Sewer and Water Utilities

Minutes of the August 12, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 1 Sewer and Water Utilities Committee Meeting Minutes 2 Tuesday, August 12, 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 Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 8 at 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: Richard Burress, Trustee Louise Howson, and 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 July 14, 2025 Meeting, as Published 19 During the review of the July 14, 2025 meeting minutes, Bhirdo noted two corrections to the 20 minutes: 21 1) On page 3, line 71, a clarification was needed regarding whether reed beds would extend the 22 buffer zone. 23 2) On line 76, a correction was needed to change "landfill leachate" to "Going Garbage leachate." 24 A motion was made to approve the minutes as amended per Bhirdo’ s request. 25 Motion by Harff, seconded by Bell. All in favor. Motion carried. 26 5. Comments, Correspondence and Concerns from the Public 27 No correspondence was received. Richard Burress addressed the committee, expressing 28 concerns about the biosolids project. He asked whether the village was still evaluating and 29 actively seeking solutions, and whether the project was intended to manage biosolids or 30 seek new revenue streams, or both. 31 Burress expressed significant concern about PFAS (forever chemicals) contamination, noting 32 he had been following contamination issues in Wisconsin communities for over three years. 33 He emphasized the fragile nature of the community's water system and urged the village to 34 "move slowly and to be certain that the contamination of our water is absolutely assured 35 not to happen." He referenced communities throughout the state that cannot use their  Minutes of the August 12, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 36 drinking water and must bring in water, warning that contaminating the water table would 37 make all other municipal issues "pale in comparison." 38 Burress requested that if the village proceeds with this initiative, public hearings should be 39 held to allow for community discussion. He concluded by asking the committee to "seriously 40 consider our most precious resource, our water." 41 6. Discussion/Action Items 42 a. Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations Report 43 44 Bhirdo questioned the internet issue cited on page 6 of the Director’s Report and asked who 45 would have ordered work done at the plant. Barnes explained she did not order the work 46 and was surprised someone showed up to do work. Bell said he is the one who contacted 47 former coworker, Tim Wright, at Bertram to tell him there was an internet problem at the 48 wastewater treatment plant and asked him to see that it got addressed. Bell stated he told 49 Wright, "There's a problem there. You do with that information what you want to, but there 50 is a problem there and you need to deal with it." He acknowledged that communication 51 from Bertram's side "was not fantastic" and that the issue "was not dealt with very well." In 52 regard to the Director’s concerns about someone wanting access to the water tower, Bell 53 clarified that access to the water tower does indeed require the Utilities Department 54 permission and that there are no keys provided for independent access; any access requires 55 calling staff members. Chair Bhirdo inquired about the identity of the unnamed "higher up 56 individual" mentioned in the report that ordered the work. Bell confirmed it was him. Bell 57 emphasized that vendors should be contacted when issues arise. A discussion ensued about 58 proper chain of command, with Bhirdo suggesting issues should go through Megan, who 59 would contact Julie, who would then contact Bertram. Bell responded that he only stepped 60 in because “if the chain of command had worked, I wouldn’t have stepped in there.” Staff 61 was not concerned with the issue because the vender would be replaced in a couple of 62 months. 63 64 The committee discussed the Parks Maintenance Facility sewer service installation on 65 Autumn Court, where individuals drove through an active construction zone. Barnes 66 reported that multiple people, including a village official who identified themselves as a 67 trustee, insisted on accessing the closed road, causing significant delays and frustration. 68 Schmelzer provided additional details explaining a contractor reported, "It was a woman 69 who was a trustee that was trying to get to the dog park." The trustee reportedly didn't 70 want to park in the parking lot and walk across the sports complex, so "she had them open 71 the road for her so she could get to the dog park." Barnes described the frustrating two-day 72 experience where utility department employees spent their time "literally just chasing 73 people out of the active construction zone." People moved signs and barricades, drove on 74 the grass, and consistently argued that the road closure didn't apply to them. The 75 contractor, who was already reluctant to take the small project and had driven a long 76 distance, faced additional delays due to equipment issues and constant interruptions from 77 people demanding access. Schmelzer noted it was "embarrassing" because the village's  Minutes of the August 12, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 78 own people were delaying the project. Chair Bhirdo stated this was "unacceptable" and 79 suggested they might need a police presence for future road closures. 80 81 Bell inquired about SCADA connectivity issues. Barnes explained the system uses a wireless 82 modem with a Verizon SIM card connecting through cell towers. The connection issues 83 occur when cell towers become overloaded, particularly during summer when tourists carry 84 multiple devices. Bell noted that as a cell communications network user, the village is 85 "deprioritized" and placed at "the lowest tier of priority." Barnes indicated they're exploring 86 options including switching to FirstNet (AT&T) cellular communications. Bell offered 87 technical suggestions about IoT-based systems and more affordable connection options. He 88 also questioned why the system routes from the water tower through the cellular network 89 to Chicago and back, rather than using the existing 900-megahertz telemetry system with 90 line-of-sight capabilities. Barnes acknowledged they're in the beginning stages of looking at 91 changes to address these issues. 92 93 Louise Howson joined the meeting and interjected to clarify that she was not the female 94 trustee who had demanded access to the dog park during the construction zone incident, 95 stating "I just want to go on the record that it was not me." 96 97 Shortly after, Burress and Howson left the meeting. 98 99 c. Budget Discussion on 2026 Water, Wastewater and Sewer Collection Funds and Storm 100 Sewer Portion of General Fund 101 Barnes presented the updated budget incorporating changes from the previous meeting, 102 including updated sewer revenues and employee costs calculated by the Finance Director. 103 The committee conducted a detailed line-by-line review of the budget with the following 104 key discussions and adjustments: 105 Page 12 - Water Fund: 106 • Internet costs: Discussion about switching to Spectrum in mid-November. Vlad 107 confirmed costs would be between $100-150 per month, with pricing locked in for 108 36 months. 109 • Firewall addition: $5,000 budgeted for a SCADA-specific firewall. Barnes explained 110 this would also address integrating Well 1 and the main lift station into the complete 111 SCADA system. 112 • Wages Admin Allocation: No actuals shown for first six months because Vlad 113 performs manual allocation at year-end due to Cassell system issues. 114 • Audit and Consulting: Increased from $3,700 to $7,000 based on increased CLA 115 charges, HR consulting allocation, and Adam's time.  Minutes of the August 12, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 116 • Equipment gas and oil pumping: Kept at $200 as generator filling occurs every other 117 year. 118 Page 13: 119 • Computer hardware/software: Increased from $7,500 to $9,000 due to George's 120 100% rate increase (from $90 to potentially $180/hour) and Stantec's 5% increase. 121 • Tools and minor equipment - T&D: Reduced from $2,500 to $1,000 based on recent 122 purchases and historical spending. 123 • Miscellaneous system op supply - T&D: Reduced from $1,000 to $250 based on 124 minimal usage. 125 • Distribution maintenance storage: Maintained at $5,000 for water tower inspection 126 this year and standpipe inspection next year. 127 • Distribution maintenance meters: Reduced from $2,750 to $1,500 while maintaining 128 contingency for problems. 129 • Water plant wells and storage: $65,000 budgeted for Well 2 ($35,000) and Well 3 130 ($30,000) refurbishment, confirmed in CIP. 131 Discussion arose about consolidating small budget items into contingency funds. Vlad and 132 Barnes agreed to explore this while ensuring compliance with PSC regulations. 133 Page 15: 134 • Fixed charges/Insurance: Vlad confirmed property insurance is annual while liability, 135 vehicle equipment, and workers' compensation are quarterly. Workers' 136 compensation rates are complicated by combining park (highest risk) and 137 wastewater treatment (medium risk) classifications. Vlad is working with auditors to 138 potentially reclassify for cost savings. 139 • Liberty Grove utility district costs: Maintained at current levels with no major water- 140 side projects anticipated. 141 Page 17 - Wastewater Fund: 142 • Septic and holding revenues: Sister Bay budgeted at $11,000 (25% increase over 143 2024 actuals). Other areas budgeted at $5,000 with potential to reopen acceptance 144 next year depending on sludge disposal comfort levels. Liberty Grove confirmed back 145 to 100% participation. 146 • Employee costs: Vlad noted wages and overtime allocations need to be looked at 147 with Kara and Megan and spreadsheets will need to be updated. Julie pointed out 148 typos: "retirement" spelled as "retirment" and "HSA" as "HAS." 149 Page 18:  Minutes of the August 12, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 150 • Wages admin wastewater: Vlad explained allocation changes will occur at year-end 151 based on actual time calculations, noting Megan is "doing an amazing job covering 152 lots of work that Tasha did." 153 • Rubbish disposal: Reduced from $7,000 to $5,000 based on elimination of lower 154 building contents, reduction from three garbage cans to one smaller dumpster, and 155 elimination of dedicated screen dumpster. 156 • Audit and consulting: Increased from $7,850 to $13,000 for regular audit costs (no 157 rate study for wastewater). 158 • Engineering: $50,000 maintained for grant writing related to potential dryer project 159 and small projects from facility study. 160 Page 19: 161 • Computer hardware/software: $9,000 budgeted, with 2025 overage due to PLC 162 battery replacements (needed every two years). Bell offered to research lithium-ion 163 alternatives. 164 • Information technology: Increased from $1,500 to $2,500 for George's fee increases 165 and GIS subscription ($500/user). 166 Page 20: 167 • Chemicals: Confirmed bulk purchase with two tankers per year, one received last 168 month. Barnes confirmed registration with Door County Emergency Management 169 through annual meetings with Jeff. 170 Page 23 - Collection Fund: 171 • Audit and consulting: Set at $4,500 per Vlad's recommendation. 172 • Tools and minor equipment: Reduced from $1,000 to $500 based on historical 173 spending. 174 • Miscellaneous other supplies: Maintained at $2,000 despite no current year 175 spending, as a safety measure. 176 Page 24: 177 • Sewer system maintenance: 2025 budget of $310,000 included televising, main 178 relining, and contingency for parks building lateral (unused). 2026 budget of $32,000 179 for sewer televising only. 180 Bell spoke of the value of consolidating small line items into contingency accounts for 181 readability and to benefit from the law of averages. Julie noted some detail was required by 182 the rate calculation template but might be reduced with the new rate calculation 183 methodology. Chair Bhirdo concluded the budget discussion by expressing frustration with 184 the lack of participation in reviewing or asking questions about the budget from other  Minutes of the August 12, 2025 meeting of the Utilities- SWUC Committee – Approved Version 185 committee members, stating "I'm really tired of it being the Denise show. We were all 186 elected to do a job, and I'd like all of us to do the job." 187 188 7. Matters to be Placed on a Future Agenda or Referred to a Committee, Official, or 189 Employee 190 Barnes requested guidance on the September 9th meeting presentation by Chad Olson on 191 the facility study. The committee agreed to: 192 • Conduct the presentation via Zoom rather than in-person 193 • Maintain the 7:45 AM meeting time 194 • Have only the facility study presentation in September 195 • Consider the BCR dryer presentation for October after time to "marinate" on the 196 facility study 197 Bell suggested waiting to see the facility study results before committing to the dryer 198 presentation. Schmelzer raised a strategic consideration about public participation during 199 the facility study presentation. She noted that Sister Bay is receiving criticism from other 200 communities for "thinking of ourselves" rather than immediately pursuing a regional facility. 201 She explained the village needs to know what is needed at the plant first, and what steps 202 can be taken to help reduce our costs, and then if a regional facility is needed. Schmelzer 203 recommended the committee become fully educated on the study before engaging the 204 public, warning that once people see it on the agenda, “we're going to get all these people 205 that are negative towards Sister Bay for doing a study." She emphasized, "Education is key. 206 We have to know what it's all about before we invite others into further comment on it… I 207 think we have to think of ourselves first." 208 8. Adjournment 209 A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. 210 Motion by Bell, seconded by Harff. All in favor. Motion carried. 211 The meeting was adjourned at 4:06 PM. 212 213 Respectfully submitted, 214 215 Kara Kroll 216 Utilities Clerk