Minutes of October 12, 2021
1. Chairman Robert Hughey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Makanda Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Makanda. A roll call was taken and Board Members present were: Chairman Robert Hughey, Vice Chairman Kim Cole, and Trustees Grace Brewer, Pat Brierton, Joseph Burrow, John Dickson, and Paul Heern. Also present were the District Secretary/Office Manager Karen Dunn and Water Supply Operator Ron Lada. Treasurer Mike Williamsen was absent.
2. The professionals at the meeting were Mr. Mike Twomey and Mr. Joe Boyke. Also present were customers Mr. and Mrs. Frey; and Ms. Lucille Burrow and Mr. Greg Dunn attended as visitors.
3. The Board reviewed the minutes of the September 14, 2021, regular meeting. A motion was made by Ms. Brierton to accept the minutes as presented; seconded by Ms. Brewer and with (6) yes and (0) no votes, the minutes were approved.
4. Mr. and Mrs. Frey opened discussion by expressing their concerns related to the cost of water for customers as well as the expense for acquiring water service, which would require a new meter installation. Mrs. Frey reported her findings while comparing BuncombePWD water rates with other facilities throughout the state. The visitors were presented with a copy of the recent District Annual Report as requested, and specific aspects of District operations that directly impact water rates were explained to the couple. Upon conclusion of the conversation, no action was taken at that time.
Mr. Joe Boyke followed with business related to the IEPA project status, specifically about the current work being performed on the tower. After related conversation, Mr. Boyke presented the Board with the current bills for payment. A motion was made by Mr. Heern to approve payment to Maxcor in the amount of $120,351.83; seconded by Vice Chairman Cole and with (6) yes and (0) no votes, the payment was approved. Next Ms. Brewer made a motion to approve payment to Clarida & Ziegler Engineering in the amount of $4,594.15 for Invoice #21114; seconded by Mr. Heern and with (6) yes and (0) no votes, the invoice was as well. A request for IEPA Loan Disbursement #5 was presented by Mr. Boyke for approval. A motion was made by Mr. Heern to approve Request #5 as presented and seconded by Mr. Dickson. With (6) yes and (0) no votes, the motion carried. A final document, Change Order #1, was presented by Mr. Boyke related to the replacement of an eroded manway within the tower that was not included on the original bid. A motion was made by Mr. Heern to approve Change Order #1 as presented; seconded by Mr. Burrow and with (6) yes and (0) no votes, Change Order #1 was approved.
5. Two items of communication were discussed at this time with no action taken.
6.        No new business was addressed at this time.
7. A report was presented by Vice Chairman Cole to update Board Members on the progress of the Special Workgroup pertaining the status of preparing a new Employee Manual/Handbook. No action was required at this time.
8. No new information related to the Carbondale Water District was presented for discussion.
9. Financials for August 2021 were reviewed with brief discussion.
10. The District Secretary/Treasurer’s Report and the Accounts Payable Report for October 2021 were presented by the District Secretary. A motion was made by Mr. Burrow to accept the reports as presented and to pay the bills, which was seconded by Ms. Brewer and with (6) yes and (0) no votes the motion carried.
11. The Water Supply Operator’s report was presented with no discrepancies. Leak detector meter reports were reviewed and discussed.
12. No additional public comments or questions were presented at this time. A motion was made by Mr. Heern at 8:20 p.m. to recess the regular session, which was seconded by Ms. Brewer and approved with a voice vote of (6) ayes and (0) nays.
13. Executive Session – UNAVAILABLE
14. At approximately 8:50 p.m., Mr. Heern made a motion to reconvene into open session, which was seconded by Ms. Brewer and approved with a voice vote of (6) ayes and (0) nays. The Board continued the meeting by addressing the District employees and communicating the decisions made and approved during the Executive Session.
There being no further business, a motion was made by Ms. Brierton to adjourn, which was seconded by Ms. Brewer. With a voice vote of all ayes, the meeting closed.