Town of Kiowa Water & Wastewater Authority
Regular Monthly Meeting Minutes
October 10th, 2023
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Kiowa Water and Wastewater Authority was called to order on October 10, 2023, at 6:00pm by President Debbie Ullom with the following in attendance:
Directors: Eric Whitman and Teresa Parker appeared in person. Tim Craft began the meeting on zoom at 6:39pm and then joined in person at 6:49pm. Annette Burmaster was absent.
Town Clerk/Utility Billing Clerk: Sasha Davidson
Guests present
- Paul Grant, Headways Consultant, LLC, appeared via zoom.
Consent Items
- Approval of Agenda
Eric Whitman made the motion to approve the agenda. Teresa Parker seconded, and the motion passed with no discussion. - Approval of Minutes
Eric Whitman made the motion to approve the September 12 regular meeting minutes. Teresa Parker seconded, and the motion passed with no discussion.
Financial Report
The financial report was not available due to the absence of the Town Administrator. It has been tabled to the November 14th meeting.
Staff Reports
- Paul Grant, Headways Consultant, LLC
The hydrant that was broken off on Cheyenne has been repaired by TW Summit. A domestic water meter will be installed this week at the Elbert County Road and Bridge Building. New valves need to be ordered so that areas can be isolated on Hwy 86 so the whole town does not need to be shut down. The max cost for a new valve is $16,600. Paul will be checking the meters in the mobile home park that are not reading correctly. He will also finish installing the new meters in the mobile home park by the first part of November. He did say that there have been delays due to short staffing and that they are looking to hire additional help. Paul will also be checking several meters that seem to be reading incorrectly in a couple other areas. Questions were asked about certification and qualifications of installers to make sure that meters are being installed correctly. Paul will be replacing one meter that appears to be defective. Lastly, the plant actuator has been fixed. - Sasha Davidson, Town Clerk
The System Totals reports for September and August were included in the packet for review. Discussion was had about the fact that with some meters reading incorrectly we are not sure of the total water loss. The discussion was about the fact that rules and regulations regarding payment of fees have not been accurately followed through, so steps are being taken to correct those issues. It was also discussed that there are sixteen accounts that are largely overdue at this time. Certified letters will be sent and shut notices will be placed on doors.
Public Comments
Joey Kuhn spoke to the board about the fact that her previous renters did not pay their water bill timely and yet they were not shut off and now that they are gone, she is left to foot the bill. She questioned why this did not happen. Discussion was held that it should have happened, but there was no follow through in the past. This is being corrected. The board agreed that the bill would be adjusted for her by taking late fees off. It was suggested that she take the previous tenants to small claims court. The new tenant will be notified of the remainder of the bill that is owed by them.
Old Business
Operating Agreements
Without the Town Administrator in attendance, the discussion about the operating agreement cannot go forward, so it was agreed to continue this discussion at the November meeting.
Water Rights
There was some discussion about the water deed being recorded, but without the Town Administrator in attendance, the discussion cannot go forward, so it was agreed to continue this discussion at the November meeting.
Bulk Water
Debbie Ullom visited with the county about possibly running our bulk water through them. She was informed that this would not be possible, because their system is not set up to measure water use. It was suggested by the fire chief that we investigate grant possibilities based on fire safety issues since our bulk water users take water out of our hydrants which causes wear and tear. We will look at possible grants to help with this issue.
Update on SWMP Program
Debbie Ullom discussed that there will be a meeting sometime next week with herself, Paul Grant and the Town Administrator if possible and the SWMP representative.
New Business
- Resolution about leaks and financial responsibility
The first discussion was about whether or not bills for the yoke replacements were sent out by the Town Administrator. Sasha Davidson said she would check on this issue. It was agreed that letters need to be sent out to customers who might have an issue with yoke replacement with their water bills. The letter would clarify the costs that they could incur should their yokes fail due to age, or other reasons and that they need to have pressure relief valves. It was agreed that the letter needs to be run by George Rowley before being sent out. It was moved by Teresa Parker to forward this discussion to the November meeting to define the resolution. Eric Whitman seconded the motion and the motion passed with no discussion. - Budget
After the members looked at and discussed the 2024 budget, there was a motion made by Eric Whitman to accept the budget with 2 changes: the lab section increased from $5,500 to $7,000 to cover the lab test and to increase the infrastructure section from $50,000 to $66,600 to cover the new valve. Tim Craft seconded the motion and the motion passed with no discussion. It was asked of the clerk to post the 2024 budget with the changes to the website.
Discussion
None
Correspondence/Information/Review
None
Adjourn
Eric Whitman made the motion to adjourn, Teresa Parker seconded, and the motion passed with no discussion. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 pm.
The next regular meeting will be on Tuesday November 14th, 2023, at Town Hall at 6:00pm
Minutes Approved by:
Debbie Ullom, President
Sasha Davidson, Town Clerk