Utility Commission

MINUTES OF THE WATER COMMISSION MEETING – MAY 18, 2010 Call to Order Water Commission meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M. by Kevin Coffey, Chair Roll Call PRESENT: Kevin Coffey, Chair Charles Fischer, Village President Mike Bevers Larry Van Lankvelt Roy Van Gheem Tim Wegand Leon Vanden Heuvel ALSO PRESENT: Village Administrator Charles Kell, Director of Finance Dale Haug MCO Representatives – Jerry Verstegen and Chris Kang Village Clerk – Vicki Schneider Public Appearance for Items Not on the Agenda None Approval of Minutes Water Commission Minutes of April 20, 2010 Moved by Commissioner Vanden Heuvel, seconded by Commissioner Bevers to approve the minutes of April 20, 2010 as presented. All Ayes – Motion Carried Action on Well Permit Application – Zion United Methodist Church, 1700 Progrant Rd. Moved by Commissioner Wegand, seconded by Commissioner Bevers to approve the well permit application for 1700 Progrant Rd., contingent upon the well meeting all the requirements for obtaining such permit. All Ayes – Motion Carried Discussion/Possible Action – Crystal Print Meter Usage Update J. Verstegen reported on the testing of the meter at Crystal Print and concluded that the Department is unable to make an accurate estimate of water that may not have been billed prior to the February 16, 2010 meter testing. J. Verstegen stated he does not find through the meter testing that the business drew more water than they were billed. R. Van Gheem concurred that there is no justification to back bill this business. No action was taken. Discussion/Possible Action – Providing Financing for Abandonment of Private Wells D. Haug reported on a resident that is willing to abandon their private well but they do not have the financial means to do so and the resident has asked the Village to provide assistance. D. Haug reviewed a proposal for financing options that require the homeowner to be responsible for selecting and hiring a contractor and submit the bill to the Village. The Village would pay the contractor directly and apply the charge to the property in the same way as special assessments are handled. The interest rate to property owners that request the Village’s financial assistance would be 5%. D. Haug noted that this process has been used for a few property owners for private lateral replacements. Discussion took place.  Water Commission Meeting Minutes – May 18, 2010 – Page 2 Moved by Commissioner Vanden Heuvel, seconded by Commissioner Van Lankvelt to authorize the Finance Director to provide financing for abandonment of private wells to owners that request financial assistance from the Village. All Ayes – Motion Carried Staff stated they will update the Village Board on the Commission’s action on this matter. Discussion/Possible Action – Options for Utility Annual Water Quality Report J. Verstegen reported that since the Village newsletter can no longer be utilized for the required mailing of the Annual Water Quality report, he has checked into the cost of having a printing company print and mail the newsletter. One quote he received was for $1,076 plus postage for a four page mailer and the second quote was for $915 for a two-page mailer. Staff suggested going with the four page mailer as additional information from the water utility could be included on the mailer. J. Vestegen reported that he did not budget this year for the printing and mailing but he will be budgeting for it in future years and he estimated the total cost to be around $1,700. Discussion took place and the Commissioners agreed that staff should proceed with the printing and mailing of the four-page mailer. Progress Reports MCO Operations Update J. Verstegen reported on the Well #4 remote problem that seems to have been corrected by Allen Bradley Reps adjusting the clips and he also noted that a report on the project was completed by Allen Bradley but it has to be submitted to Crane Engineering before he is able to review it. J. Verstegen reported that Well #3 will be back on-line this week as the backwash project had been completed and the roof repair projects had also been completed. J. Verstegen reported that there was a water main break on Sanitorium Rd. in April and there will likely be more breaks in that area due to the condition of the pipe. J. Verstegen also reported that the spring hydrant flushing program was completed. Director of Public Works R. Van Gheem reported that the Department continues to work on the private well testing program and noted it is a slow process. R. Van Gheem informed the Commission that the Village Board has approved a policy to assist homeowners with private lateral replacements and the policy also offers an option for homeowners to replace their lead water lateral. R. Van Gheem reviewed a request to have McMahon perform an in-depth study of Well #3 that includes powering the pump, design of the VFD, the HVAC system and a study of the security of the building. The cost of the study is $13,000. Staff noted that $80,000 had been budgeted for the Well #3 efficiency project and the utility will also be applying for another energy efficiency grant from Kaukauna Utilities. Moved by Commissioner Coffee, seconded by Commissioner Van Lankvelt to move forward with McMahon for a study of Well #3 at the cost of $13,000. All Ayes – Motion Carried Finance Director D. Haug reviewed the April 2010 Budget Status Report and provided a corrected copy of the PSC summary data concerning annual debt service that was presented to the Commissioners last month. Approval of Vouchers Moved by Commissioner Van Lankvelt, seconded by Commissioner Wegan to approve and authorize payment of the vouchers from their respective funds as presented. All Ayes – Motion Carried  Water Commission Meeting Minutes – May 18, 2010 – Page 3 Unfinished Business None Items for Future Agenda Chair Coffey handed out an article on water conservation. Request to Authorize Rate Increase Adjournment Moved by Commissioner Vanden Heuvel, seconded by Commissioner Bevers to adjourn the meeting at 6:57 p.m. All Ayes - Motion Carried VILLAGE OF LITTLE CHUTE By: Kevin Coffey, Chair Attest: Vicki Schneider, Village Clerk