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COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE |
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3. |
Review CoMMUNITY ADVISORY
COMMITTEE (cac) Charge, Meeting Procedures, and Committee Report
Development |
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Meeting Date: |
April 3, 2008 |
Budgeted: |
N/A |
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From: |
Darby Fuerst, |
Program/ |
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General Manager |
Line Item No.: |
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Prepared By: |
Same |
Cost Estimate: |
N/A |
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General Counsel Approval: N/A |
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Committee Recommendation: N/A |
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CEQA Compliance: N/A |
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SUMMARY: The District’s newly-formed Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is scheduled to meet on April 3, 2008. This report contains information District staff has assembled related to the Committee’s assignment (or “charge”) from the Board of Directors; proposed meeting procedures; and District staff’s recommended approach for the Committee to develop its report to the Board that is due by April 15, 2008. In order to meet that deadline in such a short time period, a second meeting of the Committee is set for Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 2 PM, in case an additional meeting is necessary. As directed by the Board, the District General Manager will serve as Committee Chair.
RECOMMENDATION: The Community Advisory Committee Members should: (1) review the CAC Charge attached as Exhibit 3-A and the meeting schedule mentioned above; (2) endorse the Meeting Procedures and Decorum Rules attached as Exhibit 3-B; and (3) accept or modify the plan for completion of the Final Report (Exhibit 3-C).
BACKGROUND: Additional information on items 3 A, B and C as shown on the April 3, 2008 agenda is outlined below.
A. Review CAC Charge and Meeting
Schedule
On January 15, 2008, staff of the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Division of Water Rights issued a draft Cease and Desist Order to California American Water. In response, the District Board included an objective in its Strategic Plan stating that the Board will reconvene the CAC to discuss impacts of the draft CDO and recommend strategies to the Board to address negative impacts of the draft CDO. At the March 17, 2008 meeting, the Board approved formation of the CAC; adopted the committee charge (Exhibit 3-A); and ratified the list of committee members (Exhibit 3-D).
B. Meeting Procedures and
Decorum Rules
Based on previous experience, it is suggested that the format for the meetings be as follows:
1. Presentation by Staff
2. Questions from the Committee
3. Receive comments from each committee members. Comments will be recorded by staff on a computer and projected onto a screen so the committee can view and edit them during the meeting.
4. Comments from the public
As noted in its charge, the CAC is considered a “legislative body” under the State law that regulates meetings of elected and advisory committees of local public agencies, i.e., the Ralph M. Brown Act. As required by the Brown Act, the agenda for CAC meetings will be publicly noticed so that citizens can attend, observe and comment. Also, the Brown Act prohibits a majority (i.e., eight or more) of CAC members from communicating between meetings by e-mail, if such communication could result in a collective consensus on any matter related to the CAC charge.
The CAC charge assigns the District General Manager the responsibility to serve as CAC Chair; and this role is limited to facilitating CAC meetings to ensure that they run smoothly, efficiently, and in accordance with the Brown Act and the Board’s adopted CAC charge. As Chair, the General Manager will facilitate CAC meetings in accordance with standard public meeting conduct and parliamentary procedures (Exhibit 3-B), and will expect CAC members and citizens to adhere to those procedures, in order to ensure that appropriate decorum is maintained consistently during meetings.
In addition to serving as CAC
Chair, the charge directs the General Manager to provide appropriate staff
support. Specifically, District Engineer
Andy Bell will attend the committee meetings and be available to answer
questions regarding Order 95-10 and the draft CDO. Mr. Bell also will assist in drafting parts
of the CAC report to the Board, as indicated in the suggested outline (Exhibit 3-C). The General Manager’s office will be
responsible for administrative tasks related to supporting the CAC, with
District Executive Assistant
C. Develop Plan for Completion
of Final Report to the MPWMD Board of Directors
It is suggested that the CAC appoint a sub-committee consisting of no more than seven members to develop the final report. District staff has prepared a suggested format for the report and a table the sub-committee could use to compile comments on the potential impacts of the draft CDO and strategies to address them (Exhibit 3-C). The committee may want to use the April 9, 2008 meeting date to develop the final report.
3-A Community Advisory Committee Charge
3-B CAC Meeting Procedures and Decorum Rules
3-C Suggested CAC Report Development Approach and Format
3-D List of CAC Members
3-E Action Minutes Sample Format
U:\staff\word\committees\CAC\2008\0403\03\item3.doc