LR sewer council votes for new title

‘Reclamation’ is favored by panel

The governing body of Little Rock Wastewater wants to remove the word sewer from its title.

The Little Rock Sanitary Sewer Committee -- a seven-member panel that oversees certain finances and operations of the wastewater utility -- discussed the change at its monthly meeting this week. The committee also voted to raise the pay of its chief executive officer.

Committee members voted unanimously Wednesday to become known as the "Little Rock Water Reclamation Commission."

The city's Board of Directors, which confirms mayoral appointments to the sewer committee, will have to approve the name change to make it official.

"Sanitary sewer is not a general term used in the industry anymore -- it hasn't been for years," CEO Greg Ramon said. "Actually, even wastewater treatment is being moved away from. It's not wasted water. Too many times that's the connotation people get when we say Little Rock Wastewater. Really, we reclaim the water. We actually make it cleaner than what the water is in the river when we put it back."

The new title was chosen from five recommendations made by a selection subcommittee. The other options were: Little Rock Water Treatment Commission, Little Rock Water Resource Recovery Commission, Little Rock Water Reclamation-Remediation Commission and Little Rock Water Resource Recovery Commission.

Committee member Marilyn Perryman, who directed the subcommittee, said members researched what other sewer entities across the nation were called.

"Is that what most of them change their name to?" committee member Pat Miller asked.

Ramon answered affirmatively.

Part of the change also centered on moving from being called a committee to being a commission. Most of the city's governing or advisory groups are called boards or commissions. The Sanitary Sewer Committee title came from a state law, Chief Administration Officer John Jarratt said.

"We are the only one that says committee," he said. "We've been looking at what other cities in the United States call their [sewer boards], and we're pretty much outdated. It doesn't work for what we do anymore."

The utility may consider changing its overall name in the future, Ramon said.

"We are really changing to be more in line with today's terminology as it relates to today's industry," he said.

He and his staff will start working on a strategic plan this summer that will review everything from the utility's name to its mission and vision, and how it carries those out. The planning process could take more than a year to complete.

"We want to make sure the organization is forward thinking and forward looking," Ramon said.

The Sanitary Sewer Committee hired Ramon in October, months after longtime chief executive Reggie Corbitt was fired in January 2014. Corbitt was fired after a police investigation confirmed information reported in a series of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette articles regarding his business practices, use of public funds and what a police memorandum called "questionable expenditures."

When asked if a possible name change for the utility would be a marketing strategy to distance itself from past negative attention, Ramon said no.

"It hadn't even crossed my mind," he said.

Since the CEO transition, there have been changes at the utility such as promotions and position title changes.

Ramon has also instructed staff to look for ways to save money in the budget. A recent refinancing of sewer bonds is estimated to save the agency $13.8 million over the life of the loans. A new rate study is also underway, the preliminary results of which are scheduled to be complete next month and presented in June or July.

At the end of Wednesday's meeting, the sewer committee went into executive session for a six-month performance review of Ramon. At the conclusion, they voted to give him a 2.5 percent raise, bringing his annual pay up from $180,000 to $184,500.

Committee Chairman Richard Mays Jr. cited the refinancing, increased employee moral and other accomplishments when announcing the decision.

Metro on 04/24/2015

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