2026 Minutes
Minutes 1/15/2026
- Call to Order 5:27PM
Board Present: Jeff W, Mike R, Logan H, Crystal F. Staff Present: Matt N, Tim G. Visitors: Greg Barber(customer), Beverly Lawrence(DW2) and Mike Wasson(customer).
- Approval of the Agenda. Unanimous. Mike stated we should move public comment to start of the agenda so people can speak early on and not wait till the end.
- Approval of 12/18/2025 Meeting Minutes. Mike motioned to approve December Minutes, Crystal 2nd after additional edits, approved.
- General Managers Report: Administration, Rate Relief, Source, Treatment Water System.
- Approve Rate Relief Resolutions 26-4.
- Rate Hearing Notice.
- Approval of Bills.
- Public Comment.
- Adjourn.
- Financials, Billing, Insurance, etc.
Year end net income was $450,738.59 which is $296,641 above what was budget for 2025. The extremely dry year resulted in high water sales which is great but it also made it hard to keep the lake full and all the tanks topped off. Operating expenses for the year were right on track even though we fixed a few leaks and replaced broken meters during an early winter cold snap. The new PLC and filter#2 refurbishment will all be plant upgrades and capitalized which the accountant is working on to be ready for the March audit.
Water production for December was 6,749,549 of that 5,693,549 gallons were distributed and 4,051,954 were sold. The lake Currently is at 789 acre feet which we will see it drop 8 to 10 acre feet per month.
Rate Relief Request:
45 Mayday lane is asking for rate relief since the neighbor watching their house left the shower running while doing a weekly walk through. Mr. Kaim has been a customer since 2005 and has neighbors check on his house while they living out of state. This was an unfortunate accident that was resolved quickly once staff notified the customer of unusual usage. Board voted unanimous no because the shower was left on for over a week and this was not a leak.
Source and Supply:
So far the winter has produced very little precipitation which means we are going to lean heavy on Nighthorse pumping since the ditch may not produce. This means we will have to take advantage of pass through pumping in May and then alternate weeks in June to refill the lake. This summer we will need our full Nighthorse allocation but we must fill at different intervals so we do not shock the lake and create an early turnover. If we fill the lake too fast with colder water the lake will turnover causing taste and odor issues. Also refilling at different intervals keeps the lake colder reducing the chances of an algae bloom which is hard on the filters.
Tim and Chris work Performed list-
Filters 1 & 2 are currently set up to alternate and are performing well
Chris took a week vacation
Tim took a week vacation
Chris is working on expanding the chlorine room for the new generator
Submitted Bac – T sample for January
Normal day-to-day operations
Treatment:
This winter has started out very dry and warm which actually lets us distribute water at a higher rate because of the chlorine and contact time in the clearwell. This also allows for more flexibility to adjust flows as we see different demands from some of the bulk customers as we move out of the Holiday season and into slower winter months.
- Approve Rate Resolutions 26-4
The Rate Relief Resolution is to stop customers from receiving rate relief from a leak associated with their irrigation. The authority has faced many rate relief scenarios where customers did not manage their irrigation systems properly resulting in a loss of water and ultimately the customer had their premiums reduced. The main premise of the resolution is to promote conservation and to reduce stress on the distribution system so customers better manage their water use. Board wants to table this until Legal can give a full review and draft.
- Rate Hearing Notice.
The main point of the rate hearing notice is to update the customers on the proposed rates which will take effect on March 1st. The notice will be distributed to all retail and wholesale customers so they have a chance to voice any concerns and better understand the Authorities’ perspective after the Cost of Service study. A sample of the rate hearing notice will be distributed to the board so any adjustments can be made before the notice is distributed to all customers. Board wants to table this until legal can give a full review. Possible rate hearing March 19th. Notices must be sent out in February so both route billing cycles can have enough notice.
- Approval of the Bills – Bill.com report to follow
- Public Comment or Questions. Greg stated LPEA is still looking at Battery storage options at the CR125 sub station. Beverly asked about rates and the final cost of service study. The final COS was discussed, and the board wants to review with Raftelis before we close out the study. Staff will ask if Raftelis can give an overview at the rate hearing to help answer some of the analysis explanations.
- Adjourn. 7:39PM
Jeff motioned to adjourn Logan 2nd ,approved.