Billy Baker

The board meeting covered several operational and administrative topics. Discussion included a membership transfer, financial reporting on various accounts, and adjustments for exceptional usage. Updates were provided regarding an ongoing yearly audit and the status of a capital outlay agreement. The board addressed the lack of proposals for a recent RFP and outlined plans to issue a new proposal with an extended submission period for engineering firms. Additional agenda items included the potential upgrade of the RVS system, reimbursement policies for vehicle mileage, and the resolution of a specific billing inquiry regarding a verified non-leak situation.

The board addressed customer billing inquiries, including leak forgiveness requests and accounts in arrears. Reports were provided regarding meter upgrades, system maintenance, and fiber optic coordination. The office manager updated the board on bank accounts, audit progress, capital outlay reimbursement, and the status of an RFP submission. The board also approved first-quarter financials, accepted the finalized RFP, and authorized the payment of outstanding bills.

Key agenda items included the review of the January 14th meeting proceedings, pending final approval of the 2026 Budget Resolution, and the Open Meetings Act Resolution. New business involved processing two pending new memberships and reviewing the Systems Operator Report. The Office Manager's report covered several critical administrative and financial tasks, such as obtaining final budget resolution signatures, presenting detailed information on non-voucher payments and automatic withdrawal bills, addressing high-usage adjustments, submitting documentation required for capital outlay grant purposes, discussing the Nexbillpay demo, finalizing materials for the Annual Meeting, and addressing an active work order for a member's continuously running meter. The meeting also scheduled an executive session and planned for the next meeting.

Key discussions included a presentation on the CAPS program following a meeting with the DFA, noting potential use of funds for the 40-year plan and procurement verification involving Dennis Engineering. The Interim 2026 budget resolution was approved. It was decided to remove the hold on new meter connections, with approximately 14 available for sale. The Office Manager reported on bank accounts, the need for signatures on the Interim Budget resolution, researching auto bill payment vendors, reviewing non-voucher and automatic withdrawal payments, addressing large usage adjustments, consumer notification requirements for Lead and Copper status, ongoing hardware information verification, and confirming the submission of a newspaper advertisement for a water rights transfer. The Board also discussed and agreed to grant an annual bonus of $300 to employees during an executive session.

The meeting included discussions on billing inquiries and disputes, meter-related requests, and new memberships, with a hold placed on new installations pending a review of water rights. The System Operator Report was reviewed. The Office Manager's Report covered bank accounts, non-voucher payments, automatic withdrawal bills, exceptional usage adjustments, fund transfers to savings, website proposal, hardware information verification, journal entries, and a request for increased compensation/benefits. Additionally, the board discussed past due accounts, a demand letter from Vital Consulting, water rights transfer paperwork, and an executive session. The approval of bills was also on the agenda.