AMSA Member Update (MU 02-13)

Action Please By:
September 9, 2002

Each year following the July conference, AMSA’s Board of Directors reports to the membership on both fiscal and organizational initiatives. This July, as in years past, the preliminary budgets for the coming year were approved and are now – via this Member Update – presented to AMSA’s membership for review and comment. The preliminary 2003 General Fund Budget is presented in Attachment A and the 2003 preliminary Technical Action Fund Budget is provided under Attachment B.

In addition to providing for improved management and service to members, AMSA’s 2003 budgets anticipate a small dues increase for both Members and public and private Affiliates. Additional detail on the proposed budgets is provided in this Member Update.

Board Strives to Ensure Quality Service/Cost Controls
AMSA’s Board of Directors continues its focus on the challenge of evaluating membership needs, setting priorities and reassessing the resources necessary to meet the Association’s goals. In 2003 the Board anticipates that two critical initiatives will require increased revenue for the Association’s General Fund. For this reason, the 2003 preliminary budget provides for a 5 percent increase in public Member Agency and public Affiliate dues and a $1,000 increase in private Affiliate dues. The funds generated through these increases would support an upgrade of AMSA’s data management system and the addition of a Comptroller to the National Office staff. A copy of AMSA’s current dues schedule can be found at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/membership/duessheet.cfm.

The General Fund budget supported at this level, accompanied by AMSA robust Technical Action Fund, will ensure that the Association can achieve the goals and objectives outlined in the Association’s Strategic Plan.

Data Management Upgrade Seen As Essential
Numerous deficiencies have been noted in AMSA’s current internal database system (initially installed in 1995). These process deficiencies, combined with the discontinuation of technical support (without purchase of an upgrade) by the database vendor, have resulted in the need to upgrade and improve the Association’s data management capabilities. The 2002 budget provided funds to secure the services of a consultant to work with the Association to quantify AMSA’s current data management needs, review alternative database systems relative to those needs and develop a request for proposal to be forwarded to a group of pre-qualified vendors. The 2003 proposed budget includes acquisition costs to implement the data management upgrade determined to be most appropriate to meet our current and future needs. The costs associated with the upgrade will be depreciated over the course of 5-7 years.

Comptroller to Strengthen Financial Management
Recent years have seen both AMSA’s budget and financial reporting requirements grow in size and complexity. The increased level of federally-funded projects under AMSA’s direction also requires an increased level of monitoring and auditing, which the Association
cannot currently accomplish in-house. For this reason, the 2003 proposed budget assumes the creation of a new AMSA staff position of Comptroller. The need for such a position was projected for the 2002-2003 timeframe in AMSA’s Human Resources Strategic Plan in 2000. The addition of a Comptroller to AMSA’s staff will enable the Association to track and report financial information more efficiently; institute longer term budget cycles; conduct routine, required audits on government grants and cooperative agreements; and, make recommendations on budget related issues. It is anticipated that, with the addition of this new staff position, the need for outside financial consulting services, and their associated cost, will be significantly reduced.

'TAF At Work' Provides Significant Member Benefit
The Technical Action Fund (TAF) funding strategy, recommended by a special task force and approved by the Board last year, has proven its value by bolstering AMSA’s ability to represent the interests of its members before Congress and federal agencies and in the courts. Established seven years ago to commemorate AMSA’s 25th anniversary, AMSA’s “stand alone” Technical Action Fund strengthens the Association’s capability to implement its short and long-term objectives. The TAF has provided dedicated funds to gather and analyze data, initiate litigation, and secure the services of consultants having expertise beyond that which the National Office can offer. These funds are dedicated to projects and activities that impact pending legislation and anticipated or proposed regulations and policy initiatives, as identified by the Association’s committees.

Since its establishment, AMSA’s Technical Action Fund has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of legislative, regulatory and legal initiatives. Anticipated calendar year 2003 TAF initiatives include, but are not limited to, support of the Water Infrastructure Network coalition to secure increased federal infrastructure funding, support for the National Biosolids Partnership, data population and management of the AMSA/Water Environment Research Foundation Clean Water Central database – and a number of initiatives related to wet weather, biosolids and other key Association priorities. A complete summary of 2002 Association activities supported by the Technical Action Fund is provided in this Member Update under Attachment C.

Clearly, AMSA’s Technical Action Fund plays an increasingly prominent role in the Association’s ability to ‘get the job done’ for its members. The dollars we spend ensure more informed rulemaking decisions at EPA and could potentially save billions of dollars in management, operation, and capital costs for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).
The TAF at Work icon continues to serve as a constant reminder of the important work done by the Fund. Look for it in future issues of the Clean Water News and the soon-to-be-released 2001-2002 Year in Review.

AMSA Leads Wastewater Utility Security Initiatives
In the weeks and months following September 11th, AMSA established itself as the lead resource for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) seeking to improve, enhance and fund security at their facilities. Through its Wastewater Infrastructure Security Task Force, chaired by John C. Farnan, AMSA Board Member and General Superintendent of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Association acted quickly to ensure that POTWs were part of the information network receiving security information and advisories for the water/wastewater critical infrastructure sector. By becoming an active part of the Information Sharing & Analysis Center (ISAC) for water and wastewater — an umbrella group of water and wastewater associations organized by the FBI’s National Infrastructure Protection Center — AMSA was able to facilitate the rapid dissemination of key security-related information.

The Association also immediately undertook efforts to produce two critical publications, the Asset Based Vulnerability Checklist for Wastewater Utilities and the Legal Issues in a Time of Crisis checklist (see http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/pubs/publist.cfm). Following the early 2002 release of these publications, AMSA focused its efforts on the development of a software tool to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-use vulnerability self-assessment program. AMSA successfully demonstrated the need for the Vulnerability Self Assessment Software Tool (VSAT™) as Congress appropriated a significant sum of money to ensure that AMSA, in cooperation with EPA, had the funds necessary to make VSAT™ an industry standard. AMSA’s VSAT™ was released in July 2002 and is quickly becoming an invaluable tool to utilities across the country.

With wastewater treatment agencies facing the multiple challenges of massive infrastructure funding shortfalls, tightening budgets and the additional costs of security upgrades, AMSA has also been active on the legislative front to push for federal help for wastewater security vulnerability assessments and implementation of needed security upgrades. This effort has already begun to bear fruit, with the introduction of H.R. 5169, the Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of 2002, slated for floor consideration this Fall.

Infrastructure Funding Task Force Established by AMSA President
Ensuring a continuing federal role in wastewater infrastructure funding continues to be one of numerous ways the Association is working hard to meet the needs of its members. In addition to AMSA’s leadership role within the Water Infrastructure Network, the Association is undertaking a new initiative dedicated to seeking a long-term, sustainable source of wastewater infrastructure funding.

AMSA’s Wastewater Infrastructure Funding Task Force was formed in May 2002 by new AMSA President and Executive Director of the Narragansett Bay Commission, Paul Pinault, with the task of generating broad support for the creation of a sustainable source of funding for wastewater infrastructure projects. It is anticipated that the Task Force, chaired by AMSA Treasurer and Board Member William B. Schatz, General Counsel of the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, will explore new financing mechanisms to fund capital programs – including the feasibility of a new federal trust fund. The Task Force also plans to devise a plan to activate a national grassroots effort and enhance the lobbying efforts of the AMSA membership. The research and technical work that will be directed by the Task Force will be paid for by voluntary contributions from AMSA members. To join the Task Force, please contact Lee Garrigan at 202/833-4655 or by e-mail at lgarrigan@amsa-cleanwater.org.

Growth in AMSA’s Membership Continues
This past year we have continued to implement initiatives aimed at attracting new members. With the help of member agencies nationwide, AMSA’s membership roster has increased to include 277 public agencies and 55 affiliate organizations, both public and private. These 332 entities work together to increase our collective political clout with Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, thus ensuring that our messages are heard by national policy makers.

In Summary . . .
As AMSA moves forward in its fourth decade of advocacy and service, initiatives throughout the year will support the objective of strategically positioning the Association to be the driving force in national clean water policy. We plan to continue to focus our efforts largely on the legislative, regulatory and legal arenas. Through leadership and member support, we will also continue to commit time and resources to address the challenging management issues faced by our membership – as well as provide support to POTWs specific to security initiatives.

This past year we have accomplished many things. Playing the most instrumental role in these accomplishments were AMSA’s leadership and members, whose firm decisions and substantial participation lent unquestioned credibility to AMSA’s positions and led to increased attention to its policy goals. Many thanks for your continuing participation and support.

Member Comment Invited
The Board of Directors encourages all members to review the 2003 Preliminary Budgets for both the General Fund and the Technical Action Fund. Please direct any comments you may have to William B. Schatz, AMSA’s Treasurer and Chair of the Association’s Budget & Audit Committee at 216/881-7272 or via e-mail at schatzw@neorsd.org, AMSA’s Executive Director Ken Kirk at 202/833-4653 or via e-mail at kkirk@amsa-cleanwater.org, or the member(s) representing your region on AMSA’s Board of Directors (for contact information see AMSA’s Board Roster in the Member Pipeline at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org).

The Board of Directors and committee leadership will meet in Washington, DC on October 17-18, 2002 for the Association’s Fall Leadership Retreat & Strategy Session. The Board will adopt a final 2003 budgets at that time. Please provide your comments and recommendations prior to Monday, September 9, 2002.

ATTACHMENTS:

• Attachment A - Preliminary 2003 General Fund Budget (PDF ~10 KB)
• Attachment B - Preliminary 2003 Technical Action Fund Budget (PDF ~11 KB)
• Attachment C - 2002 Status of Technical Action Fund Projects (PDF ~48 KB)

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