Waunakee Utilities Commission

Waunakee Utilities Commission Meeting July 28, 2025 Members Present: John Roessler Steve Kraus Kristin Runge Paul Endres Joe Zitzelsberger Roxanne Johnson Nathan Zellner Others Present: Tim Herlitzka Jamie Frederick John Roessler called the regular meeting of the Waunakee Utilities Commission to order. Public Comment There was no public comment. Minutes A motion was made by Kristin Runge and seconded by Paul Endres to approve the minutes of the June 23, 2025 Utilities Commission meeting. Motion carried. Bills The list of bills was reviewed. A motion was made by John Roessler and seconded by Steve Kraus to approve payment of the following bills: Total Vendor Description $ 28.86 Ace Hardware Parts, supplies 815.14 A. C. Engineering Company* Substation maintenance 2,600.00 Advanced Meter Testing, LLC Testing of large water meters 75.42 Aflac* Monthly premium 180.57 Airgas USA, LLC Supplies 4,802.68 Anthony Jakacki Project refund 408.00 APG* Web and energy assistance ads 27.98 Auto Value Parts 942.00 Border States Materials 250.00 Brett Valentyn EV charger rebate 17.72 Carlen Kielisch Refund on utility account 376.50 Coverall North America, Inc. * Cleaning service 170.80 Danielle Parfait and Liam Houghtalin Refund on utility account 86.16 David and Danette Johnson Refund on utility account 1,286.70 Delta Dental* Dental insurance claims 60,700.55 EFTPS * Taxes 42,648.67 Employee Trust Funds* Retirement 18,016.54 Empower Retirement * Deferred compensation and Roth 3,022.50 Forester Electrical Engineering, Inc. * Engineering for substation projects 32.85 Gabriela Luna Refund on utility account 394.69 GFC Leasing Copier lease, copies 12,402.00 GLS Utility* Locating services 7,479.44 Infosend* Bill print services 82.50 Insight FS Cylinders 7,932.00 Insource Solutions Group Annual license for SCADA software 1,772.50 Jefferson Fire & Safety Maintenance of fire extinguishers 505.08 Jessica and Christopher Sweetland Refund on utility account 238.70 Kaden Hooker Mileage reimbursement 5,823.31 Lake Ridge Bank (credit card payment)* Microsoft Office Online services, Adobe Pro, Google, office supplies, training, shop supplies 291.77 Madison Gas & Electric Natural gas 195.40 Main Street Market Piggly Wiggly Office supplies 1  295.00 MEUW Training 2,248.46 Millennium Materials 160.00 Monona Plumbing & Fire Protection Sprinkler maintenance 330.95 Moumita Acharya and Thomas Gauthier Refund on utility account 1,396.00 North American Mechanical, Inc. Building maintenance 1,950.00 North Shore Bank * Deferred compensation 47.67 Oakbrook Corporation Refund on utility account 153,306.74 Payroll* June, July 391.17 Pepsi Cola of Madison Supplies 435.00 QTI Consulting Compensation review 22,846.44 Quartz* Health insurance 50.01 Sanoy Roofing Refund on utility account 187.08 Sara Cullen Refund on utility account 775.81 Securian Financial Group* Life insurance premiums 5,099.78 SEERA, Focus on Energy* Program fees 568.00 SJE Pump maintenance at Westbridge Lift Station 432.00 Stafford Rosenbaum, LLP Legal services 28,855.95 Strand Associates Well and tower project, SCADA system assistance 97,084.33 Stuart Irby Inventory, parts 272.66 T.A.S. Communications* Answering service 1,206.12 TDS Telecom* Monthly phone and internet services 401.97 Terminix Wil Kil Pest control exterminator services 250.00 Travis Michaels EV charger rebate 194.81 Tri-County Paving Materials 246.95 Tyndale Company Clothing 38.21 UPS Store Shipping 224.24 U.S. Cellular * Monthly cell phone service 131,400.85 Village of Waunakee Refuse billings ($81,726), flex and dependent care, tax payment ($75,500), Fish Street project costs ($9,265) , communications, mechanics, utility insurance, facilities, human resources, village engineer 12,850.00 Water Tower Clean and Coat, Inc. Cleaning of water towers and reservoirs 9.99 Waunakee Power Center Parts 2,181.24 Wex Bank (Exxon Mobil)* Fuel 74,592.47 WI Dept. of Revenue * Withholding tax, sales and use tax 31.00 Wisconsin State Lab Lab fees 1,234,792.38 WPPI Energy Meter data collection and mgmt., utility billing and CIS, shared meter technician, low-income admin service fee, hosted e-mail and software support fees, cyber security, member network assessment and monitoring, member network support, member WAN and Verizon charges Bills Received Subsequent to Packed Delivery 23.77 Ace Hardware Materials 75.42 Aflac Monthly premium 67,399.30 Bell Ford New vehicle 166.40 Delta Dental Dental insurance claims 272.35 Employee Trust Funds* Retirement 3,732.02 Infosend Bill print services 250.00 Joshua & Pamela Lower EV charger rebate 4,348.01 Madison Investments Investment advisor fees 740,497.17 Madison Metro Sewer District 2nd quarter sewer service 856.25 Medivan, Inc. Hearing tests 4,132.39 Public Service Commission Application to increase electric rates 687.00 Resco Materials 876.66 Stuart Irby Inventory, parts 75,500.00 Village of Waunakee Monthly tax payment $ 2,847,577.05 2 Motion carried. Extension of the Contract for Audit Services for the Years Ending 2025 and 2026 The Commission discussed the staff recommendation to extend the audit contract with Baker Tilly for the years ending 2025 and 2026. Staff highlighted Baker Tilly’s deep industry understanding of utility accounting and complimentary industry- related continuing education offered by the firm as the main reasons to extend the contact. Baker Tilly has proposed a fee increase of 4.9% for 2025 and 4.6% for 2026. After a discussion, a motion was made by John Roessler and seconded by Joe Zitzelsberger to approve the contract extension for the years ending 2025 and 2026. Motion carried. Commissioner Zellner arrived. Quotes for Abrasive Blasting and Painting at the Division Street Booster Tank A recent inspection of the Booster Station highlighted the need to abrasively remove the paint from inside the pressure tank and certain areas supporting boosted operations. Quotes were requested from a variety of companies who perform this work and the two that were received are summarized as follows: Porta-Painting - $43,000 Water Tower Clean and Coat, Inc. - $46,500 Costs to secure temporary pumping equipment to maintain adequate water pressure for the customers served by the Booster Station will be incurred. These are estimated to not exceed $5,000. After a discussion, a motion was made by Steve Kraus and seconded by Kristin Runge to accept the Porta- Painting proposal for an amount not to exceed $43,000 and authorize up to $5,000 for the temporary pumping. Motion carried. Paving Driveway to Centennial Park Substation and Vehicle Swap with Public Works Department The Commission discussed the staff recommendation to pave approximately 370’ of gravel driveway leading to the Centennial Park Substation. The cost to make these improvements is estimated to be $28,926, including a gate at the entrance to the driveway. In conjunction with planning for this, the Public Works Department expressed an interest in obtaining our small bucket truck. The vehicle is scheduled to be sold once the new small bucket truck arrives later this year. The Commission then discussed the Public Works Department suggestion to pay for the driveway improvements in exchange for acquiring the bucket truck. After a discussion, a motion was made by John Roessler and seconded by Steve Kraus to approve allowing the Public Works Department to obtain ownership of the bucket truck in exchange for paying for paving the driveway. Motion carried. Investigation into Recent Service Interruptions at the Centennial Substation The Electric Superintendent led a discussion about recent unexplained outages at the Substation and the conclusion that this was related to work performed by a contractor in 2023. 3 Retail Electric Bill Comparisons The Commission discussed the annual retail electric bill comparisons provided by WPPI staff. Village-Wide Construction Projects The Commission was provided information regarding the proposed development near North Madison and Easy Streets. Operations Report The Commission was provided information about various operational matters. Update on Well 6 and Water Tower Project The Commission was provided an update on the project, including the application to the Plan Commission for approval of the water tower, a recent meeting with the well driller, and an upcoming meeting with the contractor who will be constructing the water tower. General Manager’s Report The General Manager discussed the new water/sewer operator who started July 28 and the elimination of sales tax on residential electric bills starting October 1. Financial Statements The June financial information was presented. Matters Related to Incorporation Negotiations Between the Village of Waunakee and the Town of Westport Which Involve Delivery of Utility Services A motion was made by Kristin Runge and seconded by Joe Zitzelsberger to enter closed session to discuss matters related to incorporation negotiations between the Village of Waunakee and Town of Westport. There was unanimous agreement by all Commissioners to enter closed session after a roll call vote and the Commission entered closed session. A motion was made by Steve Kraus and seconded by Nathan Zellner to adjourn the meeting from the closed session. Motion carried. No action was taken in closed session. Respectfully submitted: _____________________________ Commission Secretary 4