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Home My WebLink About01/26/2023 - Meeting Minutes 00. Minutes DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES -(Z-j ADMINISTRATION "••.,C' j T �,o•�,`, January 26, 2023 The Public Utilities Advisory Committee meeting was held at 8 am on January 26, 2023, at the Department of Public Utilities, 1530 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84115. Committee members present were Roger Player, Dani Cepernich, Alex Lovell, Ted Boyer, Ted Wilson, Kent Moore, Lynn Hemingway and Tom Godfrey. Salt Lake City Public Utilities employees present were Laura Briefer,Jesse Stewart,Marian Rice,Karryn Greenleaf,Natalie Moore, Chloe Morroni, Jamey West,Dustin White, Tamara Prue, Lisa Tarufelli, Tammy Wambeam, Tamara Prue, Teresa Gray,Audree Ketchum,Billy Howe and Janine Calfo. Also in attendance was Mark Kittrell,Drew Quinn, Sam Owen, Tim Cosgrove Council Office; Mike DeVries, Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake City and Sandy; Cheri Jackson; Katrina Payne, Welcome and Introductions Committee Chair Roger Player and Public Utilities Director Laura Briefer welcomed the attendees. Laura mentioned that Mayor Mendenhall gave her State of the City Speech this week. There were several initiatives involving water and the Great Salt Lake. There will be an audit of all water used in City operations. She also authorized Public Utilities to begin the process to file water right paperwork to commit treated wastewater to Great Salt Lake. The last announcement is that there will be a drought surcharge levied on high water users. Approve Minutes of December 15, 2022 Meeting A motion was made and seconded to approve minutes of the December 15, 2022 PUAC meeting. All members voted to approve as presented. Election of Chair for 2023 Tom Godfrey nominated Dani Cepernich as chair, Alex Lovell seconded. All members voted to approve. Election of Vice-Chair for 2023 Tom Godfrey nominated Alex Lovell as vice-chair. Kent Moore seconded. All members voted to approve. Monthly Financial Report Lisa Tarufelli,Finance Administrator Public Utilities Finance Administrator Lisa Tarufelli gave a presentation of the financial report. A copy of that presentation is attached. For November, Water fund operating revenues are at 51 percent of budget. There will be low consumption for a couple more months and will increase during the spring and summer. Total January 26,2022 PUAC MEETING MINUTES expenses are approximately 39 percent of budget. There are still bond funds remaining from 2020. The Sewer fund operating revenues are at 45 percent of budget. Expenses are trending below budget. Capital expenditures are at 62 percent of budget. This does not include the amounts for new construction packages. The Stormwater fund is remaining constant from the beginning of the fiscal year. Operating revenues are at 47 percent of budget. Expenses are at 35.75 percent. There is some bond funding available from the 2020 issue. The Streetlight fund operating revenues are at 38.79 percent of budget. Operating expenses are slightly ahead of budget. Available cash is $5.5 million. Overall, at the end of November, the operating revenues are just over 48 percent of budget. Expenses are at 37 percent of budget. Total accounts receivable is up from last year, but delinquent amounts are less than 1 percent. For December, Water fund revenues are at 50 percent of budget. Expenses are at 44 percent. Capital expenses are expected to increase due to projects beginning in the Sugar House area. Kent Moore asked when the 2020 bond funds will expire, Lisa responded that will be in August of 2023. The Sewer fund operating revenues are at 55 percent of budget. Operating expenditures are at 40 percent. The 2020 bond proceeds have been spent as of July 2022. Additional bonding is anticipated in FY2024 to fund the Water Reclamation Facility project. The Stormwater fund operating revenues are at 57 percent, slightly ahead of budget. Expenditures are at 41 percent. Available cash increased $2.1 million from the same time last year. The Streetlighting fund operating revenues are at 47 percent of budget. There is a pause on changing all streetlights to LED lights. There is a concern by the public of light pollution. The Department has updated the master plan to include metrics for better light quality. Overall, revenues are at 52 percent and expenses are at 43.52 percent. Delinquent billings were up at the end of December which is consistent with prior years. Planning for FY2024 bond issues for fall 2023. Funding opportunities are being explored and there was an audit performed on the WIFIA loan that showed no exceptions. PUAC Budget Sub-Committee Report Laura Briefer gave a brief report on the two Budget Sub-Committee meetings that have been N held earlier this month. Roger commended Lisa Tarufelli and Jacob Jorgensen for their hard work on the projection models. One of the principles includes drought surcharge scenarios a SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 2 of 4 TEL 801-483-6770 January 26,2022 PUAC MEETING MINUTES Public Engagement Update Chloe Morroni Chloe Morroni is the Public Engagement Manager for the department. She discussed a few of Public Utilities' public engagement programs and priorities. A Public Outreach Planner is a collaboration assessment tool to help determine the level of public engagement required to earn trust and get feedback from the community. Chloe updated the Committee on several projects/programs and gave examples of how public engagement process works with each. Alex Lovell gave some constructive feedback on a recent mailer that was sent out on the Water Reclamation Facility. Innovations in Customer Service Audree Ketchum and Will Howe Audree Ketchum is the Customer Service Manager and Will Howe is an Investigator Utilities Specialist. Will gave a presentation about the Collections Pilot Program. The program was started to address safety concerns and reduce carbon emissions for collection of delinquent accounts. The old process included three trips to a property(one to try to collect, one to turn off water and one to re-connect water). The Department would recoup $30 as a re-connect fee from a cost of$120 per shut off. The new program uses phone calls instead of site visits for large savings on costs and carbon footprint and had a decrease of number of shut off accounts. New contactless meters have been installed that can be activated remotely. Future goals are to encourage customers to visit the automated system online to monitor their usage and pay their accounts. There are 28,000 remaining automated meters to be installed. Legislative Update Laura Briefer Laura gave a brief update on the several bills that have been introduced that have water impacts. At the time of this meeting, Public Utilities is tracking 22 pieces of legislation that are related to water. 1-113276, Water Supply Amendments, is related to the Wasatch Canyons that would create a large cost burden to the City and would result in watershed impacts. SB 113, Local Agricultural Amendments, and the Department has a proposed amendment to this legislation to clarify that cities remain authorized to regulate domestic animals for water quality M protection purposes. �a a SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 3 of 4 TEL 801-483-6770 January 26,2022 PUAC MEETING MINUTES There are many bills that are supported by the Department. Lynn Hemingway asked about Governor Cox's State of the State address and asked if there are any farms in Salt Lake City. Laura responded that there are no agricultural farms within the City. Agriculture has deep roots in Utah and it is important for urban and agricultural communities to work together to save Great Salt Lake. Public Comment None. Other Business Ted Boyer asked about the sewer rate increases and whether or not rates could be reduced in the future. Lisa Tarufelli responded that models have not been projected out far enough to cover the end of the bond (bond repayment is out 30 years).Alex Lovell had some ideas on how to inform the public of various cost saving measures that have been taken by the Department. Meeting adjourned at 10:01 am. Next Meeting will be held on February 23rd at 8 am at the Public Utilities Administration Building a� aA �a a SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 4 of 4 TEL 801-483-6770