Utility Advisory Committee

City Hall Meeting Minutes 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Utility Advisory Committee Contact: Andy Haub 360.753.8475 Thursday, February 2, 2017 5:40 PM City Hall, Room 207 1. Call to Order Chair Curtz called the meeting to order at 5:43 p.m. 1.A Roll Call Present: 5 - Chair Thad Curtz, Committee member Austin Hildreth, Committee member Steve Fossum, Committee member Arland Schneider and Committee member Jeremy Twitchell Absent: 4 - Vice Chair Michelle Barnett, Committee member Dever Kuni, Committee member Roger Wilson and Committee member Chase Gallagher 2. Approval of Agenda The agenda was approved. 3. Approval of Minutes 17-0071 Approval of December 1, 2016 UAC Meeting Minutes The minutes were approved. 4. Pubilc Comment - None 5. Announcements from UAC and Staff Chair Curtz informed UAC members that Home Depot sells 60 watt LED bulbs for $1.53 each. He noted this is the most affordable price he's noticed for LED bulbs. Water Resources Engineering and Planning Manager Eric Christensen attended the UAC meeting on behalf of Staff Liaison Andy Haub and provided the following announcements: Mr. Haub could not attend the meeting because he is representing the City of Olympia at the signing ceremony at the Nisqually Indian Tribe for the transfer of ownership of McAllister Springs. The City will move forward in 2017 with installing a "Portland Loo" style toilet at the Artesian Commons Park. The City will also fund two additional port-a-potties in City of Olympia Page 1 Utility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes February 2, 2017 downtown Olympia. Staff is still sorting out the funding for the toilets. Funding will either come from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) or the wastewater utility, or a combination of those funds. The UAC will discuss the item in further detail at the March 2017 UAC meeting. Eric provided a summary of the wastewater tiered rates for 2016: · 18% of customers received the wastewater discount · 12% of customers received a partial discount · 70% of customers paid the standard rate · 2.3% revenue increase over 2015 (2.0% increase in drinking water) LOTT Clean Water Alliance is considering a rebate of the capacity development charge (CDC) for property owners that convert from septic to municipal sewer. City staff is working with LOTT on this rebate. Mr. Christensen provided an update on the following drinking water projects: · Construction of a corrosion control facility began January 30 at the Meridian Reservoir. This will raise the pH of the water coming from the McAllister Wellfield ($2.9 million). · Construction will begin in February on the Fones Road Booster Pump Station ($1.4 million). · The City will open the bid process in February for the construction of the Log Cabin Reservoir ($9 million) . City of Olympia Storm and Surface Water utility has teamed up with the Department of Ecology and other local jurisdictions in the "Don't Drip and Drive" campaign. Citizens are encouraged to visit a participating local auto repair shop to check for leaks and receive a discount on repair services. Mr. Christensen announced the City hired Susan Clark as the new Water Resources Senior Planner. One of her focus areas is the update to the City's Storm and Surface Water Plan. The City just closed the recruitment application period on January 31 for advisory committees. The UAC will have two vacancies this year. City Council decided not to pursue converting the utility billing system to monthly billing. 6. Business Items 17-0099 Approve UAC 2017-2018 Workplan The UAC reviewed the draft 2017-2018 UAC workplan that was included in their meeting packet. They decided to elect new officers (Chair and Vice Chair) at either the March or April meeting. City of Olympia Page 2 Utility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes February 2, 2017 A motion was made and seconded to approve the 2017-2018 work plan and forward it to the Council's General Government Committee for review. The motion passed unanimously. 17-0100 Storm and Surface Water Plan Update Mr. Christensen provided information on the update to the Storm and Surface Water Plan. The Mission of the stormwater utility is to: prevent flooding, improve water quality, and restore aquatic habitat in Olympia. The Plan is the guiding document for the utility. There is no regulatory requirement to have a storm and surface water plan. The current Plan from 2003 was updated in 2010. Staff will maintain most of the current goals and objectives and will develop new strategies in the Plan update. Mr. Christensen shared the most current schedule/timeline for the Plan's update. After some clarifying questions and a brief discussion on the presentation, the UAC thanked him for the briefing. The report was received. 17-0101 Sea Level Rise Response Plan - Update Mr. Christensen provided information on the City's response to sea level rise and noted the following items related to sea level rise: · Staff wrote an article on sea level rise for the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of the Five Things. · The City posted a request for qualificiations (RFP) for the development of a sea level rise response plan. Proposals were due January 23rd. The City will announce the selection of the successful bidder by March. · City of Olympia will hold a community meeting on Wednesday February 8 at the Olympia Center from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Andy Haub will present information on the current science and the response to sea level rise that includes a partnership with the Port of Olympia and LOTT Clean Water Alliance. · City crews recently responded to sea level rise in December and January. Olympia crews work with the State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) to respond to flooding specifically at Capitol Lake. The Lake rises due to the influence of the high tides, the Deschutes River and low barometric pressure. Mr. Christensen was pleased to report the recent predicted high tides did not cause any significant flooding into Heritage Park or the adjacent streets. Mr. Christensen will send the Committee members links to articles with illustrations depicting how ice sheets play a role in sea level rise. After some clarifying questions and a brief discussion on the presentation, the UAC thanked him for the briefing. City of Olympia Page 3 Utility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes February 2, 2017 The report was received. 7. Adjourn Chair Curtz adjourned the meeting at 6:44 p.m. City of Olympia Page 4