January 12 2023 Water Quality Fees Board

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Water Quality Fees Board met on January 12, 2023, at 9:03 a.m. in the North Elkhorn Conference Room at the Tate Building, 125 Industrial Avenue, Suite 180. George Woolwine presided over the meeting. The board addressed eight agenda items, including approval of minutes from the October 20, 2022 meeting, and heard one public comment regarding the Incentive Grant Program. The board took 12 motions and votes during the session, which covered topics including programmatic changes, FY 2024 grant application documents, and an incentive grant status update.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on January 12, 2023:

• George Woolwine
• Harry Clarke
• Donna Fogle
• David Lowe
• Aaron Vaught

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

All motions brought before the meeting passed unanimously with 5 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 abstentions.

Approval of 10/20/22 Minutes 1:05 Motion by David Lowe, seconded by Donna Fogle. All five members voted in favor: George Woolwine, Harry Clarke, Donna Fogle, David Lowe, and Aaron Vaught.

Schedule Special Meeting for February 16, 2023 29:32 Motion by David Lowe, seconded by Harry Clarke. The body approved scheduling a special meeting for further discussions regarding an amendment to the scoring matrix.

Sustain Current Cost-Share Percentages 42:28 Motion by Aaron Vaught, seconded by David Lowe. The body voted to sustain the current cost-share percentages for all three grant classes.

Adjust Small Project Target in Class B Infrastructure 38:40 Motion by Harry Clarke, seconded by David Lowe. The body approved adjusting the Small Project Target from $60,000 or Less to $75,000 or Less in the Class B Infrastructure program.

Continue Feasibility Targets 41:57 Motion by David Lowe, seconded by Aaron Vaught. The body voted to continue with the Feasibility Targets in the Class A and Class B Infrastructure programs.

Continue Innovation and Experimentation Pool Funds 59:34 Motion by Harry Clarke, seconded by Donna Fogle. The body approved continuing the Innovation and Experimentation pool funds as is for the FY 2024 grant application cycle.

Add Criteria Language for Innovation and Experimentation 1:00:08 Motion by Aaron Vaught, seconded by David Lowe. The body voted to add language establishing criteria for considering whether a project is innovative and/or experimental.

Allocate Change Order Pool Funds 1:10:26 Motion by Donna Fogle, seconded by Harry Clarke. The body approved allocating funds for a Change Order pool to allow organizations to request additional funding.

Support Change Order Criteria 1:17:08 Motion by Aaron Vaught, seconded by Harry Clarke. The body voted to support staff's recommendation for the criteria for change orders.

Add Maintenance Language to Class B Education Grants 1:22:36 Motion by Harry Clarke, seconded by David Lowe. The body approved adding language to the Class B Education grants regarding maintenance responsibilities.

Update Class B1 Score Sheet 1:25:57 Motion by David Lowe, seconded by Harry Clarke. The body voted to update the Class B1 score sheet regarding a breakdown of 10 points allocated for question 3A.

Adjust Score Sheets for FY24 Grant Cycle 1:30:27 Motion by Aaron Vaught, seconded by Harry Clarke. The body approved adjusting the score sheets for the FY24 grant cycle.

Public Comment

2:25

Leandro "Nachie" Braga addressed the meeting regarding the Incentive Grant Program. Mr. Braga proposed an amendment to the scoring matrix that would include incentives for establishing tree canopies. His proposal was supported by letters from the City Tree Board and an academic from the University of Kentucky.

Call to Order

George Woolwine called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. 0:00

Approval of 10/20/22 Minutes

1:05

The meeting included a review and approval of the minutes from the October 20, 2022 meeting. George Woolwine, David Lowe, and Donna Fogle participated in this agenda item.

During the review, a correction was identified and made to the minutes. George Ely's name was removed from the record.

The minutes were approved following this correction.

Comments / Suggestions from Citizens About Incentive Grant Program

2:25

Leandro "Nachie" Braga presented a proposal to amend the scoring matrix for the Incentive Grant Program to include incentives for tree canopies.

This agenda item was presented for informational purposes. The discussion focused on potential modifications to the program's scoring criteria to encourage tree canopy development as part of incentive grant considerations.

Memorandum Regarding Programmatic Changes

30:03

The board discussed various programmatic changes during this agenda item. Key speakers George Woolwine and Frank Mabson led the discussion on several policy adjustments affecting program operations.

The discussion covered the following programmatic areas:

• Cost-share requirements
• Small project targets
• Feasibility targets
• Innovation and experimentation pool funds

The agenda item was presented as informational in nature, with the board reviewing proposed changes rather than taking formal action. The specific details of each programmatic change, including the rationale behind the adjustments and their anticipated impacts, were addressed during the discussion.

FY 2024 Grant Application Documents

1:33:18

The board reviewed the FY 2024 grant application documents during this agenda item. Denice Bullock led the discussion on the necessary updates and changes to the documents.

The board's review of the grant application materials was presented for informational purposes. The discussion focused on identifying and addressing required modifications to ensure the documents met current requirements and standards for the fiscal year 2024 grant cycle.

No additional details regarding specific concerns raised, particular changes debated, or the nature of the updates discussed are available from the meeting record.

Incentive Grant Status Update

Frank Mabson provided an informational presentation on the status of various incentive grant projects 1:48:40. The update covered incentive grant initiatives from multiple fiscal years.

The presentation focused on reporting the current state of ongoing incentive grant projects without indicating specific debate or concerns raised during the discussion. The session served as an informational update for the meeting attendees regarding grant project progress and status.

Other Matters

During this agenda item, the board addressed scheduling and other administrative matters. 2:01:41

George Woolwine led the discussion on these items. The outcome of this discussion was informational in nature, with no formal action taken.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned by George Woolwine at approximately 2:03:32.