Waupun Utilities

Minutes of a Regular Meeting of the Waupun Utilities Commission Monday, November 11, 2024 Meeting called to order by President Heeringa at 4:00 p.m. Present: Commissioner Daane, Commissioner Heeringa, Commissioner Homan, Commissioner Kunz, Commissioner Ledesma, Commissioner Siebers, Commissioner Thurmer and Mayor Bishop. Motion made by Kunz, seconded by Ledesma and unanimously carried, to approve minutes from October 14, 2024 meeting. Motion by Ledesma, seconded by Daane and unanimously carried, bills for month of October 2024 approved as presented. On motion by Thurmer, seconded by Kunz and unanimously carried, year-to-date financial reports through September 2024 approved as presented by Finance Director Stanek. Electric operating income was $395,300. Water operating income was $383,300. Sewer operating income was $268,700. General Manager Brooks provided updates from the GM and electric operations reports. The Birthday Celebration Open House on October 21st was well attended, receiving positive feedback. Waupun Utilities was recognized with the APPA Smart Energy Provider (SEP) designation for its excellence in energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, and environmental initiatives, demonstrating a commitment to safe, reliable, and sustainable electric service. The electric crew completed nine backlot rebuilds during the 2024 construction season. Treatment Facilities and Operations Superintendent Schramm presented the treatment facilities and operations water and wastewater report. Water quality and operations remained stable the past month, despite fluctuating temperatures. Wastewater collection system and treatment facility experienced no issues during the rain accumulation at the end of October. The semi-annual leak detection survey has been completed, identifying six service leaks that will be repaired in the coming days. President Heeringa welcomed visitor Jason Whitford, present via Zoom. Finance Director Stanek presented the 2025 budget for review of the electric, water and sewer utilities. The overall 2025 budget is forecasted to decrease $1,641,900 or 8.3% over the 2024 budget largely due to a new customer in the industrial park, water/sewer main reconstruction on Rock & Newton Streets and construction completion associated with the wastewater ABNR upgrade. The 2025 budget also includes an overview of the sources and uses of funds for each utility and changes from the prior year’s budget including; average cost of living wage adjustments and expected step increases based on Commission approved compensation study, health insurance increases, operation and maintenance expense increases based on rising inflationary costs, new wastewater treatment expenses associated with operation of ABNR processes, additional GIS and outage management services from our primary IT provider, water well investigation study and sewer collection system modeling. Forecasted revenues are based upon recent historical consumption data and an additional large customer in the industrial park. Capital equipment and vehicle replacements for assets past their useful life are also included in this budget. The proposed overall budget would add $79,900 in electric cash reserves, $100,700 in water cash reserves and decrease $557,900 in sewer cash reserves. Motion made by Ledesma, seconded by Siebers and unanimously carried, to approve the 2025 budget as presented. General Manager Brooks presented proposed revisions to the Waupun Utilities Compensation and Benefits Manual, specifically focusing on vacation benefits. GM Brooks explained the revision aims to support Waupun Utilities Commission November 11, 2024 Meeting Minutes Page 2 recruitment and retention of staff. The proposed change does not increase the overall amount of vacation benefits, instead focuses on accelerating the accumulation of the vacation benefits for employees. Motion by Ledesma, seconded by Kunz and unanimously carried, vacation benefit revision of Waupun Utilities Compensation and Benefits Manual was approved. On motion by Homan, seconded by Thurmer and unanimously carried, meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m. In the event that no additional agenda items arise before December 2024, the next regular commission meeting will be scheduled for January 13, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. Jen Benson Office & Customer Service Supervisor