Utility Commission

MINUTES OF THE WATER COMMISSION MEETING – OCTOBER 18, 2011 Call to Order The Water Commission meeting was called to order at 6:00 P.M. by Larry Van Lankvelt, Chair Pro Tem Roll Call PRESENT: Larry Van Lankvelt, Chair Pro Tem Mike Bevers Tim Bevers Tim Wegand Village President Michael Vanden Berg EXCUSED: Kevin Coffey ALSO PRESENT: Director of Public Works Roy Van Gheem, MCO Rep. Jerry Verstegen, Village Administrator Charles Kell, Finance Director Teri Matheny, Village Clerk Vicki Schneider, Resident Mike Novy Public Appearance for Items Not on the Agenda None Approval of Minutes Water Commission Minutes of August 15, 2011 Moved by Commissioner M. Bevers, seconded by Commissioner L. Van Lankvelt to approve the minutes of August 15, 2011 as presented. All Ayes – Motion Carried Appearance by Mike Novy, 2507 Riverside Drive, Regarding Water Quality Issues Mr. Novy commented that he has lived in his home since December of 2009 and has had problems with water discoloration after hydrant flushing and they have followed the procedures that were recommended by the Water Department to clear the water after the flushing. Mr. Novy provided pictures of the water quality at his home and he stated that he is concerned with bathing his young children in this water. J. Verstegen noted that the water isn’t harmful and it is the iron in the water that causes the discoloration. J. Verstegen provided a report of customers in this area that are having problems as well as those that reported no problems. J. Verstegen explained the procedures that are used for hydrant flushing in this area, noting that this area has a history of problems with the water quality following hydrant flushing. J. Verstegen noted that after talking with the customers it seems that the majority of the problems are with the homes that have the long laterals that are located on the river side of the street, typically in the area between Rosehill Rd. and Fillmore St. J. Verstegen stated staff feels the colored water is likely from an unlined metal pipe in the ground. Discussion took place on the different options that could be tried to alleviate the problem with the iron in the water and it was also noted that part of the problem could be the buildup and/or location of the service lines to the homes. R. Van Gheem noted that this section of pipe from Sanitorium Rd to Hayes St. is scheduled to be replaced in 2015 but he isn’t going to guarantee that a new pipe will fix the problem as the problem may be in the age of the service line. J. Verstegen noted that with the techniques that they have been using there are not as many complaints as there used to be from property owners in this area. Commissioners agreed that Mr. Novy should not have to deal with discolored water for more than a day or two. J. Verstegen stated he will meet with Mr. Novy at his residence tomorrow morning to try to see what can be done to help clear up the water and next month he will make some recommendations on techniques/experiments to address this issue before the hydrants are flushed again. Mr. Novy agreed to meet with J. Verstegen and he thanked the staff and Commission for listening and for looking at ways to address this issue.  Water Commission Meeting Minutes – October 18, 2011 - Page 2 Discussion/Approve 2012 Kaukauna Utilities Billing Agreement T. Matheny reviewed the proposal for 2012 KU Billing agreement that requests an increase of 7.7% which amounts to $.09 per bill. The major factor impacting the proposed rate for 2012 is an increase in Supervision and Billing labor hours and the PSC authorized rate of return of 7%. T. Matheny noted that postage charges have gone down. Discussion took place. Moved by Commissioner M. Bevers, seconded by Commissioner T. Bevers to Recommend to the Village Board Approval of the 2012 Kaukauna Utilities Billing Agreement. All Ayes – Motion Carried Update on De Bruins Billing Agreement T. Matheny reviewed the billing agreement that was made with the De Bruins for collection of the back billing of $6,633.95 for water/sewer charges. The utility billing error for Windmill Manor occurred because of an error in entering the multiplier when the meter was changed out. The De Bruins have requested that if SB 58 is passed retroactively, they want the ability to receive a refund of their back billing payment. The agreement also requires the De Bruins to pay $2,000 toward their disputed bill by October 15 and T. Matheny confirmed that this amount had been paid to Kaukauna Utilities. The remaining balance is due by December 16th and the Village has agreed to not charge any interest on the disputed bill. T. Matheny noted that the PSC would provide the regulation if SB 58 is passed on the refunding of the water portion of the bill but the sewer portion is not regulated so this agreement would be needed for reimbursement of the sewer charges. R. Van Gheem questioned why any of the sewer charges should be reimbursed if SB 58 passes. Staff noted that SB 58 may be for all utilities. T. Matheny agreed that the agreement could be modified to not specifically list which utility charges would be refunded. Discussion took place on the various issues taking place with proposed utility regulations. It was noted that the Village is only allowed to retroactively go back and collect for two years of the billing error and the actual error in the billing occurred over almost four years. J. Verstegen commented that the Water Department’s paperwork on the meter change out was correct but the wrong multiplier was entered at KU and he stated that there are now procedures in place that flag any significant changes in a customer’s water consumption. No action by the Commission was needed. Progress Report MCO Operations Update J. Verstegen reported that they are finishing up on the Well #3 project and the Well should be back on- line by this Friday and the parts of the project needing to be completed are painting and landscaping and a unit heater needs to be looked at. J. Verstegen reported that there have been a number of data fails at Well #1 and they believe there is some type of interference causing the data fails. J. Verstegen reported that there was damage from the September storm to the building at Well #4 and the damage repair estimate is $1,600 and this will be reported to the Village’s insurance company. J. Verstegen reported on proposed booster pump projects scheduled for 2012. J. Verstegen reported that reservoir #1 needs to be inspected and an old well at Doyle Park had been abandoned. J. Verstegen reported that there is a hydrant on E. Main Street that needs to be fixed and the private hydrant flushing is completed and that included flushing the Dutch Harbor Park. J. Verstegen reported that there was a customer that was credited for 500 gallons as the customer felt he should not have to pay for having to run his water for 5 to 10 minutes after the hydrant flushing to clear the water. J. Verstegen reported that there are 4 large meters yet to be changed and out of the 400 meters scheduled to be changed this year, 30 are left and the final notices are being sent to these property owners and if they don’t respond they will be notified that their water will be disconnected.  Water Commission Meeting Minutes – October 18, 2011 – Page 3 Director of Public Works R. Van Gheem reported on the status of the projects on Rosehill Rd., Holland Rd., Evergreen Drive, and the Village North Subdivision. Finance Director T. Matheny reviewed the August and September Budget Status reports and she noted that the revenue numbers will reflect the rate increase beginning with the October budget report. T. Matheny followed up on the concern with the dollar amount showing up under administrative expenses and she stated the majority of the dollars were for time allocated by the Public Works Director and a journal entry will be made to move allocations to the pumping, treatment, and distribution expense accounts. Approval of Vouchers Moved by Commissioner Wegand, seconded by Commissioner M. Bevers to approve and authorize payment of the vouchers and draw from their respective funds as presented. All Ayes – Motion Carried Unfinished Business C. Kell informed the Commissioners that Open Range Communication has filed for bankruptcy and they are trying to find a buyer for the company. They are currently two-months behind in their lease payment to the Village. C. Kell stated he will be working with the Village Attorney on this issue and he will keep the Commission updated. Items for Future Agenda 2012 Water Utility Budget Update on water quality issue at 2507 Riverside Drive Adjournment Moved by Commissioner M. Bevers, seconded by Commissioner Wegand to adjourn the meeting at 7:10 p.m. All Ayes - Motion Carried VILLAGE OF LITTLE CHUTE By: Larry Van Lankvelt, Chair Pro Tem Attest: Vicki Schneider, Village Clerk