THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS
September 19, 2022
The regular meeting of the Board of Public Works was held on September 19, 2022 at 5:00 pm in the City Council Chambers. Those in attendance were President Brian Terry, Vice President David Ausmus, Board Member David Wilt, Board Member Scott Lucas, General Manager Stephanie Wilson, Assistant General Manager and Manager of Energy Resources Ben Stueve, Electric Distribution Supervisor and Manager of Utility Operations Bryce Butner, Mayor Anthony Petre and City Administrator Avis Marshall. Special guests with the Missouri Affordable Housing Corporation included Frank Grimshaw, Jim Simon, Donetta Moore and Bruce Mobley. Dennis Stith with McClure Engineering was also in attendance.
President Brian Terry called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm.
- Approval of Minutes from prior Board Meetings: Board Member David Ausmus made a motion, seconded by Board Member Scott Lucas, to approve the minutes from the August 15, 2022 meeting. The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
Under old business:
- None
Under new business:
- Discussion of Lift Station – Jim Simon, Frank Grimshaw, and Donetta Moore with the Macon Affordable Housing Corporation provided history and the current status of the privately owned wastewater collection lift station servicing Lakeside Apartments. Options to rehabilitate the lift station to meet current standards as discussed in 2021 in order for Macon Municipal Utilities to assume ownership or eliminate it with a buried line were discussed. Further research will occur on the topic.
4. Selection of an engineer for Water Distribution System Model and owner Supervised Plan – General Manager Stephanie Wilson shared qualifications submitted from three engineering firms to update the 5-year Owner Supervised Plan with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Vice President David Ausmus made a motion, seconded by Board President Brian Terry, to select McClure Engineering based on qualifications and to allow General Manager to negotiate an agreement for fees up to $25,000 for the project. The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
5. Review of Financials – August 2022 – Ms. Wilson noted increased electricity and water usage during the elevated temperatures this summer. She also commented that the natural gas commodity continues to be expensive and will impact customers during the upcoming heating season.
6. Approval to Purchase of Material for Substation 3 Expansion – Management provided a list of items on order and to be purchased to complete the Substation 3 expansion to serve Agri-Genesis, LLC. After discussion of recommendation letters from Toth & Associates, Inc., Vice President David Ausmus made a motion, seconded by Board Member Scott Lucas, to purchase steel poles from TransAmerican Power Products in the amount of $25,455.00. The motion carried with four votes for and none against. For the next item, Vice President David Ausmus made a motion, seconded by Vice President Board Member David Wilt, to purchase the insulators, arresters, and fuses from Anixter in the amount of $32,856.97. The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
7. Approval to Destroy Documents – As the 2021 independent financial audit is complete, 2019 Accounts Payable and 2021 Cash Receipts hard copy documents have met the retention requirements established by the State of Missouri Secretary of State office. President Brian Terry made a motion, seconded by Vice President David Ausmus, to allow the requested documents to be destroyed. The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
8. Employee Retention & Recruitment – Ms. Wilson noted that all positions are currently filled.
Under manager reports, Ms. Wilson shared upcoming events and the monthly dashboard was discussed. Assistant General Manager and Manager of Energy Resources Ben Stueve and Electric Distribution Supervisor and Manager of Utility Operations Bryce Butner shared run times and maintenance activities for the Macon and Audrain Energy Centers. Discussion was held regarding the selling and removal of six Caterpillar 3516B 1825KW Prime Generator Sets. All were in agreeance to place the items for public bid. Also noted was progress on the electric underground primary project on Rustic Drive and Sunset Hills, a water distribution main tie-in at Crescent and 5th Street and various other activities. Supervisors Ed Samel and Ronny Smith provided updates for the water and wastewater treatment plants. At the water plant, annual flushing of the water distribution system began on September 19, 2022 and the annual switch to free chlorine for water treatment will take place from this date to October 10, 2022. At the wastewater treatment plant, a ribbon cutting for the new headworks is scheduled for September 28, 2022 at 10:00 am.
A motion was made by President Brian Terry, seconded by Board Member Scott Lucas to go into executive session regarding Legal (Rs.MO.610.021 (1)), Leasing, Purchase, or Sale of Real Estate (Rs. MO.610.021 (2)) and Personnel (Rs. MO.610.021(3)). The motion carried with four votes for and none against.
When the open meeting reconvened, a discussion was held regarding newsletters to be published quarterly. At 8:15 pm a motion was made by Vice President David Ausmus, seconded by Board Member David Wilt, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed with four votes for and none against.