Water and Sewer Advisory Committee

Minutes WATER AND SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE Regular meeting 7 p.m. Feb. 1, 2024 Board Meeting Room of Town Hall Annex, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Chair Jenn Sykes, Vice Chair Daniel Rawlins, and Members Grace Beeler, Mo Rasheed, Steed Robinson, and Commissioner Robb English Absent: Member Barry Weston Staff: Environmental Engineering Supervisor Bryant Green; Civil Engineering Technician Tyler Freeman 1. Call to order and welcome of guests Chair Jenn Sykes called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. She took roll and confirmed the presence of a quorum. 2. Agenda changes and approval There were no changes to the agenda Motion: Member Steed Robinson moved approval of the agenda with no changes. Member Grace Beeler seconded. Vote: 5-0. 3. Minutes review and approval Minutes from regular meeting on Dec. 7, 2023. Motion: Vice Chair Daniel Rawlins moved approval of the Dec. 7, 2023, minutes as submitted. Beeler seconded. Vote: 5-0. 4. Updates A. Utilities status report highlights Environmental Engineering Supervisor Bryant Green presented the utilities status report. There was discussion of: • Raw water pump station replacement and master planning for the wastewater treatment plant. • The West Fork of the Eno River is at 50 feet and slowly climbing. • Status of ongoing developments. • Emergency water main repair on an encasement beneath the railroad. • Updated financial model for determining billing rates. • Fiber installation and water theft updates. • New hires and job openings. • Water and Sewer Advisory Committee’s two out-of-town vacancies. • Funding from the state. B. Bill format and language 101 E. Orange St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-732-1270 | www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov WATER AND SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES | 1 of 3  WATER AND SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES | 2 of 3 A bill format update has come in from staff, but it did not arrive in time to be presented at this meeting. The committee will discuss this at a future meeting. 5. Discussion A. Water and Sewer Advisory Committee Charter The committee reviewed the charter, which has been modified to discuss how the fund is managed. The committee discussed topics for future discussion, including rates, code updates, and meeting frequency. The committee reviewed the attendance sheet and noted that there were no attendance concerns. B. Meeting schedule and board meeting assignments 2024 There was discussion of the availability of Board of Commissioners meeting recordings on YouTube. The committee reviewed the meeting schedule and Board meeting assignments for the year. There was discussion of the out-of-town vacancies on the committee and efforts to publicize the positions. Motion: Rawlins moved to approve the meeting schedule and Board of Commissioners meeting assignments for 2024 as submitted. Member Mo Rasheed seconded. Vote: 5-0. C. CIP briefing and budget review Green presented the proposal for the 2025 Capital Improvement Program and gave an overview of each of the proposed projects. He mentioned that if all needs had been included in the program, it would have led to an unsustainable rate increase, so some projects were pushed off until later to make the rate increase more reasonable. 6. Reports from Board of Commissioners meetings Sykes noted that Green had summarized the reports from the Board of Commissioners via email. 7. Assignments for Board of Commissioners meetings A. Meeting Feb. 12 (Sykes/Rawlins) B. Meeting Feb. 26 (Robinson/Rasheed) C. Meeting March 11 (Rawlins/Weston) D. Meeting March 25 (Rasheed/Beeler) 8. Future agenda items A. Town Growth and Usage Projections B. Bill language and format C. Lead and copper regulations changes and their impact on compliance on the private side of the water meter. D. Fund for customers not able to pay water bills. 9. Adjournment Motion: Rawlins moved to adjourn the meeting. Beeler seconded. Sykes adjourned the meeting at 7:57 p.m. without a vote.  WATER AND SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES | 3 of 3 Respectfully submitted, Tyler Freeman Civil Engineering Technician Staff support to the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee Approved: April 4, 2024