Sewer and Water Utilities

Minutes of the July 14, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 1 Sewer and Water Utilities Committee Meeting Minutes 2 Monday, July 14, 2025 3 VIA Video Conference 4 (Approved Version) 5 6 1. Call Meeting to Order 7 The Sewer and Water Utilities Committee meeting was called to order on Monday, July 14, 2025, at 8 3 PM by Denise Bhirdo, Chair. 9 2. Roll Call 10 A roll call was conducted, with the following members present: Chairperson Denise Bhirdo and 11 members Nate Bell and Kurt Harff. 12 Staff present: Village Administrator Julie Schmelzer, Utilities Director Megan Barnes, Finance 13 Director/Treasurer Vlad Gannik, Utilities Clerk Kara Kroll 14 Others: Laurel Harff 15 3. Approval of Agenda 16 A motion was made to approve the agenda as presented. 17 Motion by Harff, seconded by Bell. All in favor. Motion carried. 18 4. Approval of Minutes of the May 13, 2025 Meeting, as Published 19 During the review of the May 13, 2025 meeting minutes, Bhirdo asked a couple of questions. The 20 first question pertained to the ArcGIS discussion in the wastewater treatment plant operations 21 report. It was inquired whether zoning information for the plan commission could be added to the 22 system as initially anticipated. Barnes confirmed that the county's zoning layer had been added, but 23 trustee users did not currently have access. She suggested exploring the option of authorizing 24 committee members as users with read-only access. 25 The second question addressed a typo in the wastewater treatment plant facilities study update. On 26 line 5, it was pointed out that "EPA risk assessment" should replace "Rick assessment." 27 A motion was made to approve the minutes as amended per Bhirdo’ s request. 28 Motion by Harff, seconded by Bhirdo. All in favor. Motion carried. 29 5. Comments, Correspondence and Concerns from the Public 30 There were no members of the public present at the meeting, and Barnes confirmed that there was 31 no correspondence to report. 32 6. Discussion/Action Items 33 a. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Report 34 Barnes provided a brief overview of recent developments at the wastewater treatment plant. She 35 reported that the parks maintenance facility sewer and water tap had been completed the previous 36 week by DeNoble. The project was nearing completion, pending the installation of a water meter 37 and testing of the fire protection system.  Minutes of the July 14, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 38 Barnes also mentioned a recent meeting with a representative from BCR Solid Solutions, a company 39 that has supplied dryers to several Wisconsin municipalities. The representative offered to give a 40 presentation on their dryer system at a future committee meeting, which Barnes suggested could be 41 scheduled for the August meeting. 42 b. Conventional Water Rate Case 43 Barnes reported on the outcome of the standard rate case application submitted to the PSC website. 44 The application did not meet the financial requirement test, resulting in the denial of a rate increase 45 based on the simplified rate process. 46 Barnes recalled previous discussions with Amber from CLA, who had advised that after multiple 47 attempts at a simplified rate case (SRC), a conventional rate case might be necessary. The PSC 48 typically doesn't approve rate increases unless a conventional rate case has been conducted within 49 the last 5 to 8 years, with the last one for Sister Bay being in 2018. 50 Amber estimated that a conventional rate case would cost approximately $4,000 to $8,000, 51 depending on the complexity and time required. This process would involve more work from Barnes 52 and Kroll, require a public hearing, and take longer to complete. 53 The committee discussed the timing of pursuing a conventional rate case. It was agreed that since 54 the simplified rate study had already been conducted this year with no increase warranted, it would 55 be preferable to wait until 2026 for the full rate study. Barnes noted that conducting a conventional 56 rate case in a year with significant maintenance or infrastructure work could be beneficial, as these 57 factors are considered in the rate determination. 58 c. Budget Discussion on 2026 Water, Wastewater and Sewer Collection Funds and Storm 59 Sewer Portion of General Fund 60 The committee engaged in a detailed review of the proposed 2026 budget for water, wastewater, 61 and sewer collection funds, as well as the storm sewer portion of the general fund. Barnes included 62 staff reports along with proposed budget and CIP numbers in the meeting packet. Bhirdo asked 63 several questions on various budget items and Barnes responded to the questions. 64 d. Facility Study Update 65 Barnes presented an update on the facility study, focusing on two main points: the potential location 66 for reed beds and PFAS testing results. 67 Regarding the reed beds, Chad from McMahon had provided an aerial map showing a proposed 68 location. The committee discussed alternative locations, considering factors such as proximity to 69 existing infrastructure, elevation, and potential conflicts with other village plans. It was suggested 70 that placing the reed beds within the wastewater treatment plant buffer zone might be more 71 appropriate. Barnes agreed to seek clarification on whether the reed beds would extend the 500 72 feet buffer zone around the wastewater treatment plant and to explore alternative locations based 73 on the committee's feedback. 74 On the topic of PFAS, Barnes reported on recent testing results. The latest sample showed a total of 75 37.5 part per billion of PFAS, which is significantly higher than the EPA's recommended limit of 1 part 76 per billion for land-applied sludge. While this level is concerning, Barnes noted a decrease from the 77 previous sample and suggested that residual contamination from previously accepted Going 78 Garbage leachate might be a factor. 79 The committee discussed the implications of these results and potential next steps: 80 ● Barnes proposed conducting another PFAS test before the end of the year to monitor any 81 changes in levels. 82 ● It was suggested to request PFAS testing from other facilities that might potentially bring 83 their sludge to Sister Bay in the future.  Minutes of the July 14, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 84 ● Barnes mentioned that the BCR representative who will be presenting on sludge dryers also 85 offers PFAS destruction equipment and could provide more information on this technology. 86 7. Matters to be Placed on a Future Agenda or Referred to a Committee, Official, or 87 Employee 88 None at this time. 89 The committee agreed to schedule the next meeting for August 12th at 3:00 PM to accommodate 90 scheduling conflicts. 91 8. Adjournment 92 A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. 93 Motion by Harff, seconded by Bell. All in favor. Motion carried. 94 The meeting was adjourned at 4:23 PM. 95 96 Respectfully submitted, 97 98 Kara Kroll 99 Utilities Clerk