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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/28/2016 - Meeting Minutes 00, Minutes DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES (Tj ADMINISTRATION ��'••.,C " " Salt Lake City "" ""T""%`,,,, Public Utilities Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes April 28, 2o16 The Public Utilities Advisory Committee (PUAC) meeting was held at 7:3o a.m. on April 28, 2o16 at 1530 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115. Committee members present were Roger Player, Ted Boyer, Dixie Huefner, Sydney Fonnesbeck, Kent Moore, Dwight Butler, and Colleen Kuhn. Salt Lake City Public Utilities employees present were Kurt Spjute, Laura Briefer, Chuck Call, Jesse Stewart, Carly Castle, Brad Stewart, Jason Brown, Dave, and Paul.Also in attendance were Rusty Vetter, Salt Lake City Attorney's Office; Lehua Weaver, City Council Staff; Mike Wilson, MWDSLS; Jim Lewis; Keith Larson, Bowen and Collins; and Nate Salazar, Mayor's Office. Role of the Public Utilities Advisory Committee Rusty Vetter Rusty Vetter gave a presentation on the role of the PUAC. The PUAC is a volunteer citizen committee that serves as an advisory group for the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities. The Salt Lake City Code provides guidance on the role of the PUAC, how it should operate, and instances where it serves as a body with decision making authority. The uniqueness for Chapter 2.40 is that it works towards having at least three of the members be from outside of Salt Lake City. Rusty Vetter discussed Section 17.16 and how it would address a water shortage appeal panel, where three members from the PUAC would be appointed. Various other sections were discussed and outlined in the packet that was handed out to the PUAC and emailed April 22nd, 2016. Financial Report for Period Ending March 31, 2016 Kurt Spjute Kurt Spjute reported that current sales charges are over $73.8 million, and remain above last year at this time. Water sales is at about 75 percent, and the Utility may hit its target budget for this year. Water delivered January through April is down (savings in water conservation of 133 million gallons). Regarding Capital Improvements vs. Budget (based on cash only), most of the funds are close to 50 percent. Cash in all funds (less current obligations) is $73.5 million. Water sales are higher by $2.5 million. Water capital is close to 70 percent and doing fairly well; Sewer capital is 72.3 percent of the approximately$24 million budget; Stormwater capital is at 83.3 percent; Street Lights is at a little over a million. April 28,2016 PUAC MEETING MINUTES Sydney Fonnesbeck asked about the percentages for Street Lighting, Sydney Fonnesbeck questioned if the Department had looked into solar-powered lights. The Department is working with high efficiency lights, while keeping an eye on solar due to cost and placement if that route is chosen. Laura Briefer mentioned that the Department has completed a renewable energy plan. The plan looks at all Department infrastructure and opportunities to generate renewable energy from that infrastructure. Solar is an option, as the Department has covered reservoirs, which are great for solar panels. Some of the projects identified include hydropower. The Department has budgeted for some hydropower projects in the next fiscal year, including projects at Parley's Water Treatment Plant and the 500 South PRV. Carly Castle is also working close with Rocky Mountain Power and their Solar Subscriber program. The Department is most concerned that it stays and operates within its budget—keeping as much capital as possible and stay balanced in the budget; making sure rates are not raised too much, but also not keeping them too low. Engineers are working hard on watching the aging structures and identifying which projects need the most attention and keeping costs low. Ted Boyer asked what the reaction was from the City Council and the Mayor about the proposed rate increases. The Mayor and City Council stressed the importance of engaging ahead of time with the public regarding the proposed rate increases. Enhanced Street Lighting Fee Study Report Brad Stewart The Street Lighting problem the Department is striving to solve involves those neighborhoods with"enhanced lighting," or the fancy, more expensive lights. The Department is awaiting reports from the City's rate consultant to prepare a transmittal to go to the City Council and the Mayor's Office with recommendations of discontinuing the Special Assessment Areas (SAA), and replacing them with the Enhanced Street Lighting Program,which would be managed under Public Utilities' Street Lighting Utility. Instead of an annual assessment through the Treasurer's office, customers would receive a monthly bill as part of the City's utility bill. The recommendation is to replace the 42 existing, standalone SAAs with three groups. These groups are the commercial lights, and two residential groups. The reason for two residential groups is because, for example, the Rose Park area has newer lights and is considered energy efficient,which means lower operating cost and maintenance. The consultant's recommends issuing a bond for $2.5 million worth of upgrades now, which would reduce the monthly fee for customers over the next 7-10 years. The consultant also recommends replacing inefficient bulbs with LED bulbs for a longer life, lower power use, and lower costs. The City has an interactive Enhanced Lighting Fee Estimator at N http://slcgov.maps.arcgis.com,where a customer can enter an address and see what a SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 2 of 5 TEL:801-483-6770 April 28,2016 PUAC MEETING MINUTES their cost will be. Pamphlets for the public about the increase are currently being developed. The Department will be presenting a budget for the Enhanced Lighting Program and hope to have it for the May meeting. Watershed Update Carly Castle Mountain Accord Environmental Dashboard: The Dashboard will be a monitoring system designed to provide a picture of the overall health of the Central Wasatch Mountains. Public Utilities will be represented on the Steering Committee,which is guiding the process of this Dashboard. It will also be represented on a Technical Committee, composed of approximately 50 technical experts,which will target conservation goals and metrics. The process is expected to continue through 2017,with the end result being an interactive website that can be used by a variety of users, including other governmental agencies and the public. Mountain Accord Transportation Studies: the Cottonwood Canyons consultants are identifying short- and long-term transportation solutions with a 5- and io-year horizon. Short-term options include buses, shuttle service, parking incentives. Long-term alternatives to include in the 205o Long Range Transportation Plan.Analysis will be conducted on a connection between Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons. Consultants for the 1-8o/Parley's Canyon Alternative Analysis will be selected in the first weeks of May. The study will focus on transportation connections between the Salt Lake Valley and greater Park City area. Mountain Accord Federal Designation: Mountain Accord is still negotiating on amended language to the Federal Designation legislation. A plan for a management committee is also being designed to work with representatives from different environmental and recreation groups,water supply and watershed groups, and the Forest Service to implement the purposes of the Designation. Sydney Fonnesbeck asked about the idea to connect the two Cottonwood canyons; Laura Briefer responded that it was to satisfy the resort community. The Designation and the Accord say it cannot be accomplished with chairlifts. Colleen Kuhn mentioned an article recently published in the Salt Lake Tribune about this issue (link included Canyon Ski Transportation). The Department is hoping by late May or June to have better definitions, as the process is still in negotiation. Salt Lake County Mountain Planning District: The Mountain Planning District is an area of the Central Wasatch Mountains designated by Salt Lake County ordinance where jurisdiction for land use planning and regulation will be vested in a separate County Planning Commission. Carly Castle has been attending County Planning meetings as different planning commissions make amendments to the FCOZ (Foothills, Canyon, and Overlay Zone) and MRZ (Mountain Resort Zone) zones. The Department is providing M input and comments on concerns it has with amendments that could negatively impact a SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 3 of 5 TEL:801-483-6770 April 28,2016 PUAC MEETING MINUTES watersheds, and the Department's efforts focus on ensuring that any activities or development in the watershed conform to the City's water contracts, policies, and ordinances. Salt Lake County Proposed Ordinances -Transfer of Development Rights (TDR): TDR is an incentive-based program whereby land development rights may be transferred from one property to another. The intent of TDR ordinances is to allow properties to be developed in more productive ways, provide a source of income to property owners who do not (or cannot) develop their properties, and can be a useful planning tool to preserve agricultural lands and open space. The TDR concept treats development rights as a sort of property resource that can be separated from real property, roughly analogous to such property interests as mineral rights, which can be sold separately from the land itself. Wastewater Master Plan Program Update Jason Brown Jason Brown is the Engineering Manager at Public Utilities. Parley's pipeline repair Update: Two years ago the Department did an inspection that found that of all the segments of pipeline,were in need of repair. If the entire segment was in need of repair, the cost of those repairs would have been over $20 million. The Department was able to do the inspections and repairs for under a million dollars. Asset management can be a great benefit to the Department—the plan inventory and condition assessment allows for spending only the money necessary for the repairs. The project was completed with minimal impact to commuters on UDOT roads. Orange Street Phase 2: This was part of the master plan in 2007-o8; Phases 1 and 2 are complete, and the Department has budgeted for Phase 3. Capital Asset Program (CAP): the CAP was introduced last year; it aids the Department in management of the asset program, and helps prioritize all the Department's capital projects across water, sewer, stormwater, and street lighting. All proposed projects are brought together and ranked by their condition, criticality, projected cost, projected hours, etc.All this information is entered into a database, and the data is shared with maintenance crews for their evaluation. This new CAP effort has worked well over the past year, and has helped inform the five-year plan. A new customer for the Department will be the state prison. The biggest impact of the prison will be the sewer collection system. Public Utilities plans to hire a consultant that will function as an extension of the Department with the expertise, knowledge, and staffing to hit the goal of a 3-4 year completion. Within the next two weeks, the a SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 4 of 5 TEL:801-483-6770 April 28, 2016 PUAC MEETING MINUTES Department expects to have the request for proposals out, and when the new fiscal year starts, a Program Manager and team will be ready to go. Jason Brown demonstrated how one can use the interactive map for public outreach at maps.slcgov.com. This map shows an active permit or City project. The site will have a legend that will give information on permits, or who the project belongs to. It will provide the name of the project, the status, and who is in charge of the project. It will be updated on a weekly basis. Laura Briefer suggests that it would be a great tool to be introduce to the City Council. It ties into the City's Engineering Division's Capital Improvement Program, where project managers do the updates and track new activity, which will help the Department's inspectors. Inspectors have iPads out in the field to access the projects and add new details, such as pictures and notes in real time. Final Comment Laura Briefer made hard copies of the Salt Lake City Code Provision related to Rusty The next meeting will be held Thursday, May 26, 2o16 at 7:3o a.m. in the Public Utilities Main Conference room. Meeting Adjourned at 9:43 a.m. Ln (1) aA Cz a. SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE O STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 5 Gf 5 TEL:801-483-6770