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HomeMy WebLinkAbout111413 CCC Minutes Approved 1mCOUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Board /Committee: I COST CONTROL COMMISSION Meeting Date November 14, 2013 Location Mo'ikeha Building — Meeting Room 2AB Start of Meeting: 1:30 p.m. End of Meeting: 3:03 p.m. Present Chair Sandi Sterker; Vice -Chair Arryl Kaneshiro; Members: Dirk Apao (arrived at 2:11 p.m.) Lawrence Chaffin Jr., Joanne Nakashima Also present: First Deputy County Attorney Amy Esaki; Boards & Commissions Office Staff. Support Clerk Mercedes Youn; Administrator Paula Morikami; Administrative Aide Teresa Tamura; County Engineer Larry Dill; Sustainability Manager Glenn Sato; and Economic Development Specialist Ben Sullivan. Excused Commissioners Glen Takenouchi and Laurie Yoshida Absent ow 7M SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Call To Order Chair Sterker called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Approval of Regular Open Session Minutes of October 14, 2013 Vice Chair Kaneshiro moved to approve the Minutes minutes as circulated. Commissioner Chaffin seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Business CCC 2013 -22 Discussion on the vacancies in the Department of Public Works versus overtime. County Engineer Larry Dill made a presentation on information provided to the Commissioners relating to current vacant positions, data showing actual budget of the various divisions, annual overtime budget, vacancies and breakdowns, comp time cash paid out, and a graph representing various peak levels of overtime hours in the solid waste operations from November 2011 through August 2013. Mr. Dill began by thanking the Commissioners for inviting him to the meeting to discuss the vacancies and overtime in the Public Works Department. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION He referred to a list of vacant positions provided to the Commissioners relating to a vacant position for a body and fender repairer that has been vacant since 11/1/09. He explained that the position has remained vacant because funds for the position were used to fund a supervisor position in the Repair Shop which they are currently looking to fill this fiscal year. He pointed out that the position for a Construction Inspector I, SR -16 that has been vacant since 2009 is dollar funded which is why the position was never filled. He stated that the four (4) Civil Engineer positions that became vacant in August and September of 2013 would be filled by December 2013. He noted that the position of a Civil Engineer I will be converted to a Construction Inspector I to help support the engineering division because the department currently has only two inspectors where in the past, there were at least four to five construction inspector positions. Commissioner Chaffin asked if the applicants for the Civil Engineer positions are licensed professionals. Mr. Dill said no, and explained that the Civil Engineer positions I through III are unlicensed and positions VI on up requires a professional license. Commissioner Chaffin asked whether it would be a misnomer to call the applicants Civil Engineers because they are unlicensed. Mr. Dill explained that all the applicants have engineering degrees and that the technicality of a professional engineer only implies if that person is licensed. He stated that a person with a Civil Engineer degree does not necessarily mean that the person is licensed but practices engineering work in some capacity. Chair Sterker asked if majority of the vacant positions can be filled by people living on the island or would the County extend its recruitment outside of the County. Mr. Dill stated that they have received applications from Oahu and the mainland and that one of Civil Engineer position is Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION actually being filled by someone from Washington State but was born and raised on Kauai and the other position is being filled by someone from Oahu. He pointed out that majority of the applicants that have applied for the higher level positions are from the mainland and although the Personnel Department is taking the lead in the recruitment process, he would be directly involved with hiring of the Civil Engineer VII, EM -7 position. Commissioner Chaffin asked what does the acronyms EM and SR stand for. First Deputy County Attorney Esaki explained that the acronyms EM & SR stood for Excluded Management and Salary Ranges. Chair Sterker asked Mr. Dill to provide an explanation on the overtime. Mr. Dill explained that the overtime in the fiscal department was due to the retirement of a Senior Fiscal Officer including comp time that had to be paid out. He explained that the increase in the building division's budget in the amount of $22,362 was a combination of employees retiring and the implementation of an on -call policy that dealt with maintenance issues outside of regular working hours. Chair Sterker asked what rate is the comp time paid. Mr. Dill explained that the employees with accrued overtime have the option to request for a cash payout as part of their paycheck or have the overtime recorded as comp time. He further explained that comp time could also be converted into vacation time and when the employee leaves County service any unused vacation time will be paid out as cash. Commissioner Chaffin asked if there is a minimum that an employee can accrue comp time after of which it will be lost. Mr. Dill stated that he does not believe that there is a limit and would have to ask. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 4 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION First Deputy County Attorney Esaki clarified that an employee can only accrue up to 240 hours of comp time. Mr. Dill stated that the Department of Public Works is working on managing its overtime in the Solid Waste Operations specifically, at the transfer stations including the Kekaha landfill. He explained that the work schedule was a major contributor to the increase in overtime so much that they had to modify the hours of operation from a ten hour day to an eight hour day. He stated that in the past, the work schedule called for just the minimal amount of staff except for one day in the week. But now, they have more than the minimal amount staff and if someone were to call in sick they would not have to call in a person and pay the overtime. Mr. Dill stated that the overtime in the Wastewater Division for fiscal year 2013 will be considerably less in fiscal year 2014 because in 2013 the department had to deal with spills and equipment breakdown that happened earlier in the year. He stated that it is similar with the Highway Roads Division because of unforeseen events that may occur. Chair Sterker noted that the cause of overtime is mostly due to catastrophic events and not because there is a shortage of employees, to which Mr. Dill replied yes. Commissioner Chaffin asked whether the unforeseen events would cause additional overtime in other County departments. Mr. Dill said normally no however, it depends on the nature of the event and which departments would have to get involved. The Commissioners thanked Mr. Dill for his time and his commitment in Mr. Dill left the meeting at 1:50 p.m. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 5 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION CCC 2013 -24 Presentation by Economic Development Sustainability Manager Glenn Sato on the County Sustainability Plan. Mr. Sato stated that that the information addresses the County's operational efficiencies and sustainability practices and is intended to be used as an internal guide to improve the County's operational sustainability and not for community use. He stated that the plan is a living document that will be kept in a working draft form that can be revised and improved along the way especially, in the area of metrics to measure its progress. He noted that the Office of Economic Development wants to reduce or minimize the County's carbon footprint which is directly related to energy savings and better use of resources. Mr. Sato stated that in 2011 he was tasked to measure the County's carbon footprint which he found was hard to do. He stated how grateful he was for being able to establish a good working relationship with KIUC (Kaua`i Island Utility Corporation) because they were willing to provide information on the County's energy and electrical use. However, on the flip side he hit a stone wall because at that time the County was using a voice activated system that did not function properly which forced the employees to manually enter the data into the system. The information never came together so he had to resort to collecting field purchase data which he felt was not a good way to collect information. However, he had learned that the Department of Public Works had purchased a new system called the "Fuel Master" which is still in operation today which collects accurate data on fuel uses in terms of who is using it and what departments are using an x- amount of gallons of gas and diesel. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 6 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Mr. Sato then referred to a copy of a Powerpoint presentation that reflects the County's Operations Sustainability and Climate Action Plan including a matrix highlighting the following eight energy saving goals: 1) Energy savings — to reduce overall County electricity use from 2012 levels by 30% by 2023, using 2013 as a baseline; 2) Drive less and drive clean — to reduce County fossil fuel transportation energy use by 50% by 2023, using 2013 as a baseline; 3)Use green energy- use green energy in place of energy derived from fossil fuels; 4)Save water- institute measures to better utilize water resources; 5) Recycle and cut waste- to reduce paper waste and reuse paper whenever possible, recycle used paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, glass and other materials; reduce use of disposables; 6) Buy green- purchase green products; 7) Build green — utilize green building practices and materials for new County facilities; and 8) Anticipate climate change — monitor and prepare for impacts of climate change and sea level rise on County facilities and operations. Mr. Sato stated that majority of projects would take time to develop especially the large ones because they have the potential of making a huge impact to the County's carbon footprint. Commissioner Kaneshiro asked what the County's carbon footprint emissions in terms of reducing fossil fuel and electrical use are. Mr. Sato stated that County's biggest carbon footprint emissions are generated by electrical and fuel use. He explained that the County is looking into reducing the emissions caused by the Kekaha Landfill by using methane gas which a main component of natural gas however, methane is difficult to transport and the project will be a huge undertaking for the County. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 7 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Mr. Sullivan stated that the County's goal is to reduce overall energy consumption from 2012 levels by 30% by 2023 which equals to a reduction of 3% per year which is a very ambitious goal. Mr. Sato asked the Commission to refer to their copy of the matrix which will give them an overall view of each goal that he mentioned earlier. He explained that priority one means that significant progress can be achievable within three years; priority two is achievable within 3 -5 years; and priority three is achievable within 5 -10 years. Mr. Sullivan stated that it is not definitive whether OED would be driving the energy savings projects because more decisions are needed to be made and it is a work in progress. He shared with the Commission that they met with each department to discuss energy savings initiatives and that they tried to honor each idea by putting it into the working draft to give everyone a chance to absorb each idea and come up with a prioritization list. Mr. Sullivan stated that although Mr. Sato spends a good amount of his time on energy savings he has a much broader kuleana which is trying to get more departments to designate someone from their office to be their key energy person. He noted that his efforts is already showing great returns in terms of engagement and identifying projects. He stated that the reality is that every department needs to contribute because OED cannot manage the procurement for every single energy project that is going to deliver results. However, what they can do to help the departments is assist them in identifying a potential energy saving project and advocate for funding and in some cases, get grant funding. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 8 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Sterker pointed out that the Cost Control Commission numerous discussions regarding lights being left on all night at certain the County facilities. She asked whether something could be done to address the lighting problem. Mr. Sato stated that the Department of Parks and Recreation is aware of the problem but it is a matter of finding the right the solution and although they did have some interaction with them, at the end of the day, it is their operation and they are the ones who have to make the decisions. Mr. Sato added that OED has offered to assistance them in terms of providing support to help them find better lighting fixtures if needed. Commissioner Chaffin stated that as a former Planning Commissioner, he has brought up the issue on numerous occasions about the lights being left on at the County facilities for an extensive period to the point, where he pleaded with them to find a solution but till this day nothing has been done. Mr. Sullivan stated that when the County is ready to install the street lights it is more than likely that they will be looking into having a sophisticated lighting system which could be a good example for parks to look at. He stated that currently the streetlights burns at least 12 hours a day when in reality there is no need to have the streetlights on at 3 a.m. the morning. He noted that another way the County could save is by diming or turning off the lights at some point, but it will take additional studies and analysis. Chair Sterker noted that the problem with having a Green Team in each department is monitoring them. Mr. Sato stated that the Employee Green Teams are made up of volunteer staff level employees who have a personal interest in becoming sustainable. He noted that the Green Team meets once a month to discuss how to develop and make meaningful energy saving recommendations. Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 9 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Chair Sterker asked if the County would consider establishing an Employee Incentive Program relating to energy cost savings. Mr. Sato stated that the Green Team has discussed the possibility of having an office competition but have yet to solidify the plans. Mr. Sullivan stated that their goal is to track paper at the point of use and the Purchasing Department is not the metric to go to because a lot of times the departments will come to the end of the fiscal and spend their money on paper because they have to spend it. The real issue is to keep track of how much paper each department is printing and as Mr. Sato had pointed out earlier, that in the future the County will move toward using a multifunctional printing device. Mr. Sato noted that because technology is improving so quickly and the County may find itself shifting towards efficiency. Mr. Sullivan gave the Commission a brief summary of the converting methane into diesel as the primary fuel for the Kauai Bus. He stated that although the initial research has been done they still have a long way to go as far as details that needs to be worked out. Commissioner Kaneshiro asked if a feasibility study was done to see what it would cost the County to finance the project. Mr. Sullivan stated that currently the County cannot buy natural gas as opposed to buying propane which is a significant savings because propane gas serves a different supply chains. He noted that although the County is in favor of the plan rather than fund the entire project itself the County is hoping to get a clearer picture of what it wants before it starts to look for potential partnerships. Mr. Sato stated that the OED is in the process of coordinating the use of two EV's and 1 Hybrid for use by OED, Solid Waste, and Purchasing. County ttomey and Real Property staff through the Outlook reservation Cost Control Commission Regular Meeting - Open Session November 14, 2013 Page 10 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION system. Chair Sterker asked what does it cost to up keep the electrical vehicles to which Mr. Sato replied that to date only limited maintenance was required mostly due to manufacture recalls. Lastly, Mr. Sato stated that the County has established a virtual -re -use room to promote countywide sharing of new or slightly used office supplies, office furniture and office equipment. Announcements Next meeting — December 9, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. at the Mo'ikeha Building in the Li uor Conference Room. Adjournment Commissioner Chaffin moved to adjourn the meeting. Vice Chair Kaneshiro seconded the motion. Motion carried 5:0 The meeting adjourned at 3:03 p.m. Submitted by: Mercedes Youn, Staff Support Clerk (x) Approved as circulated on December 9, 2013. ( ) Approved as amended. See minutes of meeting. Reviewed and Approved by: Sandi Sterker, Chair