Water & Sewer Commission

Town of Mount Airy Water and Sewer Commission Meeting Minutes – August 3, 2016 Commission members in attendance: Dick Swanson, Council Liaison Peter Helt, Fred Goundry, Fred Mason, Mark Moxley and Ron Runkles. The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm. Minutes: Ron Runkles moved to approve the minutes of the July 6, 2016 meeting. Seconded by Peter Helt and the motion passed unanimously. Old Business: Water Restriction Procedure: At the August 1, 2016 Council meeting the Council passed Ordinance 2016-12 adopting the Commission's recommendation to increase the fines for violating any water restriction put in place by the Mayor due to drought, emergence, etc. Well Production: The Commission discussed the increase of approximately 55,000 gpd of well production not accounted for in the latest water meter readings. The Commission suggested several possible causes and recommended that the Chair and the Town Maintenance Supervisor continue to work to resolve the issue. FOG Compliance: Dick Swanson presented Mount Airy Liberty Station's request for a variance from the grease trap requirements of the FOG ordinance based on the fact that their kitchen and grease trap were removed. Peter Helt moved that the Commission recommend approval of the request and forward it to the Town Administrator for final approval. The motion was seconded by Fred Goundry and passed unanimously. Fire Hydrant Utilization Policy: The Commission discussed the possible sale of bulk water to developers and landscapers. Ron Runkles presented a chart showing a significant difference between the WSSC, BCDPW and Mount Airy (using our current rate structure) bulk water charges. He stated that any pricing structure should recover the full cost of providing bulk water unlike BCDPW which appears to be extremely low and possibly fails to generate adequate revenue to recover costs. The Commission agreed with Ron's recommendation. Due to the ongoing water loss issue, the Commission agreed to table further deliberations. It was pointed out that certain restrictions apply to filling pools at one or more businesses and swim clubs within the Town limits and, at some point in the future, these restrictions should be reviewed in conjunction with selling water to non-resident water suppliers and developers. In the interim, the Commission will review the Code and Town records to determine the Town's authority to impose the restrictions. New Business: Stormwater Management: Dick Swanson updated the Commission on the Financial Assistance Plan being drafted by Carroll County. The plan includes the eight municipalities including Mount Airy and is required by MDE to ensure that governmental bodies have adequately planned to meet the financial requirements necessary to meet the stormwater management permit requirements. Carroll County and its municipalities will report that adequate funds have been earmarked to meet the permit remediation objective. Date of Next Meeting: With the absence of a member or members of the Commission in September, the Commission agreed to cancel September's meeting. Adjournment: Peter Helt moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Ron Runkles and passed by unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 7:54 pm. W&S Meeting: The next W&S meeting is October 5, 2016 in Town Hall at 7:00 pm. Prepared by Dick Swanson, Secretary