BUTTERFIELD-RIVIERA EAST COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
DATE: November 27, 2018
PLACE: Rancho Cordova Library, 9845 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, California
MEETING TYPE: BRECA Steering Committee Meeting
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
James Adams
Lori Christensen
Bonnie Domeny
Lynda Hammitt
Gay Jones
Carmen Mitchell
Jim Morgan
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER ABSENT
Rene Hamlin
Andrea White
NUMBER OF GUESTS/MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: 5
1. Call to Order by Chair Lynda Hammitt
2. Minutes of October 23, 2018
Two amendments were made to the draft minutes of October 23, 2018. Gay Jones made a motion to approve the amended draft minutes. James Adams seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.
3. Questions or Comments from the Membership/Community
Lynda Hammitt commented that a member of the audience sent an e-mail expressing concern about the storage tanks across Folsom Blvd. She had forwarded the e-mail to Sheryll Venegas with Supervisor Nottoli’s office, who is forwarding it to appropriate people. A member of the audience stated that he remembered an article in the Sacramento Bee which stated that if the proposed butane tanks south of town exploded, it would level everything within 5 miles. Bonnie Domeny commented that she had talked about the tanks before with Don Nottoli, and they had studied the issue and there is minimal risk. Gay Jones suggested that we ask the business to come to a BRECA meeting and talk. She also commented that explosions are due to vapors, but they keep the ceiling down, so there is no explosion. Also, they have barriers around the tanks to contain a spill.
4. Reports
a. Treasurer
There was no report from the Treasurer.
b. CORPAC
Carmen Mitchell reported that there was no meeting of the Cordova Community Planning and Advisory Council (CORPAC) this month.
c. Outreach Committee
Bonnie Domeny reported that the Outreach Committee recapped the picnic, and discussed ideas to improve it next year. They also discussed ideas for the BRECA Christmas Party, and the new neighbor welcome packet. Lynda Hammitt commented that each member of the Steering Committee should have one.
5. Old Business
a. BRECA Sign Discussion
James Adams stated that there are two versions of the Butterfield-Riviera East sign proposed, one with a hyphen between Butterfield and Riviera East and one without. Since Butterfield and Riviera East are on separate lines, he is leaning towards no hyphen. A member of the audience suggested there should be a comma, because they are separate. Lori Christensen stated that BRECA asked for the sign, and it should be consistent with the name of the organization, so there should be a hyphen. A member of the audience stated that a comma or line between the names would be odd from a graphics perspective. Jim Morgan stated that there was a long discussion about the name when BRECA was founded, and the hyphen was included to recognize that there are two distinct neighborhoods in the community. Gay Jones stated that she did not like the hyphen, because it is not good from a graphical perspective. Bonnie Domeny and Carmen Mitchell both stated they prefer no hyphen. Gay Jones made a motion to approve the sign with no hyphen. James Adams seconded the motion. The motion was approved with 5 votes in favor and 2 opposed.
b. Cal Am Update
Gay Jones reported that in the California American Water (Cal Am) rate case there had been a conference call regarding the results of operations model. At issue is Cal Am wants to extend the comments allowed on the rate case. They have also proposed a temporary “gap filling” rate increase due to the delay in deciding the General Rate Case.
Bonnie Domeny stated that they have been getting overcharged on their Cal Am bill. Cal Am has been trying to bill them for using 150,000 gallons of water. As a result, Bonnie and Jay have been paying only part of the bill, and Cal Am is threatening to cut them off. A monitor has been installed on their meter. Gay Jones stated that she would follow up.
c. From the Floor
There were no comments from the floor.
6. New Business
a. Holiday Party
Lynda Hammitt stated that we should think about having the holiday meeting at St. George Church, so that we could have alcoholic beverages. Lori Christensen commented that people have been partied out, so the BRECA holiday party has never had a big crowd in the past. Bonnie Domeny suggested having it at the church, and letting the members know that it is a drop-in open house party. Jim Morgan commented that we do usually have a Steering Committee meeting in December, and have some items to discuss. Gay Jones commented that our most festive turnout was at Brookside. She did not want to use the church, because we may need it for regular meetings in the future. If we have it at Brookside people can eat or drink what they want. Lori Christensen volunteered to check out Brookside. James Adams questioned whether there is a need for a December meeting. After consulting the By-Laws, Lynda Hammitt stated there was not. Gay Jones made a motion to check out what would be needed to get space at Brookside, and increase the Holiday Party budget to $100. Bonnie Domeny seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. It was agreed that whether to have a December Steering Committee meeting is to be determined.
b. Theme for 2019 Annual General Meeting
Lynda Hammitt commented that themes could be safety, or illegal camping, and asked for suggestions. Lori Christensen suggested the same as last year. Lynda commented that there were too many agencies represented last year. Bonnie Domeny suggested emergency preparedness. James Adams stated that we should not repeat last year. Gay Jones stated that regarding preparedness, the Fire District has CERT training, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District could address power outages. A member of the audience commented that Sacramento County has an Office of Emergency Services. It was agreed to revisit this item in January.
c. Scope and Membership of Existing Committees
Gay Jones stated that she wants to revisit the standing committees including Outreach, Budget, and Election, as well as the ad-hoc committee on Cal Am rate case comments. In regards to the Outreach Committee, she commented that it was originally formed to prepare a New Neighbor packet, and that has not been done. Lori Christensen provided Gay with a New Neighbor packet, which had just been produced. Gay stated that too much is being done by the Outreach Committee, to the exclusion of the Steering Committee. Also, there should be a maximum of 4 Steering Committee members on a committee, because 5 or more becomes a majority of the Steering Committee, which violates the spirit of the Brown Act. Lynda Hammitt agreed that the Outreach Committee is doing a lot of things, and maybe this should be revisited, as it excludes the other members of the Steering Committee. For example, the picnic has been taken over by the Outreach Committee. Lori Christensen also commented that the Outreach Committee has taken over the Easter Egg Hunt. Lynda commented that this is for convenience, as Easter Egg Hunt people are all on the Outreach Committee. James Adams commented that he did not feel that the Outreach Committee is not telling the Steering Committee what they are doing. Gay commented that many ideas come from the Outreach Committee “fully baked.” Committees could be the same people, but we should have specific committees for events, e.g. and Easter Egg Hunt Committee. Bonnie Domeny commented that the Outreach Committee brings things under one umbrella because it is the same people doing them, and things get done faster in small groups. Gay commented that the Outreach Committee is a closed group, and needs people flowing in and out. A member of the audience commented that she was glad this has been raised, as she feels excluded from events because she is not on the Outreach Committee. Gay reiterated that one concern here is too many Steering Committee members on the Outreach Committee: the magic number is 4. James Adams commented that it is hard to make decisions about this without two of the Steering Committee members who are on the Outreach Committee. It was agreed to bring it back in January, when they will (hopefully) be present.
d. From the Floor
Bonnie Domeny commented that she had been talking to a new neighbor, who said there are a lot of potholes on Chad Court.
A member of the audience commented that the Cordova Recreation and Park District has requested bids on work on the walkways on Riviera East Park. Bids are expected back this Thursday. They hope to start work in the Spring and be done by June.
James Adams commented that a Sacramento Municipal Utility District contractor had replaced cables in a small area on Butterfield Way and Mira Del Rio Dr.
7. Meeting adjourned.
The next meeting of the Steering Committee is to be determined.*
*Note from the Chair: Subsequent to the November meeting, the Steering Committee decided to have a Holiday Party in December and reconvene for the next Steering Committee meeting on January 22, 2019.