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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Board - Minutes - 04/05/2018Meeting Minutes – April 5, 2018 Page 1 Fort Collins Utilities Water Board Minutes – SPECIAL MEETING Thursday, April 5, 2018 Water Board Chairperson City Council Liaison Brett Bovee, 970-889-0469 Wade Troxell, 970-219-8940 Water Board Vice Chairperson Staff Liaison Kent Bruxvoort, 970-219-2832 Carol Webb, 970-221-6231 ROLL CALL Board Present: Chairperson Brett Bovee, and Board Members Phyllis Ortman, Rebecca Hill, Steve Malers, Andrew McKinley, Jim Kuiken, Michael Brown, and Jason Tarry, John Primsky Board Absent: Board Members Lori Brunswig, Kent Bruxvoort OTHERS PRESENT Staff: Carol Webb, Lance Smith, Lisa Rosintoski, Pete Iengo, Randy Reuscher, Adam Jokerst, Theresa Connor Members of the Public: Richard Stave Meeting Convened Chairperson Bovee called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. Public Comment Rich Stave – Income Qualified Rate (IQR) meeting stated he is not a big fan of shared rates and time-of-use rates. Biased toward low-income people. Not supportive of water time-of-use rates. Halligan Memo Staff Adam Jokerst provided overview of the Halligan cost increases, memo, and process to date. Board Member Jim Kuiken moved that the board memo be sent to City Council. Board Member Phyllis Ortman seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: It passed unanimously 9-0. Income Qualified Assistance Program (IQAP), formerly known as Income Qualified Rate (Attachments available upon request) Utilities Customer Connections Manager Lisa Rosintoski and Rate Analyst Randy Reuscher summarized the history of the Income Qualified Rate and the evolution to the current proposal of the Income Qualified Assistance Program (IQAP). They discussed the implementation timeline and requested the support of the Water Board for the proposal that will be presented to City Council on April 17 for their approval. Meeting Minutes – April 5, 2018 Page 2 Discussion Highlights Board members commented on and inquired about various related topics including how much money is in the payment assistance fund, how LEAP relates to the new proposal, whether Energy Board had previously weighed in on the proposal, the savings per household participating, the impact on personnel resources, and how we can better use education tools around conservation and asking customers to donate to a payment assistance fund. Staff indicated that they do allow this currently on bills where customers can round their bill up to support programs. Ms. Rosintoski commented that we save money on administration by partnering with Larimer County’s LEAP (Low-Income Energy Assistance) Program; one form, multiple benefits. Program Coordinator Pete Iengo commented that customers participating must attend conservation training, etc. to also reduce their use. The Board asked about the income level of households that can participate (about $40K per year). Board members asked about future potential efficiency programs, including the income-qualified rebates which focus on data from the IQAP program. Board members also asked how improvements are handled for rentals. Board members reiterated the need for the IQAP to help drive conservation. Staff indicated this is part of the implementation plan and will use data to drive these programs. The Board asked about potential sunset in the program’s future. Staff reiterated that data will drive these decisions. The Board asked about partnerships to serve more transient populations. Staff indicated the rate will follow them regardless of where they live and customers must reapply every year. One board member suggested that we message the cost of this program to other customers. Staff indicated it was pennies. Board Member Brett Bovee moved that Water Board support adoption of the Income Qualified Assistance Program in October 2018, to provide a 23% discount on identified components of a customer’s monthly utility bills for electric, water, and wastewater charges for those customers that qualify for LEAP and opt-in to the utility IQAP program, conditioned on that it is a three-year pilot and cost not to exceed $273,000 from water and wastewater funds and the program must see measurable conservation benefits from the participants. Board Member Phyllis Ortman seconded the motion. • Vote on the Motion: It passed 8-1, with Board Member Jim Kuiken dissenting. He stated the program does nothing to address the root cause and instead encourages more dependency by participants on subsidies while making us feel good because we’re mandating conservation compliance for them to qualify.