Board Members present: Mike Dyer, Sandra Bishop, Dorothy Anderson, and Peter Bartel. Commissioner Susie Smith was excused.
Others present: Randy Berggren, JoAnn Andersen, Barb Bellamy, Terry Bequette, Tom Buckhouse, Ed Case, Marty Douglass, Cathy Hamilton, Dick Helgeson, Garry Kunkel, Roseanna McArthur, Jim Origliosso, Debra Wright, and Krista Hince of the EWEB staff; Kim Kunkel, minutes recorder, and Patrick Lanning, member of the public.
President Dyer called the Work Session of the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) to order.
PURCHASING POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Referring to a memorandum, copies of which were included in the meeting agenda packet, and a notebook of information entitled Eugene Water & Electric Board Purchasing Policies & Procedures, copies of which were distributed to Commissioners, EWEB Risk/Purchasing Manager Debra Wright explained that the purpose of this presentation was to review and discuss new Purchasing Policies, Procedures and Exemptions which will fully replace the existing Purchasing Policies and Procedures. Noting that this work represented a departure from EWEB's previous practice of writing and maintaining its own rules and procedures, Ms. Wright said there were very few actual changes to the rules.
Ms. Wright stated that by adopting the Attorney General's Model Public Contracting Rules, EWEB was, in essence, adopting all legislative changes not previously incorporated into its rules. She said staff and General Counsel had reviewed the EWEB Divisions for inclusion of all 1999 Legislative Session changes to public Contracting Law.
In reviewing the proposed EWEB Purchasing Policies & Procedures, Ms. Wright noted that there were two substantive changes in procedure, as follows:
Term of Contract:
Consistent with the Department of Administrative Services' (DAS) administrative rules (OAR 125), the maximum term of a requirements contract has been increased from three years (EWEB old rules) to five years (EWEB Division 310-0300, subsection 3.) From a policy standpoint, both DAS and EWEB have applied the five-year rule to all contracts including Personal Services Contracts.
Administrative Review:
In EWEB Division 030-0002, paragraph two states that "Purchasing/Risk Management, as approved by EWEB's General Manager, may revise the rules to include new legislation or administrative changes without EWEB Board approval." In the past, the Board approved the high level policies and staff created the rules and procedures. This provision gives staff the same ability to make procedural changes necessary for efficient operations.
President Dyer inquired as to whether there was a means by which to codify local provider preference. EWEB Purchasing Coordinator Ed Case said the Request for Proposals (RFP) process, in terms of how the RFP and its criteria are crafted, was one means by which to express preference.
Ms. Wright said it was staff's recommendation that the Board, in its role as EWEB's Local Contract Review Board, approve a resolution adopting the Attorney General Model Contracting Rules Divisions 30 and 40, and the EWEB Divisions 30, 65, 300, 310, and 330. She said Board action would be requested during the subsequent Board Meeting.
COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
Referring to a memorandum and attachments, copies of which were included in the meeting agenda packet, EWEB Public Affairs Manager Marty Douglass, and External Communications Coordinator Cathy Hamilton, presented a brief overview of the history, evolution, and components of the draft Eugene Water & Electric Board Communications Plan 2000. Mr. Douglass stressed that the core themes to focus on in terms of communicating with the citizens of Eugene are:
He stated that taking an integrated approach to communication, utilizing elements of public relations, advertising, customer service and marketing would be most effective.
Referring to a series of overhead displays, Ms. Hamilton presented a brief overview of the key issues for EWEB in 2000 and offered examples of possible communication mediums and approaches. She stressed that the document was in draft form and said staff would welcome feedback from the Board.
Commissioner Anderson said she supported the proposed plan; however, she wondered how it would be implemented. Ms. Hamilton said the next step in the process would be prioritizing the elements of the Communications Plan for incorporation into a work plan that would be part of the 2001 budget.
Commissioner Anderson inquired as to the staffing needs associated with the proposed plan. Mr. Douglass presented an overview of the anticipated staffing requirements and specific assignments.
Vice President Bishop said she appreciated the pro-active approach of the plan. She said she wondered what the role of the Board might be in terms of actively communicating with the community. She requested that subsequent drafts of the plan include a sense of that role. Ms. Hamilton said incorporating Board member activity in EWEB's community presence would reflect the "public ownership" aspect of the proposed plan.
Commissioner Bartel questioned the value, in terms of the public's perception, of actively asserting EWEB's positive attributes. He echoed Vice President Bishop's comment regarding the role of the Board in communicating with the public. Commissioner Bartel suggested that EWEB consider broadcasting its Board Meetings on local public access television. Lastly, Commissioner Bartel stressed the importance of EWEB's internal communication efforts.
Vice President Bishop inquired as to where in the Communications Plan EWEB's communication with other governmental entities might fit. Mr. Douglass said staff would explore the matter.
President Dyer said he was often "mystified" as to why a government agency, as a monopoly, would spend a great deal of money on advertising and promotion. He stressed the importance of how EWEB's communications are executed. President Dyer said the "success story" approach to reaching audiences seemed most effective.
In response to President Dyer's comment regarding a government agency advertising, Commissioner Bartel said it was important to inform customers of the variety of services offered by EWEB. Mr. Berggren stressed the importance of taking a pro-active approach to marketing the positive attributes of EWEB's "character" and services thereby increasing the confidence and pride of EWEB customers.
Vice President Bishop suggested that EWEB consider sponsoring events that impact a more diverse spectrum of the community.
Commissioner Anderson suggested adding to the list of proposed communication tools a redesign and simplification of EWEB's bill.
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
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Assistant Secretary President