Kiowa Water and WasteWater Authority
Call to Order
The regular meeting of the Kiowa Water and Wastewater Authority was called to order on October 8, 2024, at 6:02pm by Town Clerk Sasha Davidson.
Roll Call
Present: Director Parker, Director Brown, Director Wager, Director Duvall and Director Gabehart
Also in attendance:
Trustee Howard, Town of Kiowa Board of Trustees
Kim Boyd, Town Administrator
Paul Grant, Headways Consultants
Ruth Borne, Attorney on Zoom
Pledge of Allegiance
Introduction
- New KWWA Director Donald Gabehart was introduced to the board.
Consent Items
- Approval of Agenda - Director Wager requested to add a part "B" under the Correspondence/Discussion section to discuss grant funding options and assistance for staff. Clerk Sasha Davidson entertained a motion to approve the agenda with the amendment. Director Bret Wager made the motion to approve the agenda with the amendment. Director Jill Duvall seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
- Approval of the minutes of September 10, 2024, monthly meeting - Director Laurel Brown noted a date discrepancy that needed to be fixed, but it was noted that the copy she had was the draft version and it had been corrected already. Clerk Sasha Davidson entertained a motion to approve the minutes of September 10, 2024. Director Laurel Brown made the motion to approve the minutes. Director Teresa Parker seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Financial Reports
There were a couple of questions about line items and Administrator Kim Boyd said she would investigate them and report back to the board with answers. There were also questions about the money market accounts versus the savings accounts and how the distribution was determined. It was discussed that when the accounts were switched from the previous bank to the new bank, funds were distributed to the various accounts at that time based on a previous board decision. Additionally, there was also clarification to the board about line-item numbers that are based off the auditor's lineitem numbers. The reserve account was also discussed as a possibility to put into a money market account. It was decided to table the approval of the financial reports until the board had submitted their questions and received answers from Administrator Kim Boyd. Clerk Sasha Davidson entertained a motion to table the approval of the financial reports. Director Teresa Parker made the motion to table the approval of the financial reports until questions were answered. Director Jill Duvall seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Staff Reports
Paul Grant, ORC
The water system is doing well. Sewer plant still waiting on three pumps that were shorted out due to large wasp nest inside the control panel. The fire hydrant testing and flushing has been completed.
A lead line service survey is required by the State and a report submitted with a plan to replace/ remediate old pipes, which will be submitted shortly. Verification is being done through looking in the meter pits and checking with homeowners. Any lead pipes on the authority's side will be the responsibility of KWWA and any on the property owner's side would be their responsibility.
There are about 100 meters still to replace in town starting next month. New locks and keys are being purchased to replace old ones on the hydrants to keep unwanted people from accessing them.
The Farmer's State Bank plumbing issue has been remediated on the authority's side by Iconic Contracting. The sewer pipes have been replaced and the belly/dip has been fixed.
Kim Boyd, Town Administrator
Project Needs Assessment has been submitted.
A bulk water purchaser has had their privileges taken away due to misuse of the meter and hydrant. A letter and a final invoice will be sent to the company for the bulk water use charges and fines for misuse. The permit application has the option of a 90-day suspension period or permanent revocation of privileges. The board was asked to consider which route they wanted to pursue. After discussion, it was determined that the invoice should be sent, and a letter be sent confirming the 90-day cooling off period and that privileges would be reassessed after that time. It was noted that the use of bulk water might be in violation of the Kiowa Bijou Management Rules and that they might also be in violation of State rules and might have much stiffer fines. Clerk Sasha Davidson entertained a motion for a letter and invoice to be sent as directed by the Authority and for Administrator Kim Boyd to seek more information from Kiowa Bijou Management. Director Jill Duvall made a motion for the letter and invoice to be sent and for Administrator Boyd to contact Kiowa Bijou Management. Director Donald Gabehart seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Elbert County Water Master Plan - There was no representation of the KWWA Board or by the Town of Kiowa during the process.
The water billing issue with the Pippens has been resolved. Due to an oversight, the Town of Kiowa reimbursed KWWA for the funds to cover the bill.
Rate and Capital Asset Study/ Kiowa Source Water Protection Plan - Colorado Rural Water is doing a rate and capital asset assessment for free. They will be comparing our rates to other comparable towns. There is also a Kiowa source water protection plan being conducted concurrently by Gabriel Mata. A workshop is being set up to help with this project and a stakeholder list needs to be compiled to assist with the project. The list can include people on the KWWA board and members of the community. Currently, the proposed date for the workshop is October 23, 2024, at 1:00pm, location to still be determined. One benefit of this process is $10,000 in grant money that can be used for water security. This amount could assist in putting in a security fence around the water tower. Bid requests have been submitted to fencing companies to put in a 7-8' chain link fence, with barbed wire top and a truck entrance gate. Staff is waiting for returns on those bid requests to present to the board.
Sasha Davidson, Clerk
Systems Total Report -This past month, water loss was down significantly. Looking at the graph, the numbers track similarly over time. Last month, 15 warning letters were issued and three shut off letters. Two people paid; one person still has not had their water turned back on. This month ten warning letters were issued, and 12 shut off letters. As of this meeting, five customers have paid off their balance.
Old Business
- General Counsel Legal Representation
Two proposals were submitted -Seter, Vandel Wall & Mielke, PC and Lisa Mayers from Spenser Fane. Each firm has litigators available in case of need and rates were listed for both firms. It was noted by a board member that she was familiar with Seter, Vandel Wall and Mielke from other boards and felt confident that they would be able to represent them well. It was pointed out that they also manage 11 other water/sanitation districts. The administrator stated that these were the only two proposals submitted and would need direction on how the board wished to proceed. Clerk Sasha Davidson entertained a motion to approve the retainment of Seter, Vandel Wall & Mielke, PC for the KWWA Board. Director Jill Duvall made a motion to engage Seter, Vandel Wall & Mielke, PC for legal council for KWWA. Director Teresa Parker seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion. - Dedicated KWWA email addresses and tablets for board members
For security reasons and for CORA requests, it would be beneficial for KWWA board members to have a dedicated email that is only used for board business. In addition, the cost for making copies of the packets has gone up significantly, so to save money it would be advantageous for each board member to have a dedicated tablet to use for digital copies for meetings. After speaking with our IT company, they suggested that an iPad would be the most cost effective and efficient to purchase and use. The IT company has offered to come train any board member who is unfamiliar with how Apple products work if they choose. They would be able to connect through Wi-Fi or a cord to a printer if board members wanted to print the packets at home. These would be able to be tracked if lost and will be added to insurance to cover them. Director Donald Gabehart made a motion to approve the purchase of the iPads for the KWWA Board. Director Bret Wager seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
New Business
Resignation of KWWA President Whitman - President Whitman resigned from his position on the KWWA Board and Donald Gabehart was interviewed and sworn in to fill the vacancy. Clerk Sasha Davidson entertained a motion to accept former KWWA President Whitman's resignation. Director Teresa Parker made a motion to accept former KWWA President Whitman's resignation. Director Jill Duvall seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Election and Designation of New Officers per the Amended and Restated Kiowa Water and Wastewater Authority Establishing Agreement dated June 4, 2013, Section 105(4): Board of Directors - Organization - Due to the independent nature of this board, it needs to have officers to fill roles for the board which under the board's establishing agreement includes a president, treasurer and secretary. After discussion amongst the board members, it was agreed that these positions need to be filled. It was noted that at the December 2023 meeting Director Teresa Parker was appointed to be the Treasurer.
Director Teresa Parker made the motion to be elected Treasurer. Director Gabehart seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Director Bret Wager made a motion to elect Director Donald Gabehart as President. Director Jill Duvall seconded the motion, and the motion passed 4-1 with Director Donald Gabehart abstaining.
Director Bret Wager made the motion to elect Director Jill Duvall as Secretary. Director Teresa Parker seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Director Donald Gabehart made a motion to appoint Sasha Davidson as the secretary to KWWA Board. Director Bret Wager seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Bulk Water Station - Director Teresa Parker made a motion to table the discussion about the bulk water station. Director Jill Duvall seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Rehab of treatment Plant -The inside of the water treatment plant needs to be painted. Director Teresa Parker made a motion to table the discussion about the treatment plant. Director Jill Duvall seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
System Mapping- Diamond Maps - Director Donald Gabehart made a motion to table the discussion about the system mapping. Director Bret Wager seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion.
Correspondence/Discussion
Bid Process on Projects - There have been issues with the bid process, and it was recommended that the board have a finance policy to handle the procedures. It was noted that the Town Board's policy will be shared with the KWWA board for reference.
Grants - There was a discussion about the board could assist in the grant process to alleviate some the pressure on the administrator. It was noted that infrastructure assistance was being sought and that the cost for the secondary well is around 3.2 million dollars, without the additions that were suggested. The board requested copies of last year's budget and this year's proposed budget.
Adjourn
Director Jill Duvall made the motion to adjourn. Director Laurel Brown seconded the motion, and the motion passed 5-0 with no discussion. The meeting adjourned at 7:32pm.
The next regular meeting will be on Tuesday, November 12, at 5:30pm at Kiowa Town Hall.
Minutes Approved by: Jill Duvall, KWWA Secretary
Sasha Davidson, Secretary to the Board