Waunakee Utilities Commission

Waunakee Utilities Commission Meeting November 25, 2019 Members Present: Paul Endres Chris Zellner John Roessler Gary Herzberg Shirley Nelson Steve Kraus Absent: Roxanne Johnson Others Present: Tim Herlitzka Dave Dresen John McLain Michael Mucha John Roessler called the regular meeting of the Waunakee Utilities Commission to order at the Waunakee Utilities facility at 322 Moravian Valley Road. Minutes Moved by Chris Zellner, seconded by Shirley Nelson, to approve the minutes of the October 28, 2019 Utilities Commission meeting. Motion carried. Bills The list of bills was reviewed. Moved by John Roessler, seconded by Shirley Nelson, to approve payment of the following bills: Total Vendor Description $ 215.52 Ace Hardware Miscellaneous parts/supplies 4,880.00 Ageless Concrete, LLC Concrete repairs for lateral leaks 1,355.77 Border States URD tools 72.96 BP * Gasoline for trucks 65.78 Brockmann, Lloyd Refund 147.54 Capital City Cleaning & Supply Shop/office supplies 220.16 Cintas Corporation Uniforms 1,143.49 Core & Main Water meter 502.00 Coverall North American, Inc. Cleaning service 200.43 Crescent Electric URD maintenance 10,374.50 CTW Corporation Well #5 pump maintenance 1,724.53 Delta Dental Monthly dental ins. premiums 19.94 Dorn, Randy Expense reimbursement 20.00 Eakin, Cora Refund 26,165.32 EFTPS * 941 taxes 468.50 Electrical Testing Lab PPE 6,911.52 Empower Retirement * Deferred Compensation & Roth 1,633.13 Exxon Mobil * Gasoline for trucks 21.85 Ganser Construction Refund 11,683.25 GLS Utility, LLC Locating services 475.60 Hartman, Steven Mileage reimbursement 349.00 Hometown News Energy-saving ad 5,975.74 Infosend Billing costs (2 mos.) 14.73 Karls, Dana Mileage reimbursement 37.20 Kerry Ingredients & Flavours Refund 105.00 Krause Power Engineering Nord Fire Service project 4,255.90 Lakeside International, LLC Truck maintenance 644.07 MG & E Boosters, wells, service building & lift stations 1  604.92 Minuteman Press Bill stuffer 96.50 NAPA Auto Parts Truck maintenance 365.00 North Shore Bank * Deferred Compensation 365.00 North Shore Bank Deferred Compensation 66,175.08 Payroll* 11/8 & 11/22 175.42 Piggly Wiggly Office expenses 16,011.42 Quartz Health Benefit Plans Corp. Monthly health insurance premiums 30,361.72 Resco URD maintenance, transformers & inventory 2,000.00 Reserve Account * Postage for machine 180.94 Ripp, Scott & Dawn Refund 365.75 Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. Mapping expense 165.87 Schmucker, Marsha & Steve Refund 639.66 Securian Financial Group * Life insurance premiums 3,908.76 SEERA c/o Wipfli, LLP Focus program fee for October 2,888.44 SBank of CP/Credit card payment * Lineman books, training expenses, meter school expenses, shipping to return meters, well supplies, software license, office supplies, tools 50.00 State Farm Insurance * Notary renewal 21.29 Statz, Carl F. Truck maintenance 11,548.36 Strand Associates, Inc. SCADA project 17,576.58 Stuart C Irby Co. Inventory & OH maintenance 159.20 T.A.S. Communications, Inc. * Answering service 979.32 TDS Telecom * Monthly phone & modem service 146.95 Tyndale Company, Inc. PPE 110.92 UPS Store Shipping charges for chemical pump & bill stuffers 549.51 U.S. Cellular * Monthly cell phone service 2,276.31 Utility Sales & Service Truck maintenance 143,994.54 Village of Waunakee Flexplan, refuse/Oct., electric & water taxes and re-bills for: Mechanic 23.30 Weaver Auto Parts Truck supplies 45.00 Wil-Kil Pest Control Pest control 18,672.13 WI Dept. of Revenue * State & sales taxes paid 646,873.41 WPPI Energy October power bill 14,573.99 WPPI Energy Hosted e-mail & financial and accounting software, member network assessment & monitoring, utility billing & customer information software, WPPI WAN, cyber security, shared meter technician, meter data collection & mgmt., Verizon charges and computer maintenance 14,119.07 WI Retirement System * Retirement - October 26.00 WI State Lab of Hygiene Water samples Bills Received Subsequent to Packet Delivery $ 227.58 AFLAC Monthly premiums 150,045.60 L.W. Allen, LLC SCADA system upgrade 61.09 Border States Inventory 107.17 Dish Network Monthly service 307.60 Fastenal Company AMI meters 22,356.00 J & R Underground Boring work for various projects 3,176.80 Martelle Water Treatment Chemicals for wells 1,347.49 RG Heating & Air Conditioning Building maintenance 3,659.00 Stuart C Irby Co. Inventory & street light maintenance 2  125.00 Town of Springfield Road excavation permit 60.18 USA BlueBook Water fluroide test 3,958.76 Wesco Inventory & metering $ 1,261,166.06 Motion carried. Public Comment There was no public comment. Presentation from Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District Regarding Treatment Cost Increases Michael Mucha, the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District Director and Chief engineer, provided information about past and future cost increases. Large capital expenditures due to aging infrastructure and the costs associated with increasing regulation are the two main reasons for the increases. Sewer Rate Adjustment A review of the adequacy of sewer rates indicates a 11.9% increase is needed for 2020. The primary reasons for the increase are an 11% ($181,500) increase in wastewater treatment charges, and proposed increased funding of $6,000 per month for the replacement of the vacuum truck. The average residential customer will see an increase of $4.60 per month. The impact on other customers will vary depending on their meter size and usage. All sewer rate changes must be approved by the village board. After a discussion, a motion was made by John Roessler and seconded by Steve Kraus to approve a recommendation to the village board to adjust sewer rates effective January 1, 2020. Motion carried. 2020 Budget The 2020 budget was presented. After a discussion of the budget details, a motion was made by Gary Herzberg and seconded by Paul Endres to approve the 2020 Budget. Motion carried. Compensation Committee Appointments The commission decided to have Chris Zellner, Paul Endres, and Caitlin Stene join the general manager on the committee. Sale of Overhead Electric Line to American Transmission Company A tentative agreement has been reached with the American Transmission Company (ATC) regarding the sale of the 69kV line with the following general terms:  Sale price of $101,667  Ability to keep the current utility-owned underbuild on the line in the future at no charge  No tree trimming responsibility for the utility  Reimbursement of some or all legal costs 3 The final decision on whether or not to sell or retain the line lies with the village board and a proposed board resolution was presented that states this line is no longer necessary nor useful in the operation of the utility and that the village board president is given authority to enter into, execute, deliver all agreements and documents, and take any other necessary action to complete this transaction. After a discussion, a motion was made by Steve Kraus and seconded by Shirley Nelson to approve a recommendation to the village board to sell the line to ATC and indicate support for the resolution since the utility does not have the equipment needed to maintain the line. Motion carried. Vegetation Management and Trenching and Tunneling Near Trees Policies Vegetation Management and Trenching and Tunneling Near Trees policies were presented. The Vegetation Management policy is proposed because vegetation oftentimes interferes with utility operations and this helps outline the actions for trimming trees and other vegetation to ensure safe, reliable, service to customers. The Trenching and Tunneling Near Trees policy is proposed to ensure utility work around trees is done in a way to help tree growth and lifespan. After a discussion, a motion was made by Chris Zellner and seconded by Paul Endres to approve the policies. Motion carried. December Meeting Date There was consensus to move the December meeting to Thursday the 19th due to a scheduling conflict. Advanced Metering Infrastructure Project The commission was provided a project update. 3,829 electric meters have been installed and 1,717 water units are now in service. Village-Wide Construction Projects Utility staff provided information about the new Kwik Trip site and the proposed Veridian development. Operations Report Various operations topics were discussed. General Manager’s Report The general manager reported that the fire department indicated there is no PFOA or PFOS in the foam they currently use for firefighting. Financial Statements The October financial statements were discussed. Consolidated operating income is under budget for the year, primarily due to electric utility operating results and MMSD charges. A motion was made by Chris Zellner and seconded by Shirley Nelson to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted: _____________________________ Commission Secretary 4