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Record of Proceedings

Utilities Rate Advisory Commission Meeting - September 26, 2012

Utilities Rate Advisory Commission — Wednesday, September 26, 2012
BodySacramento, California
SessionUtilities Rate Advisory Commission
DateWednesday, September 26, 2012
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Christopher Butcher.

0:05

Okay, it is uh it looks like it's just a minute after 530, so 531, and uh we are calling the UREC meeting to order.

0:16

And with that, would the Secretary please take the roll?

0:20

Kevin Schubert?

0:24

Douglas Brown?

0:26

Here Stephen Archibald?

0:28

Here.

0:29

Karen McBride?

0:30

Here.

0:31

Scott Brown.

0:33

Here.

0:33

Carolyn Vilhunter.

0:35

Here.

0:36

Okay.

0:36

The Commission has a quorum.

0:38

And we have a few quick meeting announcements.

0:41

This meeting is being video streamed and can be viewed on the city's website or viewed later from the archive files.

0:47

Please silence all cell phone and mobile devices.

0:50

If you wish to speak tonight, please complete a speaker slip located in the back of the room and return to me at any time.

0:56

Should you need assistance listening?

0:58

If should you need assisted listening devices, they're available from me upon request.

1:06

Thank you.

1:06

And are you, Stephanie?

1:11

Are you Stephanie?

1:12

Yes.

1:13

Thank you, Stephanie.

1:17

I'm just happy to have you.

1:19

Thank you.

1:20

So okay with that.

1:22

I think we can jump to the consent calendar and the approval of the minutes.

1:26

Is any discussion on the minutes?

1:29

Can we have a motion to approve the minutes?

1:33

So we have a do we have a second?

1:37

Oh second.

1:38

All right, we have uh motion and a second.

1:41

And with that, we're going to take a vote.

1:43

All in favor, say aye.

1:45

Aye.

1:46

Aye.

1:46

Any opposed?

1:49

The motion is approved.

1:51

Okay.

1:52

Moving on to the discussion action reports.

1:55

The first item is the 2013 URAC meeting calendar.

2:01

Um I'm Aaron Treadwell.

2:04

I am the new staff to the URAC and I also work for the Solid Waste and Recycling Division.

2:08

Um of the things that the clerk's office has brought to our attention is they're going to be doing scheduling differently next year.

2:16

Uh in the past, the second and fourth Wednesday of every month has been uh reserved, or this council chamber has been reserved for the URC.

2:25

Um they're finding that uh with the increased demand on the use of the council chambers, rather than blocking dates a year in advance for meetings we may or may not have, they are requesting that uh commission such as the URAC provide a uh calendar in advance for the year of the of what we think we might need to use.

2:45

Um the URC is under some restrictions in terms of meetings.

2:49

We have to meet quarterly, but we can meet no, you can meet no more than 12 times uh in one calendar year.

2:56

Uh so the staff recommendation before you is to pick a Wednesday.

3:00

Uh we have second and fourth Wednesdays have traditionally been the URAC dates.

3:04

Um so we're looking at wanting to bring to your attention what what date for 2013 uh would you like to have held for uh for URAC.

3:16

Um there's not an expectation that we would meet every month, but it would probably be helpful to have a meeting date reserved every month so as a topic comes up that is of particular interest and we have to continue to pursue it.

3:28

You know you have a meeting date in the next month to um to hold a meeting, and of course, on the months that we don't have a meeting, we would uh cancel the meeting and release the council chambers for other use.

3:39

So uh the report includes a list of the second and fourth Wednesdays for 2013 and also uh you have a full uh 2013 calendar to use to kind of make it take a look at what might be the most uh useful and effective.

3:57

With that, can we have some discussion?

3:59

Any preferences for dates.

4:08

Okay, Commissioner Archibald.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████28%
Water Management████████████████16%
Budget and Finance███████████████15%
Procedural█████████9%
Public Works████████8%
Capital Improvement Planning███████7%
Calendar Management█████5%
Public Outreach█████5%
Utility Rate Assistance Program███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Utilities Rate Advisory Commission Meeting - September 26, 2012

The Utilities Rate Advisory Commission (URAC) met on September 26, 2012, at 5:34 p.m. at New City Hall. The commission approved the previous meeting minutes, adopted the 2013 meeting calendar, and received an update on the Rate Increase Revenue Accountability Plan, covering financing, public outreach, utility rate assistance, and capital improvement programming.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes for May 23, 2012: Motion by Steven Archibald, seconded by Scott Brown; all in favor. Minutes approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • 2013 URAC Meeting Calendar: Staff presented options for reserving meeting dates. After discussion, the commission adopted fourth Wednesdays of each month, except November and December, which will be second Wednesdays, to avoid conflicts with holidays. Motion passed unanimously.
  • Rate Increase Revenue Accountability Plan Update: Dave Brent (Director of Utilities) and staff presented updates on:
    • Financing: The city is preparing to issue revenue bonds for water (~$250 million) and wastewater (~$25–30 million) in early 2013. The financing team includes city departments and consultants; a feasibility report is being drafted. Rating agencies will be approached in December. Commissioners asked about bond purchasing eligibility for individuals; staff noted bonds are primarily sold in large blocks to institutional investors.
    • Public Outreach: The CIP website has been updated with project one-sheets and approved project lists. Outreach will intensify during bond financing. Commissioner Archibald noted the Solid Waste Division still appeared under Utilities online; staff committed to fixing the website soon.
    • Utility Rate Assistance Program: Council directed creation of a program for residential customers at or below 100% of poverty level. An internal stakeholder group is working on implementation, with a full public launch planned for January 2013.
    • Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Programming Guide: Bill Busath presented the guide, covering asset management, prioritization methodology (using condition and criticality), and research & development efforts (e.g., smart ball testing, C-value testing, pipe forensics with UC Davis). Over 75% of wastewater projects are regulatory-driven; on the water side, the $150 million water treatment plant is driven by asset management. The commission received and filed the report.
  • Commissioner questions also addressed cash flow (no bond anticipation note needed), regulatory drivers for projects, status of advanced metering infrastructure (customer online portal expected in 2013), and use of project one-sheets (not for bidding but for public transparency).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Minutes approved unanimously.
  • 2013 Meeting Calendar: Adopted with modification (fourth Wednesday except November/December second Wednesday). Vote: all aye.
  • Accountability Plan Update: Received and filed; no formal vote taken.
  • Commission Ideas & Announcements: New commissioner Christopher Butcher introduced. Discussion about website correction for Solid Waste Division – staff stated it should be resolved soon.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:44 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Christopher Butcher. Okay, it is uh it looks like it's just a minute after 530, so 531, and uh we are calling the UREC meeting to order. And with that, would the Secretary please take the roll? Kevin Schubert? Douglas Brown? Here Stephen Archibald? Here. Karen McBride? Here. Scott Brown. Here. Carolyn Vilhunter. Here. Okay. The Commission has a quorum. And we have a few quick meeting announcements. This meeting is being video streamed and can be viewed on the city's website or viewed later from the archive files. Please silence all cell phone and mobile devices. If you wish to speak tonight, please complete a speaker slip located in the back of the room and return to me at any time. Should you need assistance listening? If should you need assisted listening devices, they're available from me upon request. Thank you. And are you, Stephanie? Are you Stephanie? Yes. Thank you, Stephanie. I'm just happy to have you. Thank you. So okay with that. I think we can jump to the consent calendar and the approval of the minutes. Is any discussion on the minutes? Can we have a motion to approve the minutes? So we have a do we have a second? Oh second. All right, we have uh motion and a second. And with that, we're going to take a vote. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion is approved. Okay. Moving on to the discussion action reports. The first item is the 2013 URAC meeting calendar. Um I'm Aaron Treadwell. I am the new staff to the URAC and I also work for the Solid Waste and Recycling Division. Um of the things that the clerk's office has brought to our attention is they're going to be doing scheduling differently next year. Uh in the past, the second and fourth Wednesday of every month has been uh reserved, or this council chamber has been reserved for the URC. Um they're finding that uh with the increased demand on the use of the council chambers, rather than blocking dates a year in advance for meetings we may or may not have, they are requesting that uh commission such as the URAC provide a uh calendar in advance for the year of the of what we think we might need to use. Um the URC is under some restrictions in terms of meetings.

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