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City of Glendale Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Oasis Water Campus 7070 W. Northern Avenue January 6, 2021 6:00 P.M. DRAFT MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Short called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: Vice Chair Ron Short and Commissioners Robin Berryhill, Larry Flatau, Amber Ford, Jon Froke, and David McGrew Absent: None Also Present: Craig Johnson, Director, Water Services; Michelle Woytenko, Director, Field Operations; Katrina Alberty, Deputy Director, Water Services; Monica Gorman, Deputy Director, Field Operations; Dan Hatch, Financial Administrator, Water Services; Megan Sheldon, Deputy Director, Environmental Resources-Water Services; Candace Schulte, Management Assistant, Water Services; Kerry Sheward, Water Services Administrator 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS None. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Commissioner Ford, second by Commissioner Flatau, to approve the minutes of the November 4, 2020 Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Regular Meeting as written. Motion carried 6 – 0. Motion by Commissioner Flatau, second by Commissioner Berryhill, to approve the minutes of the December 17, 2020 Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Workshop Meeting as written. Motion carried 6 – 0. 5. DIRECTOR’S REPORT Ms. Michele Woytenko, Director of Field Operations, relayed that there was no report this evening. Mr. Craig Johnson, Director of Water Services, reported the following: • Ms. Kerry Sheward has been hired as the new Support Services Administrator. Mr. Johnson shared a brief background of her experience. • The 2021 Clean & Green calendar has been published, which was provided to the Commissioners. • City offices will be closed on January 18th for the Martin Luther King holiday. January 6, 2021 Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Draft Minutes 2 • A few participants, including Commissioner Flatau and Councilmember Tolmachoff, took a field trip with staff to view the installation of the section of the new Primus Liner. A video of the installation will be shown to the Commission soon. • Appreciation was given to the department staff, who contributed to the Community Services Holiday Assistance Program. Twenty-one employees collectively donated $980.00, which was used to purchase wish-list items for a mom and her five children in need aged 18-months to five years old. 6. 2020 TRASH & RECYCLING SURVEY RESULTS Ms. Gorman gave a presentation on the results of the 2020 Residential Trash and Recycling Survey. The Commissioners were provided with the full 2020 Survey Report as well. The presentation included the following: • Introduction o At the January 14, 2020 Council Workshop, Ms. Woytenko gave a recycling program update to Council. o There was a Councilmember request for a survey to determine the citizens’ interest in recycling. The Council also wanted to inform the residents that there is a cost to recycling. o The purpose of the survey was to obtain citizen feedback to guide decisions and make recommendations. o Most citizens think recycling is free or generates revenue. Recycling has not generated revenue for several years. • Methodology o 55,440 households are eligible for residential collection services. o During the week of October 19, 2020, a postcard, in English and Spanish, was mailed to 54,961 active accounts regarding the survey. o The survey was open from October 19 to November 16, 2020 for customer input. o The survey was posted online in English and Spanish and consisted of an introduction and ten questions. o The survey was promoted online and via social media. • Survey Results o 7,267 surveys were submitted, which represents 13% of households eligible for collection services. o The majority of residential collection customers support recycling. o 83.4% of respondents indicated that recycling is ‘very important’ or ‘important’ to their household. o 62.2% of respondents indicated that their household puts recycling out weekly and 26.7% indicated every other week. o 90.5% of respondents are willing to pay more for recycling collection. An increase of up to $1.60 in the monthly service charge was noted in the survey as it is close to the breakeven point for processing costs. o 74.8% of survey respondents are willing to reduce or eliminate free disposal at the Glendale landfill in order to minimize increases to their monthly service charge. o 96.3% of respondents rated their satisfaction with residential collection services as either ‘very good’ or ‘good.’ • Next Steps January 6, 2021 Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Draft Minutes 3 o Recycling program recommendations are planned for presentation to CUAC in February 2021 and then to City Council no later than April 2021. o Recommendations will include rate increases to support recycling efforts consistent with citizen feedback. Commissioner Flatau inquired if staff looked at long-term sustainability of the recycling program. Ms. Gorman explained that staff are looking at cost recovery currently and commented that the recycling markets appear to be recovering so processing costs have likely stabilized. Commissioner McGrew asked if staff had received the anticipated response rate to the survey. Ms. Gorman stated that she was pleased with the results. Ms. Woytenko indicated that Parks and Recreation recently conducted a residential survey for which they received 400 responses and commented that the more than 7,000 responses received for recycling exceeded expectations. Ms. Gorman relayed that statistically, staff can be confident that the survey opinions represent the majority. Commissioner McGrew asked if a study has been conducted on how full the recycling containers are at pickup. Ms. Gorman stated that most bins are not full when they are set out, and if the program changed to pick up every other week, residents can request additional bins for free if needed. Ms. Woytenko added that staff does have some data on this; however, further analysis is needed. Commissioner Ford commented that she would not like to see bulk trash collection reduced and it could possibly be needed more than once a month. Commissioner Berryhill noticed less dumping in the desert after the bulk pick up program began. Commissioner Berryhill stated that the bulk trash program is important for the ecology and sanitation. 7. 2021 COMMISSIOENR CALENDAR AND AGENDA TOPICS Ms. Alberty presented the Draft 2021 CUAC Agenda Topic Calendar and requested Commissioner feedback. Commissioner Flatau stated that he enjoyed seeing the primus liner in person and would enjoy seeing more facilities that the City maintains. Commissioner Flatau also requested an update on the status of staffing. Commissioner Ford requested a drought update. Ms. Sheldon noted that an update could potentially be provided after the 24-month study is published in August or could be done as newsworthy items arise. Vice Chair Short requested an update on the balanced scorecard. Mr. Johnson indicated that this update would be most beneficial and available in the fall. Ms. Alberty relayed that the draft calendar will be finalized and placed on next month’s agenda for approval. 8. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS January 6, 2021 Citizens Utility Advisory Commission Draft Minutes 4 Commissioner Flatau thanked staff for the primus liner viewing. Commissioner Flatau noted that he read an article whereby the City of Peoria said that it had the lowest water rates in the west valley, though it does get its water from Glendale. Commissioner Ford suggested reviewing the rate structure with Peoria, as Glendale may not be charging Peoria enough for water. Commissioner McGrew commented that it may be short-sighted for newspapers to publish water prices and rates as there is a much larger picture when included capital expenditures. Commissioner McGrew thanked staff for all of the excellent presentations and Commissioner Berryhill concurred. Vice Chair Short expressed appreciation to staff for the informative presentations and for all that staff does for the City. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS February 3, 2021: 1. Finalize 2021 Commission Calendar and Agenda Topics 2. Review FY20-21 CIP Project Status 3. Recycling Program Recommendations 10. NEXT MEETING The next meeting regular meeting of the Citizens Utility Advisory Commission will be held February 3, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. at the Oasis Water Campus, 7070 W. Northern Avenue, Glendale, Arizona, 85303. 11. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner McGrew, second by Commissioner Berryhill, to adjourn the meeting at 6:53 p.m. Motion carried 6 – 0.