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HomeMy Public PortalAbout04-04-2019 Minutes WSAC Regular Meeting Utilities Analyst Julie Laws 105 E. Corbin St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-296-9630 | julie.laws@hillsboroughnc.gov www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov Water and Sewer Advisory Committee Minutes | 1 of 3 Minutes Water and Sewer Advisory Committee 7 p.m. April 4, 2019 Town Hall Annex Board Meeting Room, 105 E. Corbin St. Members Present: Chair Dan Barker, Paul Cough, Barry Hupp, Daniel Rawlins, Saru Salvi, Arthur Sprinczeles, Jenn Sykes, Barry Weston Staff Present: Assistant to the Town Manager Jen Della Valle, Utilities Analyst Julie Laws, Utilities Director Marie Strandwitz Guest(s) Present: Commissioner Kathleen Ferguson 1. Call to order and welcome of guests Chair Dan Barker called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. 2. Introduction of new member Barker welcomed the new out-of-town representative, Barry Weston, to the committee. 3. Agenda changes and approval None 4. Minutes review and approval: March 7, 2019, meeting Member Jenn Sykes moved to accept, seconded by Member Saru Salvi. Minutes were approved as submitted. 5. Reports from Board of Commissioners meetings A. Meeting March 11: Sykes attended only the first half of the meeting due to a prior commitment. She reported that audit results were discussed with regard to how the audit ties to utilities. There was discussion about the premium on the bond and transfer of funds for the West Fork Eno Reservoir. B. Board Work Session March 25: Salvi attempted to attend but thought the session was a closed meeting on arrival due to it being the budget retreat. Commissioner Kathleen Ferguson shared that discussion included broadband service and fire, police and public works facilities and how to fulfill needs with an upcoming, expected tight budget. 6. Updates A. Utilities Status Report Highlights: Utilities Director Marie Strandwitz reported that the town had a sanitary sewer overflow due to rags and excessive grease at two of the manholes on Faribault Lane. The overflow ran into an unnamed tributary and then into the Eno. The town will likely receive a notice of violation and may have to pay an associated civil penalty. Member Arthur Sprinczeles asked about regular maintenance and inspections in that area. Strandwitz relayed that the town is required to inspect at least 10% of the system every year but has no recent record of inspection for the overflow’s location. Staff inspects repeat Page 2 of 3 offender locations more often but cannot predict where such an overflow might occur again. There was discussion about how the town consistently exceeds expectations with a very small staff. Sykes asked for an update on the Forest Ridge booster pump station as that neighborhood’s association is hearing residents question whether the developer and/or builder may have cut corners, causing a variety of problems for the homeowners, including low water pressure, especially when multiple fixtures are used simultaneously. Strandwitz reported that Forest Ridge pressure problems do not seem to be a town issue or related to the pump station not being online yet, per modeling and field testing. The pump station is not designed to run continuously to boost resident pressure. It will assist with filling the water tank located in the Waterstone development. Maintenance or unforeseen issues on the town side have caused low pressure in a few instances but do not account for the frequency of complaints. For the remaining phase of Forest Ridge, Strandwitz is encouraging the new developer to review the plumbing plans and to consider installing in-home booster pumps for homes at the higher elevations. The town and developer are sharing information regarding pressure issues. In other updates, work is taking place on installing a new raw water pump at Lake Ben Johnston. During the change to chlorine disinfection for water in March, staff flushed fewer hydrants but had to flush each hydrant longer, so there was little savings in time or water. Utility System Supervisor Joel Lashley will work with his staff to fine-tune the flushing procedure. During the fall flushing, every hydrant will be flushed. B. Budget Retreat Update: Strandwitz reminded the committee that she previously shared a presentation that the town manager presented March 18 to the Board of Commissioners in advance of the retreat. The Utilities Department is asking for more staffing, to be spread out over a three-year period. The department has requested another utility inspector to work with Utilities Inspector Nathan Cates and with Troy Miller, coordinator of the town’s fats, oil and grease program. This position is proposed to be filled at mid-year around January 2020. Barker asked about the utility rate increase, and Strandwitz said 5% annually over the next three years has been suggested for both water and sewer. Della Valle stated that these figures are still being refined. These increases would get the town on the path to break-even status. Another presentation of rates will take place in May with final numbers. Utilities Analyst Julie Laws shared that most of the public doesn’t realize that the Water and Sewer Fund is separate from the General Fund. The General Fund is supported by taxes, while the Water Fund is mostly self-supporting. This fact will be further explained in news releases regarding the rate increase. C. Rate Structure Model Update: Strandwitz indicated that Financial Services Director Daphna Schwartz has been working on completing this information and should be able to present this in May. She relayed that the way the prior billing system reporting was organized has caused a lot of work to segregate figures to enter into the rate structure model. D. Bill Pay Assistance Fund promotion and publicity: Laws read an email message from Public Information Officer Catherine Wright, which was then forwarded to the committee members. There was discussion regarding the town’s transition to in-house billing and agreement that there has been a lot of confusion regarding bank drafts and credit card payments. Most of this has been handled now through the Financial Services Department’s customer service staff and by public information materials and updates to the town website and utility customer portal. 7. New and schedule-based business A. Interim Water Fund Balance and Projection: This item came from the recurring items list that was created many years ago. Strandwitz asked if the committee was looking for usage projections by adding this item. Barker believes it was added to discuss annually the interest on the “deposits” account. After much discussion about the intent of this item, committee members decided they needed answers from Page 3 of 3 Financial Services for the following such questions: Is the town going to break even for operations? What is the town’s over or under fund for the year? What are the projections for year-end on the utilities fund? It was decided to redefine this item as “Budget Projection for End of Fiscal Year.” B. Water Treatment Plant utilization and improvements for the year: Strandwitz indicated the top two priorities are variable frequency drives and turbidity meters. Consumption is currently 1.7 million gallons per day, and the town is permitted for 3 mgd. C. Wastewater Treatment Plant utilization and improvements for the year: Strandwitz indicated the top three priorities are yard project; staff person, deferred to Year 3 of the proposed budget; and holistic wastewater model with master plan for future problems, deferred to Year 2. Treatment is averaging 1.4 mgd, and the discharge permit is for 3 mgd. D. Distribution/Collections: Strandwitz indicated the top priorities are working on the conceptual plan to update the Adron F. Thompson Water/Sewer Facility; water main project from McAdams Street to West Corbin Street (staff are investigating whether this is in place already); and a generator at the Durham booster pump station. Strandwitz noted that the overall top priority for the Utilities Department is emergency response and preparedness. Staff is continually working on emergency response and redundancy and updating standard operating procedures. 8. Review and discussion of charter Barker reviewed the charter and the reason for forming the committee. The members reviewed the charter to make sure they are not straying from the purpose by taking on unrelated issues. Ferguson emphasized that the committee is well respected by the board and its input is valuable to policy and procedures. She suggested continuing the current mode of operation. 9. Future agenda items • Town Budget and Rates Recommendation • Rate Structure Model 10. Upcoming assignments for Board of Commissioners meetings • Meeting April 8: Daniel Rawlins (substitute: Barry Weston) • Joint meeting with Planning Board April 18: Dan Barker (substitute: Arthur Sprinczeles) • work session April 22: Paul Cough (substitute: Jenn Sykes) 11. Adjournment Salvi moved to adjourn at 9:02 p.m., seconded by Sprinczeles.