Citizens' Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes
October 19, 2006
CAC Members in Attendance: Roberta Simonton (Chair), Russell Burton, Larry Keesen, Jim Legas, and Myrna Poticha
DW Staff: Ed Pokorney, Joe Sloan
Guest: Tim Flynn
Opening Remarks, Agenda & Minutes
The agenda was approved as presented. The minutes were approved after corrections were made to page 2, paragraph 3, change lead to led.
Roberta, on behalf of the CAC, expressed condolences to the family and co-workers of Shawn Patilla. Mr. Patilla was killed in a work-related accident on October 12, 2006.
Rick Sackbauer was not able to attend the meeting but requested a conference call with the members of the CAC. Roberta requested staff and Tim Flynn leave the meeting briefly during the call. Staff and Tim Flynn returned after the call was completed.
Larry suggested the CAC find a way to get the minutes posted and to the Board in a timelier manner. Currently minutes are approved roughly a month after the meeting. If the CAC is to be effective, minutes should be available to the Board prior to their meeting on the second Wednesday of the month. Roberta believes the Board is aware of CAC discussions in general. The CAC sent comments to the Board on the proposed rate increase separately from the minutes. Larry stated the minutes contained a discussion on HOA rate issues which was not included in the memo to the Board. Larry proposed the CAC approve the minutes electronically or by fax as soon after the CAC meeting as possible. Therefore, Joe will send out the draft of the minutes to the CAC by the following Tuesday (5 days after the meeting). Five members of the CAC will need to respond with approvals or corrections by the following Sunday (10 days after the meeting). If corrections are only grammatical, the minutes will be considered approved and distributed. If content corrections are made to the minutes, a second draft will be sent for final approval. The CAC will use this process for a few months before considering it to become part of the bylaws.
Denver Water Staff Update – Ed Pokorney, Director of Planning
Death of DW Employee – Mr. Shawn Patilla was killed in a tragic work-related accident on October 12, 2006. Ed did not know Shawn personally, but it is clear he was well loved and respected by his family, co-workers and community. DW will be conducting an investigation into the cause of this tragic event.
SDCs – The Board is considering an increase for System Development Charges. The proposed increase would be 9.8% average for single-family residential, multi-family and non-residential customers purchasing a ¾-inch tap. Action on this proposed increase is expected at the November 8, 2006 Board meeting. Even with an increase, DW will still have some of the lowest tap fees in the metro area. Russell thanked DW for the early notification process which has been done over that last three years. Although it is true that taps fees are higher in other water districts, DW's fees should be based on costs associated with connecting to the existing system, not in comparison to what other water districts are charging. Russell acknowledged that is DW's current method and hopes it will continue. Tap fees should not be increased simply because fees are lower in other areas.
DW Health Care Costs – The Board has approved changes to DW employee health care coverage. DW, like all other organizations, is struggling to keep health care costs down. In 2007, employees will see changes in the plan resulting in a higher cost to employees. The changes will bring DW more in line with other utilities and government employers.
Xeriscape Garden at Stapleton – DW will work with Denver City Parks to create a new Xeriscape demonstration garden at Stapleton. Russell and Larry both spoke in opposition to the approved project. They believe the developer, Forest City, should cover the costs of this type of project. They would like to see the money used to improve irrigation in existing older parks. More water would be saved by improving antiquated irrigation systems. Denver Botanic Gardens, green houses, HBA and others are encouraging Xeriscape. A demonstration garden is a nice concept, but the funds could be better used in other areas of conservation.
2016 Plan – Donna Pacetti, DW Conservation, has been assigned to work with the City of Denver and other metro municipalities to further the conservation goals of the 2016 plan. Andrew Wallach has left the city but DW understands new staff will be appointed/hired to work with DW on the goal of reducing water usage in parks and other city facilities. The Parks Dept. is the largest customer for DW and possibly where the greatest water savings could be obtained. Ed indicated that the CAC would be kept informed on the 2016 plan.
Security at Administration Building – The administration building, outside of the main floor atrium, will soon be closed to the public. Due to security concerns, changes will be made. The CAC will have to sign in and get "passed" through the security pads at the elevators and stairwells.
Russell asked Ed to comment on the stories in the paper this week which declared the drought was over. Ed responded that DW has heard from farmers, other water providers, state agencies and others who were upset over the stories. As often happens with news reports, the information in the article was accurate, but the headline was created to generate interest. DW's reservoirs are in great shape and the article reflected that reality. However, DW is well aware of the drought concerns in other parts of the state and with other utilities.
CAC Bylaws
The majority of the meeting was spent reviewing the CAC Bylaws. All proposed changes motioned, and unanimously approved by the members with the exception of Section III.4.a. (Except for the representative from the Western Slope, all committee members shall be users of Denver water in their private residences), which would be changed to: Except for the representatives from the Western Slope and the HBA of Metropolitan Denver, all committee members shall be users of Denver water in their private residences. The vote was 3 in favor of the change and 2 opposed to the change. Following a lengthy discussion on this topic, Myrna suggested the same should be true of the Environmental Representative. After further discussion on this section of the Bylaws, all other proposed changes were tabled. The approved changes to the Bylaws are attached. Changes are noted in blue.
CAC Business
Future Agenda Items –
November & December - CAC Openings
HOA Billing, IRP
Attendance at future Board meetings –
November 8 Board Meeting - Russell
The December CAC Meeting will be held on the second Thursday of the month, December 14, 2006.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m.