Carroll shared that CSDA and the Special District Risk Management Authority (SDRMA) are mentioned in other sections of the Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. CAC Member Nielson expressed recognition for the District’s 75th Anniversary event in October 2019. He recommended that the District hosts a similar type of event biennially. CAC Member Lester inquired about the District’s policy regarding community sponsorships and donation refunds. Mr. Carroll stated that the District sponsors events for advertisement purposes. He noted that if a community event was cancelled, then the event would be required to refund the District’s contribution. CAC Member Baume inquired if the District has made donations to any youth sports organizations. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 6 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 20, 2020 _____________________________________________________________________ Mr. Carroll stated that the District has not been approached by any youth sports organizations for a donation or sponsorship. He noted that the District has donated to Estancia High School. He shared that the District has a contribution application for donations. He discussed the objective statement and associated strategies and action plans of the fifth element, Community Outreach and Communications. Ms. Terraneo provided a detailed explanation for the “Implement a Robust Email Marketing Platform” action plan. CAC Member Lester discussed social media marketing strategies to earn more followers on District platforms. Mr. Carroll shared that the District’s communications consultant, Tripepi Smith, will be assisting the District with public outreach strategies and metrics. He discussed the objective statement and associated strategies and action plans of the sixth element, Administrative Management. CAC Member Fernández shared that he can provide the District with pictures displaying car damage due to missing manhole covers. He expressed support for the District’s composite manhole covers. Mr. Carroll discussed the objective statement and associated strategies and action plans of the seventh element, Human Resources Management. Secretary Schafer shared with the CAC that Mr. Carroll collaborated with District staff to create the Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. CAC Member Fields inquired about an employee hotline to report issues and if the District has a whistleblower policy. Mr. Carroll shared that the District does not have a hotline, but the procedures to report an issue are outlined in the Employee Handbook. He discussed the objective statement and associated strategies and action plans of the eighth element, Finance. The CAC expressed support and recognition for the Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. There was no further discussion. C. CLOSING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Committee Member & Staff Comments COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 7 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 20, 2020 _____________________________________________________________________ CAC Member Gielow stated that the Draft 2020-2025 Strategic Plan is a very thorough examination of District operations. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 2. Adjournment CAC Chair Carey adjourned the meeting at 7:40 P.M Mike Carey Citizens Advisory Committee Chair