THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
August 19, 2024
The regular meeting of the Board of Public Works was held on August 19, 2024, at 5:00 pm in the City Council Chambers. Those in attendance were President David Ausmus, Vice President Jeff Roberts, Board Member David Wilt, Board Member Chris Nelson, Secretary Lauren Watson, General Manager Dana Ulmer, Assistant General Manager Ben Stueve, and Councilman Talt Holman.
President David Ausmus called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm.
- The minutes from the last regular meeting of the Board of Public Works were reviewed. Board Member David Wilt made a motion, seconded by Vice President Jeff Roberts, to approve the minutes of July 15, 2024. The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
Under old business
- There was no old business to discuss.
Under new business:
3. Review of Financials – July 2024 – General Manager Dana Ulmer, shared with the Board a summary of the financials were included in their operational updates or detail of the significant transactions could be found in the management discussion and analysis for their convenience. The Board had no questions or comments regarding the financials.
4. Approval of 2024-2025 Natural Gas Hedging Purchase – Assistant General Manager Ben Stueve shared that following locking in 75% of historical usage with Greg Walters, Kinect Energy Account Manager, after the July 2024 Board meeting Mr. Walters recommends locking in the additional 25% of historical usage for the winter months November 2024 to March 2025. Mr. Stueve shared that he is hesitant to lock in 100% of historical usage, however, with the current trend in the market and the anticipation of a high precipitation winter he believes locking in 95% of historical usage would be beneficial. Following a brief discussion, Board Member Chris Nelson made a motion, seconded by Board Member David Wilt to approve hedging and additional 20% to total 95% of our historical natural gas usage at a price not to exceed $4.00 per dekatherm in October. The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
5. Approval to Proceed with Budgeted Replacement of Grit Chamber Controller – Mr. Ulmer shared that the grit chamber plays a crucial role in the treatment process, slowing down the flow of wastewater to allow heavier particles to gravity settle in the chamber and not enter the processes at the wastewater treatment plant, providing additional life to downstream equipment by not processing rocks and other solid sediment. He continued to share that Nick Thrasher, Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervisor, has obtained quotes for grit chamber controller replacement from three different vendors. Mr. Thrasher and Mr. Ulmer recommend approval of the Ressler & Associates quote, less the Auma option for $47,820. The Rotork actuator included in the Ressler & Associates quote is believed to be the highest quality unit on the market and as an essential piece of the system its reliability would be beneficial for premium system operation. President David Ausmus made a motion, seconded by Board Member David Wilt to approve the purchase and installation of the Ressler & Associates quote for the grit chamber gate controller for $47,820. The motion carried all for and none against.
6. Approval to Purchase Budgeted Cellular Natural Gas Meter Equipment – Mr. Stueve shared that currently meter readers must travel to Moberly to read the natural gas meters along the high-pressure natural gas main monthly to prepare for billing. He continued to detail that like the electric Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) that was installed in 2018-2019, this equipment would allow for reads to be collected remotely from the business office instead of driving back and forth to Moberly, which can include stopping along the four-lane highway to collect meter readings. The management recommends purchasing the Metron-Farnier quoted equipment which has an approximate 10-year lifespan. Vice President Jeff Roberts made a motion, seconded by Board Member David Wilt to approve purchase of $22,225 natural gas metering equipment from Metron-Farnier for the natural gas meters along the high-pressure natural gas line from Macon to Moberly to be read remotely. The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
7. Employee Retention & Recruitment – No employee changes have occurred since the July Board meeting.
8. Board of Public Works Member Reports – Mr. Ulmer shared that MMU has received multiple inquiries from customers regarding poles for telephone lines being rotten and needed replaced. Mr. Stueve shared that these poles are owned by the telephone company and not MMU. Mr. Stueve and Mr. Ulmer volunteered to get in contact with Brightspeed to recommend telephone pole replacements.
Councilman Talt Holman shared that he had spoken with school board members regarding the lack of sufficient power in the Vo-Tech. Mr. Stueve advised that Austin Barnett, Electric Distribution Supervisor, had already spoken with the school and they are working together to find a solution.
- Approval of Accounts Payable – Board members signed accounts payable without revision.
A motion to adjourn was made by Vice President Jeff Roberts, seconded by Board Member Chris Nelson to adjourn the meeting at 5:36 pm, with the next regular board meeting set for Monday, September 16, 2024, at 5:00 pm in the City Council Chambers. Motion carried with four votes for and none against.