Council Chamber  
City of Santa Rosa  
100 Santa Rosa Avenue  
Board of Public Utilities  
Regular Meeting Minutes - Final  
Thursday, October 17, 2024  
1:30 PM  
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL  
Chair Galvin called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m.  
Director Burke introduced Interim Assistant City Attorney Dustin  
Cooper.  
Interim Assistant City Attorney Cooper introduced himself to the  
Board of Pubic Utilities.  
6 -  
Present  
Chair Daniel Galvin III, Vice Chair William Arnone Jr., Board Member  
Lisa Badenfort, Board Member Robin Bartholow, Board Member  
Duane De Witt, and Board Member Glen Wright  
1 - Board Member Christopher Grabill  
Absent  
2 REMOTE PARTICIPATION UNDER AB 2449 (IF NEEDED)  
None.  
3. STATEMENTS OF ABSTENTION BY BOARD MEMBERS  
None.  
4. STUDY SESSION  
4.1  
EVERY PIECE INSPIRES CHANGE (E.P.I.C.) COLLABORATIVE  
The Storm Water and Creeks Team of Santa Rosa Water plans to  
implement a Trash Pilot Study, the E.P.I.C. Collaborative, consisting of  
public outreach and education, as well as strategic actions, to reduce  
the amount of trash discarded on Sebastopol Avenue and consequently  
reduce the amount of garbage entering the storm drain system. The  
State Water Resources Control Board adopted the Trash Provisions in  
2015, which require that all particles 5mm or greater are prevented from  
entering the storm drain system by 2030. To comply with the State of  
California 2030 Trash Compliance Amendment, this Trash Pilot Study  
will be conducted to demonstrate potential citywide solutions. The  
Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff.  
Nick Sudano, Senior Environmental Specialist, and Brandt  
Hoekenga, consultant with TIV Branding, presented and answered  
Board Member questions.  
5. MINUTES APPROVAL  
5.1  
September 5, 2024 - Regular Meeting Minutes - Draft  
The September 5, 2024 regular meeting minutes were approved as  
submitted.  
6. STAFF BRIEFINGS  
6.1  
WATER AND RECYCLED WATER SUPPLY UPDATE  
Staff will update the Board on water and recycled water supply issues.  
The Board may discuss this item and give direction to staff.  
Lisa Cuellar, Sustainability Coordinator, and Andrew Romero,  
Wastewater Reclamation Superintendent presented and answered  
Board Member questions.  
7. CONSENT ITEMS  
None.  
8. REPORT ITEMS  
None.  
9. PUBLIC HEARING  
9.1  
PUBLIC HEARING - PUBLIC HEARING ADOPTING NEW  
MISCELLANEOUS FEES AND INCREASING CERTAIN  
MISCELLANEOUS FEES  
BACKGROUND: Santa Rosa Water’s miscellaneous fees and charges  
reimburse the department for providing specific services, utilizing time  
and materials or other appropriate methodologies to define the costs of  
providing the services. These charges are collected from the customers  
who receive an applicable service such that the costs for those specific  
services are not spread to the entire ratepayer base. Miscellaneous  
fees and charges were last updated in 2022, with implementation  
occurring in February 2023. If the Board of Public Utilities adopts these  
fees at the public meeting on October 17, 2024, the changes to the  
miscellaneous fees will take effect 60 days after adoption, on December  
16, 2024.Staff is also recommending that the fees be adopted through  
June 30, 2026 and that the Water Director be authorized to adjust all  
fees on July 1st of each year, beginning on July 1, 2026, to incorporate  
changes identified in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban  
consumers in the SF Bay Area. This Public Hearing item was moved to  
a date certain from the October 3, 2024 meeting.  
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended by the Budget Review  
Subcommittee and Santa Rosa Water that the Board of Public Utilities,  
by resolution, adopt new Water Department miscellaneous fees and  
charges for water and wastewater services, increase certain fees based  
on updated cost information, adopt all fees through June 30, 2026 and  
authorize the Water Director to escalate certain fees on July 1, 2026,  
and July 1st of each year thereafter, based on price changes as  
identified by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban consumers in the  
San Francisco Bay Area.  
Nick Harvey, Deputy Director - Water Administration, presented and  
answered Board Member questions.  
Chair Galvin opened the Public Hearing at 2:42 p.m. and closed the  
Public Hearing at 2:43 p.m.  
A motion was made by Board Member Wright, seconded by Board Member  
Bartholow, to waive reading of the text and adopt RESOLUTION NO. 1332  
ENTITLED: RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES OF THE  
CITY OF SANTA ROSA ADOPTING NEW AND CHANGED MISCELLANEOUS  
FEES AND CHARGES.  
The motion carried by the following vote:  
6 -  
Yes:  
Chair Galvin III, Vice Chair Arnone Jr., Board Member Badenfort,  
Board Member Bartholow, Board Member De Witt and Board  
Member Wright  
1 - Board Member Grabill  
Absent:  
10. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA MATTERS  
None.  
11. REFERRALS  
None.  
12. WRITTEN COMMUNICATION (AND POSSIBLE BOARD DISCUSSION)  
None.  
13. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS  
Board Member Wright reported that the Budget Subcommittee met  
for the second time on September 17, 2024 to consider proposed  
updates to Santa Rosa Water's miscellaneous fees and charges  
schedule, which was considered by the Board at today's meeting.  
Staff recommended updates to several fees reflecting the  
increased costs of delivering services, and recommended that the  
Water Director be authorized to use the Consumer Price Index to  
increase certain fees now and on an annual basis beginning on July  
1, 2026. After review, the subcommittee unanimously  
recommended approval of the proposed miscellaneous fees and  
charges schedule.  
14. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS  
Vice Chair Arnone reported that he was able to celebrate Water  
Professionals Week with members of Santa Rosa Water during two  
different appreciation events.  
Chair Galvin reported that he was also able to celebrate Water  
Professional Week with members of Santa Rosa Water during the  
other two appreciation events.  
Board Member DeWitt reported that Make A Difference Day is in  
October and there will be a cleaning at Roseland Creek on the last  
Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  
15. DIRECTORS REPORTS  
Director Burke reported: Camille Gardea, Environmental  
Compliance Inspector 2 just passed the exam for the California  
Water Environment Association Laboratory Grade 3. This is a  
difficult test and her passing the exam is an example of her  
dedication and passion for continuous learning and expanding her  
knowledge base to better support the needs of the department.  
In response to nationwide concerns with lead pipes in drinking water  
systems, the US EPA promulgated revisions the Lead and Copper  
Rule in 2021. Guidance for implementation of the revised rule was  
released in August 2022. The 2022 guidance provided best  
practices for the new requirements that utilities develop an inventory  
of customer-side service line materials and communicate that  
information to the public by October 16, 2024. Santa Rosa Water  
already completed an inventory of our own distribution system and  
replaced any materials that may have lead present in them before  
2018. These new requirements for an inventory now extend beyond  
our meter into customer property side services and their materials.  
Santa Rosa's drinking water is very low risk for lead contamination.  
Therefore, a Flint, Michigan type of lead contamination emergency  
has never been a concern because lead pipes were not the  
prevailing material utilized in our drinking water system’s history.  
Santa Rosa's customer water service lines have always historically  
been copper or plastic with a few older homes having galvanized  
iron. In 1946, Santa Rosa adopted requirements that standardized  
copper service lines for all new construction and in 1986 there was a  
nationwide requirement that all new household plumbing fixtures  
must be lead-free. Over the past two years, Santa Rosa Water staff  
have spent significant time reviewing historical records, conducting  
thousands of physical on-site inspections to assess the materials  
used in water service lines, compiled this information for submission  
to the US EPA, and prepared the inventory for publishing on a  
public-facing city webpage in an easy-to-understand format to  
comply with the new rules. The public information all went live this  
week. Through this inventory requirement, Santa Rosa Water has  
found no lead service lines in our service area. The city’s webpage  
and published information can be found at srcity.org/LSLI  
16. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION ITEM(S)  
Board Member Bartholow left the meeting at 2:56 p.m.  
Interim City Attorney Cooper announced the Closed Session items.  
The Board of Public Utilities recessed to Closed Session at 2:56  
p.m. and reconvened from Closed Session at 3:17 p.m.  
16.1  
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION  
Initiation of litigation pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (d) of  
Government Code Section 54956.9: [two cases Potential litigation  
against Tyco Fire Products LP and BASF Corporation Related to PFAS  
contamination  
16.2  
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION  
(Paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Government Code Section 54956.9)  
In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation (City  
of Camden, et al., v. BASF Corporation)  
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina,  
Charleston Division, MDL No.: 2:18-mn-2873 and Case No.  
2:24-cv-03174-RMG  
16.3  
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION  
(Paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Government Code Section 54956.9)  
In Re Aqueous Film-Forming Foams Products Liability Litigation (City  
of Camden, et al., v. Tyco Fire Products LP, et al.)  
United States District Court for the District of South Carolina,  
Charleston Division, MDL No.: 2:18-mn-2873 and Case No.  
2:24-cv-02321-RMG  
RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION AND RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION IN THE  
COUNCIL CHAMBERS  
17. ANNOUNCEMENT OF ROLL CALL  
All Board Members were present with the exception of Board  
Members Bartholow and Grabill.  
18. REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION  
Interim Assistant City Attorney reported that there were no  
reportable actions taken during Closed Session.  
19. ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING  
Chair Galvin adjourned the meeting at 3:18 p.m. The next Board of  
Public Utilities meeting is scheduled for November 7, 2024 at 1:30  
p.m.  
Approved on: November 7, 2024  
__/S/________________  
Michelle Montoya  
Recording Secretary