10/14/2015 - Minutes Intergovernmental Water Board JWB) Minutes
SERVING TIGARD,KING CITY,DURHAM AND TIGARD WATER DISTRICT
MEETING DATE: Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 5:30 p.m.
MEETING LOCATION: Tigard Public Works Building
8777 SW Burnham Street
Tigard, OR 97223
Members Present:
Ken Henschel Representing the Tigard Water District (TWD)
Jodie Inman Member-At-Large
Keith Jehnke Representing the City of Durham
Billie Reynolds Representing the City of King City
Marc Woodard Representing the City of Tigard
Members Absent:
None
City of Tigard Staff Present:
Brian Rager Public Works Director
John Goodrich Division Manager
Judy Lawhead I" Recorder
1. Call to Order, Roll Call and Introductions
Commissioner Henschel called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes — September 9, 2015
Commissioner Jehnke moved to approve the September 9, 2015, minutes. Commissioner
Woodard seconded the motion. The motion passed by unanimous vote of the
commissioners present, with Commissioners Henschel,Jehnke, Reynolds, and Woodard
voting yes.
Note. Commissioner Inman arrived at 5:34 p.m.
3. Public Comments
No one from the public was in attendance; therefore, there were no comments from the
public.
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4. Water Supply Update
Mr. Goodrich reported:
• Average water use for the month of September was 6.3 million gallons per day (mgd).
This usage was approximately 1 mgd lower than last year at this time.
• There are approximately 83 million gallons (mg) of water stored in aquifer storage
and recovery (ASR) wells,which is about a 38-day supply.
• Total groundwater pumped from ASR-1 well for the 2015 cycle was 114 mg; and
stored water pumped from ASR-2 well was approximately 121 mg.
• Average water use at the beginning of October was 5.5 mgd and currently at 4.75
mgd. This is consistent with last year's water demand pattern at this time of year.
5. Discussion on Various Outstanding Billing Issues
Commissioner Henschel inquired as to the city's finance department's investigation of
the cost of a software upgrade to improve consistency of water billing cycles. Mr. Rager
reported:
• Analysis of the current billing method shows one out of every three months results in
a 5-week read,while two out of three months result in a 4-week or less read. That
averages out to only about$100 across all accounts in the span of a year.
• A software upgrade would take average daily reads resulting in an average read that
still would not be accurate.
• The finance director is not recommending a change in the software due to the cost of
the upgrade,with little or no benefit to customers.
• When IWB board members hear of a customer who is upset, it is encouraged that the
customer is directed to call city staff immediately (as noted in a memo to the board
dated March 31, 2015). City staff are the ones making the decisions, and are
responsible for the customers water service. If staff doesn't hear from that customer,
the problem cannot be resolved.
In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Reynolds, Mr. Goodrich explained how the
city came to the decision of using the tiered rate structure for water billing. Utilities such
as Portland General Electric and NW Natural Gas are able to use price structures that
charge consistently per unit because they can produce as much product as needed, based
on their capacity. Water resources are a limited resource—water cannot be produced
based on demand. The city uses a tiered rate structure in order to ensure that there is a
cost to use more water than their neighbors. Those who use the most water, at the
highest level,pay a price. This pricing model has been used by the city since the year
2010, and the city has provided much information regarding the tiered rate structure to
customers. There are different ways of billing but, at the end of the day, every effort is
made to choose the most equitable billing system.
Mr. Rager inquired as to how this issue could be resolved in lieu of a software change.
The board members made these recommendations:
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• Amend the language on the website to define the billing period as a period of time
that can range between 25 and 36 days, and that a customer's billing tier rate could
get bumped up or down depending on a long read, or a short read.
• This updated, easy-to-understand language should be made available, not only on the
city's website, but also in the city's KnowH2O newsletter and an insert with the
billing statements.
• The city's finance director can produce fresh information regarding a software
solution (if one exists); the pros and cons of an average daily read system and what
the city can reasonably do to bring this discussion to a close.
At the request of Commissioner Henschel, Mr. Rager and Mr. Goodrich reported that
the ten cases involving accounts where there was a discrepancy between the noted sizes
of the meters versus the base charge were resolved (see memo to the board dated March
31, 2015).
6. Discussion on Water Emergency Notification System
At the request of Commissioner Henschel, Mr. Rager and Mr. Goodrich gave this
explanation of the city's CodeRed emergency notification system:
• Information is provided annually in the city's KnowH2O and Cityscape newsletters.
These refer customers to the city's website to register for CodeRed notifications.
Customers are also directed to contact the city's emergency management coordinator
if they are unable to register online.
• CodeRed notifications can be received by voice message, text message, and email.
• CodeRed is only one notification tool used by the city. A media press release also
goes out quickly, as well as a notification banner on the city's website.
• Outreach is done by the emergency management coordinator at public events such as
the Community Emergency Preparedness Fair held each year in Cook Park.
7. Discussion on Intergovernmental Agreement Concerns
Commissioner Henschel reported that both the city of Durham and the Tigard Water
District (TWD) are in the process of drafting new intergovernmental water agreements.
He stated that in 2010, the city rejected "draft seven" when presented by the IWB
without any explanation as to why it was rejected. Since the IWB never understood what
was wrong with "draft seven" they are unsure how to proceed.
Mr. Rager will consult with Mr. Koellermeier,who was more involved with the IWB at
that time, to learn what took place regarding feedback concerning"draft seven." He
assured the board members that the city is interested in knowing what is important to the
city of Durham and the TWD. Commissioner Henschel will email the Word version of
"draft seven" to Mr. Rager.
Commissioner Woodard asked to be given a brief summary of the city of Durham and
TWD jurisdiction meetings. Commissioner Henschel stated that he could be added to
the monthly interested person list for TWD.
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7. Informational Items
After discussion,it was decided that the November 11 meeting will be re-scheduled to
Thursday, November 12, due to the Veterans Day holiday.
8. Non-Agenda Items
8. Next Meeting
Thursday, November 12, 2015, at 5:30 p.m.
Public Works Auditorium, 8777 SW Burnham Street, Tigard, Oregon
9. Adjournment
At 6:58 p.m. Commissioner Woodard moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner
Reynolds seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned by unanimous vote of the
commissioners present,with Commissioners Henschel, Inman, and Jehnke, Reynolds,
and Woodard voting yes.
Kk Henschel, 1WB Chair J y La,, ead, lWB Recorder
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