The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About09/22/2022 - Meeting Minutes 00. Minutes DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES -(Z-j ADMINISTRATION ,'��''•� I T ''�;,`, September 22, 2022 The Public Utilities Advisory Committee meeting was held at 8 am on September 22, 2022, at 1530 South West Temple, Salt Lake City,UT 84115.Virtual participation was also accommodated in this meeting. Committee members present were Roger Player, Dani Cepernich, Alex Lovell, Kathryn Floor, Ted Boyer, Lynn Hemingway and Tom Godfrey. Salt Lake City Public Utilities employees present were Laura Briefer, Jesse Stewart,Marian Rice, Jason Brown, Stephanie Duer, Chloe Morroni,Tamara Prue,Jeff Grimsdell,Lisa Tarufelli,Tammy Wambeam,Dustin White and Debby Newton.Also in attendance were Rusty Vetter and Mark Kittrell, Salt Lake City Attorney's Office; Mike DeVries, Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy; Tim Cosgrove, Salt Lake City Mayor's Office; Nathan Zaugg, Carollo Eng; Will Petersen, AECOM; and Sam Owen, Salt Lake City Council Office. Welcome and Introductions Committee Chair Roger Player and Public Utilities Director Laura Briefer welcomed the attendees. Approve Minutes of June 23, 2022 Meeting A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the June 23, 2022. All members voted to approve as amended. Monthly Financial Report Mark Christensen, Finance Administrator Public Utilities Finance Administrator Mark Christensen gave a presentation of the financial report as of June 30, 2022. A copy of that presentation is attached. Water Fund: Revenues are at 86.99 percent of budget. Laura made mention that conservation efforts of consumers continue to have a negative impact on revenues. The continued conservation efforts will be considered when for the next budget cycle. There has been a lot of community outreach and new programming that has increased public awareness of the drought. Operating expenses are also less than budgeted at 84.45 percent. Available cash is up 36.70 percent from last year. Sewer Fund: Revenues in Sewer are expected. Operating expenses are at 80 percent of budget. Available cash is up from the same time as a year ago and is due to the issuance of bonds in June and the new bond issuance was bigger than previously expected. Stormwater Fund: Operating revenues are on target and finished 110 percent of budget. There is a cash increase in the fund that is attributed to the increase in revenues. September 22,2022 PUAC MEETING MINUTES Street Lighting Fund: This fund is slightly ahead of budget. Street lighting is still working on the new Master Plan. Overall: Operating revenues are less than anticipated. The Capital Program is at 80 percent of budget. Available cash is down from the same time last year. Delinquent billings are up from last year. Budget as of July 31, 2022. Water Fund: Operating revenues are at 12.32 percent of the budget and is down from previous year by 1.4M. Operating expenses are up by$515,850 from FY22. Capital Expenditures are down from previous year. Budget will need to be adjusted accordingly. Sewer Fund: Operating revenues are at 7.95 percent of budget. There are no more proceeds remaining from the 2020 bonds. Close to budget with 7.9 percent vs 8 percent from last year. Stormwater Fund: There are still 34 percent remaining of 2020 bonds to spend. Street Lighting Fund: The revenues and expenditures are very close to budget. There was a small increase in available cash. Overall: Operating revenues are still a bit lower than FY22. Operating expenses are at 8.80 percent of budget. Accounts receivable are up from the previous year. There were rate increases that became effective on July 1, 2022. Water conservation continues to impact revenues. The department audit is currently in progress. Additional funding opportunities continue to be researched.The long-term supply and demand for water calls for more conservation. The department will be kicking off a new rate study that members of the PUAC are invited to participate. The climate and resilience bill that has been enacted by congress has some key issues earmarked for drought related to revenue replacement. Ted Boyer asked about"shovel ready"projects. Laura responded that the department has created a new position to look at projects that are far into design and meeting those key values. Alex Lovell asked if it would be beneficial to hire more FTEs to work on finding more federal funding. Laura responded that it would depend on if this type of federal funding will continue to be available. Key Staff Changes—Laura Briefer Laura introduced the people that have recently filled positions in the department: • Communications and Public Engagement—Chloe Morroni • Policy and Public Affairs—Holly Lopez (V • Engineering—Derek Velarde and Jason Draper—Deputy Chief Engineers 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 September 22,2022 PUAC MEETING MINUTES • Operations and Maintenance Superintendent—Jeff Grimsdell • City Attorney—Mark Kittrell Amendments to the Salt Lake City Code Title 17 Limiting Water Availability Limits the prohibits the permitting of water uses that use more than 2,000 gallons per day. This legislation would be companion to land use ordinances only in Salt Lake City boundaries. The new legislation would allow permitting to be equitably applied through the entire service area. This would mirror the zoning ordinance in Title 17. A copy of the draft transmittal was distributed to members of the PUAC. Alex Lovell indicated that he agrees with the intent but does not agree with the modality. He feels that the department could be more innovative and advance new technologies. Laura responded that there are exemptions in the ordinance for certain types of institutions and offers options to innovative corporations. Committee member Lynn Hemingway made a motion and committee member Dani Cepemich seconded the motion to approve sending the transmittal to the City Council. All members voted to support. Director's Report Laura Briefer • Update on Current Events o Adopt a Storm Drain Program Innovative in public engagement. Water has been up front and center in the public with national and local media sources. There have been articles on Cardiff Fork and the Gold King mine settlement. o Great Salt Lake o Ongoing water right adjudication o Gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon Comments to Environmental Impact Statement, 45-day public comment period. UDOT supports the gondola as the final solution and wants to do a phased approach to traffic issues. Salt Lake City is NOT in favor of the gondola, as it will be very costly at approximately $550M. o Water Reclamation Facility Possibility of a fall tour of the Water Reclamation Facility for PUAC members M a aA a a SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET 0 WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY,UTAH 84115 3 of 4 TEL 801-483-6770 September 22,2022 PUAC MEETING MINUTES o BRIC Grant The department received $37M for replacement of the City Creek Water Treatment plant that will cover 70 percent of the cost. This is the largest grant that has been awarded to the department. During the next round of BRIC funding, the department will prepare another submission for Big Cottonwood Water Treatment plant. Alex Lovell asked what restrictions come with this type of federal funding. Laura responded that there is a"buy America" expectation and a lot of reporting. Discussion Concerning Future PUAC Agenda Items Alexander Lovell has some suggestions for future meeting topics: • Planning for talent acquisition and retention and succession planning for roles that require specific expertise or certification • Insight to website, statistics, user experience, community engagement and the innovation pipeline • Metrics on other platforms that the department engages • Social media strategy(UDOT model with Tik Tok) • Close door for adjudication issues Public Comment None. Other Business None. Meeting adjourned at 9:27 pm. Next Meeting will be held on October 27th at 8 am. 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