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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-01-26 Utilities MinutesUTILITIES COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes January 26, 2010 5:00 p.m. Conference Room #1 PRESENT Councilmembers: Kathy Hougardy, Chair; Joe Duffle and Allan Ekberg Staff: Bob Giberson, Frank Iriarte, Greg Villanueva, Ryan Larsen, Gail Labanara, Robin Tischmak, Mary Miotke, Shawn Hunstock, Derek Speck, Steve Lancaster and Kimberly Matej CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair Hougardy called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. I. PRESENTATIONS No Presentations City of Tukwila Utilities Committee II. BUSINESS AGENDA A. Comcast Franchise Extension Staff is seeking full Council approval to amend Ordinances Numbers 1688 and 2224, extending the current Comcast Franchise Agreement for an additional three years. Last year, the City extended its contract for one year in order to work on terms and conditions of a new contract with Comcast. After working with a consortium of cities it was determined that many were merely seeking contract extensions at this time and contract renewals in the next few years. It is in the best interest of the City to wait until several neighboring cities are seeking renewal and then a consortium can be formed. With a consortium of cities, costs can be shared and staff is hopeful some pending communications legislation will be finalized for incorporation into a new franchise agreement. The current extension is set to expire on February 1, 2010. The three year extension will expire on February 1, 2013. Terms and conditions of the contract remain the same. Due to the current agreement expiring on February 1, 2010, staff is requesting this item go directly to the February 1 Regular meeting for consideration and action. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. FORWARD TO FEBRUARY 1 REGULAR MEETING FOR DISCUSSION. B. NPDES Surface Water Education Survey At the January 12 Utilities Committee meeting, staff reported that the NPDES permit requires that municipalities conduct an educational survey to determine consumer awareness of surface water systems and water quality. Staff identified a sampling of 1,000 residential surface water customers in a specific zip code to receive the survey in their surface water bills. The intent is for customers to complete the survey and return it with their surface water payment. Several completed surveys have already been received. The surveys were included in bills sent out on January 22. INFORMATION ONLY. C. Utility Billing Refunds and Back Bill Policy As an information only item, staff reported on a new policy that will be implemented regarding utility service billing refunds and back bills. Currently, there is no City policy or ordinance that addresses the refunding and /or back billing for utility services that have been over or under charged. This policy was developed by recommendation of the City Attorney and was based on the need for a clear, definitive, consistent process for these circumstances. The Utilities Committee Minutes Januar!v 26, 2010 Paae 2 policy calls for limiting billing and /or refunding back to 36 months from the claim or discovery date, unless there was a change in ownership during that time. INFORMATION ONLY. D. City Council Pre Retreat Budget Review The Committee reviewed the 2009 -10 Biennial Budget pages as listed below in preparation of the upcoming Council Retreat. SECTION 1 BUDGET PAGES Council 1 28 -29 Mayor's Office /Civil Service 1 32 -34 City Clerk I 48 -49 III. MISCELLANEOUS At the January 12, 2010, Utilities Committee meeting, staff requested full Council approval of two ordinances: Surface Water Management and Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination. With unanimous approval, the Committee forwarded each ordinance to the January 25 COW for discussion. Both items were removed from the January 25 COW due to additional City Attorney updates. Staff returned to update the Committee on theses changes which are primarily formatting and/or clarification. However, some additional details were added to the ordinances including: an order of precedence in the event of manual/handbook conflicts and tables outlining equivalency terms between the manual languages used by King County compared to Tukwila. The Committee acknowledged the changes. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. FORWARD TO FEBRAURY 8 COW DISCUSSION. Meeting adjourned at 6:28 p.m. Next meeting: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 5:00 p.m. Conf. Room No. 1. L Committee Chair Approval Minute Jby KAM. Reviewed by GL.