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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-SJC-2023-12-13SJC MEETING December 13, 2023 SJC Board members P Cynthia Brock, Chair, City of Ithaca P Bill Goodman, Town of Ithaca P Donna Fleming, City of Ithaca P Rob Rosen, Town of Ithaca P Scott Reynolds, City of Ithaca P Jason Leifer, Town of Dryden P Rich DePaolo, Town of Ithaca P Ray Burger, Town of Dryden Alternate E Dave Warden, City of Ithaca P = Present, PZ = Present via zoom, A = Absent, E = Excused Staff P Steve Thayer, City of Ithaca P Peter Wernsdorfer, Camden Group P Scott Gibson, City of Ithaca P Joe Slater, Town of Ithaca PZ Rod Howe, Town of Ithaca PZ Dan Thaete, Town of Ithaca P Chanelle Corder, City of Ithaca PZ Susan Brock, Attorney to IAWWTF PZ Ken Scherrieble, Camden Group P = Present, PZ = Present via zoom Guests Chris Kianka-LECTRE Will Simmons- MATCO Cynthia called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. Agenda review and approval of October minutes. Items added to the agenda. Sewage rates increase discussion. No opposition for adding that to the agenda Resolutions to recognize Steve Thayer and Bill Goodman Motion to approve minutes moved by Donna, seconded by Rich, approved 5:0. Resolution to recognize Steve Thayer WHEREAS, the legislative bodies of the City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, and Town of Dryden determined it to be in the best interests of their respective municipalities to construct, own, and operate a single wastewater treatment and disposal facility, and jointly constructed the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility (IAWWTF), which began operating in 1987; and WHEREAS, in 1989, Steve Thayer was appointed Deputy Controller to the City of Ithaca, and he began providing his decades of expert services to the IAWWTF, the Special Joint Subcommittee of the City’s Board of Public Works that oversaw IAWWTF operations through 2003, and the Special Joint Committee that began its oversight in 2004; and WHEREAS, Steve was promoted to Controller for the City of Ithaca in 2002, and became by extension the Chief Fiscal Officer for the IAWWTF as well; and WHEREAS, the intermunicipal cooperation that embodies the IAWWTF is centered on trust, and a great part of the success of this partnership has been due to Steve’s integrity, financial stewardship, and commitment to fiscal transparency and accountability; and WHEREAS, for 21 years, Steve has attended monthly meetings of the Special Joint Committee of the IAWWTF, overseen the financial wellbeing and complex financial structures of the facility, received and paid out funds on behalf of the partners, worked with senior staff to negotiate labor contracts, developed annual budgets and monthly financial reports, participated in annual audits of plant financials, and faithfully performed and discharged the trust imposed upon him; and WHEREAS, Steve’s consistent calm and steady presence in delivering his monthly reports, diligent paying of the IAWWTF’s retirement and insurance contribution early to achieve discounts, prompts to owners to make their quarterly payments (which are due now) and reminders that the timing of expenses do not always follow the calendar for payments, will be deeply missed; and WHEREAS, the members of the Special Joint Committee, on behalf of the municipal owners City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, and Town of Dryden, wish to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Steve Thayer for his 21 years of service to the Special Joint Committee of the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Special Joint Committee recognizes and appreciates the exceptional dedication and service of Steve Thayer and wishes him well in his future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED that this resolution of appreciation and support be duly recorded in the minutes of the Special Joint Committee on this the 13th day of December in the year 2023. Moved by Cynthia, Seconded by Jason. Resolution to recognize Bill Goodman WHEREAS, the Special Joint Committee (SJC) of the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility (IAWWTF) has been and is fortunate to have representation of the elected officials of the City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca and Town of Dryden dedicated and committed to the mission of protecting Cayuga Lake and our region’s water resources; and WHEREAS, in 2012 Bill Goodman was appointed to the SJC to represent the Town of Ithaca while he was serving as a Town of Ithaca Board member, and later while he was serving as Town Supervisor; and WHEREAS, Bill’s dedication was evidenced in his leadership in the “Group of Six” leading quarterly meetings of elected officials and staff of the City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, Town of Dryden, Village of Lansing, Town of Lansing, and Village of Cayuga Heights to discuss shared challenges and strategies to manage stormwater, wastewater treatment, and infrastructure, and laying the foundation for increased intermunicipal communication and collaboration to achieve improved management and cost savings; and WHEREAS, throughout his service on the SJC Bill has been steadfast in his commitment to protecting our water resources and the environment; and WHEREAS, the SJC especially appreciates Bill’s thoughtful and careful deliberations, integrity, respect for everyone with whom he came into contact, and his participation in numerous working groups charged with reviewing, updating, and implementing various intermunicipal agreements between the municipal owners as well as the Village of Cayuga Heights; and WHEREAS, the members of the Special Joint Committee on behalf of the municipal owners City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, and Town of Dryden, wish to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Bill Goodman for his eleven years of service to the Special Joint Committee of the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Special Joint Committee recognizes and appreciates the dedication and service of Bill Goodman and wishes him well in his future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED that this resolution of appreciation and support be duly recorded in the minutes of the Special Joint Committee on this the 13th day of December in the year 2023. Moved by Cynthia, Seconded by Rich. Financial Report: Steve Thayer Revenue: So far in septage service $575,000.00. Expect to meet or exceed the budgeted $650,000.00. For this fiscal year, we have received around $5,115,000.00. • Kline Rd bypass has been billed, and collected, $89,000.00 for 2021,2023 and so far through 2023. • All quarterly payments have been received for 2023 from owners. • Debt service invoices were sent in October and have received Dryden’s payment. Town of Ithaca’s is expected soon and the remaining revenue will come in later this year. Expenses: So far, expenditures total $5,044,766, giving a surplus of around $70,000.00 for the fiscal year. Right around where expected. • Contracted Chief operator Camden Group has been paid $366,000.00 so far this year. It is over $42,000.00. That is being offset by the unfilled salary positions. • Equipment parts has expended $261,000.00. Expect to be over budget by the time all activity for 2023 gets posted. That budget line has been increased for 2024. • Debt payments so far are at $1,618,000.00. All payments have been made. No more payments for 2023. Is being offset by the invoiced debt on the revenue side. • Health insurance once all contributions from employees have been posted, should be close to $297,000.00 budgeted. • State retirement payment due at the end of the week for a discount, budgeted is $101,000.00, will be under budget at just over $91,000.00. • Retirement rates ranged 9.5-15% of salary for 2023, will increase to 11-18% for 2024. • Capital activity had no activity posted last month but work continues. • Final budget approved by council at November 1st meeting. Operations and Engineering Report – Peter Wernsdorfer 1. Operations • Regulatory Compliance - Process Control remains stable. Effluent numbers are in the low single digits. • Personnel – We continue to be short staffed. We are working with HR to fill open positions. We will be meeting with the City’s Talent Acquisition Diversity Specialist to expand our outreach. a. Discussion about contracts, salaries, and recruitment process 2. Maintenance • Blowers – Howden representatives were on site to address the blower status. They found damage in the blower components that are being replaced. This is under warranty. We expect parts to arrive in mid-February with repair taking approximately two days. • Micro Turbines – We replaced one heat exchanger and one panel this month. With the changes in ventilation in the boiler room, the turbines can draw cooler air for an increase their efficiency. • Asset Management – Implementation continues. • Clarifiers - The manufacturer’s technical team was onsite December 7th, to evaluate PST1. Additionally, E&P Structural Engineers are analyzing the outer wall of PST1 where we noticed an outward bowing. o Further discussion regarding the bowed wall, the future problems if any, and the plan going forward • Boiler Replacement – The condensing boiler is installed and working. The dual fuel boiler is expected in February. The boiler should be online and in use in March. • Facility Improvements – The VRF Heat Pumps are being installed. We are completing some interior light upgrades while the ceilings are open. • ActiFlo – the system is working well despite its age but requires constant attention and maintenance. 3. Staff Management • Semi-monthly staff meetings continue. • Weekly and/or semi-monthly check-ins continue with function leads. 4. Reporting – • Regulatory reports were sent as scheduled. 5. Business, Long-Term Development • Capital Planning – The RFP for Capital Planning was issued. We await responses. o Heard interest from 3 out of the 5 consulting firms. Have until December 15th to submit full RFQ. Contract will be issued to the chosen after the new year. Should be ready to make a selection by the next SJC meeting. That will then follow a series of planning meetings for short-term and long-term plans. o When will the new SPDES reporting requirements go into place and when will we be renewing our SPDES permit? 1. It was ready to be issued when the city was told we needed an EJ report. No one, including those at the state level, knew what that was. Suspects it to be issued early next year after numerous meetings and studies that were not required prior. o What are the new PFAS reporting requirements. 1. New permit is going to monitor the PFAS coming in and going out of the plant. Will also be doing wet testing in 2025. Will be checking outside sources, particularly leachate, to make sure we’re not getting huge hits of PFAS. 2. Wet testing is toxicity testing. They take different organisms and put them in samples of effluent water and lake water to see how long they survived in the effluent compared to the lake in general. Then they determine the toxicity level and give us a score on the criticality of our effluent water on the ecosystem. That will happen in 2025. • Energy Management – Our Strategic Energy Management kickoff is delayed until February due to NYSERDA and NYWEA schedules. 6. Operations Data • November DMR/MOR will be forwarded under separate cover. • Six-month gas usage report will be forwarded under separate cover. No additional questions for Ken or Peter. Additional items: 1. Can the finalized INI report be added to the January agenda? Yes 2. Sewage fee rate: Rate change hasn’t been changed since January 2021. Discussion about rates, different types of waste and location. Our rates are very low for example, Auburn doubles what we charge. Something to consider looking at in January at the next SJC meeting. a. Extension to Casella contract was signed for taking our sludge to the landfill. Rate increased from $75/ton to $125/ton. That is one of the lower rates they charge. i. Further discussion about waste budget. BOD’s and rate options. Motion to Adjourn. Moved by Bill. Seconded by Donna. Approved 5:0 The meeting was adjourned at 2:25pm. The Next Meeting will be January 10, 1:00 pm.