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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-SJC-2021-12.-082021.12.08 APPROVED SJC Minutes.doc 1 SJC MEETING December 8, 2021 SJC Members Staff Cynthia Brock, Chair Steve Thayer Bill Goodman Scott Gibson Donna Fleming CJ Kilgore Tee-Ann Hunter Mike Thorne Scott Reynolds Val Saul Ray Burger; Town of Dryden (alternate) David Warden Rich DePaolo Supervisor; Json Leifer Guest Dan Thaete; Town of Ithaca Absent Joe Slater; Town of Ithaca Tim Carpenter; MRB Group Cynthia called the Zoom meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. Cynthia extended her gratitude to Tee-Ann and Donna for their service over the years. There were no additions or deletions to the agenda, but Cynthia stated that when Val Saul became available, she would allow her to present. She added that an amended agenda was sent out. Tee-Ann MOVED to Approve the October 13th Minutes and the November 10th Minutes. With corrections. Seconded by Donna. Approved 8:0. Financial Report – Steve Thayer The auditors are working on the 2020 audit. The final report should be available this month. November 2021 Financial Activity: Revenues: We have received just over $497,000.00 in septage payments and have exceeded the budget. All three owners’ quarterly payments have been received. Debt invoices have been sent out. Revenues collected are $3,760,000.00 to date. We should be above budget at year end. Expenses: We have spent $4,193,000.00. There are no big surprises. Hourly Part Time 5120 is over budget – an adjustment will be made at the end of the year. Clothing 5415 is over budget. Insurance 5445 is over budget. Equipment Parts and Supplies 5477 is running above budget. The blower repairs have contributed to the overage. Utilities 5410 are above budget – but should be close at year end. Health Insurance 9060 reflects a full year of premiums. Employee health contributions will be posted at the end of the year. Our annual NYS Retirement Invoice will be paid early to receive a discount. All of 2021 Debt Service has been paid this will be offset by the revenue accounts when posted. 2021.12.08 APPROVED SJC Minutes.doc 2 Most other accounts are in line with the budget at this point in time. Steve believes that the overages will be covered by the underbudget accounts. He does not expect any issues. Our current deficit is $433,000.00 and is in line as expected. Keep in mind that not all expenses follow the calendar. Capital Project: CAP422J - $276,000.00 in General Construction Services CAP414J - $896.00 in Engineering Services CAP425J - $122,600.00 in General Construction Services The 2020 Fund Balance amount will be available within the next month or two. Operations and Engineering Report – CJ Kilgore 1. Plant Maintenance & Operations – a. Secondary Digester – Moving forward on cleaning and rehab of the secondary digester – they are working on clearing the build-up of material that is blocking one of the overflow lines. b. Aeration System – Turblex Blower Replacement Authorization – The blowers estimated return is January 2022. 2. Facilities Maintenance & Operations a. Flow Monitoring I/I – continuing. A draft should be coming in December. b. NYSEG Sheet Piling – is in progress approximately 20% complete. c. Notice of Violation/Compliance Order to Ithaca Beer – issued due to low pH discharges – in violation of the sewer use law. They were not up to speed on their pH monitoring. The Town of Ithaca is helping to keep an eye on it - nothing has been damaged. 3. Staff Management – The RFQ for Contract Operations Chief Operator position has been issued. Continuing to pursue hiring a Chief Operator. 4. Reporting – 5. Business, Long Term development – 6. Energy Production Statistics – provided by CJ. Cynthia spoke of the DMR and the average daily flows. There were many exceedances in October of the 13.1 million gallon design capacity of the plant. There is a need to address I/I. Scott Reynolds asked about the maximum flow that we could handle. Scott Gibson said that an effluent pumping station was part of the tertiary phosphorous plant upgrade that is triggered at a certain flow rate to force the water out of the plant. 2021.12.08 APPROVED SJC Minutes.doc 3 CJ added that the peak hydraulic flow is 24.5 million. There has been one controlled diversion that he participated in as an operator under Dan Ramer. CJ is more concerned with sustained high flow than the instantaneous peaks. The August 2021 peak was difficult due to equipment challenges. Although each event is unique, he has been pleased with how well we have come through the high flow events. Cynthia has been tracking flows - the exceedance of 13.1 MGD in 2018 – 23, 2019 – 20, 2020 -16 and in 2021 there have been 33 events in the first ten months of 2021. Voting Items – there were no voting items Discussion Items – Tim Carpenter – MRB Group - Spring to Fall 2021 I/I Flow Monitoring Tim is pleased with the data. He has fantastic data for April that demonstrates graphically the response of the plant of both inflow and infiltration. It will allow us to reduce inflow and show the areas to target. The data answers inflow (roof leaders/street drains attached to the sewer) and infiltration (water seeping into sewer pipes when the ground water level is high). Inflow is a huge influx that could overwhelm the plant. Tim has both typical and base flow. Thirteen flow meters were looked at - seven of the thirteen flow meters are furnishing data. This will give us an excellent data set to work with. The State grant has paid $15,000.00 for the first part – the second $15,000.00 will be paid by the State when they have the report. Tim has asked Scott Gibson to request a one year delay for the report submission. Tim provided the data to Scott Gibson and CJ. It will be presented to the SJC after it is reviewed by staff. David asked who will enforce addressing/resolving the problems. Tim said that will be up to the members to decide. Tim mentioned that an I/I ratio of beyond three to one is significant – some of our October exceedances were five or even six to one – indicating significant benefit to pursuing I/I reduction. Dan asked if the Town I/I can be differentiated from the City I/I. Tim replied that looking at the City pump stations will help to pinpoint the source and looking at the plant data will help to separate the I/I. Dan mentioned the Town is finding that manhole structures in low lying areas are a source of their inflow. Cynthia questioned if lake level data and rain gauge data will be included. Tim confirmed these will be included. The data can be used to take action very soon. Scott Reynolds asked about addressing the findings of the data. Tim said that state funding is available for studies, follow up information and actual I/I repairs. It takes six months to a year to obtain funds from the Environment Facilities Corporation. Cynthia brought up that in many low-lying areas especially in the Fall Creek area there is no place for homeowners to send the water other than to the sewer system. What options will be available to homeowners - there is not a storm sewer system in the area. Scott Gibson said that there is no easy answer to give the homeowners in the Fall Creek area. The City has issued waivers when there is no other option. 2021.12.08 APPROVED SJC Minutes.doc 4 The I/I report will be available before the January meeting – Tim will attend to answer questions. Chief Operator Position – Val Saul Cynthia stated the purpose is to address compensation issues. She asked Val if point classification will be looked at before it goes to the compensation study or analysis. Val replied that the point system will not be looked at, but the grade assignment will be part of the compensation study. They are looking at a quick market study and a re-alignment to address obvious compensation issues. Tee-Ann asked how the Chief Operator position will be looked at specifically. Val said that a consultant looks at a market study of comparable positions. They look within the public sector at similar municipalities (plant, population, cost of living) to determine how competitive our salaries are and to determine full market. Recruitment is a Country-wide work force issue - there is a shortage of worker’s in general - we need to figure out how to get people to work or how to provide the service through other means. Scott Reynolds asked if the SJC will be able to have any control or influence. Val replied that this is a policy issue - a bargaining team agreement is required. Steve said they are looking at an incentive or a sign on bonus. Steve thinks that something may be able to be done especially in that the executive unit is more of an association. Mike Thorne added that the attorney’s office is drafting an MOU to readvertise the position in January with some sort of sign on bonus. CJ reinforced that it is problematic finding people in the water and wastewater industry. There has not been an influx of people. The shortage of 4A operators has forced some plants to move to a chief of record. CJ thinks this will be the nature of things in this industry for a while. He added that he believes that contract operations are not necessarily a bad thing. Many of our neighbors (Dryden, Cayuga Heights and Trumansburg) have contract operations. He told the members that if the right people are in place – it can be just as good and sometimes even helpful. Val said that in the 1980’s the plant initially began with contract operations. Cynthia extended her gratitude to staff for bringing the contract option through in the interim until we hire someone as chief. Cynthia asked if Val could ensure that direction is given to the consultant that this 4A plant serves three municipalities and that the complexities of the plant will be brought to the attention of the consultant awarded the study. Val offered that a summary outlining key points that should be looked at for comparative purposes could be submitted to the consultant in advance of the study. Scott Gibson and CJ agreed to put together a summary. Val thought the consultant would be selected early in 2022 and gave a date of February 1 for the submission of the summary. CJ stressed that he would like his replacement sooner rather than later to insure a smooth transition. Mike offered that an RFQ for an outside company to provide a 4A operator was sent out – the deadline is today. There has been one response from Camden so far. Mike’s long-term goal is to get an individual on staff. Scott Reynolds asked how quickly the consultant could come in. Mike said that he thought Camden could start fairly soon but their availability is limited. Cynthia is presuming that as long as it falls within the 2022 budget the RFQ can be filled. Mike desires to not spend all of the excess funds on the management contract. Cynthia asked the estimated premium. 2021.12.08 APPROVED SJC Minutes.doc 5 Mike replied that the hourly rate of Camden is 3 1/2 times the current hourly rate (with benefits) for the Chief Operator. He will get together with CJ and Scott Gibson to discuss things. Bill said the municipal agreement might need to be looked at in case the input of the Towns is needed. Donna asked if (in the short run) a nearby municipality could help. Mike is not sure if this would be a possibility. Scott Gibson said that it certainly would not hurt to ask. Cynthia thanked Val and Mike for joining the today’s meeting. Announcements / Other Business – Peak/Shave/Plant to Plant – Bill Goodman The fees to charge Cayuga Heights – A flat annual fee $11,600.00 ($10,550.00 transmission cost and $1,050.00 carrying cost for reserving plant capacity) and a variable usage fee for treatment costs based upon the gallons coming from the Kline Road bypass and the varying treatment costs multiplied by three times as an incentive to tighten up I/I. Cynthia was given an estimate of 85,000 gallons per event and six events per year. Should the carrying cost be based on a fixed estimate or should it be adjusted annually based on the actual flows coming from Kline Road. Cynthia wondered if the estimated rate should be reflective of the average peak flow or the high flow. Scott Reynolds asked the definition of an event in the agreement. Cynthia does not believe that the event is not defined. The larger question is - is the SJC interested in accepting the carrying cost based on the 85,000 gallon estimate or does the SJC believe that this part of the annual fee should be adjusted annually. Cynthia clarified that Cayuga Height wants the availability to shift their surge to the plant during high flows. There is the conduit, which is the conveyance fee $10,550.00, there is the treatment cost (charged at a premium) and there is cost avoidance for them not expanding their plant. The intermunicipal agreement allows for us to charge for their avoided cost. Should the 85,000 gallon in carrying cost be set or should it adjust annually to be reflective of what is actually being sent. Cynthia believes that the carrying cost should adjust. Because Cayuga Heights is no longer a client – our client base has shrunk, and our costs have increased $40,000.00 per year. She feels that the peak flow or average of a number of peak flows should be included. Rich asked how Cynthia determined peak flow. Cynthia would consider peak flow on a 24 hours basis as defined by the monitoring station data. Rich pointed out that an extreme exceedance might cause a violation of our permit which could result in a cost to the plant and he felt that should be factored in as well. David is in favor of having the cost closer to reality rather than a projection. He pointed out that the charge would use the previous year’s data which would be a year behind. Cynthia agreed that there will be a year delay to reset the carrying cost. Bill interjected his thoughts about an overflow causing us a violation – he believes the fees are just a part of the larger plant to plant agreement. The draft plant to plant agreement includes the option to shut off the Kline Road bypass valve. He thought that the carry fee was agreed to verbally. He pointed out that each high flow event will allow us to charge three times our treatment costs. He prefers to keep the carrying cost as a set fee. The agreement can be 2021.12.08 APPROVED SJC Minutes.doc 6 renegotiated in four and a half years. In the overall scheme of things this is the smallest portion of the fee, so he is not overly concerned. Cynthia said that the SJC has not yet committed to the fee schedule. She is looking to find an equitable fee. Donna feels that both parties want “to have their cake and eat it too”. Rich thought that the charge should be based on actual. Ray believes the carrying cost is not a big enough increment to be substantial and offered that it should be revisited at the end of the four and a half years. Scott Reynolds feels that because the quantities differ greatly. It should be closer to reality and renegotiated at the end of the agreement if the estimated quantity isn’t working. Dave agrees with Scott but at this point feels the negotiations have happened and is in favor of re-evaluation in four and a half years. Bill reminded the members that this discussion to come up with a fair and reasonable charge began almost a year ago. Ultimately, we have the power to turn off the overflow but eighteen years ago all six municipalities agreed to work together as one overall system. Cayuga Heights is working on their I/I in the old Village section - hopefully the amount sent to us will decrease over the next few years. Cynthia added that the six municipalities and the two plants agreed to work together to serve our shared catchment areas. The agreement was tied to the duration of the bonds that were issued to finance the tertiary phosphorous removal system upgrade. The bonds and our legal responsibility expire at that time. Bill MOVED that the SJC supports the proposed peak flow billing system resolution. Seconded by Dave. Approved 6; Opposed 1. RESOLVED, The SJC supports the Peak Flow Shave fee structure which includes: a) fixed annual fee of $11,600 representing the sewer conveyance fee of $10,550 and the reserve capacity fee of $1,050, and b) a treatment rate to be set annually at three (3) times the cost to treat 1,000 gallons of wastewater as described in detail in the proposed Pant to Plant Agreement between the IAWWTF and the Village of Cayuga Heights. Bill offered to go back to Cayuga Height to renegotiate The draft plant to plant agreement will be brought to the January meeting for discussion. Cynthia Adjourned the meeting at 3:15 p.m. The Next Meeting will be January 12th, 2022, 1:00 pm.