Meeting Minutes of August 13, 2013
Chairman Joseph Burrow called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. A roll call was taken and present were: Chairman Joseph Burrow, Vice Chairman Robert Jacobini, Secretary/Treasurer Mike Williamsen, Water Supply Operator Ron Lada, District Secretary Karen Dunn; and Trustees Jenny Anderson, Grace Brewer, Robert Hughey, ad Charles Travelstead.
Mr. Mike Twomey, Attorney with the Law Office of Barrett, Twomey, Broom, Hughes, and Hoke; Mr. Scott Hickam, Beussink & Hickam, P.C.; and Mr. Mike Klarer, District Customer, in attendance.
The Board reviewed the minutes of the July 9, 2013 regular meeting. A motion was made by Mr. Hughey to accept the minutes as presented; seconded by Ms. Anderson and with (5) yes and (0) no votes, the minutes were approved.
At this time, Chairman Burrow reported on his visit to Old National Bank which reconfirmed their inability to offer financial assistance related to the District’s efforts to purchase digital meters, insertion meters, and a backup generator.
District Customer, Mr. Klarer, expressed concern related to water rates and questioned what he though to be a recent rate increase. Members of the Board listened to his concerns, and after assuring him that there was no rate increase in 2013, explained District operations which supported answers to his questions.
No new items of communication were presented at this time.
Under the order of new business, Mr. Scott Hickam opened by distributing copies of the completed 2012 Annual Audit for presentation and discussion. Among items presented and discussed was the increase in operating revenues vs. operating costs which were only slightly higher than the previous year. Also discussed was net position, interest savings on early bond payment, water loss, cash flow, etc. Mr. Hickam stressed the importance of filing Statements of Economic Interest in a timely fashion by all Board members and the necessity for each Member to complete online electronic training related to the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act. He noted that these statements and certifications should be on file in the District Office.
Under the order of old business, financing related to the purchase of a handheld meter reading system, insertion meters, and a back-up generator was discussed in detail. A motion was made by Mr. Hughey to accept the bid from First Southen Bank on a $150,000 loan with a 20-year amortization at 3.67% for ten years, with a one-time change of interest rate at the ten-year anniversary, allowing withdraw money in $50,000 increments, with interest accruing on the amount advanced. Seconded by Vice Chairman Jacobini and with (5) yes and (0) no votes, the motion was approved.
Information related to new water billing software to interface with the digital meter reading system was reviewed by Board Members previous to this meeting. After brief discussion, a motion was made by Vice Chairman Jacobini to purchase the related software from D-Logic, Carterville, Illinois as presented. Seconded by Ms. Anderson and with (5) yes and (0) no votes, the motion carried.
An email from Clarida & Ziegler Engineering was reviewed and discussed briefly. Discussion included Engineering’s recommendations for a back-up generator along with input provided by Secretary/Treasurer Williamsen. It was noted that specifications and pricing will be available at a later date.
At this time, under the topic of South Highway Water District, among numerous issues discussed were the recent Freedom of Information request submitted to South Highway by Vice Chairman Jacobini and the current status of contract renegotiations, as well as briefly re-addressing South Highway’s annual audit.
Financials for June 2013 were presented for review with brief discussion.
The Edward Jones Investment Report for July 2013 was presented for review at this time.
The Secretary/Treasurer Report and the Accounts Payable Report for August 2013 was presented by Secretary/Treasurer Williamsen. A motion was made by Ms. Anderson to accept the report as presented and to pay the bills. Seconded by Mrs. Brewer and with (5) yes and (0) no votes, the motion carried.
The Water Supply Operators Report was presented by Ron Lada with no discrepancies. Brief discussion continued related to the mobile reading program and its implementation, and the insertion meters were presented to the Board for inspection.
No additional public comments or questions were addressed at this time.
There was no move for an executive session.
There being no further business, a motion was made to adjourn and seconded, and with (5) yes votes and (0) no votes, the meeting adjourned.