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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-27-2022MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF WATERWORKS A meeting of the members of the Commissioners of Waterworks was held April 27, 2022, in the Paducah Bank Community Room at the Chamber Center, 300 S. 3`a Street, Paducah. Mr. Barker called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. A quorum was present. Those present were as follows: Commissioners Present — Ed Barker, Chair; Tom Clayton, Vice Chair (arrived at 5:04); Chip Bohle, Angela Copeland, Bill Shannon; David Guess, Ex Officio; Commissioners Absent—Randy DeHart; Counsel Present — W. David Denton of Denton Law Firm; Paducah Water Personnel Present — Jason Petersen, Secretary/Treasurer and General Manager; Tillman Burnett, Office Manager/Controller; Jacob Northington, Engineering Manager; Scott Shrum, Distribution Superintendent; Tee -Tommy Vinson, Plant Superintendent; Clarissa White, Administrative Assistant. MINUTES Mr. Barker asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the March 30, 2022, regular meeting. Mr. Shannon made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting as presented. Ms. Copeland seconded the motion, which carried unanimously by a vote of 6 — 0. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Mr. Burnett reviewed the financial statements for March 2022. Water sales in March were approximately 4.0% below budget. Operating revenue was also below budget by about $13,000, and operating expenses were over budget by approximately $14,000. Net Revenue Before Capital Contributions was approximately $27,000 below budget for the month, but about $142,000 over budget for the year. Mr. Burnett called attention to the Water Storage Facilities Expense line item on page 4 (purification and pumping). He explained the item was over budget due to the timing of costs associated with the Forest Hills Reservoir cleaning. Also, the Water Quality Control Expense line item exceeded the budget because of the timing of supplies that were ordered. He then noted the Transportation Expense line item was over budget due to vehicle maintenance. On page 6, Mr. Burnett stated the Customer Service Expense line item was over budget due to payment of an extra bill to catch up for the online payment system. Transportation expenses in the office exceeded the budget because of high gas prices and vehicle maintenance. After review and discussion, a motion was made by Mr. Shannon to approve the financial statements for March 2022. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bohle. The motion carried unanimously by a vote of 7-0. GENERAL MANAGER'S REPORTS Monthly Drug Testing Mr. Petersen noted all results for April were negative. Safety Report Each department held safety meetings as required. Specific safety data, meeting topics and information were presented in the March Safety Report, which was distributed prior to the meeting. General Manager's Summary Mr. Petersen discussed the GM Summary and handouts. Plant Raw water temperature is 56 degrees. Staff continue to conduct flow testing, sampling and pressure monitoring in the WMWD area to help gain insight into how the system operates. The Water Quality group continues to meet every Thursday. Miscellaneous • In-house DBP compliance samples indicated typical results for this time of year. Official compliance results have since been received and were indeed typical, if not slightly better, than expected. • The aeration pilot study is complete and returned good results that will prove helpful in combating air on the filters. Mr. Northington will present data later in the meeting. • Staff completed a test run of vacuum excavation for service line inventory in a nearby neighborhood. The process went well. • The Lone Oak tank was drained for inspection. Each tank is drained and inspected on a five- year rotation. • The final filter rehab and media change -out is schedule for next week. • All meters in West McCracken have been changed to cell -read meters, with the exception of approximately 6 large meters. • Budget preparation for the next fiscal year is underway. Project Reports Mr. Northington informed the board of the following: • Cairo Road Elevated Tank —Phoenix Fabricators has poured 20 shaft sections. The shaft crew is scheduled to be here until June, with the steel crew arriving in mid-July. Cairo Road 16" Main Improvements — The tie-in at the Cairo Road Pump Station is complete. The crew is installing main at Coleman Road. • Milton Drive— PW's work is nearly complete, as all main is installed. • Pilot Aeration Study —Mr. Northington stated the study has concluded and staff obtained very useful information. As expected, the study showed a direct correlation between water released at the dam and increased air on PW's filters, which Mr. Northington displayed on a graph. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Finance & Audit Committee Quarterly Meeting Report Mr. Shannon reported the Finance & Audit Committee met for its quarterly meeting on April 22, 2022, to review the check registers, new vendor listing, vendor summary, credit card statements and check detail report. The committee reported no inconsistencies or questionable findings in PW's financials. 911 Committee Funding Options Last month, Mr. Petersen and Mr. Burnett met with members of the 911 committee to discuss funding options for the 911 system. The system was previously funded with fees collected from landline phone users. Now that the number of people using landlines has drastically declined, the 911 system lacks funding needed to operate. The committee has expressed interest in the possibility of adding a fee to PW's bill, as JSA and City Refuse currently do. The board gave Mr. Petersen permission to continue discussions with the 911 committee. Discussions continue but there are no changes to report this month. Mr. Petersen will continue to keep the board informed. NEW BUSINESS Check Signing Policy Revision Mr. Petersen provided handouts of both the current policy and a revised edition. During Covid-19 restrictions, PW implemented an electronic approval process to allow board members to approve of checks written for $25,000 or more. This change allowed PW to adhere to both the check approval policy and Covid-19 protocols. The electronic approval process has been successful for both board members and PW accounting staff. Staff recommend revising the current policy to allow the electronic approval process to be used permanently. Mr. Clayton added that this method allows him more time to review checks and documentation without feeling rushed. Mr. Clayton offered a motion to approve the revised Check Signing Policy as presented. Mr. Shannon seconded the motion, which carried unanimously by vote of 7 — 0. Surplus Property Mr. Petersen provided a list of numerous items acquired in the merger with the West McCracken Water District deemed outdated or no longer of use to Paducah Water. He stated he would like to have the board declare the items as surplus property. This would allow staff to sell the property via sealed bid and otherwise dispense of the items. After discussion, Ms. Copeland offered a motion to declare the 66 items listed as surplus property. Mr. Bohle seconded the motion, which carried unanimously by vote of 7 — 0. 7 Personnel Committee Meeting The Personnel Committee needs to meet prior to the next board meeting. Ms. White will poll committee members via Survey Monkey to secure a date. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:47 p.m. This meeting was held in compliance with KRS 61.800 et Secretary' Approved at a meeting of the Commissioners of Waterworks held on the -5—day of ice! 2022. l Chair rIR� Vice Chair Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner