SABPA Meeting

August 15, 2022 South Amherst Board of Public Affairs Storm & Water Minutes Roll Call: Board Members Present: Zoltan Zoltai, Tom Pellittieri, Mark Leshinski, Operator of Record: Dennis Hevener Clerk: Alexandra Sabine Liaison and Council Representative: Jeri Leigh Siss Visitors: Mayor Leshinski Don & Amanda Davis / 217 Annis Road / Discussion of New Water Service Agenda Amendments: Zoltan Zoltai would like to add Project list/Water Operator to New Business under Storm. Tom Pellittieri moved to hold the discussion with visitors Don & Amanda Davis at the beginning of the agenda. Zoltan Zoltai seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Approve Agenda: Zoltan Zoltai moved to approve the agenda with amendments. Tom Pellittieri seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Previous Minutes: 08/01/2022: Mark Leshinski moved to approve the minutes from August 1, 2022, as written. Tom Pellittieri seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Don & Amanda Davis presented to the board. They stated they were unable to find water for a well, and are unhappy with the quote for water service, specifically the quote for the directional boring. Their contractor obtained a lower quote from Steiner Trenching & Excavating for the directional boring, which was about half of the quote from Digger’s. The board reviewed the quote and discussion ensued regarding the requirements and ordinances. Tom Pellittieri moved to allow the customer to use Steiner Trenching & Excavating to perform the directional bore at 217 Annis Rd. Digger’s will tap the main and set the meter. Mark Leshinski seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The board clarified with the customer that the tap and the meter install needs to be performed by Digger’s. The board also advised that Steiner Trenching & Excavating needs to be licensed and permitted through the Village. The clerk stated she will email the updated quote from the Village and information regarding next steps the following day. Discussion ensued regarding the meter pits and meters available in stock. Currently, we do not have any in stock. Dennis Hevener stated that he verified he could borrow a pit from Rural Water, and he can use a regular water meter until the pit meters come in. Discussion ensued regarding the pricing of the meter pits and meters. Mark Leshinski moved to purchase two (2) meter pit setups and three (3) pit meters. Tom Pellittieri seconded. The motion passed unanimously. 1|Page Storm Operator’s Report: Dennis Hevener reported that he cleaned the two catch basins on Annis Road Corner. Clerk’s Report: Nothing to report at this time. Completed Tap- In’s: None Pending Tap-in’s: 130 E Main The board reviewed the financial reports (Exhibit A). Tom Pellittieri moved to accept the financial reports as written. Mark Leshinski seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Old Business: Mark Leshinski inquired if the catch basin at 411 Leonard was cleaned. Dennis Hevener stated it has not been cleaned yet. Zoltan Zoltai asked that it be completed this week. Tom Pellittieri asked if we have heard from McNelty about jet rodding Leonard. Dennis stated he has not heard from them, and he will follow up. Zoltan Zoltai asked for an update on the ARPA funds. He would like to confirm with the fiscal officer if funds are available yet. Discussion ensued regarding when materials will need to be ordered for the projects. The clerk will inquire on an update with the fiscal officer regarding the ARPA funds. New Business: Project List/Water Operator: Zoltan Zoltai stated that the board will be putting together a project list to bring to each meeting for the operator. They believe this will be a good way to keep organized and to identify completion status, so things do not fall through the cracks. The clerk suggested that she would like a copy of the lists so that she can create work orders to have formal documentation of the work. Zoltan Zoltai asked the clerk to create an SOP for the procedures discussed. Water Operator’s Report: Dennis Hevener stated that the chlorinator is up and running. There were issues found which needed resolved so it was shut down for a period of time. Essentially the chlorinator was running backwards, and it needed reprogrammed. It is currently back in commission and running properly. The board inquired if there will be added expenses to the SABPA for the reprogramming of the chlorinator. Dennis is unaware of any currently, but the clerk will forward the invoice (if received) to the board for review. Dennis Hevener also stated that there were two brown water complaints on Fern Street, he cracked the hydrant to attempt to flush the lines. He instructed the customers to call back if the water is not clear the following day. Clerk’s Report: Alexandra Sabine reported that she submitted the operator of record change form to the EPA stating that Greg Kushner has been removed and Chris Balog has been implemented as Operator of Record. She also notified Laurel with the EPA, who had a few follow-up questions such as what day the tower was operational, which was August 8, 2022. The Neptune system is active as the tower is back up 2|Page and running so we should not need to estimate bills this coming month. She also advised that the contingency plan would need updated again, she plans on working on that towards the end of the month, into early September. She advised that she has been collecting backflow reports. She had to send a few reminders, but she has received most of the reports already. The supply operator requested new sample bottles for the daily chlorine tests. She ordered six new bottles, at approximately $50.00 total. Lastly, she updated the board that she has been working on a few projects including compiling documents and creating a file for the water tower incidents, updating emergency and boil alert procedures, among others. The board requested electronic and paper copies. The clerk will be on Vacation August 23 & August 26, 2022. Adjustments: The board reviewed and approved the adjustments for July 2022. The board reviewed the financial reports (Exhibit B). Tom Pellittieri moved to accept the financial reports as written. Mark Leshinski seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Old Business: Operator Pay Raise: Zoltan Zoltai stated that the unanimous motion for wage increase for Dennis Hevener at the previous meeting was for the purpose of Cost of Living. He stated he researched the current village handbook and did not find that it is stated that a review is necessary to be conducted in order for a pay raise to be issued. At this time, the board requests that the increase be retroactive to August 8, 2022 as it was put before council. Zoltan Zoltai moved to request the village council to pass at their next meeting on August 22, 2022 the cost of living pay raise for Dennis Hevener. Tom Pellittieri seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The board kindly requests of council not to let this go to a third reading. The board stated that Mr. Hevener did receive an annual performance review by the board. Jeri Leigh Siss, on behalf of council, stated that the request was tabled because they did not have the minutes that showed the passed motion and they wanted to verify from a procedural standpoint. The review was simply an ask and there was not representation from the SABPA at the meeting to clarify council’s questions. She stated she will request an emergency for the motion to be passed and for it to be retroactive. Mayor Leshinski asked if there was a motion for the pay increase and then a follow up motion to move it to ordinance. Discussion ensued as to if this is the procedure that was used in the past and if this is necessary. Zoltan Zoltai clarified that the board looks for guidance as necessary to Jeri Leigh Siss & Mayor Leshinski as far as procedure, and in this scenario the board was not made aware that they had followed any procedures incorrectly. Jeri Leigh will send a note to ordinance committee on a procedural perspective, and she will see that the information goes to the next council meeting. Lien 305 E Main: Alexandra Sabine stated that she received the email from Zoltan Zoltai inquiring on the SOP for placing a lien. She spoke with the records clerk about the basic procedure; however, she does not believe there is an official SOP in place. From talking to Michelle and Laurie, the clerk has gathered that the customer needs notified via certified and regular mail, given a period to pay the monies owed, 3|Page and then we can move forward with the lien. She believes the first step is to get these letters drafted. Zoltan Zoltai moved that for all inactive accounts with balances, liens be placed moving forward. Tom Pellittieri seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Discussion ensued on making 305 E Main the priority and completing the rest by the middle of September. The clerk informed the board that she believes more than 50% of the balances are from final bills. Water Rates 2023-2025: The clerk reached out to Joe Waldecker regarding the rate increase with rural water. He advised that currently they do not have any planned increases, however they are in the process of a rate study. Once they know the outcome, they will share their plans. She advised the board to plan ahead for rate increases. Zoltan Zoltai suggested finding a date in September to have a work session to discuss rates. The clerk suggested transparency with the residents warranting a detailed discussion. Discussion ensued of a public hearing before the work session, as increases are inevitable. The board decided to make plans for a work session date at the next meeting. Meeting Schedule 2023: The village clerk asked the board to review the many holidays that fall on their meeting nights. Discussion ensued. Zoltan Zoltai moved to hold 2023 meetings the first & third Monday of each month at 7:00pm at Town Hall. The meetings falling on Holidays will be held on the following Thursday at 7:00pm at Town Hall. This would include January 2 (office closed), January 16 (MLK Jr. Day), February 20 (Presidents Day), June 19 (Juneteenth), July 3 (Independence Day), & September 4 (Labor Day). December will have one meeting landing on December 4, 2023. Tom Pellittieri seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Inactive Account Interest: The clerk verified the procedures for posting penalties on water accounts with the software. She explained that penalties are only posted to new charges in order to avoid posting a penalty on top of a penalty. She explained the term key worksheet to the board and explained that after the research it does seem that a new ordinance would be the best route as the interest on inactive accounts with balances is completely separate from the penalties charged to active accounts. Jeri Leigh and the clerk do not believe they have seen the ordinance written previously by Zoltan Zoltai. He stated that he will find it and send it our way for revisions. The new ordinance would be specifically for inactive accounts. Discussion of interest ensued. The clerk also stated that she confirmed that the software company can post the interest monthly to the inactive accounts. Creating the software for that would be included in our support hours that we are entitled to with Ohio software. Jeri Leigh Siss followed up with questions regarding the process from active to inactive. She suggested establishing a more specific cycle for shut offs if liens are going to be enacted. In addition to interest, the ordinances will need to be more specific for shutoff. Clear identification of when the actions take place should be included. The board previously discussed 45 days post shut off is when the lien will be enacted. Jeri Leigh Siss inquired on the administrative costs for placing the liens which are unknown at this point. Zoltan Zoltai suggested a study for the administrative costs. The board questioned if the legal counsel would charge per lien for legal costs. They suggested including legal costs in the liens. The clerk will edit all associated ordinances with proposed changes to bring back to the board. Dixon Engineering Report: Mark inquired last meeting on the report. The clerk took notes on the recommendations and sent them to the board. Many suggestions were included in the next overcoating. Some EPA Requirements stood out to the clerk. Mark Leshinski inquired if any action should be taken. Tom Pellittieri suggested waiting until it is enforceable & necessary. The clerk inquired on if the tank is 4|Page included on an audit or how does the EPA inspect it. Discussion ensued. The overcoating is due in 6 years according to Dixon Engineering, budget for $65,000 in 2028. Newsletter Statement: Alexandra Sabine reported that she completed her “Get to Know You” as requested. She stated she has not received the correspondence regarding the newsletter from the board. The clerk inquired on a date when she would like the final copy to which she responded this coming week would suffice. New Business: Supply Operator Contract: The clerk presented the contract for Chris Balog to be signed by the board. The fiscal officer and the water department need a copy of this contract. The clerk also advised that the fiscal officer stated that Chris Balog requested a backup supply operator for when he is on vacation. He is not comfortable with his name being on samples if he is not here to pull them himself. The board discussed finding a backup for him by next summer. Zoltan Zoltai requested that Backup Operator be placed on the November 2022 agenda for the board to revisit and discuss. The clerk noted that the supply operator, Chris Balog, began working on August 4, 2022. Mark Leshinski moved to pay the full rate for August 2022. Zoltan Zoltai seconded. The motion passed unanimously. New Service 217 Annis: Discussed previously Dennis Hevener stated that Digger’s dug on West Main Street for a possible water break and could not find it. He called leak seekers in, but they did not find a leak. In their opinion there is no break in that area. A valve on Eberhardt is slowly leaking. There is another valve leaking on Maple as well. Dennis Hevener suggested repairing them before winter, he verified funds with the fiscal officer. He has one valve available, but the other will need purchased. Zoltan Zoltai moved to purchase one new 6-inch valve. Mark Leshinski seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The board would like work to commence around November 2022, before Thanksgiving. Jeri Leigh Siss inquired on the pressure monitoring on Church & Leonard. Dennis Hevener stated that a few days the pressure peaked at 70psi, however for the most part it looked okay. Jeri Leigh Siss updated the board on the County Commissioners. The primary ask was reimbursement of funds for $135,000. J.R. White stated, “The commissioners and I are a little confused how the $135k would help with the water line emergency through reimbursement as opposed to new infrastructure.” He asked the village to work with Don Romancak. Jeri Leigh is inquiring if the SABPA is on board with foregoing the ask of reimbursement in the amount of $135,000 and instead asking for a higher dollar amount such as $500,000 for infrastructure improvement. Discussion ensued. The board agreed that the infrastructure improvement route is more likely to acquire funds and they are on board with going that route. The board clarified that any funds for from the County would be specifically for the SABPA which Jeri Leigh Siss confirmed. Jeri Leigh stated that she will be contacting Don Romancak as well, as there will need to be processes for this larger process with larger projects. She asked the board for a bullet list of priorities of infrastructure areas in the village. 5|Page Mark Leshinski moved to Adjourn the meeting. Tom Pellittieri seconded. The roll was called with all in favor. Respectfully submitted, Alexandra Sabine, Water Board Clerk 6|Page