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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWater Commission - Minutes - 10/21/2021 WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING October 21, 2021, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Online via Zoom 10/21/202 1 – MINUTES Page 1 1. CALL TO ORDER 5:30 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL • Commissioners Present: Kent Bruxvoort (Chairperson), Greg Steed (Vice Chairperson), Michael C. Brown, Jr., Cibi Vishnu Chinnasamy, Paul Herman, Phyllis Ortman, John Primsky, Jason Tarry • Commissioners Absent - Excused: Randy Kenyon, Tyler Eldridge • Staff Members Present: Theresa Connor, John Song, Mark Kempton, Mariel Miller, Russ Hovland, Donnie Dustin, Randy Reuscher, Brad Smith, Eric Olson, Matt Fater, Liesel Hans, Kirk Longstein • Members of the Public: None 3. AGENDA REVIEW • Chairperson Kent Bruxvoort briefly summarized items on the agenda 4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION • None 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES CHAIRPERSON BRUXVOORT ASKED FOR COMMENTS AND REVISIONS ON THE SEPTEMBER 16 MINUTES. Commissioner Brown moved to approve the September 16 minutes. Commissioner Ortman seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: it passed unanimously, 8-0 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Staff Reports (Attachments available upon request) i. Financial Monthly Report (meeting packet only) WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 10/21/2021 – MINUTES Page 2 Discussion Highlights A Commissioner inquired about “Other Water Sales” that came 36% below budget and 47% lower than year-to-date, which equates to nearly $300K. Donnie Dustin, Water Resources Manager, responded that, due to the fire impact, the City did not rent the water it usually rents. Without knowing the full scale of the water the City will need once switching completely to Horsetooth Reservoir due to the runoffs in the Poudre River, it was a precaution to ensure the City had ample supply. The Commissioner verified that any unspent reserves fall back to the appropriate funds, e.g. Stormwater funds, as these are enterprise funds and cannot be shared across boundaries. ii. Water Resources Monthly Report (meeting packet only) iii. Memo: Summer Water Quality Update – Upper Cache la Poudre Watershed (meeting packet only) iv. Memo: End of Water Shortage Watch (meeting packet only) Discussion Highlights A Commission inquired why the decision was made to ask community members to stop irrigation on October 1, as the last several Water Resources reports did not indicate any water shortage or drought in Larimer County. Mariel Miller, Water Conservation Specialist, explained that the request for the community to stop irrigation was a separate effort from any water shortage reasons, and rather a partnership with Environmental Services for their Shift Campaign, which promotes community sustainability through partnerships across departments. v. Building Code Updates Water Conservation Specialist Mariel Miller and Interim Chief Building Official Russ Hovland, along with Energy Service Project Manager Kirk Longstein and Project Manager Brad Smith, presented on how the International Code Council (ICC) generates a new International Building Code every three years through the ICC Code Development Process. They highlighted especially those codes that pertain to water efficiency for the Water Commission to consider. City staff proposes an update to the current 2018 codes to the 2021 I-codes and brings forward local amendments for Councilmembers to consider. WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 10/21/2021 – MINUTES Page 3 Discussion Highlights A Commissioner requested clarification about a portion of the presentation that read “Uncertainty with Utilities capacity to meet increased electric vehicle (EV) and electric ready building loads” and wondered about any proposed solutions to offset that concern. Brad Smith responded that this was mainly a concern from the building code review committee, as developers and builders have the option to provide 200-amp service to single family developments, but most choose the 150-amp service because it’s a lower capacity fee— nearly $400 dollars lower. Thus, if garages are fitted for EV charging where the whole building has adopted electrification, it may begin tripping circuits due to electric overload. The biggest reason for this concern is that the adoption for EV has yet to catch up to the times, but there shouldn’t be any immediate concerns just yet, though the City will need to adapt to mitigate the concern, e.g. commercial or multifamily building could result in an option to add another 100-amp service. Another Commissioner noted the increased construction cost for a new home with the adoption of the 2021 energy code, which comes to about $5K or approximately a 1% increase, and expressed concern regarding the affordability of living for future Fort Collins residents. Other Commissioners agreed that the concern is valid, but overall, the energy and water conservation efforts are worthwhile. They noted that there are initial costs that may be offset by incremental savings over time, whereas a retrofit would be much more expensive than the first year construction cost. vi. Interim Utilities Executive Director Quarterly Update Interim Utilities Executive Director Theresa Connor presented on several topics from this quarter, including the Safe Water Action Program (SWAP) pilot program that is taking the initiative to replace lead goosenecks from the City’s system, the environmental performance of the Water Production Facility, an update on the sewer system spill from bypass pumping, highlights from, City Council budgeting and priorities, and leadership recruitment updates. Discussion Highlights A Commissioner inquired whether the City Manager will be hired before the new Utilities Executive Director, to which Ms. Connor replied that they are hiring them concurrently, with both positions advertised simultaneously. Another Commissioner expressed some concern about the cost of the SWAP program—approximately $350K—to which Ms. Connor assured that the program is in its pilot phase, so when it moves to production, the City should see a rise in efficiency, including costs. Another Commissioner commented that they would like to hear an update later on regarding the phosphorous WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 10/21/2021 – MINUTES Page 4 treatment of residuals in stormwater systems that could potentially divert up to 600 tons of “waste” per year from the landfill to create a “circular economy” use of the material. A Commissioner expressed interest in receiving updates about the proposed graywater ordinance, while another Commissioner inquired if the city doesn’t already have efforts towards ordinances for graywater due to its use at the Rawhide Power Plant, to which Ms. Connor responded that this will be more on the individual building scale, and further explained that due to water rights issues regarding graywater, the most likely use for it would be for toilet flushing so that it’s put back into the system through the wastewater plant and then down the river, versus irrigation use. b. Regular Items (Attachments available upon request) i. 2022 Utility Rates and Fees Donnie Dustin, Water Resources Manager, and Randy Reuscher, Utility Rate Analyst, presented on ordinances related to proposed 2022 rates and fees that are being brought forward as part of the City Council agenda, along with a change to the Cash-in-Lieu fee which will generate revenue used to ensure adequate and reliable water for development within the City of Fort Collins Utilities water service area. Discussion Highlights A Commissioner clarified that the proposed changes would only apply to customers within the Fort Collins Utilities water service area, and not the entirety of the growth management area. Another Commissioner requested clarification about the figure for increased reliability (9,150 acre-feet), which Mr. Dustin responded is a modeled value that factors in the Halligan Dam Project and other water rights in an attempt to calculate the incremental cost per acre-foot of additional firm yield. Another Commissioner noted that, considering the rise in rates and fees introduced in this presentation, as well as the rise in construction costs presented in the earlier Building Code updates, the cost of building a home in Fort Collins will rise by nearly $11K. Commissioner Ortman moved that the Water Commission recommend City Council adopt the proposed changes to the Utilities rates and fees, including changes to the Cash-in-Lieu Fee associated with the Water Supply Requirements. Commissioner Brown seconded the motion. A Commissioner inquired about how often the adjustments will be revisited, WATER COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING 10/21/2021 – MINUTES Page 5 and Mr. Dustin responded that it will be every two years. Vote on the Motion: it passed unanimously, 6-0, with Commissioner Chinnasamy abstaining as he will no longer be residing in the Fort Collins Growth Management Area starting later this month, and Commissioner Herman abstaining as he is actively involved in home building projects that may reflect a conflict of interest competitively due to resulting higher home construction costs. 7. COMMISSIONER REPORTS None 8. OTHER BUSINESS The Work Plan draft will be completed by the Chair by early November to be sent to the other Commissioners to read through and bring discussion topics to the November 18 Regular Meeting. Today is Commissioner Cibi Chinnasamy’s last meeting, as he will be relocating to India at the end of the month. 9. ADJOURNMENT 7:02 p.m. These minutes were approved by the Water Commission on November 18, 2021.