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LAKEHAVEN UTILITY DISTRICT
King County, Washington
REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING
October 27, 2005
A regular meeting of the Board of
Commissioners of the Lakehaven Utility District, King County,
Washington, was held on October 27, 2005 at the Lakehaven Center, 31531
First Avenue South, Federal Way, Washington, 98003.
President Stewart opened the meeting at 6:00 p.m. and asked
Commissioner Tweddle to lead the flag salute. Members/officials present
were as follows:
Ed Stewart - President of the Board
Beverly Tweddle - Vice President of the Board
Don Miller - Secretary of the Board
Tom Jovanovich - Commissioner
Dick Mayer - Commissioner
Don Perry - General Manager
Bert Ross - Engineering Manager
Steve Pritchett - General Counsel
Morgan Dennis - Director of
Finance/Information System
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Upon motion of Commissioner Miller, which was duly seconded by
Commissioner Tweddle, the Board unanimously approved the minutes
of the October 13, 2005 Board meeting as submitted.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Upon motion of Commissioner Tweddle, which was duly seconded by
Commissioner Mayer, the Board unanimously approved the evening’s agenda
as amended below.
- Add Personnel Discussion to Executive Session
CITIZENS COMMENTS
President Stewart stated he had been asked to delay Citizens Comments
until 7 p.m. as there were some citizens who planned to attend the
meeting to speak to the Board and were unable to arrive until around
that time.
CONSENT ITEMS
- Accounts Payable Vouchers and Payroll Transactions Approval:
Warrant dates of 10-17-05, 10-18-05, 10-21-05, 10-27-05, 10-28-05
and 10-31-05
- Second Supply Project – Receipt of Fluoridated Water, Resolution
No. 2005-1053
Upon motion of Commissioner Tweddle, which was duly seconded by
Commissioner Jovanovich, the Board unanimously approved the
Consent Items as presented.
ACTION ITEMS
#61, Site Lease Agreements: Set Public Hearing on Use Leases:
Mr. Pritchett began by stating the purpose of this item was to establish
a date for a public hearing for both items. It also provides the Board
an opportunity to evaluate the lease agreements and hear public
comments.
Upon motion of Commissioner Tweddle, which was duly seconded by
Commissioner Miller, the Board unanimously approved scheduling a
public hearing to be held on November 10, 2005 at 6:30 p.m. for the
purpose of hearing public testimony relating to site lease agreements
with Cingular Wireless, located at the Tank 4 property at South 310th
Street and 8th Avenue and Clearwire Wireless (WiFi), located at South
302nd Street and 56th Avenue South.
#62, Nepotism Policy: Mr. Pritchett stated this item was
discussed at the last Board meeting. He added the revised policy doesn’t
necessarily prohibit, the hiring of relatives, but regulates it to
ensure that employment decisions are made in a fair way based on
qualifications and performance. He referred the Board to several places
in the policy where this was referenced.
For purposes of discussion, Commissioner Mayer made a motion to adopt
the revised Nepotism Policy, to which Commissioner Tweddle seconded.
Commissioner Stewart was the first to express his concerns with the
policy, which prompted a discussion. During the discussion, Commissioner
Miller also voiced his concerns. Mr. Pritchett pointed out that the
purpose of the policy was to ensure that hiring and promoting staff is
based on abilities and qualifications, and for no other reason. The
discussion continued for a time, after which the question was called
for.
Upon motion of Commissioner Mayer, which was duly seconded by
Commissioner Tweddle, the Board, with Commissioners Mayer, Tweddle and
Jovanovich voting in the affirmative and Commissioners Miller and
Stewart voting in the negative, approved the revised Nepotism
Policy #602-01.
#63, Preliminary Engineering Services for Lakehaven on City of
Federal Way Projects; Interlocal Agreement: Mr. Ross stated this
issue was discussed a few months ago with plans to improve the
intersection at 1st Way South and South 336th Street. During that
project, it was discovered that a water main had to be relocated, which
required District crews to perform the relocation work, due to
insufficient time to incorporate the work into the City’s construction
contract. Mr. Ross went on to state that since these types of smaller
projects will continue to occur, staff from the District and City had
met to attempt to find a resolution to the problem. An interlocal
agreement was developed that would address the provision of preliminary
engineering services for these small projects, which should resolve the
issue. The agreement provides for the District approving or disapproving
the services. A copy of the proposed agreement was provided for the
Board to review; Mr. Ross indicated that this particular agreement had
an ending date of 12-31-05. A discussion followed with questions and
answers being provided and suggestions being made. Subsequent to the
discussion, the Board considered the question.
Upon motion of Commissioner Mayer, which was duly seconded by
Commissioner Tweddle, the Board unanimously approved the
Interlocal Agreement for Preliminary Engineering Services for water and
sewer facilities on City of Federal Way projects and authorized
the General Manager to execute the agreement on behalf of the District.
INFORMATION ITEMS
#1, Customer Bill Printing Alternatives: Mr. Dennis stated
that this topic had been discussed at a Board meeting the prior month.
The original cost comparison at the meeting in September listed two
alternatives to the existing system, which were replacement of the
existing equipment and completely outsourcing the printing of the
utility bills. After analyzing these alternatives, staff determined that
replacement of the existing equipment does not appear to be a viable
alternative. Mr. Dennis referred the Board to a cost comparison that was
included in the agenda packets and went on to state the reasons why he
felt the second alternative was the best. He added that he had been
asked if other utilities outsourced their bill printing and it was
discovered that a number of other agencies retained the services of a
local company, “Data Bar” of Edgewood, Washington for this purpose. Mr.
Dennis then stated that this company had not submitted a proposal as
they were unaware that the proposal had been advertised. A discussion
followed as the best way to proceed. At the conclusion of the
discussion, it was the consensus of the Board to direct staff to send
out the proposal once again and then determine the next steps to take.
#2, Unit 14 Replacement: Gene Yoder, the District’s Field
Operations Manager, presented this item. He explained that funds were
budgeted in 2005 to purchase a vehicle to replace Unit #14, which was a
2 ˝ ton water service truck. Staff developed specifications for the
vehicle and sent letters to five manufacturers, of which only two
responded. He stated there was a large variance in the prices that were
quoted from the respondents and, as a result, staff was recommending the
Board consider rejecting all bids due to this. Mr. Yoder went on to
explain the different enhancements that staff wanted to add to the
vehicle. It was noted that a representative from one of the bidders was
present to address the Board. Mr. Eckenrude, a representative from the
Husky Truck Center in Seattle and one of the respondents, then spoke to
the Board and stated he had not been the low bidder on the entire
package as it was broken out into several components. He went on to
provide the Board with information he felt was important to help them
make their decision. The Board then discussed this issue to determine
the best way to proceed. Mr. Yoder stated staff asked for a “turn key”
bid and did not provide an opportunity to have the vehicle and the
different enhancements to be bid separately so as not to split
responsibility for malfunctions among different vendors. Subsequent to
the discussion, it was the consensus of the Board to direct Mr. Yoder
and Mr. Pritchett to work together on this item and bring it back to the
Board at a later date for further consideration. The Board thanked Mr.
Yoder as well as Mr. Eckenrude for their efforts.
#3, Backflow Prevention Devices Customer Information Letter:
Mr. Yoder was the lead on this item as well. He stated the item had been
presented to the Board in September to provide for discussion of a
concern that Field Operations Staff had with the potential of sewage
back-flowing into homes and business. A draft letter was discussed at
that time; the purpose of the letter was to inform customers of the
potential of a sewage overflow, due to the location of their sewer
connection. Mr. Yoder went on to state that the letters would be handed
out to homeowners one at a time as staff saw the need. He stated he had
been asked if there was any relevant information about this situation in
the Uniform Plumbing Code and went on to state that portion of the code
that supports the requirements had been noted in the letter. The Board
thanked Mr. Yoder for his work on this item.
#4, Uniforms: Mr. Yoder stated that in response to the Board’s
concern for uniform services, this information item was developed to
provide for a discussion of the issue. Money was budgeted for the
installation of washers and dryers at the Lakota Wastewater Treatment
Plant and the Water Operations Facility. A cost benefit analysis was
then conducted which indicated that it would be less expensive to
contract for this service than manage uniforms internally. Mr. Yoder
then stated that staff would be going out to bid at the end of this year
for a contract and added the Board will be provided that information
once it is obtained.
#5, Second Supply Project Water – Customer Notification: John
Bowman, the District’s Water Manager/Special Projects Manager, began by
stating the Second Supply Project water was now available for use. Staff
is planning to begin testing flow control facilities with Tacoma’s
pipeline on November 1st and anticipated to officially begin accepting
water on November 14th. A special customer notification postcard will be
sent out on November 4th to inform District customers of the change in
the water source. In addition, staff intends to send out a press release
to the media prior to the official entry of the water and also provide
information on the District’s website. Mr. Bowman stated the draft
postcard and press release were included in the agenda packets for the
Board to review. The Board thanked Mr. Bowman for the information.
Due to the lateness of the hour and the number of items left on the
agenda that were necessary to be discussed at this meeting, Commissioner
Mayer made a motion to defer Information #7, Developer Extension Status
Report, to a future meeting. Commissioner Tweddle seconded the motion
and the Board unanimously approved deferring Information #7,
Developer Extension Status Report.
The citizens that wished to speak to the Board had arrived at this
point. Commissioner Stewart then called for Citizens Comments.
CITIZENS COMMENTS
As the topic of the comments was based on a proposed sewer
installation project for the residents of the Adelaide Beach area, Mr.
Ross reported there was an item in his staff report that would provide a
lead-in to the issue at hand. He then distributed supplemental
information related to the communication summary as well as several
letters. Ms. Oliver spoke first and stated her group was looking for
direction from the District. Mr. Ross referred the Board to a portion of
his staff report relative to the issue. He reviewed different locations
on the maps of the location where the sewer mainlines might be
installed. A discussion then followed as to the pros and cons of each.
Mr. Ross also explained how the side sewer services and grinder pumps
would work. This is a unique situation, due to the extreme differences
in elevations in the area. Mr. Ross went on to state staff would be
recommending that the Board amend the Comprehensive Sewer System Plan to
provide sewer service to the area using the design criteria discussed.
He went on to explain what the amendment to the comprehensive plan would
accomplish. Also discussed was the necessity for an easement in order to
move forward with the project. During the discussion, Mr. Pritchett
offered to pursue the easement issue. Subsequent to the discussion, it
was consensus of the Board to direct staff to pursue developing an
amendment to the Comprehensive Sewer System Plan as well as obtaining an
easement as discussed in order to assist the property owners to be
successful with their project. The Board thanked both staff and the
property owners for their work on this proposed project.
#6, Utility Billing System Replacement: Mr. Dennis stated that
this item had been previewed at the last meeting during his staff
report. He noted that while there are no equipment issues at this time,
the reason for bringing this item to the Board at this meeting was to
inform the Board that if the District commits to purchasing the new
utility billing program now, the vendor will discount the cost of the
product by 15%. Mr. Dennis went on to state he would like to begin
implementation next spring or summer and explained his reasons. He
stated the current system was not fully designed for such a large entity
as Lakehaven, when it was purchased and the newer version is more
complete and has been targeted for larger entities, such as the
District. He noted the new version has been installed in some agencies
and seems to be working well. He noted there are some limitations with
the current system and briefly reviewed some of them. He stated staff
needs to be able to provide the best level of customer service as is
possible as well as be able to interface with the other systems that the
District is implementing. In response to a question, Jean Gardiner, the
Manager of Customer Services, indicated the new system would be very
beneficial to her staff. A discussion followed and Mr. Dennis offered to
provide additional information to the Board at the next meeting to
facilitate their consideration of this item. Subsequent to the
discussion, the Board thanked Mr. Dennis for his presentation.
COMMITTEE REPORTS/COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Commissioner Stewart reported he had recently attended neighborhood
meetings with residents relating to low pressure sewer systems. There
was an informal gathering with residents in the Northlake area as well
as a meeting with the residents in the Lakota Beach area. He noted
several things that were unclear to him relative to issues discussed at
those meetings and added he would like the District to be able to
provide the parties with definitive answers and solid recommendations.
Mr. Ross responded to the points that Commissioner Stewart brought forth
and a discussion followed regarding alternatives. Commissioner
Jovanovich commented that he felt the District should be more pro-active
in these two projects as well as others and a discussion followed in
response to his comments. Commissioner Miller next reported that he
would be attending the annual WefTec Conference in Washington, D.C. He
added he hoped to bring back useful information to assist Lakehaven
staff in the performance of their jobs.
STAFF REPORTS
GENERAL COUNSEL: Mr. Pritchett reported he and Mr. Dennis
had met with Ed Cebron of FCSG regarding the District’s CFC model
and added Mr. Cebron would be making a presentation to the Board in
the near future. He added he felt fortunate to have Mr. Cebron on
Board as Mr. Cebron was one of the leading financial analysts for
water and sewer rate making. He added he had recently attended a
conference sponsored by the Washington State Association of
Municipal Attorneys and added there was an extensive discussion
relative to issues surrounding public records requests. He referred
to a court case that directly related to this issue. He next
reported he had spoken to the attorney representing the Lloyd
Development, who had indicated his appreciation for the District’s
intent to move forward with the project.
ENGINEERING MANAGER: Mr. Ross reported that quite a few
people were present at the recent meeting with the residents of the
North Lake neighborhood. He went on to report that staff had
provided three alternatives for pricing the cost for installation of
sewers in their area. They were also given the results of the survey
which were less than favorable. Mr. Ross noted the plan was to focus
on certain smaller areas within the neighborhood. Commissioner
Tweddle added that she felt it had been a congenial meeting. Mr.
Ross went on to report that a pump vendor had attended the meeting
of the Lakota Beach residents and had brought along a demonstration
pump for the attendees to view, which he felt had been very helpful.
He added that he felt the meeting had been very helpful, even though
all the questions had not been answered. Mr. Ross added that Mr.
Burton, the person who was spearheading the Marine Hills Sewer
project was also in attendance at that meeting; he proposed joining
the residents of the Lakota Beach neighborhood in purchasing pumps.
Lastly, he stated staff hoped to send out letters to the Lakota
Beach residents in a few weeks notifying them that the District
would begin accepting side sewer applications.
Mr. Ross reported that he and Wes Hill, the District’s
Development Engineer/Manager of Development Services, had recently
attended the City of Federal Way’s Annual Permitting Stake Holders
meeting. He stated that concerns were expressed as to why Lakehaven
was not providing staff in the City’s Development Review Committee
meetings. Mr. Ross stated he had explained the reason for this.
Commissioner Tweddle stated that at the last City/District Liaison
Committee meeting the issue of District staff not attending these
meetings with City staff as they had done in the past was discussed.
She went on to state the City’s representatives had been assured
this past practice would be reactivated as soon as possible. Mr.
Ross responded that he intended to resume attendance at these
meetings if and when the building activity slows; he stated his
staff processed 25% more applications this year than at the same
time last year. Commissioner Tweddle stated the Board continued to
hear that this was a workload issue and asked Mr. Ross if he had
discussed this with Mr. Perry. A discussion followed relative to
this issue and suggestions were considered as to how to proceed that
would be in the best interest of the District and the public as
well.
GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. Perry stated that Mr. Hill intended
to bring some suggestions to the Board during the Developer
Extension Status Report now postponed, about restructuring how
business is done in his area to free up staff time and, at the same
time, ensuring that staff receives better quality water and sewer
construction plans to begin with.
At that point Jerry Bergman, a District rate payer, thanked the Board
for an enjoyable meeting.
Upon motion of Commissioner Tweddle, which was duly seconded by
Commissioner Jovanovich, the Board, with Commissioners Tweddle,
Jovanovich and Miller voting in the affirmative, and Commissioner Mayer
voting in the negative, approved extending the length of the
Board meeting to 9:30 p.m.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At approximately 8:50 p.m., the regular session was recessed in order
to conduct an Executive Session for the purpose of discussing Potential
Litigation and a Personnel issue. A Closed Session for discussing
negotiations in Collective Bargaining would also occur. It was stated
that the Executive Session and Closed Sessions would be adjourned by
9:30 p.m. At approximately 9:29 p.m., the Executive and Closed Sessions
were adjourned and the regular meeting was reconvened.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting
was adjourned at approximately 9:30 p.m. |
