Please note: This is an unofficial summary provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to represent the official board meeting minutes.
Quorum Achieved – Barely!
Chairman Otis Price, Treasurer Joshua McCurdy, and Director Derenda Robb were present, which gave the Board a quorum. Vice Chair Caleb Flora and Director JJ Duckett were absent.
Managers Report
With the General Manager absent, Josh delivered the manager’s report. The numbers were sobering. The District produced over 6.2 million gallons last month between the main well and the golf course well, but only about 571,000 gallons were sold — a water loss rate of 90%. The crew dealt with over 32 leaks throughout the month, which accounts for much of that loss. Otis explained that the situation is similar to what the District experienced years ago after the pump was replaced — the increased water pressure causes leaks to blow out in the older, brittle pipes. On top of that, the heavy snow softened the ground enough that heavy vehicles passing over it have been crushing underground pipes.
It was clear from the report that the crew has been putting in a lot of extra hours, often responding at all hours, and I think that deserves to be acknowledged.
Operator Certifications
On a more encouraging note, the GM has been working to support the crew in advancing their operator certifications — what Josh referred to as “leveling up.” JoeBob recently earned his Level 1 certification and will be encouraged to pursue Level 2. Travis is being encouraged to work toward Level 3. It is good to see the District investing in its people.
Bank Balances
Josh read the current bank balances. Operations sits at around $73,000, Short Term Asset Replacement at about $167,000, and the Water Standby account at roughly $84,000. The Water Asset Management Restricted Reserve, however, is down to $155.82, which led directly into the next discussion.
Restricted Reserve Reimbursement Plan
The Board took up a plan to start rebuilding the Restricted Reserve account. Josh proposed directing 5% of incoming Standby fees into that account, with the understanding that the percentage could be increased as the District’s financial situation improves. There was some back-and-forth from the audience about the percentage and how long it would take to rebuild the account. In the end, the Board voted unanimously to move forward with the 5% allocation.
Tank 3 Replacement
This one generated some discussion. The agenda item proposed giving the General Manager broad authority to execute contracts and manage grant disbursements for the Tank 3 replacement project, without needing Board approval each time. The concern raised by the Board was that the GM also serves as the District’s Procurement Officer, and giving one person that level of authority in both roles didn’t feel right to them. The Board’s preference was to call special meetings as contracts and disbursements come up, so there is always oversight. The motion to grant blanket authority was put to a vote and failed — Otis, Josh, and Derenda all voted against it. The Tank 3 project itself is still moving forward, just with the Board staying more directly involved in approvals.
Community Comments
Audience member Arden mentioned that the Water Group would be meeting the following day in the small conference room, and that the public is welcome to attend. Otis thanked Arden for taking the lead on that group.
Someone in the audience asked whether the Level 4 operator could speak to what is causing all the leaks and what the plan is going forward. Otis answered that question himself, explaining the pressure and pipe issues as described above.
Audience member David shared some thoughts on methods for finding underground leaks and the costs involved.
Audience member Steve asked about the dumpster situation with the county. Otis said there was nothing new to report but that he would follow up with the county the next day.
There was also some general conversation about upcoming grants — what they are for and how they might be used.
Directors Remarks
Otis mentioned that the office staff came across a 40-year infrastructure plan that was started back in 2000 and that they are taking a look at it. He also let the audience know that a retired Otero County Roads employee has been hired to grade the non-county roads in Timberon two days a week, which should be welcome news for anyone who has been navigating the roads lately.
The meeting wrapped up at 5:43 pm.