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Minutes - CAC - 2024-01-10COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING JANUARY 10, 2024 CAC Members present Jeff Arbour, Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dickie Fernandez, Dean Fisher, Sue Lester, Francesca Normington, Michael Tou CAC Members absent Daniel Baume, Annette Watson Board Members present Art Perry, Michael Scheafer Staff present Scott Carroll (General Manager), Gina Terraneo (Management Analyst II), Angela Colunga (Administrative Assistant I), Marissa Pereyda (Management Analyst II), Mark Esquer (District Engineer) Others present Adam Probolsky, Probolsky Research Mike Balliet, Michael Balliet Consulting Meeting called to order at 6:00 P.M. A. OPENING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Call to Order Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair Lester called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Procedural: 2. Roll Call COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 2 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 10, 2024 Management Analyst II, Gina Terraneo, conducted roll call. She noted that CAC Members Arbour, Brenneman, Chora, Fernandez, Fisher, Lester, and Normington were present, while CAC Members Baume, Tou, and Watson were not present at this time. 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 Lester opened public comments. Hearing none, she closed public comments. B. ITEMS Action: 1. Approve the Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of November 8, 2023 Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee approves the meeting minutes as presented. CAC Chair Lester introduced the item. Motion: To approve the meeting minutes as presented. Motion by Dean Fisher, seconded by Dickie Fernandez. Final Resolution: Motion carries 7-0-0-3 Ayes: Jeff Arbour, Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dean Fisher, Dickie Fernandez, Sue Lester, Francesca Normington No: None Abstain: None Not Present: Daniel Baume, Michael Tou, Annette Watson There was no further discussion. Action: 2. Receive and File Waste Composition Studies #7 and #8 from Michael Balliet Consulting Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receive and file Waste Composition Studies #7 and #8 from Michael Balliet Consulting. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 3 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 10, 2024 General Manager, Scott Carroll, introduced the item and the District's solid waste consultant, Mike Balliet of Michael Balliet Consulting. Mr. Balliet provided report details. He stated that study #7 contained more green waste than the previous studies but that study #8 had the lowest green waste contamination of any area analyzed. He recommended to continue educating customers on placing food and green waste in the correct cart. Discussion followed regarding cart contamination due to holiday food waste. CAC Member Fernandez inquired about which plastics are recyclable. Mr. Balliet stated that plastics #1 and #2 are highly recyclable. He discussed the effects of China's Green Sword policy on plastics recycling. He stated that CR&R is constantly looking for markets that accept all types of plastics and noted that their annual master manifest report will provide further information. Discussion followed regarding the closure of the Orange Coast College (OCC) Recycling Center and the City of Costa Mesa's home recycling program. President Scheafer asked how the City's home recycling program affects Senate Bill (SB) 1383 regulations. Mr. Balliet stated that SB 1383 addresses organic waste. He stated that properties without enough space for organic waste carts and dumpsters may be able to apply for a space constraint waiver. However, he noted that space constraint waivers do not apply to recycling carts and dumpsters, so the City is trying to offer an alternative solution with its home recycling program. Discussion followed regarding recycling revenue. General Manager, Scott Carroll, stated that plastics #1 through #7 will be accepted in the District's blue recycling cart that will be issued in the fall of 2024. He shared that the OCC Recycling Center is currently working with a third -party operator to reopen and noted that they will be providing a status update at the upcoming City/Districts Liaison Committee Meeting. He added that the District has shared its concerns with the City in relation to its home COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 4 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 10, 2024 recycling program. He stated that the revenue from the recyclables collected through the District's current two -cart system helps offset CR&R's costs and that the City's home recycling program may affect the District's trash rates. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. Action: 3. Receive and File 2023 Community Survey Results Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receives and files this report. Mr. Carroll introduced the item and Adam Probolsky of Probolsky Research. Mr. Probolsky presented report details and discussed survey results and key findings. He provided the responses for each survey question and presented the demographics of survey respondents. CAC Vice Chair Tou entered the meeting at 6:29 p.m. CAC Chair Lester asked why the surveyors did not ask respondents why they called the District (as a follow-up to questions gauging satisfaction with customer service over the phone). Mr. Probolsky stated that the survey had a limited number of questions and surveyors were not able to expand on each topic. He added that the District may have an internal tracking system for customer phone calls. He continued presenting the survey results. CAC Member Normington inquired about the survey's results regarding satisfaction with the District's Sewer Inspection Rebate Program (SIRP). Mr. Probolsky stated that the satisfaction results pertain to respondents who have participated in SIRP. He continued presenting the survey results and demographic information. Discussion followed regarding additional pickup days for trash service and space constraints for carts. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 5 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 10, 2024 CAC Member Chora asked if the survey includes a map highlighting respondents' locations. Mr. Probolsky stated that the survey collected internet protocol (IP) addresses but not physical addresses. Discussion followed regarding the survey's methodology and demographics. CAC Chair Lester inquired about the survey's summary sheets. Mr. Probolsky provided information on the survey's cross tabulated results. He discussed the recommended opportunities for improvement, such as improving trash collection service and increasing customer awareness of special programs. Mr. Carroll stated that the Board has already received this presentation. He shared that he will be meeting with the District's outreach team to discuss the survey's opportunities for improvement. CAC Chair Lester asked if the Board had any questions or concerns regarding the survey. Management Analyst II, Marissa Pereyda, shared that the Board requested historical data on District surveys, which was presented at the January Study Session. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. Action: 4. Receive and File CR&R FY 2022-23 Annual Performance Review Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receives and files the FY 2022-23 CR&R Annual Performance Review. Ms. Pereyda presented report details. She stated that the performance review found that CR&R demonstrated acceptable compliance for the year in review with some unsatisfactory areas in need of improvement. Discussion followed regarding the District's waste diversion goals. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 6 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 10, 2024 Ms. Pereyda stated that about 95% of all organic waste collected is being diverted from the landfills. CAC Member Normington asked how CR&R has improved in servicing large item pickup requests. Ms. Pereyda stated that CR&R added an additional truck and route to reduce the waiting period from four to two weeks. Mr. Carroll added that CR&R also experienced issues with retaining and hiring drivers. CAC Member Chora commented that she dropped off her large items at the local dump due to CR&R's lack of adequate service. She thanked CR&R for improving the program. Discussion followed regarding CR&R's 5% Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase and net to hauler rate. Mr. Carroll stated that District staff can calculate CR&R's current net to hauler rate to determine if it is below the average rate within Orange County. CAC Chair Lester inquired about delays in cart deliveries. Mr. Carroll stated that service delays were a result of driver issues. CAC Chair Lester inquired about the review section pertaining to insurance, bonds, indemnifications, and default on damages. Ms. Pereyda stated that there was nothing to report for those items. CAC Chair Lester stated that the performance review only reports on missed collections submitted to the District. She noted that this information is inaccurate since the District does not know how many customers are calling CR&R directly regarding missed collections. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 7 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 10, 2024 Mr. Carroll stated that District staff will ask CR&R how they track customer service calls. CAC Chair Lester commented on past practices for tracking missed collections. She inquired about the performance of CR&R's Sustainability Specialist. Mr. Carroll shared that the District can pursue Equated damages for the Sustainability Specialist's lack of performance. Ms. Pereyda stated that the District began working with a new Sustainability Specialist in May 2023, who is currently performing cart -to -cart audits and outreach. She noted that District staff is brainstorming additional items for that position to fulfill their commitment of 20 hours of work. CAC Member Chora suggested for the District to request that CR&R provide the services required of them rather than pursuing compensation for unfulfilled services. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. Action: 5.2024 Costa Mesa Sanitary District and Community Events Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receive and file the report. Mr. Carroll presented report details. CAC Chair Lester asked for this item to be emailed to all CAC members. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. Action: 6. FY 2023-24 Work Plan Update Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receives and files the report. Mr. Carroll presented report details. He noted that the findings of the Solid Waste Rate Study will be presented at the March or May CAC meeting. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 8 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD JANUARY 10, 2024 There was no discussion, and the report was received. C. CLOSING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Committee Member Comments CAC Member Brenneman inquired about volunteering for District events. CAC Member Arbour thanked District staff for their hard work. CAC Chair Lester inquired about the City/Districts Liaison Committee Meeting. She reminded CAC members to review the guidelines for attending CAC meetings and Board meetings. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 2. Board/Staff Comments There was no discussion. Procedural: 3. Adjournment CAC Chair Lester adjourned the meeting at 7:25 p.m. and stated that the next CAC meeting is scheduled for March 13, 2023. f Sue Lester Citizens Advisory Committee Chair