Loading...
Minutes - CAC - 2022-05-11COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MAY 11, 2022 NOTE: This hybrid in -person and teleconferenced meeting will utilize electronic means consistent with State of California Assembly Bill 361 (Gov. Code § 54953(b)(3)). CAC Members present Jeff Arbour, Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dickie Fernandez, Dean Fisher, Judy Gielow, Elodie Katz, Sue Lester, Michael Tou CAC Members absent Annette Watson, Daniel Baume Board Members present Vice President Scheafer Staff present Scott Carroll (General Manager), Noelani Middenway (District Clerk & Public Information Officer), Dyana Bojarski (Administrative Services Manager), Gina Terraneo (Management Analyst II), 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 MAY 11, 2022 Procedural: 2. Introduction of New Citizen Advisory Committee Members CAC Chair Katz introduced the returning members and new members. She reminded the CAC members to attend at least one Board meeting per year. Procedural: 3. Roll Call District Clerk & Public Information Officer, Noelani Middenway, conducted roll call. She noted that CAC Members Arbour, Brenneman, Chora, Fernandez, Fisher, Katz, Lester, and Tou were present, while CAC Members Baume, Gielow, and Watson were not present at this time. Procedural: 4. 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 March 9, 2022 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 March 9, 2022. Motion by Rosemarie Chora, second by Cindy Brenneman. Final Resolution: Motion carries 4-0-4-3 Ayes: Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dickie Fernandez, Elodie Katz No: None Abstain: Jeff Arbour, Dean Fisher, Sue Lester, Michael Tou Not Present: Daniel Baume, Judith Gielow, Annette Watson COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 3 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENs ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 11, 2022 There was no further discussion. Action: 2. Bilingual Pay Recommendation: That the Citizen's Advisory Committee recommend the Board of Directors consider adopting bilingual pay as special pay. CAC Chair Katz introduced the item. General Manager, Scott Carroll, welcomed the new CAC members and introduced Administrative Services Manager, Dyana Bojarski. Ms. Bojarski presented report details. She reported that the District's service area includes approximately 29% Spanish speakers. She shared that the District has promoted their services through public outreach campaigns in both English and Spanish since 2018. She noted that the District does not offer bilingual pay to employees who are required to use their bilingual skills on assignments outside of their prescribed job duties. She stated that District staff is proposing bilingual pay as a form of special pay for employees who have been certified for translation services. She discussed the average rates of bilingual pay for speaking, reading, and writing. She stated that District employees who are eligible for bilingual pay will receive a monthly amount of $140 for speaking skills and $180 for speaking, reading, and writing. She noted that employees will be required to pass a proficiency test for certification. She added that certified employees will be designated as District translators. She added that there is sufficient funding in the current budget for one bilingual employee. CAC Member Tou asked if the District has a bilingual services consultant. Ms. Bojarski stated that the District has one employee who is performing bilingual services but is not being compensated for it. She noted that it would cost about $70 per hour for a bilingual services consultant, and they would not be able to answer District phone calls. CAC Member Tou asked if this policy would be extended to other employees in the future. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 4 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 11, 2022 Ms. Bojarski stated that the General Manager would have the discretion to extend this policy to other qualified employees. CAC Vice Chair Lester shared that, based on her experience in human resources, her past employers have compensated certified bilingual employees with special pay. She stated that the District's bilingual pay rate is very reasonable. She noted that there is a significant amount of Spanish speakers in the community, and that there are a lot of different positions within the City of Costa Mesa that qualify for bilingual pay, such as police and fire staff. She expressed support for compensating the employee who is already performing bilingual services with bilingual pay. CAC Member Chora expressed support for CAC Vice Chair Lester's comments. She stated that the District needs to be responsive to its Spanish- speaking customers. She noted that Senate Bill (SB) 1383 might include regulations related to language and that its threshold for translation requirements might be lower than 25%. She noted that the District's bilingual pay rate is comparable to other local agencies. CAC Chair Katz asked if the employee who is performing bilingual services was hired in their specific position to perform such duties. Ms. Bojarski stated that bilingual services were added to the employee's job duties after they were hired. She noted that it is not included in their job description. CAC Chair Katz asked if the District is legally obligated to provide bilingual pay or if this policy is intended to assist with employee retention. Mr. Carroll stated that District staff is not aware if the policy is a legal requirement. He noted that he will research SB 1383's requirements for translation services. He shared that District staff initiated Spanish translation services to improve its public outreach efforts. CAC Chair Katz asked if bilingual pay will be associated with the job position or the employee. COSTA MESA SANrrARY DISTRICT PAGE 5 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMrrrEE MEETING HELD MAY 11, 2022 Mr. Carroll stated that it will not be applied to the position since many positions provide customer service. CAC Chair Katz suggested for the proposed policy to be reviewed by the District's legal counsel. She expressed support for providing translation services. She asked if District events are heavily attended by Spanish speaking customers. She asked if there are other opportunities to verbally engage with Spanish speakers. Mr. Carroll stated that it is hard to determine how many Spanish speakers attend District events. He noted that the Costa Mesa -Newport Harbor Lion Club's Fish Fry event attracts a large Hispanic population. He added that the District would encourage staff to attend more events in order to connect with harder to reach populations. Discussion followed regarding the Fish Fry event. CAC Member Chora stated that the designation of bilingual pay to an employee rather than a position gives the District more flexibility. She discussed the value of having bilingual staff in the office and in the field. CAC Member Tou asked about the number of calls the District receives from Spanish speakers. Mr. Carroll stated that he does not have that information but can start tracking it. CAC Chair Katz inquired about other agencies' thresholds for providing translation services. Ms. Bojarski stated that the District's survey did not gather that data. She noted that most agencies provide bilingual pay for multiple languages. CAC Member Fisher expressed support for providing bilingual pay for services and public outreach. Motion: That the Citizen's Advisory Committee recommends that the Board of Directors considers adopting bilingual pay as special pay. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 6 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMrrrEE MEETING HELD MAY 11, 2022 Motion by Michale Tou, second by Sue Lester. Final Resolution: Motion carries 8-0-3 Ayes: Jeff Arbour, Cindy Brenneman, Rosemarie Chora, Dickie Fernandez, Dean Fisher, Elodie Katz, Sue Lester, Michael Tou No: None Not Present: Daniel Baume, Judith Gielow, Annette Watson There was no further discussion. Action, Receive and File: 3. Battery Recycling Contest — Final Report Recommendation: That the Citizens Advisory Committee receive and file the report. CAC Chair Katz introduced the item. Mr. Carroll discussed the origins of the Battery Recycling Program. He provided report details and noted that Killybrooke Elementary earned first place. He added that the program is popular and that students learn how to recycle batteries and the importance of keeping them out of landfills. CAC Member Tou asked about the next steps for the program and if all schools in the community are invited to participate. Mr. Carroll stated that the program will continue to be funded and that it is available to all public and private schools. He noted that District staff reaches out to all schools to encourage participation. CAC Chair Katz expressed support for the program and asked if participation declined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Carroll stated that there is not an exact reason for the slight decline in participation. He noted that the program requires coordination from school staff to have the batteries collected. CAC Chair Katz asked if District staff visits the schools to present the program or if teachers are required to inform students of the program. COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 7 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 11, 2022 Mr. Carroll stated that the District provides teachers with the tools to present the program. He shared that District staff and a Board member will present a large check to the top winners. He noted that the District did not present a check this year but has done it in the past and may do so in the future. CAC Chair Katz asked if the programs structure has changed. Mr. Carroll stated that the program was updated to allow more schools to win prize money. CAC Member Chora suggested to translate the program's flyer into Spanish. She recommended providing program information to share on schools' websites. CAC Member Brenneman stated that the program flyer is bilingual (English and Spanish). She inquired about the programs funding by CalRecycle. Mr. Carroll stated that CalRecycle provides grant funding for household hazardous waste (HHW) collection and outreach. He noted that, in previous years, the program was funded by the District. There was no further discussion, and the report was received. C. CLOSING ITEMS Procedural: 1. Committee Member Comments CAC Member Brenneman recommended reaching out to Hispanic community leaders to join the CAC so that the District can better address their needs. CAC Member Ferndndez shared that he speaks Spanish and offered to assist with recruiting more Hispanic community members. CAC Vice Chair Lester commented that she was absent for the March CAC meeting, which discussed a three -cart system. She inquired about the City of Costa Mesa's communication efforts regarding organics recycling for multifamily properties. She expressed concern for the City's lack of COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 8 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 11, 2022 education on this matter and for residents receiving future fines for not properly sorting their waste. She suggested for CAC members to attend City Council meetings to discuss this issue. CAC Member Gielow entered the meeting at 6:35 p.m. Mr. Carroll commented that the District has been working with the City on addressing SB 1383. He suggested contacting the City's Sustainability Manager to discuss organics recycling for multifamily properties. He noted that he is unaware of their SB 1383 outreach plan. CAC Vice Chair Lester commented that the City's Earth Day event was well - attended. She expressed recognition for the District's representation. She discussed term limits for District Board members. She commented that it is reckless for any elected position to not have term limits. She noted that she will be sharing these concerns at an upcoming Board meeting. She shared that the City is hosting more events this year and encouraged the District to participate. She inquired about the District and the City hosting a shredding event. Mr. Carroll shared that the District is preparing to advertise for its upcoming compost and shredding event at Estancia High School on June 11, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. CAC Member Arbour inquired about the District's compost supply. Mr. Carroll stated that the compost is supplied by CR&R, and it's made from residential organic waste. CAC Chair Katz inquired about staffing for the event. Mr. Carroll stated that District staff will be working the event. CAC Member Brenneman offered to volunteer for the event. Mr. Carroll requested for CAC members to send an email if they are interested in volunteering. CAC Chair Katz inquired about the District's Citizens Environmental Protection Academy (CEPA). COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT PAGE 9 MINUTES OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD MAY 11, 2022 Ms. Middenway stated that the District is planning to host CEPA in the fall. She added that the event may consist of virtual and in -person components. CAC Vice Chair Lester expressed support for CEPA. Mr. Carroll shared that CR&R's Anaerobic Digestion Facility is available for public tours. He noted that CR&R's Materials Recovery Facility is currently not open to the public. CAC Chair Katz asked for an update on the three -cart proposal. Mr. Carroll stated that the District will discuss its contract negotiations with CR&R at the July CAC meeting. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 2. Board/Staff Comments Vice President Scheafer welcomed the new CAC members. He shared that the CAC's discussions have an impact on the Board's decisions. He noted that he has supported the CAC since its inception and expressed recognition for each member's credentials. There was no further discussion. Procedural: 3. Adjournment CAC Chair Katz adjourned the meeting at 6:48 P.M and stated that the next CAC meeting is scheduled for July 13, 2022. Elodie Katz Citizens Advisory Committee Chair