General Information

Government Type

Municipality

Entity

Salt Lake City

Public Body

Public Utilities Advisory Board

Notice Information

Add Notice to Calendar

Notice Title

Salt Lake City Public Utilities Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

Notice Type(s)

Meeting

Event Start Date & Time

May 28, 2026 07:30 AM

Event End Date & Time

May 28, 2026 09:00 AM

Event Deadline Date & Time

05/28/26 09:00 AM

Description/Agenda

Salt Lake City Public Utilities Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes May 28, 2026 The Public Utilities Advisory Committee (PUAC) meeting was held at 7:30 am on Thursday, May 28, 2026. Committee members that were present, Chris Shope (Chair), Sean McKelvie (Vice Chair), Tom Godfrey, Kathryn Floor, Dani Cepernich, Ted Boyer, and Kamiron Anderson. Salt Lake City Public Utilities employees present were Laura Briefer, Jason Brown, Jesse Stewart, Tamara Prue, Stephanie Duer, Tammy Wambeam, Lisa Tarufelli, Jeffrey Grimsdell, Jason Draper, Audree Ketchum, Jacob Jorgensen, Karryn Greenleaf, Chloe Morroni, Rafia Yazdani, Holly Lopez, Michelle Berry, Crystal Chen, Peyton Presnal and Elle Smith. Others present were Matthais Boone, Office of the Legislative Auditor General; Annalee Munsee, Metro Water District, Zac Steele, Megan Yuill, Salt Lake City Mayor's Office; Austin Kimmel, Salt Lake City Council Office; Spencer Madanay, Salt Lake City Recorder's Office; Carly Castle, Salt Lake City Attorney's Office; Jared Carr, Jacobs; and Victor Solis, Citizen; Michael Miller; Jeremy McVey, Haskell. Welcome and Introductions Director Laura Briefer welcomes everyone to the new SLCDPU facility once again. Approve Minutes of March 23, 2026, Meeting A motion was made by Sean McKelvie and seconded by Ted Boyer to approve minutes of the April 23, 2026, PUAC meeting. All members voted to approve. Financial Report and Budget Update Lisa Tarufelli, Finance Administrator The financial update covered activity through the end of March, or roughly three-quarters of the fiscal year. Lisa Tarufelli noted that the Water Fund's operating revenue is on track, with metered water sales-the largest revenue source-just under 73% year-to-date. Operating expenses are a little over 62%, which is right where we expected them to be. The capital plan, including expenditures and encumbrances, has reached about 80% of the annual projection, with a project update coming later. The fund also held $61 million in proceeds from the 2025 bond issue, and no additional spending has occurred on the BAN, which remains fully reserved for the facility project. The Sewer Fund is also performing well. By the end of March, operating revenues were nearly 76%, while sewer user charges were slightly lower at about 70%. Operating expenses were around 50%, largely due to timing on the WRF project; when the budget was created, it wasn't May 28, 2026 PUAC MEETING MINUTES SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84115 2 of 4 TEL: 801-483-6770 Page2 clear when both facilities would be operating simultaneously, so any unused funds will roll into next year. Capital spending is also at about 80%, with one final encumbrance expected at year-end for the remaining contract work and upcoming packages. Of the original $99 million from the 2025 bond issue, about $80 million remained at the end of March. As in past years, most spending continues to be capital-related, though that balance is expected to shift over the next few years. For the Storm Water Fund, revenues continue to perform well, coming ahead of budget at nearly 82%, with storm drain fees right on target at 75%. Operating expenses are at about 44%, and capital activity remains slower this year at roughly 38% of the annual plan. The Street Lighting Fund shows a similar pattern to prior years. Operating revenues are at about 77%, with the revenue from monthly fees at 74%, and expenses are tracking as expected at 73%. Capital spending is low at 15% but will increase as recent security improvements move forward. Across all funds at the end of March, operating revenues were just over 76% of budget, and operating expenses were nearly 58%. The department's overall capital plan stood at 78%. Delinquent billings continue to reflect a few large accounts that staff are working to resolve. Total accounts receivable has improved significantly, down about 30% from last year, though delinquency rates have risen from 3% to 9%. Committee Chair Chris Shope asked for clarification on the 9.6% delinquency amount. Lisa explained that it totals roughly $700,000 more than 90 days overdue, with a large share tied to four accounts held by two customers that staff is actively addressing. She also noted that the team is developing a transition plan to ensure the upcoming move to the new Public Utilities campus is smooth for customers. The budget was presented to the City Council on May 5, and follow-up discussions are underway. Deputy Director Jesse Stewart will demonstrate the updated rate calculator during this afternoon's session, and another meeting is scheduled for June 2 to review proposed changes to the Consolidated Fee Schedule. Staff also highlighted ongoing community outreach around the property tax and utility rate increases, including letters sent to all customers, visits to community council meetings, and coordinated updates from both the citywide communications team and Public Utilities. Lisa reported that the team recently submitted a loan requisition for $58 million for the WRF financing, which the EPA has received. Funds are expected on June 1, as payments are issued on the 1st and 15th each month. She also noted that the 2022 bond series closeout is now being finalized after the formal letter was signed yesterday. In addition, staff completed a major reconciliation for the 2025 bond series and submitted a large draw on water and sewer proceeds. Because the financial system tracks by invoice date rather than payment date, the team reviewed prior invoices and aligned them with the correct draw periods. After reconciling all nine previous draws, the updated submission-totaling about $16 million across water and sewer-is expected to be funded this week. May 28, 2026 PUAC MEETING MINUTES SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84115 3 of 4 TEL: 801-483-6770 Page3 Sewer Adjustments Jesse Stewart, Deputy Director Jesse Stewart reported that Community Housing Services Development requested a sewer adjustment for five properties: Village North, Calvary Tower, Capital, Wasatch Manor, and St. Mark's. After reviewing consumption data, two properties qualified for an adjustment, while the others fell within typical ranges (70% or 88%), indicating they already benefit from the current structure. Village North (92 units) would adjust from 70% to 44%, and Calvary Tower from 70% to 26%, though Jesse noted Calvary should be reset to 55% based on past reviews. If approved, adjustments will be applied retroactively to the date when the customer first contacted the department. Jesse explained that the calculation uses five years of actual consumption to determine Average Winter Consumption (AWC), multiplies AWC by 12, and expresses it as a percentage of total annual water use. Using this method, Village North calculates to 44%, Wasatch Manor to 88%, and Calvary Tower to 26%. All properties are classified as multifamily. Committee Member Dani Cepernich moved to recommend the adjustments for Village North and Calvary Tower, with a second from Committee Member Sean McKelvie; all voted in favor. Dani then moved to recommend recalculating and resetting The Grove's adjustment from 26% to 55%, with Sean seconding; the motion also passed unanimously. City Creek Water Treatment Plant Rebuild Update Michelle Barry, Senior Water Treatment Engineer Michelle Barry provided an update on the City Creek Water Treatment Plant project, noting that the 70-year-old facility-Utah's first municipally owned treatment plant-continues to operate well beyond its intended design life. Its tight canyon footprint creates space and resiliency challenges, especially as the plant must remain fully operational throughout construction. Michelle was joined by Jared Carr from Jacobs, the program management team, and Jeremy McVeigh from Haskell, the CMGC contractor. The project is focused on improving reliability, optimizing limited space, and avoiding shutdowns during high-demand summer months. The team secured a FEMA BRIC grant of $37.6 million due to the plant's exposure to natural hazards. To maintain operations during construction, a large bypass pipe was installed, and the process was temporarily reconfigured to a direct-filtration approach. This reduces capacity but works because City Creek water is exceptionally clean. The Division of Drinking Water issued a special permit to support this temporary configuration. Michelle reported that construction is now about two-thirds complete. Crews demolished the old structures but preserved the sedimentation basin walls, allowing the new plant to be built within the same footprint using more efficient technology. The plant continues to meet all treatment goals and can operate at higher-than-normal loading rates-up to 16 million gallons per day. May 28, 2026 PUAC MEETING MINUTES SALT LAKE CITY DEPARTMENT of PUBLIC UTILITIES 1530 SOUTH WEST TEMPLE STREET WWW.SLCGOV.COM SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84115 4 of 4 TEL: 801-483-6770 Page4 Because BRIC funding and approvals were phased, construction was divided into packages: the bypass pipeline, the temporary direct-filtration setup, and the final BRIC-funded work. Under the CMGC method, the major $119 million change order represents the full construction contract. The team remains on track to finish a month early and maintain net-zero cost change orders. The project is under the guaranteed maximum price, and early risk reductions will return $1.25 million in contingency next fiscal year. Through shared value engineering, any savings are split evenly between the City and the contractor. Michelle also noted that the construction cost for the plant is about $144 million, with additional support from Jacobs for program management, Brown and Caldwell for design, and other project needs such as public engagement, photography, partnering facilitation, and the cost-loaded schedule. She emphasized the importance of public engagement, which began early and includes a project website, QR-code access, email updates, and text alerts for canyon-access changes. About 600 residents subscribe to these notifications. Michelle recognized Chloe, Crystal, and Jordan for their outreach work, highlighting Jordan's 'water-cooler chats,' where he sets up a table at the canyon gate to share updates, answer questions, and help manage traffic in an area unsafe for public access during construction. Additional information is available at www.keepitpurecitycreek.gov. Drought and Water Conservation Update Stephanie Duer, Water Conservation Manager; Chloe Morroni, Public Engagement and Communications Manager This agenda item was postponed until the next meeting. Public Comment Victor Solis - Victor Solis explained that while he was out of town last fall, a stripped valve in his home failed to close fully, causing a line to burst during a hard freeze. Although the department shut off his water once the issue was detected, the break resulted in an $1,850 bill-roughly 82 years of his normal annual use. He noted that he had taken all reasonable precautions before leaving and asked whether a reduction like the City's 50% adjustment for main-line breaks could apply in his case. The department has made a small adjustment, but his remaining cost is still over $1,000 for water he did not use. He requested further review under the director's authority to make billing adjustments. Director Laura Briefer clarified that the committee cannot vote on billing changes but may offer recommendations for her consideration. No public comment. Meeting adjourned at 9:39 am. The next PUAC Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 25th, 2026, at 7:30 am

Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)

This is an accessible facility. People with disabilities may make requests for reasonable accommodation, which may include alternate formats, interpreters, and other auxiliary aids and services. Please make requests at least two business days in advance. To make a request, please contact the Public Utilities Office at 801-483-6834, or relay service 711.

Notice of Electronic or Telephone Participation

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Meeting Information

Meeting Location

1530 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
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Contact Name

Elle Smith

Contact Email

melissa.smith@slc.gov

Contact Phone

801-483-6770

Notice Posting Details

Notice Posted On

July 01, 2026 09:45 AM

Notice Last Edited On

July 01, 2026 09:45 AM

Deadline Date

May 28, 2026 09:00 AM

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