WMAC Meeting April 23,2009
Attendees: David Crosby – Chair, David Hearne, Paul Lauenstein, Rory McGregor – Secretary, April Singleton, Bob Weeks
Guests: Eric Hooper – DPW Superintendent, Anne Carney
1. April Singleton was welcomed as a new member to the WMAC. Ann Carney advised that she has been interviewed by the selectmen and expects to be appointed at their next meeting.
2. The minutes for the March 19th meeting were approved as amended.
3. The WMAC will hold elections for its officers – Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary – at the next WMAC meeting on Tuesday, May 26th. David Crosby and Rory McGregor are both interested in continuing in their current roles. David will check with Len Sekuler regarding the Vice-chair position.
4. There was discussion on whether to require the installation of water meters on homeowners’ in-ground water irrigation systems. The benefit is that it provides a management tool for quantifying how much water is used for this single purpose. The disadvantage is the cost of installing, maintaining and billing separate meters on irrigation systems. The alternatives of steeply ascending block rates and higher summertime water rates designed to discourage excessive lawn watering were also discussed.
There is a maintenance need for the town’s benefit to inspect in-ground systems periodically for back flow prevention.
Paul Lauenstein will draft and circulate a proposed policy on this issue pertaining to new installations for in-ground water irrigation systems. There was discussion about whether to extend the policy to existing in-ground systems, but no consensus was reached.
5. A new water rate proposal drafted by Paul Lauenstein was discussed. We agreed that Paul would email his proposal to all WMAC members and that a subcommittee would convene to discuss further in consultation with Eric Hoopeer. A question to consider is how much should annual revenue does the Water Dept need to cover operating costs, capital improvement costs and contingency costs. Eric Hooper agreed that he would prepare a cost picture so that anticipated expenses and capital costs are considered prior to locking in a new water rate structure based on a quarterly billing cycle.
One possible direction for future billing of customers is to break expenses down into a commodity cost and a transmission cost. The current minimum bill policy is a step in this direction, although the minimum falls well short of covering the fixed costs of servicing an account. We are all aware that major utility companies are arranging their bills in this format. However, it is generally accepted that enough water for essential needs must be available to all, including those with limited means, which constrains the amount of the minimum charge for water service.
General sense on timing for implementation of a price increase on water rates is to wait until the radio relay water meters are completely installed, which should be by the end of this calendar year. This allows the Water Department to transition to quarterly billing of customers, replacing the current 6 month cycle. In addition, it enables the entire town to be on the same billing cycle, replacing the current staggered arrangement with 6 separate books. To accomplish this by the end of the year, the WMAC must formulate its recommendations to the Selectmen as soon as possible, preferably by June.
6. Eric Hooper gave the following updates:
a) He received a report today on the Water Master Plan from Barbara Cook, Weston & Sampson. Eric plans to meet with her on May 1st. Eric will decide whether to invite them to the next WMAC meeting; the objective would be to present information on the overall picture for revenue and expenses.
b) 3% is the figure for unaccounted water in the Annual Report submitted to DEP. This is a very low number relative to normal expectations (around 10%) and reflects the increased efforts to find and repair leaks. The Annual Statistical Report will not be released until it has been approved by DEP.
c) Paul Lauenstein requested that Eric find out where the rebate information for new low flow washers and toilets is posted on the Town website. He could not find it.
d) The monthly reports on nitrate levels and groundwater monitoring appear to be normal. Well pumping of approximately 1 million gallons per day in March continues to be significantly lower than prior years.
7. Next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 26th, at 7:30pm at the Community Center. Note that the May meeting will be on a Tuesday rather than a Thursday.
Respectfully submitted,
Rory McGregor, Secretary