Loading...
Minutes - CAC - 2022-01-12COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING JANUARY 12, 2022 NOTE: THIS TELECONFERENCED MEETING WAS CONDUCTEDUTILIZING ELECTRONIC MEANS CONSISTENT WITH STATE OF CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY BILL 361(GOV. CODE 54953(B)(3)). CAC Members present Jeff Arbour, Daniel Baume, Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dickie Fernandez, Judy Gielow, Seth Greiner, Elodie Katz, Sue Lester CAC Members absent Mike Corcoran, Phil Marsh Board Members present None Staff present Scott Carroll (General Manager), Noelani Middenway (District Clerk & Public Information Officer), Kaitlin Tran (Finance Manager), Mark Esquer (District Engineer) Others present None Meeting called to order at 6:00 P.M. A. OPENING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Call to Order Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair Katz called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 2 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 12, 2022 Procedural: 2. Roll Call District Clerk & Public Information Officer, Noelani Middenway, conducted roll call. She noted that CAC Members Arbour, Baume, Brenneman, Chora, Fernandez, Gielow, Greiner, Katz, and Lester were present while CAC Members Corcoran and Marsh were not present. General Manager, Scott Carroll, requested to discuss Item B4 as the first item of the agenda. 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 Katz opened public comments. Hearing none, she closed public comments. B. ITEMS Action: 1. Approve the Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of November 10, 2021 Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee approves the meeting minutes as presented. CAC Chair Katz introduced the item. Motion: To approve the Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of November 10, 2021 as presented. Motion by Seth Greiner, second by Cindy Brenneman. Final Resolution: Motion carries 9-0-0-2 Ayes: Jeff Arbour, Daniel Baume, Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dickie Fernandez, Judy Gielow, Seth Greiner, Elodie Katz, Sue Lester No: None Abstain: None Not Present: Mike Corcoran, Phil Marsh There was no further discussion. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 3 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 12, 2022 Action, Receive and File: 2. Results of the 2021 Citizen Survey Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee provide feedback to staff and receive and file this report. General Manager, Scott Carroll, provided report details. He stated that the 2021 Citizen Survey asked respondents about a three -cart system and recycling behaviors. CAC Member Chora inquired about the District's contract with CR&R. Mr. Carroll stated that the contract is valid for 10 years with the option of an additional 10-year extension. He noted that the District is currently in year two of its contract with CR&R. He added that, due to the regulations established by Senate Bill (SB) 1383, the District will be entering new negotiations with CR&R. He stated that the contract's terms and conditions may change. CAC Member Chora inquired if the District could ask CR&R to hire a subcontractor to process materials that require a high diversion facility. Mr. Carroll confirmed that the District can include that suggestion during the negotiation process. CAC Member Chora recommended comparing the costs between issuing a third waste cart and negotiating with CR&R to utilize a subcontractor. The CAC watched a video recording of True North Research's presentation of the survey results from the November 2021 Board meeting. The presentation can be viewed here. CAC Member Baume suggested that the District should better inform its customers of CR&R's recycling process. He noted that many customers are unaware that the District recycles. CAC Member Chora stated that a two -cart or three -cart system depends on diversion rates. She added that a three -cart system may result in a higher diversion rate than a two -cart system that utilizes a "dirty" Materials COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 4 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 12, 2022 Recovery Facility (MRF). She commented that the survey responses indicate that CR&R is lacking in performance rather than the District. She suggested including additional customer service requirements to CR&R's contract to increase accountability. CAC Vice Chair Lester asked for Mr. Carroll to briefly discuss CR&R's performance benchmarks study. Mr. Carroll stated that, in 2021, CR&R requested a 5.8% rate adjustment. He shared that District staff recommended that the Board of Directors deny the request based on CR&R's performance levels. He added that the Board initially denied the request but agreed to reevaluate it after a six-month review of CR&R's performance. He stated that, in June 2021, the Board adopted eight benchmarks to evaluate CR&R, which include adding new vehicles to the District's fleet of trash trucks and reducing missed trash pickups. He noted that CR&R failed to achieve all eight benchmarks after the six-month period and that the Board denied their request for a rate adjustment. He added that the District will continue to monitor the benchmarks for another six months. He shared that CR&R currently has 40 drivers who have called out sick due to COVID-19. CAC Member Chora stated that CR&R's poor customer service requires District staff to perform additional customer service by answering calls and emails that would otherwise be addressed by CR&R. She recommended for CR&R to conduct an independent study of their service. CAC Vice Chair Lester expressed recognition for the District's public outreach efforts. She discussed the District's ordinance regarding SB 1383. She inquired about the City of Costa Mesa's efforts to inform their solid waste customers about SB 1383 regulations. Mr. Carroll shared that the City has adopted an SB 1383 ordinance. He discussed the City's open market for waste haulers. He noted that the City is considering issuing a bid for an exclusive waste hauler to provide service to commercial and multi -family properties. He added that it is currently the waste haulers' responsibility to educate its customers about SB 1383. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 5 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 12, 2022 CAC Chair Katz inquired about the survey results regarding District awareness. Mr. Carroll stated that, according to the survey results, 86.5% of respondents indicated that they have heard of the District. He attributed the increase in awareness to District staffs public outreach efforts and the partnership with its communications consultant, Tripepi Smith. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. Action: 3. Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for the Year Ended June 3092021 Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee provide feedback to staff regarding the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for the Year Ended June 30, 2021. The CAC agreed to move this item to the next meeting agenda. Action: 4. Proposed Drought Tolerant Landscape Preliminary Design for District Headquarters Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee provide feedback to staff. Mr. Carroll provided report details. He shared that the District hired David Volz Design (DVD) Landscape Architects, Inc. of Costa Mesa to provide general landscape architecture and design services. He introduced Eric Sterling, Senior Landscape Architect of DVD Landscape Architects, Inc. Mr. Sterling stated that he has been designing landscapes for public works projects for 25 years. He shared that they will be creating a turf replacement project to provide an aesthetic landscape and to conserve water. He reviewed the challenges of the project, which include tree removal and sidewalk improvements. He discussed the project's construction drawings and grading plan. He presented the preliminary landscape plans. Mr. Carroll discussed the challenges regarding sidewalk improvements. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 6 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 12, 2022 Mr. Sterling continued his presentation of the preliminary landscape plans. He shared the comments provided by the City of Costa Mesa for each design plan. He noted that the estimated water savings will be provided after the irrigation system is designed. He added that the goal is a 60-70% reduction in water usage. He presented the suggested plants, rocks, and shrubs for each design layout. He addressed the comments submitted by CAC Chair Katz regarding a bioswale to capture water, incorporating native plants into the design plans, and installing a demonstration garden. CAC Chair Katz stated that she submitted her comments prior to the meeting. She shared that the Mesa Water District has three demonstration gardens. Discussion followed regarding clay soil and rainwater capture. CAC Chair Katz shared that she has native plants at her residence, which tend to be dormant during the summer months. Discussion followed regarding installing a demonstration garden at District Headquarters, establishing an outdoor community space, and programming ideas. Mr. Carroll stated that the second phase of this project will focus on upgrading the parking lot area of District Headquarters. CAC Member Chora thanked Mr. Sterling for his presentation. She expressed support for installing a bioswale and incorporating native plants and sustainable practices. CAC Vice Chair Lester thanked Mr. Sterling for his presentation. She expressed support for native plants and incorporating sustainable practices. She discussed the benefits of including plants that encourage pollination. Mr. Sterling expressed support for incorporating a pollinator garden or a butterfly garden. There was no further discussion. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 7 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 12, 2022 C. CLOSING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Committee Member Comments CAC Chair Katz thanked District staff for their efforts to inform the public about trash delays. CAC Vice Chair Lester inquired about CR&R's request for a Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate adjustment in relation to their accepted bid amount. Discussion followed regarding CR&R's CPI requests and their financial impacts to the District's Solid Waste Fund. District Engineer, Mark Esquer, discussed factors contributing to CPI increases and requests. He noted that most waste haulers are requesting CPI increases, but the District requires CR&R's performance to be reviewed prior to approving a CPI request. CAC Member Chora commented that there are multiple opportunities for a waste hauler to include hidden costs in their contract. CAC Chair Katz requested for the CAC to review the District's negotiations with CR&R. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 2. Board/Staff Comments None. Procedural: 3. Adjournment CAC Chair Katz adjourned the meeting at 7:37 P.M and stated that the next CAC meeting is scheduled for March 9, 2022. t Elodie Katz Citizens Advisory Committee Chair