Town of Germantown

MINUTES

Held remotely via Microsoft Teams         

May 8, 2025

 9:00 AM

Present: (all via Teams) Board Members Jim Murphy, Rod Abbrederis, Randy Dorshorst, Jim Keene, Brad Pavloski, Administrator Kathy Oliver, Jason Terry, Kyra Cassidy, Gavin Bender, Jacob Novitch and Chris Murphy  from MSA, Tamaya Lowe.

Call to Order/Approve Agenda-

The meeting was called to order via Microsoft Teams at 9:02 AM and the agenda was approved by the board. With 5 board members present, we did have a quorum.

Approval of Minutes-

A Motion was made by Randy Dorshorst, seconded by Brad Pavloski, to approve the minutes from the March 13, 2025 regular meeting with no changes or corrections. Motion carried with all in favor.

Discussion and Possible Action on Administrator’s Report –

-Financial Status Summary – Financial information was provided by Kathy Oliver, including bank account balances, accounts payable and accounts receivable. Our current members, Connected and Unconnected, total 1,391. A Motion was made by Jim Keene, with a second by Randy Dorshorst, to approve the Administrators Report. The motion carried with all in favor.

Discussion and Possible Action on 2024 Audit Agreement Contract-

Kathy Oliver presented a contract from MBE CPA’s, LLP to perform our 2024 annual audit at the cost of $10,500.00. A Motion was made by Jim Keene, with a second by Brad Pavloski to approve the contract and move forward with the audit. Motion carried with all in favor.

Discussion and Possible Action on WQT Agreement Contract-

Jacob Novitch and Chris Murphy from MSA explained a potential contract that will get us enough credits, along with the flexibility to operate and keep the best interests of the lake, area, etc. We would purchase 400 credits at a total cost of $424,800.00 to be used over the next 9 years. There is a one-time fee of $10,500 to the clearinghouse for administration. A Motion was made by Jim Keene, with a second by Brad Pavloski, to approve the contract. Motion carried with all in favor.

Discussion and Possible Action on Member Special Requests –

We have had a member that was annexed into the district decide that they would no longer like to be part of the district. Another owner, with land adjacent to the first, has asked for an estimate of cost to connect his lost in the near future. Kyra Cassidy gave him 2 estimates and he determined that it is cost-prohibitive for him to connect at this time. There was some discussion about other property owners that would be affected by potential changes, along with the process that would be needed to make the change back to not being a member. It was determined that those property owners who would wish to leave the district would have to follow the same procedures as they took to join the district. Jim Murphy will explain that to the members in question.  Jim commented that we need to keep in mind the “Mission” of the District, which is to have as many properties within the district area connected as possible, in order to maintain ground water quality, along with water quality of Castle Rock Lake. Kyra Cassidy explained that our current ordinances are fairly vague and perhaps we should consider re-writing them to specifically clarify who must connect, and at what expense.  Jim Murphy suggested that we should meet with both the Township of Germantown and Juneau County to discuss working together to meet the goals. He proposed a meeting on Monday, May 12^th, and asked for volunteers to participate on behalf of the District. Kathy Oliver and Jacob Novitch also agreed to attend and be involved. No Action taken.

Discussion and Possible Action on WWTF Operations Update –

Jason Terry from MSA reported on the treatment system. Average influent and effluent flows are as expected for the time of year. WPDES Permit Renewal process has been completed, and operations started under the new permit, effective May 1. The permit will expire March 31, 2030. Routine lift station cleaning with Flow-Rite is scheduled for end of May. Effluent BOD levels are currently higher than expected. Performance testing and ongoing evaluations of system conditions are being conducted to evaluate the cause. A Motion was made by Randy Dorshorst, with a second by Brad Pavloski to approve to WWTF Update Report. Motion carried with all in favor.

 Discussion and Possible Action on Altronex Proposal for Monitoring –

Jason Terry presented a proposal to purchase an Altronex Control System to improve monitoring of pH levels and temperature of our effluent flow. The signals would go to the Process Building SCADA System Control Panel and the cost is $18,512.00. A Motion was made by Jim Keene, with a second by Randy Dorshorst to approve the purchase. Motion carried with all in favor.  

 Discussion and Possible Action on Upgraded GIS System –

Jason Terry presented a proposal from MSA for their GIS Solutions team to configure the O’Dells Bay ArcGIS online site to support asset management of the sewer collection system.

The operations staff will use mobile GIS, dashboards, and other apps to track inspections and maintenance, report on existing conditions and work completed, plan future work, and prioritize resource allocation. The total cost of the upgrade is $24,000.00. After some discussion a Motion was made by Jim Keene, with a second by Randy Dorshorst to approve the proposal and move forward with implementation. Motion carried with all in favor.

 Public Comment –

There was no Public Comment

 Adjourn –

A Motion was made to adjourn at 10:10AM by Jim Keene, with a second by Randy Dorshorst. Motion carried with all in favor.

Next regular meeting is scheduled for July 10th, 2025 at 9:00AM.