Water & Sewer Commission

Town of Mount Airy Water and Sewer Commission Meeting Minutes – March 5, 2014 Commission members in attendance: Dick Swanson, Council Liaison Chris Everich, and Fred Goundry. Kelley Moxley was an excused absence Minutes: Chris Everich moved to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2014 meeting. Seconded by Fred Goundry and approved by unanimous vote. Due to inclement weather, there was no meeting in February. Old Business: FY 2015 W&S Budget: Dick Swanson distributed a summary of the FY 2015 water and sewer draft operating budget including, for comparative purposes, FY 2013 actual revenue and expense and FY 2014 budget. He pointed out that the most significant change in the FY 2015 draft budget was the elimination of a transfer of operating revenue to the capital reserve account. A lengthy discussion followed concerning the amount of reserves and their intended purpose. Chris Everich described the ongoing initiative to perform a multi-year assessment of needs and resources to gain a better understanding of the long term financial implications to the Town and to establish a set of prioritized goals to more effectively meet the needs of the citizens. Dick Swanson suggested that, given the need to further assess the potential financial impact on the Town of the new Phase II WWTP requirements, the pending revisions to the Phase II stormwater management requirements, and the favorable state of our current water and sewer infrastructure, the Commission should concur with the FY 2015 budget proposal and defer capital reserve recommendations until FY 2016. Therefore, no adjustment to the water and sewer rates is necessary at this time. The Commission concurred with the recommendation. FOG Ordinance Implementation: Based on an email recommendation from Kelley Moxley, the Commission discussed changes to the Grease Trap Inspection Form. The Commission revised the note to Item 8 to read “In the case of a failed inspection or other violation of Chapter 91 of the Code of the Town of Mount Airy, the FSE may be subject to a fine of $150 for each day in which the violation exists.” A signature block will be added to the form. Dick Swanson recommended that the Commission review the categories of “Food Type” listed in the Grease Control Device Form. Swanson noted that, for example, “American” is not listed as a food type. The Commission recommended that Swanson discuss this with Kelley Moxley and make appropriate changes to the Form. By email, Kelley Moxley recommended that the Commission proceed with WSSC's suggested grease inspector training plan. The plan included a one to two hour training session followed by shadowing a fog inspector in the field. The Commission concurred with Moxley's plan and recommended that the Public Works Director and the Code Enforcement Officer attend the training. After training is complete, the Commission and trained staff will reassess the Town's inspection process to incorporate lessons learned and best practices relevant to the Town's FOG program. Dick Swanson informed the Commission that the update to the list of FSEs and the package notifying them of the new requirements are in process. Stormwater Management: Dick Swanson announced to the Commission that Carroll County will hold another meeting between the County Commissioners and the municipalities to further discuss stormwater management issues. No date has been set for the meeting. Water and Sewer Minutes Page 2 of 2 March 5, 2014 New Business: WWTP Permit Renewal: Currently Mount Airy operates under a General Discharge Permit. The permit is up for renewal. Dick Swanson advised the Commission that, among other changes, the revised regulations no longer allow for a no exposure exemption for municipal public works facilities with vehicle maintenance activities. Since the Town will determine the impact of the changes, the Commission plans no action at this time. Adjournment: Chris Everich moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Fred Goundry and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm. W&S Meeting: The next W&S meeting is April 2, 2014 in Town Hall at 7:00 pm.. Prepared by, Dick Swanson, Secretary