Laguna Beach City Council Workshop - February 16, 2021

February 16, 2021

Executive Summary

- The Laguna Beach City Council held a special virtual meeting on February 16, 2021, with remote public participation options due to COVID-19 - The primary focus was wastewater system infrastructure improvements, specifically the North Coast Interceptor (NCI) pipeline requiring immediate attention to prevent sewage spills - Council was asked to authorize multiple consultant contracts exceeding $100,000 to study the pipeline system - Three separate consulting firms were proposed to evaluate different aspects: reliability assessment peer review, physical pipeline inspection plan, and financial analysis - The city planned to pursue up to $16 million in low-interest financing for capital improvements - Staff recommended two consecutive 5.5% wastewater service rate increases for 2021 and 2022 - The proposed rate increases would require a protest vote process for public input before final approval - The meeting represented a critical decision point addressing both immediate technical assessments and long-term financial planning for wastewater infrastructure

Key Decisions

- Authorization to award contract to VMS, Inc for $20,100 (plus $5,000 contingency) for peer review of NCI Reliability Assessment Study - Authorization to award contract to Dudek and Horrocks Engineering for $29,500 (plus $5,000 contingency) to identify options and costs for physical assessment of NCI pipeline - Authorization to award contract to Fieldman, Rolapp and Associates for up to $14,500 to evaluate financial analysis and debt ratios - Direction to pursue 5.5% wastewater rate increase effective July 1, 2021 - Direction to pursue additional 5.5% rate increase effective July 1, 2022 - Au