Sanitary Sewer Board - Regular Meeting

Today is May 7th, 2026. It's 9 a.m. This meeting is being live streamed by Under Production Multimedia. We'll begin our meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. If you could please join me. members are present, as well as Clerk Treasurer Donna Coomer and our attorney Bo Zeller. We have an agenda that's been provided. I need to make one addition, item 5E, would be the charge-offs. These were sent with the packet, so you did receive them, they just accidentally didn't make it onto the agenda. So we need to add item 5E for the charge-offs that were mailed out with the packet. With that, I would entertain a motion to approve that agenda. I'll make a motion to approve. Motion by Michael Grayson. Second. Second by Nathan Grimes. Any other edits or changes to the agenda? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? We have our standing business, which includes the approval of our minutes for our meeting on April 16th, our current claims, and our payroll allowance docket. From April 12th to May 2nd, entertain a motion to approve. I'll make my motion. Motion by Michael Grayson. I have to abstain and open here. You weren't here. Okay, I will second. Any questions on that? Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. So let the record show. Are you going to abstain, Nathan? Yeah. Okay, so let the record show that that's a yes from me and Michael and that Nathan abstains because he wasn't here at that meeting. At this time, we'll open the floor for public comment. Mr. Croucher, you'll just come up and give us your name and address. Good afternoon or good morning, guys.

I'm John Croucher. I own the laundry at 835 Park Street here in Charlestown. My comment is I would like to get the opportunity to sit down and discuss with you guys on your billing processes and the types of payments options that you have and some efficiencies that guys have in that process that I'm aware of personally and you may ask why would I do that. My professional experience as a certified purchasing manager in the past was responsible for overseeing those types of functions. My past business experience, my experience with the city and the issues that I've had with the on the billing and then also you guys are not providing enough information on your billing for the customers. It just has additional fees with no explanations for the fees that are on there. And there's no rate schedules or anything on the billing and you guys have the whole backside of the deal where you could add some additional information about billing and like fees and how they're maybe calculated or how many gallons you use and what rate. So you guys could add more information more clarity, which would help these ladies up front here not have to answer so many questions. So if you guys could maybe appropriate some time for me to sit down and go over some information I've accumulated and review that and maybe come up with a better way of billing the customers and also saving time and money for the city.

Hi, Mr. Carter. So you've expressed some of this to the staff already because they've communicated to me we were trying to schedule a possible phone call with you, correct?

Okay, yeah.

Yep. And I think that they explained to you that we're in the process of changing over our software that might be able to help with some of these issues that you've already identified with the staff. Is that correct?

I didn't know you were in the process of changing over.

Okay, I thought they told you that we were in the process of changing software that has the potential to possibly address some of the concerns that you brought up. Okay. Okay. Just remember, everything we do has to be government approved. And so sometimes it might feel that our processes are tedious. under we're under different uh rules you know by government approval than a typical private business would be under so um i would encourage you i think the best way it sounds like i was trying to keep a list of everything you said that was a lot um it sounds like probably for our organization reasons the the best way for you to do that you have my email address mayor city of charlestown.com um and donna coomers is out there as well it's donna dot coomer at city of charlestown.com if you will itemize everything for us that will help us do some research on the front end and then don and i can get back in touch with you when we have answers to all those questions and we'll we'll give you a call schedule something to give you a call but if you can email us first that fullness because that sounded like a lot that'll help us make sure that we have everything ready to go and explain and give us time to look at what that software that we're switching to is able to do so that we can let you know if any of those concerns will be dealt with when that's improved, when that's implemented.

I brought that up with Randy and he just kind of like, I don't know, I don't really need to just talk about me. I thought, no, I think it would be better to look at the information that I've already put together so that you guys could review it. Maybe I haven't seen something that you guys overlooked or the people that are making a proposal to you or leaving it out or anything. Kind of get a bigger picture from other outside sources.

Sure, we always want to take care of our customers, that's for sure. And we always like to be as efficient as possible. I think sometimes people think that we're not being efficient, but again, everything we do has to be covered by the government entity. rules so we have different standards that we have to meet and sometimes that makes it feel more cumbersome than it has to be unfortunately well i expressed that to randy also i told him i said randy i'm not going to be here

It's time to get the ball rolling. I don't know where you guys are in the process. The ladies down here said, I don't know. I'm just a clerk. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. They just kept passing the ball. I said, why don't you make changes? I don't know. That's not my job. So that's why I'm here presenting to you guys. And then also, I know I didn't talk to Randy, but I want to make these other people aware that, yes, it's time to make some changes in your billing process. Okay. All right. Thank you.

Remember that I'll be looking for that email from you. Oh, yeah. With everything identified so that we can address your concerns, okay? All right. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you. Okay. Moving on. We had no old business. We'll move straight into a new business. Operative report. Jim.

Good morning. Good morning. Just a couple of review items for the board this morning. Just quick updates on some of the projects that are going on out in the system right now. Today, for example, the top coat of the blacktop is being put on at the wastewater treatment plants. I think that's a pretty good milestone for us. Over the last two weeks since we last met, It is prepared up and ready to go. As a matter of fact, today they are commencing with the demolition of the old Highway 62. There's bypass pumping going on now. No one should see any type of disruption of service or anything like that. But once they get that done, they're going to dismantle the old plant and make the tie-in. as early as tomorrow, as late as the beginning of next week, but again, there will be no disruption to any of the residents in the area. So those are two very big projects, very important projects that we have going on. Other than that, we've had a couple rain events over the last couple weeks. The plant has done phenomenal. Example that I would give you, two weeks ago, right after we last met, we had a rainfall event come through, our weather station at the plant we showed three and a half inches for the event i was speaking to tony jackson throughout the city we had as much as five we used and we're only right now we only have half of the wastewater treatment plant up and running we only reach 54 of capacity at a flow and the public a little bit of insight of what's going on there. If you have no other, if you have no questions pertaining to that, I have a couple of super minutes today that I have put in your package that I would like to get ratified by the board just so that they know what's going on out there. The first one is for 3C development for a little street project which is a set of duplexes, three duplexes there. These permits are ready to go with the board's approval. The second one is for Chase Murphy Enterprises, which is the townhomes of Southern Commons. I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have with those as well.

The submission of the permit, everything is in compliance? Yes, ma'am. And we have capacity, that's not an issue?

Absolutely. All reviews have been done by me.

So I entertain a motion to approve the sanitary permits 2025-002-R1 and 2026-003. I didn't say I'm going to make a motion to approve.

I didn't say I'm going to make a motion. I'm sorry. Here's the letters, and you can have them on. If there's any other information that you would like.

So we have a motion by Nathan. Second. Second by Michael Grayson. And you guys are, we obviously, you will do the inspection once they get these connections. Yes, ma'am, as they're doing. As they're doing. Yes, ma'am. Are we requiring backflow preventers yet?

Yes, we do. We highly recommend, yes, for their purposes more so than ours. Okay.

All right, any other questions on those? All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? I bet you knew this. Thank you, Tim. You're very welcome. And the ribbon cutting is the 12th?

That is this coming Tuesday at 11 o'clock. 11 o'clock. Yes, ma'am. All right, good to hear.

Thank you. And then we have the BOT agreement. So this was the Charlestown Sanitary Superboard BOT agreement. This was the project for the regional lift station where, if you recall, the River Ridge portion was going to advance. We were going to hold off on the city's portion on this. Um, the city council did approve this at their most recent meeting. And so it's come back to us for final approval. Is that correct?

Yeah, that's correct. You all authorized the RFP go out, you reviewed it, made a recommendation to city council, city council had a public hearing and approved it. The award of the contract since the sanitary sewer ward is executing it. Um, we felt it prudent to come back for one final review and, um,

project going so this went out with the packet we've dealt with it multiple times had full review tim's reviewed this has been involved in everything both and legal i reviewed it there's no expense on the city side because since this is infrastructure being provided for river ridge river ridge development authority is covering the cost of this this is not um coming out of our budget for this project they should cover everything yeah everything there should be no expense from us the uh regional lift station project agreement that you all previously reviewed addresses the river ridge pays for any and all costs associated with the project okay all right thank you all right so we just need a motion to adopt that final vot agreement and authorize me to sign a motion by michael grayson Second. Second by Nathan Grimes. Any questions on that? All in favor say aye. Aye. Is that unanimous? And then we had an SRA request 32L. This one was for Jacoby Tunes and Lands. Tim you reviewed this. Yes ma'am. $33,500. There's actually two. I think the total is $74,000.

There it is. The $33,000 number is for the month of March. The remaining amount is for the month of April.

So it only shows the $33,000 on the actual form, though. The other one's already been submitted. Oh, it's already been submitted.

Thank you, Heather. She already told me that.

So the current one is for the $33,000. We've already done the other one. All right. So do we have a motion to approve?

I'm going to take a motion.

Motion by Nathan Grimes. I'll second. Seconded by Michael Grayson. All in favor, say aye. And then we'll get that submitted for us through all the proper channels. She's been really good about sending that right away when they come through. And then we did have some charge-offs. Just one amount of $222.27 that went out with the packet. Motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Michael Grayson. Second. Second by Nathan Grimes. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. That was unanimous. All righty. Anything else for me, Donna, that we need?

I think we're good, thank you.

Low?

Nothing for me.

Tim, that's all you had to say? I did. Board, any other issues that need to be brought up? You'll get that information over to Nathan.

Just send that information over to Nathan on those permits. I'll give it, yes.

All right, we need a motion to adjourn. I'll make the motion to adjourn. Michael Grayson makes the motion. Second. Nathan Brown, second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All right, we're adjourned. Just make sure you sign everything on the new sign, and that's it. Thank you.

Thank you.