MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF LITTLE THOMPSON WATER DISTRICT

Transcription

1 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF LITTLE THOMPSON WATER DISTRICT The Board of Directors of Little Thompson Water District (LTWD) met in regular session on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at the District office. Attendance was as follows: Board of Directors: Bill Szmyd, President Steven Brandenburg Larry Brandt Paul Bukowski Kathy Gallivan-Crist Ed Martens Emily McMurtrey Staff in Attendance: Mike Cook, District Manager Judy Dahl, Business Manager Amber Kauffman, District Engineer Nancy Koch, Water Resources Manager Ken Lambrecht, Operations Manager Angela Diekhoff, District Accountant Amanda Hoff, Water Resources/Engineering Tech Judy O Malley, Recording Secretary Other Attendees: Jennifer Ashworth P.E., White Sands Water Engineers Kevin Cross, Honeywell Systems CALL TO ORDER President Szmyd called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. followed by recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Roll call was taken. All Directors were present. AGENDA REVIEW It was moved by Director Bukowski, seconded by Director Brandt, for Executive Session at the end of the meeting pursuant to (4)(f), C.R.S. Personnel Matters District Manager s performance review. Motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS There were no public comments CONSENT AGENDA President Szmyd proposed to reschedule the February 14, 2019 Board Meeting to February 21, No motion was necessary, there were no objections. With the noted edit to the 2019 Board Meeting Schedule, it was moved by Director Brandt, seconded by Director McMurtrey, to approve the Consent Agenda including: Minutes of the October 11, 2018 Regular Board Meeting, Tap List 634, October 2018 Disbursements in the amount $1,527,620.14: o Operating Account: $1,310,752.30: ACH Manual Check Numbers 1704 to 1754 $851,096.00,

2 Check Numbers 8890 to 8949 $459,656.30, o Payroll Account: (Two Bi-weekly payroll periods in October) for $216,867.84: ACH Transmittal Vouchers O-1508 to O-1523 $113,950.00, ACH Direct Deposit Numbers N-8283 to N-8347 $102,917.84, October 2018 Financial Report, Griep Farm Lease Renewal, Proposed 2019 Board Meeting Schedule, 2018 Audit Engagement Approval, Windy Gap th Amendment to the 5 th Agreement, Minutes of the October 2, 2018 Joint Board Meeting. Motion carried unanimously. The Board asked that the 2020 Griep Farm Lease be reviewed in 2019 for a possible adjustment. DISCUSSION ITEMS Public Hearing: Action Item: 2019 Budget Review and 5-Year Financial Plan: Business Manager Dahl presented the 2019 Proposed Budget along with the 5-Year Financial Plan based on the following parameters: Base Fee will remain the same, adjusted 3% for new tap growth, Water rates will increase 3% for all customers, Standard taps adjusted for growth by 3% and Urban taps by 5%, Bulk water sales estimated based on historical data ($450,000 less than collected in 2018), Sale of 250 taps (50 standard and 200 urban) 20 Cash in Lieu (12 Standard and 8 Urban), Wages - market adjustment increase of 10% and an available merit increase of 3.4%, No change in employee benefits; no increase in medical premiums and small increase in dental, 3 additional staff members (2-Engineering, 1-Operations), An increase in operating expenses by 9.62% compared to 2018 Adopted Budget, Capital and non-operating costs increased by 80.2%, of that 54% ($3,050,000) is for the Beacon Meter Project. The remaining is for capital projects, equipment purchases, water right purchases and Carter Lake Filter Plant (CLFP) capital costs, Treatment costs $.14 per 1,000 gallons and $70,000 per month for fixed operating costs. The draft recommended budget accomplishes the following: All legally restricted and Board designated reserves fully funded, An increase of maintenance activities to ensure long term reliability, A decrease in Capital Project Reserves of $3,350,800 over 2018 projected actual, An overall decrease in working capital of $4,413,344. Following discussion: It was moved by Director Brandt, seconded by Director Brandenburg, to adopt Resolution , 2019 Budget. Motion carried unanimously. It was moved by Director Martens, seconded by Director Bukowski, to adopt Resolution , 2019 Funds Appropriation. Motion carried unanimously. It was moved by Director Bukowski, seconded by Director McMurtrey, to adopt Resolution , 2019 Mill Levy Certification. Motion carried unanimously.

3 Public Hearing: Action Item: Updated Rates and Fees: Each year, as part of the preparation of the proposed budget for the next year, the District reviews the water rates as well as the other various rates and fees charged. The Public Hearing is to provide an opportunity for interested customers and concerned citizens to provide any input about these proposed rates and fees. District Accountant Diekhoff presented the proposed rates increases and following discussion: It was moved by Director Bukowski, seconded by Director Brandenburg, to approve Section Schedule A 3% increase to the Residential and Non-Residential Water Rates effective January 1, Motion carried unanimously. It was moved by Director Brandt, seconded by Director Bukowski, to approve Section Schedule B Increase the Long s Peak Water District (LPWD) Wholesale Water Rate by $.20 per 1,000 gallons effective January 1, Motion carried unanimously. It was moved by Director McMurtrey, seconded by Director Bukowski, to approve Section Schedule C Increase Miscellaneous Fees: After Hours, Weekends and Holiday Inspection Fees to $100 per hour effective January 1, Motion carried unanimously. Discussion: The Board proposed a future session to discuss Base Rates. Carter Lake Filter Plant (CLFP): District Manager Cook complimented the work of the LTWD board members who are also on the CLFP board. The CLFP Board agreed to adopt the 2019 Capital Budget including the following items: New Tank, Pre-Treatment, Expansion of the plant. Additional discussion items included: Planned projects will need to be put out for bid. As the new water treatment plant is being planned 5-years out, it would be appropriate to wait to design the plant. Following the failure of a 24 water line the following items were discussed: The root cause of the Dry Creek pipeline losing water and draining out has been identified as water leaking through a closed control valve in the Dry Creek pump station. It has been approximately 12 years since the control valve has been serviced and the electric valve operator adjusted. The need to install an air release in the plant to help vent any air that might be trapped in the line. A review of operating procedures to make sure the line is not filled against a closed valve. Year-end Employee Bonus: Following discussion, it was moved by Director Gallivan-Crist, seconded by Director Bukowski, to approve a $1,100 year-end employee bonus (taxes to be collected on bonus prior to distribution). Motion carried unanimously. President Szmyd called for a five-minute break at 6:00 pm. The Board returned to session at 6:05 pm.

4 Raw Water Master Plan: Water Resources Manager Koch, Water Resources/Engineering Tech Hoff and Ms. Ashworth P. E. presented the Raw Water Master Plan they prepared of drought protection options and recommended the following actions be taken by the District: Allocate sufficient Dry Creek Reservoir storage to increase the yield and reliability of the District's Windy Gap units. File an application with the Water Court for the change of use of the District's Home Supply shares. File an application with the Water Court to allow the District to quantify and use the second use of its Windy Gap water. Pursue options for additional storage. File an application with the Water Court for the change of use of the District's Handy Ditch shares. Determine the location of new water treatment plant(s). Investigate opportunities to target acquisition of specific St. Vrain basin water rights. Evaluate the cost and feasibility of conveyance options for the new supplies at a concept level. Investigate opportunities to obtain water supplies from regional projects. The recommendations were discussed and the following actions agreed upon: Water Resources Manager Koch should begin discussion with ditch companies. District Manager Cook and Water Resources Manager Koch should begin necessary legal proceedings in Water Court. It was moved by Director Martens, seconded by Director Bukowski, to allow Water Resources Manager Koch to move forward with the Dry Creek Firming Project. Motion carried unanimously. STAFF REPORTS District Manager s Report: District Manager Cook reported on the following: Possible purchase of Windy Gap Water Shares is in process. District Manager Cook attended the LPWD Board meeting on October 18, 2018 to present the wholesale water rate increase. A district employee holiday lunch is scheduled for December 12, A discussion was held with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Larimer County regarding recreation and/or wildlife use of the Dry Creek property. There was a discussion of a holiday dinner for Board members in January. District goals to be considered including the following: o Firestone Water Treatment Plant Authority, o Water conservation direction and District policy, o Funding for future capital expenditures for District and joint projects, o Future source of water for development in the District. President Szymd recommended that a meeting with the Town of Firestone, regarding the possibility of a water treatment plant, should be scheduled. Also, a discussion of recommended district goals should be on the agenda for the December 13, 2018 Regular Board Meeting. District Engineer s Report: District Engineer Kauffman reported on the following: Bidding documents for the Arkins Tank project are being crafted. The engineer for the West 1 st St project has been contacted to propose on plan production on Colt Drive to CR 23H and Alpine Laurel Drive to George Rist Ditch. Building expansion site plans and permit packages have been submitted.

5 County road projects are mostly completed. Griep Farm ditch construction has been completed. New development projects are at various stages of approval. CDOT has changed the frontage road alignment on the east side of I-25 and SH402, delaying our waterline design by their engineer team. The Taft project work has been completed for the year. We advertised the final payment and four vendors/subcontractors notified us they have not been paid by the contractor. The progress of the GPS project continues to be outstanding. Water Resources Manager s Report: District Water Resources Manager Koch reported on the following: October 31 is the end of the water year. The District used 5,943 acre-feet of water in The District broke two monthly use records: o The District s May water usage was the lowest in five years, o The District s July water usage was the highest in five years. Weather predictions for the 2018/2019 season, made by State Climatologist Russ Schumacher, are based on an expected El Nino pattern. Operations Manager s Report and Water Quality Update: Operations Manager Lambrecht reported on the following: Locate requests and leak repairs continue to be high. Results of the monthly samples, including Lead & Copper, were within acceptable tolerances. Larimer County sent the revised site plan to the referral agencies with no response as of November 12, The Town of Berthoud changed the landscape screening requirements once the District s Southern property line was clarified. All of the new master meters have been installed. The District had experienced some issues with eight meters however, the supplier discovered the measurement of water passing through the meters was causing the issue. The following projects have been completed: o o DIRECTOR REPORTS The Arkins Tank was cleaned and the water was moved to the smaller tank for the winter. Restoration work to prevent erosion and settlement was completed at the areas around the Buckhorn and Twin Mounds Tanks. President Szmyd recommended the following items for 2019 Board meetings: Additional review of pricing. Schedule a meeting to make a presentation of the Drought Protection Plan, as this has not been performed in approximately five years. Director Brandenburg mentioned CLFP Manager Whittet is offering tours of the treatment plant. Further discussion was held on scheduling for a tour. Director Martens requested clarification on items in the check registry. Director Martens suggested we extend the Water Conservation Rebates to existing customers. District Manager Cook stated the Board should have a study session to discuss the change in policy. Director Brandt attended the South Platte Forum, South Platte Roundtable and the NCWCD Water Users Meeting and found it interesting to hear perspectives from other attendees.

6 Director Bukowski questioned the possibility of sending ballots with water bills for the next election. Business Manager Dahl said it would not be feasible due to the need to verify voters are registered. The Board went into Executive Session at 8:15 pm. The Board returned from Executive Session at 8:19 pm. There being no further business, it was moved by Director Bukowski to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Michael T. Cook