MVCAC Board of Directors Meeting
Hyatt Regency Sacramento
1209 L Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
February 10, 2010
Board Members in Attendance:
Jerry Davis, Turlock MAD
Robert Gay, San Mateo County MAD
Ken Bayless, Greater LA County VCD
John Rusmisel, Alameda County MAD
Jim Wanderscheid, Marin-Sonoma MVCD
Joel Buettner, Placer MVCD
Greg Hebard, Saddle Creek CSD
Michael Cavanagh, Kings MAD
Steve West, San Gabriel Valley MVCD
Henry Morgan, San Gabriel Valley MVCD
Staff/Consultants:
Catherine Smith, Executive Director
Fiona Young, Executive Assistant
Simone Smith, Meeting and Membership Specialist
Richard Shanahan, Legal Counsel
The meeting of the Board of Directors of the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California was called to
order at 8:31 a.m. by President Jerry Davis.
President Davis added the minutes of the MVCAC special Board of Directors meeting of September 17, 2009 for
consideration under agenda item 3.01. Director Henry Morgan moved to approve the minutes of the September
17, 2009 special Board of Directors meeting, the minutes of the fall Board of Directors meeting of October 29,
2009 and the minutes of the Planning Session of December 3-4, 2009. Director Jim Wanderscheid seconded; the
motion passed unanimously.
President Davis also added the following items to the agenda: an Executive Session to follow the meeting of the
CMVCA-RF; the MVCAC 2008-09 FY audit and MVCAC investment matrix to be discussed under Treasurer’s
Report. Director Ken Bayless moved to approve these additions to the agenda; Director Morgan seconded.
Motion passed unanimously.
President’s Report
President Davis reported that AMCA has requested the already approved contribution from MVCAC to assist
with the legal defense costs of the Sixth Circuit’s National Cotton Council decision. The 78th Annual Conference
has been a success, with strong attendance and 92% of our room block filled. A full financial overview of the
conference will be given at the MVCAC spring meeting in Orange County.
Jan Washburn and members interested in the 2010 Proceedings met with MVCAC Communications Assistant
Ashley Bradley this week to discuss getting the proceedings organized effectively. Washburn is hopeful to get
these out by June 2010.
President Davis directed the Board and committees to be sure to submit agenda items and corresponding
documents for agenda packets to MVCAC staff at least 21 days prior to the Board meeting, if not earlier. This is
necessary for the items to be processed and included in agenda packets to be distributed to the membership 14
days prior to all Board meetings, as per requirements set in the MVCAC Manual of Administrative Policies.
A workshop entitled “Guidelines of Legal Abatement” will be held on May 6, 2010, during the spring meeting.
Legal Counsel Richard Shanahan developed the program and will be presenting at the workshop; Shanahan
noted that he is working with district legal counsels across the state to ensure his materials properly reflect the
consensus of legal abatement of public and private lands from MVCAC member districts. The guidelines will
become the association guidelines. President Davis encouraged members to attend this workshop. Another
workshop on NPDES/CEQA permit compliance may also be held, but the ad hoc NPDES committee is waiting to
see how this shapes up before developing guidelines, as it is still premature.
President Davis directed the membership to review the MVCAC Manual of Administrative Policies for any
potential edits. Suggested edits should be submitted by April 1, 2010 to MVCAC staff in order to give the
Executive Committee sufficient time to review prior to Board approval at the spring meeting.
The ad hoc NPDES committee has been working hard with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to
make the permit more beneficial to mosquito and vector control districts – in other words, to bridge the gap
between the requirements SWRCB would like districts to fulfill and what is fiscally feasible for districts. Gary
Goodman presented a proposal on behalf of the committee which would take a tiered approach to the
monitoring program, over an anticipated five-year period:
1st tier – Begin a monitoring, sampling and data-gathering program to present to SWRCB. Research our
adulticide and larvicide products to determine their impact on state waters.
2nd tier – Determine the toxicity resulting from products used by mosquito and vector control districts.
3rd tier – If toxicity is present, determine whether it is a result of our products, or what was already
present in tested waters.
The committee has begun compiling data that we already have; Goodman noted that they are working to strike
a balance between what we can afford, and the monitoring and research needs of the committee to further
their negotiations with the SWRCB. Ultimately all districts will be required to be compliant with the permit
requirements the SWRCB sets.
One of the possible funding mechanisms for this three-tiered program is increasing MVCAC member dues.
These funds would be used to manage this program, fund research, compile results, write reports, and meet the
minimum requirements of U.S. EPA to show the potential effects of our application on the waters of the U.S.
Goodman explained that it is essential to have the mechanism in place to generate the needed funds for this
project for the benefit of all member districts.
Legal Counsel Shanahan noted that SWRCB will probably give districts the option to monitor their own discharge
rather than joining the statewide association. However, the association program will likely be less costly.
President Davis added that we are currently working on the 2010-11 FY budget to be approved at the spring
meeting, but are presenting this program and its proposed funding mechanism now to give districts as much
notice as possible.
Director Michael Cavanagh asked what type of jeopardy a district would put themselves into if they chose not to
permit at all – assuming they believed they were not affecting the waters of the U.S. Goodman believes the
district would be federally liable, and as SWRCB has not clearly defined “waters of the U.S.”, this could be risky.
Legal Counsel Shanahan added that if the water at any time during the year connects or drains, it is probably
considered waters of the U.S. – waters are only exempt if they are a part of a completely closed system, like in
the case of application to a rice field.
Director Bob Gay directed Regional Representatives to bring this program back to their regions for
recommendations and alternative NPDES permit program funding ideas to be sent to the Finance Committee by
the deadline of March 15, 2010.
President Davis presented the 2010 Committee Roster and called for a vote of approval. Director Bayless moved
to approve the roster as presented; Director Wanderscheid seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
It was announced that Legislative Day will be held on April 6, 2010.
Executive Committee Report
President Davis reported that the MVCAC Executive Committee will meet on the second Monday of each month
at 9:00 a.m. An agenda will be distributed the Thursday prior; President Davis advised regions to contact him if
they have items to be discussed prior to the first Friday of the month for inclusion in that month’s Executive
Committee meeting agenda.
At the fall meeting, the Executive Committee was directed to negotiate a three-year contract for audits; the firm
Brown Fink Boyce & Astle was selected.
Executive Director’s Report
Executive Director Smith thanked all members who helped make the conference a success – it was truly a group
effort. She was impressed with the participation and the quality of the trustee sessions, which were a great
success. Overall, conference attendance was strong, especially in light of the recession. Executive Director
Smith informed the Board that the yearbook should be out by May, in time for the spring meeting. MVCAC staff
will ensure that this year’s proceedings are consistent with similar scientific journal formatting and publishing
standards. The next newsletter is in the works, an Executive Director Smith urged members to send information
about their trustees for inclusion in the “Trustee Spotlight” section of the newsletter. Regarding the state
budget, the state can not borrow more property tax funds until they pay back funds borrowed originally. Staff
will continue to monitor the budget, and will keep the membership apprised of any developments.
MVCAC Meeting & Membership Assistant Simone Smith presented the Board with the calendar of events for
2010-11. She noted that the proposed budget has only set aside $500 for the 2010 summer meeting, but as this
will now be held at a hotel rather than at a district office, the cost will be significantly higher than $500. Director
Steve West moved to direct the Executive Committee to coordinate with MVCAC staff on the locations and
budgets for these meetings. Director Morgan seconded; motion passed unanimously. Simone Smith will submit
an estimated budget for these meetings to the Finance Committee for review by March 15. She will also bring
proposals for the 2010 Planning Session to the next Executive Committee meeting for approval. Since the
conference went well, Jennifer Roth will be negotiating with the Hyatt Regency Sacramento for the 2013 Annual
Conference; the Hyatt has already extended a room rate of $129 for single and double occupancy.
Treasurer’s Report
Becky Cline provided a financial report, noting that the 2009-10 FY draft audit is available for the Board to
review in their packets, and financial statements and the investment matrix are also included. The Finance
Committee will be addressing some housekeeping items for the remainder of the 2009-10 FY, including the
addition of the following line items to split out the contingency fund due to Finance Committee direction:
900.00 Contingency Fund (total of $75,000)
900.01 AMCA Funds for Sixth Circuit Legal Costs ($10,000)
900.02 Funds to be Directed to CMVCA-RF for Setup Costs ($25,000)
900.03 AMCA 2011 Annual Conference Marketing ($5,000)
900.04 Unallocated
Director Cavanagh moved to allocate $5,000 to the 2011 AMCA Annual Conference for marketing purposes.
Director Gay seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
Director Gay moved to approve the consolidation of the line items 1000.01, 1000.01, 1000.03 and 1000.04.
Director Bayless seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
Director Cavanagh noted that the Finance Committee recommended that the Board charge the Continuing
Education Committee opening discussions with CDPH to allow reuse of selected DVDs in later continuing
education cycles. Over time, this investment may reduce cost by allowing a library of DVDs to be developed and
used by the membership.
Director Cavanagh moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented; Director Bayless seconded. The
motion passed unanimously.
Trustee Committee
Executive Director Smith reported that the trustee bylaws changes were approved by the membership and take
effect immediately. Director Morgan noted that roughly 20% of our trustee population, or 90 individuals,
attended the conference. The trustee training program has been further developed and was presented again at
the conference. The Trustee Council is working to appoint a trustee liaison to each of MVCAC’s committees.
Committee Reports
IT Committee
No report at this time.
Integrated Pest Management Committee
Jamesina Scott reported that the committee is still considering a name change to either Integrated Vector
Management, and will bring this item back the Board for further discussion and action at the spring meeting.
Statewide BMPs are currently being developed, and a set of CEQA compliance documents is being compiled on
the MVCAC website for members’ reference.
Legislative Committee
Past President John Rusmisel informed the group that Legislative Advocate Ralph Heim gave a good report at the
Legislative Session of the conference. The committee is set to review a host of bills at their first meeting on
Friday, March 19, 2010. Legislative Day will be held on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, and the Mosquito Awareness
Week will be at the end of April.
Training and Certification Committee
President Davis relayed that Charlie Smith wanted to thank everyone for their help with recording seminars for
continuing education DVDs.
Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
Susanne Kluh reported that she added a few new committee members for 2010, and the committee will still be
looking at the comparison study between the cost of healthcare versus the cost of mosquito abatement.
Unfortunately this might be too ambitious of a charge for the committee, but they are exploring it anyway.
Vector & Vector Control Research Committee
Min-Lee Cheng reported that one pass-through from Coachella Valley MVCD will be considered at today’s
CMVCA-RF meeting.
Finance Committee
Director Cavanagh thanked the committee for the work they have done. Director Gay reviewed the
performance-based budget (PBB) process and noted that it provides for a simple cost versus satisfaction
analysis. We had 29 member districts participate in the first PBB survey, and will be further developing the
survey process in the future to allow for a broader range of answers to questions.
Local Arrangements Committee
Tawnia Pett encouraged members to send her any suggestions for the promotion of the 2011 AMCA Annual
Meeting in Anaheim. She is currently working on the booth for the 2010 AMCA Annual Meeting in Lexington.
She requested that any members planning to attend the 2010 AMCA Annual Meeting please contact her and
sign up to work the booth for a time block. Simone Smith will send an email to the membership publicizing this
and asking for volunteers.
Reports from MVCAC Regions
Southern – Written report submitted.
South San Joaquin- Written report submitted.
North San Joaquin- Written report submitted.
Sacramento Valley-Written report submitted.
Coastal- Director Wanderscheid mentioned that his region had expressed concern over the cost of 2011 Annual
Conference in Indian Wells as the flights will be costly for districts in light of recent budget cuts.
Reports from Other Agencies
UC
Bill Reisen reported that construction on the J-1 facility at UC Davis has begun. The Global Health Initiative has
seen no progress due to budget constraints.
CDPH/VBDS-Written report submitted.
Vicki Kramer informed the Board that there have been some recent staffing changes, so stay posted for a revised
staff contact list to be emailed out. Furloughs are due to end at the end of this fiscal year. CDPH is planning a
conference call with non-MVCAC member agencies to discuss the NPDES permit and MVCAC’s program that may
encourage them to join. Currently there are only twelve mosquito and vector control agencies in the state who
are not MVCAC members. CDPH is gearing up for high season on their dead bird/West Nile Virus hotline, so
there will be more publicity about this in coming months. Kramer reminded members to make checks for
sentinel chickens payable to PHFE, not CDPH.
VCJPA
The VCJPA Annual Conference will be held March 4 and 5, 2010.
AMCA
Steve Mulligan provided a brief overview of the 2010 AMCA Annual Conference, which will be held in Lexington,
KY from March 28 – April 1, 2010. He urged attendees to book their airfare early, as Lexington has a small
regional airport with limited flight options. The 2011 AMCA Annual Conference will be held in Anaheim and
hosted by MVCAC. Becky Cline reported that AMCA Washington Days will be from March 10-13, 2010, and
encouraged members to attend.
CSDA-No report.
CCDEH-No report.
SDLF-No report.
Having no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 11:21 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Fiona Young