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CASA Education Foundation
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CASA’s Scholarship Program Closer to Launch!
Get out your checkbooks for a worthy cause and be one of the first supporters of the new CASA Education Foundation.
Encouraged by the CASA Associates Committee, the CASA Executive Board approved moving forward with the formation of the CASA Education Foundation “CASA EF.” The CASA EF will provide scholarships that contribute to a student’s academic development and career potential in the wastewater industry. The CASA EF will offer a unique opportunity to CASA Agencies, Associate Members, educational institutions and students within the communities we serve.
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CASA Annual Conference
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August 8-11, 2012
Monterey Marriott
350 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
Reservations
Join us for CASA’s 57th Annual Conference to discuss current topics impacting our community and for an opportunity to address the issues, facts and trends that will affect water quality now and in the future.
The preliminary program is now available for download.
Interested in who will be attending? Download the attendee list to see who is currently registered.
Register
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News from the Capitol
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Update from Mike Dillon, CASA State Lobbyist
Budget Suspends Brown Act for Three Years
Seeking to find revenues wherever possible to balance the state budget, the Legislature suspended 56 reimbursable mandates resulting in state savings of $828 million in the budget year. The mandates ranged from everything from firefighters completing SIDS training to animal adoption.
One of the suspended mandates that will save the state $96 million per year is a three-year suspension of the “Open Meetings Act/Brown Act Reform (Chapter 641, Statutes 1986) (CSM 4257 and CSM 4469).” *Note: CSM refers to Commission on State Mandate decisions. With suspension, the mandate remains in statute but is simply not funded, nor is the activity required by local government.
For those interested, the 2012-13 suspensions are contained in the main Budget bill, AB 1464, passed by the Legislature June 15 and was signed by the Governor June 27 (Chapter 21). A subsequent budget “trailer bill,” SB 1006, was also signed June 27, which provides that all state mandated programs suspended in 2012-13 also be suspended in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 fiscal years (SB 1006, Chapter 32). The budget and related “trailer bills” take effect immediately.
The CASA Attorneys Committee will be reviewing this issue at its upcoming meeting at the CASA Annual Conference. Meanwhile, the League of California Cities’ Brown Act Committee has recommended that “city attorneys continue to advise their clients to comply with all requirements of the Brown Act.”
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Washington Report
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Update from Eric Sapirstein, Federal Legislative Advocate
FLC Letter Seeking Markup
The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Ranking Democrat Tim Bishop (D-NY) recently released a letter that was transmitted to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica (R-FL) seeking a markup of the Bishop legislation, H.R. 3145. This legislation would renew the SRF authorization and would authorize a WIFIA and Trust Fund program. Earlier in the year, CASA took a support position in concept because of continuing concern over the value of a WIFIA and trust fund approach as it would impact the SRF. However, since CASA took its position, the state clean water administrators and related state SRF financing agencies have come out against the WIFIA concept because of its potential to undercut State involvement in the decisionmaking process of approving projects and the potential that WIFIA could lead to the elimination of SRF funding. Additionally, there continues to be strong opposition for trust fund in Congress. Therefore, despite the bipartisan nature of the letter, it seems highly improbable that a markup of H.R. 3145 will occur this fall.
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Biosolids Bulletin
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Update from Greg Kester, Biosolids Program Manager
Comment Letter on Proposed Regulations for Renderers, Collection Centers, Dead Animal Haulers and Transporters of Inedible Kitchen Grease
CASA recently submitted a comment letter to the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) regarding the proposed rendering regulations as noted above. CASA is pleased that CDFA has reinserted exemption language for POTWs accepting FOG into anaerobic digestion. However, there is one issue in the regulations on which CASA is requesting a modification. As currently written, CDFA would require a transporter to verify the amount discharged at a receiving facility (including POTWs) by means of a flow meter, scale, or a weighmaster certificate. In reality, it appears that many POTWs do not have flow meters or scales for this discharge and merely assume a truck is filled to capacity when discharging. This is the basis for charging, so it is generally true. CASA has requested that flow meters, etc. not be mandated but rather that CDFA allow the assumption that vehicles are fully loaded at the point of discharge. Please let Greg Kester (gkester@casaweb.org) know if you have any comments or questions on the letter.
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Communications Corner
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Update from CASA Communications Committee, article by Jeff Reinhardt
Branding Session at CASA Conference
Just what is “branding?” Is it accomplished by placing your logo on every item within view? And what is the “brand” your organization projects into the community? Are you perceived as a Rolls-Royce or perhaps as a Yugo? After all, both are cars but there’s a world of difference in the expectations that each brand projects, which would you rather have?
While some may think water treatment agencies have no competitors, how would customers rate you against other utilities like cable or satellite TV, cell phone or wire line providers, the electric company, and others? How can a brand be altered and upgraded?
Prepare to be enlightened and surprised at the many elements that influence the perception of your agency – and the image your customers have. You’ll hear advice from the CASA Communications Committee and guest speaker John Ruetten, an expert in the field, with the opportunity to pose individual questions. Plan to join this informative and entertaining session.
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