Great Lakes Water Authority

This document, an appendix to the Capital Improvement Plan for 2027-2031, provides comprehensive system background information for the Great Lakes Water Authority. It details the regional water system, including intake facilities, water treatment plants, and the extensive conveyance network. It also covers the Water Resources Recovery Facility, outlining primary and secondary wastewater treatment processes, residuals management, industrial waste control, and combined sewer overflow facilities. Additionally, it describes centralized services such as Information Technology, Fleet management, Facilities, Security, Energy Management, and Engineering support.

The Audit Committee meeting agenda focused on financial and procurement matters. Key items included the approval of the agenda, review of various financial reports such as the CFO Report, Monthly Financial Report, Gifts, Grants & Other Resources Report, Quarterly Investment Report, and Quarterly Economic Outlook Task Force Update. A central action item was the resolution for the approval of Series Ordinance 2026-01, authorizing the issuance and sale of Sewage Disposal System Revenue Bonds not to exceed $63,664,685 for FY 2026 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Projects, which include the Pump Station No. 2 Variable Frequency Drive Replacement project and Combined Sewer Overflow Facility Improvement project. The committee also reviewed the update on increasing the Micro-Purchase Annual Self-Certification Process Threshold to $50,000 and the Procurement Pipeline for February 2026.

The Audit Committee meeting included the approval of the agenda and minutes from the February 13, 2026, meeting (which itself discussed January 30, 2026 minutes). Old business focused on proposed modifications for the Fiscal Year 2027 Charges and Related Budget Impact. Key discussion involved achieving a lower charge increase balanced with long-term implications, resulting in a proposal to direct administration to adjust charges to achieve wholesale average system charge adjustments of no more than 5.8% for water and 4.27% for sewer, leading to nearly $13 million in savings from the original proposal. The committee also recommended for approval to the full Board an average charge increase of 5.5% for Water and 4.5% for Sewer.

The Audit Committee meeting agenda included the approval of the agenda and discussion regarding the January 30, 2026 minutes. Key old business involved discussion and action items related to the Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 & Fiscal Year 2028 Biennial Budget and the Proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Schedule of Charges, with resolutions set to be adopted subject to a public hearing on February 25, 2026. These action items were subsequently postponed to the February 13, 2026 Special Meeting. The committee also received and filed information regarding Debt Management Considerations. New business included scheduling a public hearing for the GLWA FY 2027 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program Project Plan Submittals. Reports covered updates from the CFO on various financial matters including WIFIA and staff additions, the Monthly Financial Report, Gifts, Grants & Other Resources Report, Affordability & Assistance Update, Quarterly Construction Work in Progress Report, Vendor Outreach Event Update, Conflict of Interest Report Update, and the FY 2027 Updated Units of Service Report. Communications included The Procurement Pipeline.

This document, a Scoring Evaluation Tech Memo, assesses and proposes enhancements to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) project prioritization method. It addresses identified limitations in the prior scoring system, which failed to adequately prioritize critically needed projects. The memo introduces a new equation that gives a 70% weighting to a project's 'single highest purpose and benefit' (Factor 1) and a 30% weighting to its overall benefits (Factor 2). This approach is designed to better align project scores with GLWA's strategic goals and objectives, emphasizing key criteria such as Regulatory compliance, Public Health & Safety, Condition, and Performance, to ensure more effective prioritization of CIP investments.