Walworth County Metro Sewerage District (Wal-Co-Met)

The Walworth County Metropolitan Sewerage District's budget includes revenues from user charges, leachate treatment, interest income, and connection fees. Personnel costs cover salaries and benefits for 19 full-time employees. Operating costs include chemicals, utilities, and maintenance. Long-term debt payments are allocated to Clean Water Fund loans and other obligations. Capital projects are funded through equipment replacement funds and user rate revenues, focusing on equipment replacement, gravity collection system rehabilitation, lift station electrical upgrades, and roofing replacements. The budget also addresses compliance and environmental initiatives, including an evaluation of the liquid biosolids program. Contingency funds are available for emergency repairs. The budget is designed to maintain infrastructure, meet regulatory requirements, and ensure service continuity.

The agenda for the meeting included administrative reports, consent items covering receipts, disbursements, accounts payable, and authorizations for payments related to Capital Improvement Projects (CIP 24-01 and CIP 25-07). Key approvals sought under consent items included authorizing a quote for Structure 255 Tank Cleaning and Inspection and accepting the HVAC System Master Plan proposal from the Helm Group. Old business involved discussion on the Capitalization Policy for incorporation into the Comprehensive Financial Policy Manual and a status update on the Elkhorn Peak Flow Technical Memo #2. New business focused on authorizing equipment rental for the Elkhorn Lift Station 1 Flow Metering Project, awarding the 2026 Sewer Televising contract, approving a task order for electrical replacements at the WRF (CIP 26-02), and approving the bidding and contracting for the Elkhorn 30-inch Force Main Rehabilitation (CIP 26-01). The meeting also included a motion for a closed session to discuss the performance evaluation of the administrator.

The meeting agenda covered administrative reports, consent items, old business, and new business. Key discussion points included processing payment applications for CIP projects, authorizing a sanitary sewer extension request for Bailey Estates Phases 6 & 7, accepting proposals for high voltage testing and WRF coatings maintenance, and providing a status update on the Elkhorn Peak Flow Technical Memo. New business items included the election of officers, a motion to award the Biosolids Semi-Tanker Modifications project, and approval of the 2024 Annual Report. The agenda also provided for closed sessions to confer with legal counsel regarding litigation (phosphorus removal project liquidated damages update) and for a performance review evaluation of the administrator.

The meeting included discussion of a letter from legal counsel representing the City of Elkhorn regarding sanitary sewer extension applications for Creekside Community Development and Sugar Ridge Subdivision. The commission approved several consent items, including the minutes from the previous meeting, receipts and disbursements, accounts payable, the annual holiday luncheon, lift station standby generator service, Delavan Lift Station Grinder Replacement, Williams Bay #1 Lift Station Grinder Replacement, and a payment application for the Williams Bay Lift Station Electrical Upgrade Project. The commission also approved the Financial Report as of December 31, 2024. Additionally, the purchase of a Nuhn 6500 vacuum tank injector was approved. The Elkhorn Peak Flow Technical Memo #1 was presented, with the next steps being to complete technical memo #2.