The City Sewer/Utilities Review Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, consists of nine (9) members nominated by the Mayor and appointed by the City Council and one (1) ex officio member (non-voting) who is also nominated by the Mayor and shall be a Council member who will serve as chairman of the Committee.
1. Six (6) of the Committee members shall be residents of the City or business owners of companies located in the City; none of the Committee members shall hold any other elective office in the City government with the exception of the ex-officio member from the Council.
2. The remaining three (3) members of the Committee shall be representatives nominated by Arconic (or its successor), Scott Community College and the Pleasant Valley Community School District and approved by the Mayor and Council.
The Committee will meet at least once a year and may elect to meet with greater frequency if a majority of the quorum present at a meeting decides additional meetings are required to fulfil the purpose of the Committee as defined in this section.
All meetings are subject to the open meetings laws as defined in the Iowa Code.
The purpose of the Committee is to provide well-researched and objective insight and guidance to the Council on matters related to the expansion, upkeep, management and maintenance of the City’s sanitary sewer utility and to review and make recommendations for the acceptance, rejection or modification of proposed plans and rates with regard to the following:
1. Proposed capital investments in improvements to the service;
2. Annual operating costs and expenses related to operating the sanitary sewer utility as reflected in the Annual Sewer Fund Budget prepared under the direction of the City’s administrator; and
3. Annual rate adjustments for sanitary sewer fee payers.
When initially appointing members of the Committee, the Council will determine which one-third of the membership shall serve a one-year term (ending June 30, 2021); which one-third shall serve a two-year term (ending in June 30, 2022) and which one-third shall serve a standard, three-year term (ending June 30, 2023).
Thereafter, the term of office of the members of the Committee shall be three (3) years. The terms of not more than one-third of the members will expire in any one year.
Members of the Committee serve at the discretion of the Mayor and may be removed or replaced if so desired.
Once a Committee member’s term has reached its end, there is no “hold-over” meaning the member’s assignment to the Committee has finished and they are no longer a member of the Committee unless nominated by the Mayor and re-appointed.
Once a Committee member’s term has reached its end, there is no “hold-over” meaning the member’s assignment to the Committee has finished and they are no longer a member of the Committee unless nominated by the Mayor and re-appointed.
All members of the Committee shall serve without compensation, except for their actual expenses, which shall be subject to the approval of the Council following their submission according to the terms for receiving expense reimbursements as spelled out in the Employee Handbook for City Employees and Elected/Appointed Officials (2014 Edition).
The Committee shall have an exercise the following powers and duties:
1. Selection of Vice Chairperson. The Committee shall choose annually at its first regular meeting:
A. One of its members to act as Vice Chairperson, who shall perform all the duties of the Chairperson during the Chairperson’s absence or disability.
2. Adopt Rules and Regulations. The Committee shall adhere to the rules of order and procedure adopted or amended by the Council.
A. These rules were adopted in January of 2018 and are commonly referred to as the Riverdale Rules of Order;
B. The Committee may also set additional rules for order that do not conflict with the standard rules by a majority vote of the Committee members present for debate and consideration of the additional rules.
3. Review Planned Expenses and Investments. At each meeting, the Committee shall faithfully execute the responsibility of reviewing the financial statements for the City’s Sewer/Utility Fund as prepared by City staff as well as the long-range plan for capital investment and the debt obligations that may result from those investments made by the City.
4. Review, Comment and Recommend Capital Improvements. City staff is responsible for creating, maintaining and presenting a long-range, capital improvements plan (CIP) for the City’s Sanitary Sewer System and other utilities (if they exist).
A. An updated version of that plan is to be presented to and reviewed with the Committee at every meeting.
B. Following the review of the long-range CIP the Committee is required to vote to either recommend adoption, recommend adoption with restrictions or recommend rejection of the plan by the City Council at its next meeting.
5. Review, Comment and Recommend Rates for Services. Once a year, City staff is responsible for creating, maintaining and presenting recommended sanitary sewer rate adjustments for consideration by the Council based upon the recommendation made by the Committee. In order to do this,
A. Staff is expected to present the updated rates and research supporting those rates to the Committee for review and consideration.
B. Committee members are encouraged to ask questions and deliberate the proposed rates to determine whether or not they are “reasonable” (compared to neighboring communities) and “justifiable” (with regard to actual and forecast expenses).
C. Following the review of the proposed rates, the Committee shall vote to either recommend adoption of the new rates, modify some or to recommend rejection of the new rates due to the new rates failure to be considered either “reasonable” or “justifiable” or both.
6. Fiscal Responsibilities. The Committee shall have authority to expend such funds as are appropriated to it by the City Council in the manner directed by the Council by resolution.
7. Limitations on Entering Contracts. The Committee shall have no power to enter into contracts on behalf of the City and may only make recommendations to the City Council.
8. Annual Report Review and Certification. The Committee shall, at the same time each year;
A. Review a financial report prepared by City staff reflecting the business operation (both income and expenses) of the Sewer Utility for the City.
B. The Committee is expected to provide additional, insightful commentary on that report and then certify the report as being an accurate representation of both the business activity of the City’s sanitary sewer operation and
C. The opinions of the Committee with regard to the on-going service and value the system provides to the City.
D. That report should be delivered to and reviewed by the ex-officio member of the Committee (who is also a member of the Council) with the Council.
E. That review should occur within three months of the end of the fiscal year it covers in the report.
(Ch. 96 – Ord. 2020-02 – Apr. 22 Supp.)