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HomeMy Public PortalAboutTri-Town Groundwater Protection District -- 2012-04-06 Minutes ORLEANS, BREWSTER, EASTHAM GROUNDWATER PROTECTION DISTRICT BOARD OF MANAGERS MEETING APRIL 6, 2012 Board of Managers Present: Charles Sumner, Brewster; Martin McDonald, Eastham. Others Present: Steve Brito, Assistant Chief Operator; Cyndi Bachman, District Secretary. 1. Meeting called to order at 9:03 a.m.. 2. Approval of the Board of Managers Minutes dated March 8, 2012, was deferred to the next Board meeting. 3. A motion was made by Martin McDonald to approve the FY13 Budget, not including the COLA. This motion was seconded by Charles Sumner and unanimously voted and approved. 4. Chief Operator Updates—Steve Brito,Assistant Chief: • Process—The nitrate numbers are still below permit levels. The rest of our process nutrient levels are within permit levels; BOD was 4.0 and TSS was 5.6. • Maintenance—Along with our daily tasks and work orders, we also completed some major cleaning projects. Our filtrate tanks were cleaned, as well as the No. 3 tank. The filter press was also cleaned, and is ready for the summer flows. We are also going to have the septage tank cleaned and will hire a vactor truck from off-Cape to do the cleaning. • Budget—Jay left a note to say the$19,000 that was left over in the budget could be used as follows: $10,000 for Capital Costs, and the remaining balance for the COLA. • Flow—Flows have been down last month due to the winter sale ending. However, they should start picking up as the spring and summer season begins. • Hauler Accounts—All the hauler accounts are current with their payments. • Charles Sumner asked if the relationship with the haulers and the District employees is a good one. In years past he remembers that there was a lot of animosity with the haulers and the employees here at the plant. • Steve Brito stated that is not the case now. Everyone gets along and the haulers like coming here because they get treated nice and everyone is friendly. • Charles Sumner asked how the winter sale this year compared with the sale last year. • Steve Brito stated last year in February we did 600,000 gallons and this year we did 1,000,000 gallons. Last year in January we did 725,000 gallons and this year we did 842,000 gallons. He also stated increasing the sale prices to 10 cents and 12 cents resulted in the increase in revenues. • Charles Sumner asked if the increase in flow was due to the nice weather. • Steve Brito said the weather definitely made a difference. In years past during the winter sale, the ground was frozen, and the haulers could not do anything. 5. The Board reviewed the District's bank balances. 6. A motion was made by Martin McDonald to approve Treasury Warrant No. 11 for payment. This motion was seconded by Charles Sumner and unanimously approved and passed. 7. Old Business: • Martin McDonald stated he brought a copy of Eastham's Warrant Article which addresses employee benefits if the plant closes down. This Article has been approved by both the Eastham Selectmen and Eastham Finance Committee. • Charles Sumner stated the Brewster Selectmen and Finance Committee have voted on their Article as well. He was trying to get a summary of both Orleans and Eastham's Warrants so that we would all have the Warrant Article, but that never happened. He stated Brewster's Warrant Article seems to be different than the Eastham Warrant Article. • Martin McDonald stated the original Orleans Warrant Article that John Kelly sent out was reviewed by Eastham's Town Attorney who changed it to read as the current one that has been approved. Last month he gave a copy of the changed Eastham Warrant Article to John Kelly for his review. • Charles Sumner asked for a copy of the Eastham Warrant Article. • Martin McDonald requested a list of years of service for the District employees to be e-mailed to him as well as to Charles Sumner and John Kelly for their review. • Charles Sumner stated when he retires from Brewster, and Sheila Vanderhoef retires from Eastham, and John Kelly retires from Orleans, the towns are responsible to pay half of our post-retirement health care costs. Post-retirement health care costs for the District employees is what is at risk right now. Who will be responsible for these costs for the District employees? When the District employees are working, the District pays 75%towards health insurance, and when they retire, it goes to 50%. I think all three towns, Orleans, Brewster, and Eastham,pay 50%of their town employees health insurance at time of retirement. • Martin McDonald stated Eastham is paying 65% , Brewster is paying 50%, and Orleans is paying another amount, but it isn't what the towns are paying their town employees, it's based on what the District's existing contract is, or something else, that would have to be worked out. • Charles Sumner stated it is not a collective bargaining issue because the District employees are not a part of a union, so I think they are expecting 50/50 and I think the three towns are all on the same payment plan. He stated if he was a District employee, after 25-30 years of service, he would think he would be rewarded with health care and retirement benefits. • Steve Brito stated health care is the biggest issue for all the employees here. Knowing that when they retire they are going to get at least 50%of medical coverage. • Charles Sumner stated when this plant goes away and is replaced by another plant, I think we will all be involved in some manner. The Town of Brewster still doesn't know for sure,but we are getting closer to that answer. • Steve Brito stated we don't know if the new plant is going to be private,or a District, or will be run by a town. • Charles Sumner stated you know that Orleans, Brewster, and Eastham are going to be here, and hopefully know you will have a sense of security and stay here. 8. New Business: • Martin McDonald stated Eastham does not have a municipal water system and has a proposal for a hundred and eleven million dollar municipal water system. We have written an article which appears in todays Cape Codder Newspaper Commentary Section to address why we are proposing municipal water. The big question is why aren't we addressing wastewater first. In explaining that, we are saying a couple of things. Eastham has no place to send wastewater and we do not have any land that is suitable. We point out that the Orleans Comprehensive Wastewater Plan addresses the Tri-Town Plant and addresses Eastham's flow after 2020. This article says that Eastham's plan would send some its wastewater to the new Tri-Town Sewage Plant. We point out it hasn't been determined and Orleans hasn't made a decision on it. • Charles Sumner stated that within the next year, Brewster is going to know if it has a need to participate in the plant at some level. We will have a better sense of what our needs are within the next nine months. 9. A motion was made by Martin McDonald to adjourn the meeting at 9:45 a.m.. This motion was seconded by Charles Sumner and unanimously approved and passed. Respectfully submitted, /ult.�-,— Cyn&i Bachman District Secretary ORLEANS, BREWSTER, EASTHAM GROUNDWATER PROTECTION DISTRICT BOARD OF MANAGERS MEETING APRIL 6, 2012 AGENDA 9:00 A.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF BOARD OF MANAGERS MINUTES: • March 8,2012 3. CITIZEN'S FORUM 4. DRAFT FY13 BUDGET 4. CHIEF OPERATOR UPDATES—STEVE BRITO 5. FINANCIAL UPDATE: • Bank Balances 6. APPROVAL OF TREASURY WARRANT NO. 11 7. OLD BUSINESS 8. NEW BUSINESS ANY OTHER BUSINESS THAT MAY LEGALLY COME BEFORE THIS BOARD