Utility Packet 07.29.2026

Andrew Berens. Utility Commission Chair Cassie Lang Village Clerk / Deputy Treasurer 311 Walnut Street P .O. Box 487 Marathon City, WI 54448 Tel: 715-443-2221 www.marathoncitywi.gov VILLAGE UTILITY COMMISSION OFFICIAL NOTICE & AGENDA Wednesday, July 29, 2026 4:00 pm Marathon Municipal Center PUBLIC VIRTUAL ACCESS Join Teams Meeting: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/join-a-meeting Meeting ID: 261 174 214 35 Passcode: cY2jA33d 1. CAL L TO ORDER UTILITY ROLL CALL: A. BERENS, B. BOHR, M. TELFORD, D. SEILER, K. HANDRICK JR. 2. P LEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. R ECOGNITION OF VISITORS a. Virtual Meeting Guidelines i. This meeting will be recorded and available upon request b. Public Participation at Government Meetings 4. AP PROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES a. May 27, 2026 Regular Meeting b. July 20, 2026 Joint Village Board Meeting 5. RE VIEW AND APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF BILLS 6. P UBLIC UTILITY REPORT • Water Department Daily Operations Update • Wastewater Department Daily Operations Update 7. UNF INISHED BUSINESS a. Update on Well #5 b. Update on Cure-In-Place-Piping Project c. Update on 4th Street Lift Station 8. NE W BUSINESS – None to Discuss 9. S CHEDULED MEETINGS a. Regular Meeting: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 – 4:00 pm b. S pecial Meetings as Needed 10. ADJ OURNMENT VILLAGE UTILITY COMMISSION MINUTES Wednesday, May 27, 2026 1. CALL TO ORDER at 4:00 pm UTILITY ROLL CALL: A. BERENS-Present, B. BOHR-Present, M. TELFORD-Present, D. SEILER-Present, K. HANDRICK JR.-Present 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS a. Virtual Meeting Guidelines i. This meeting will be recorded and available upon request b. Public Participation at Government Meetings In Person Attendance: Joey Knauf – Dvorak Sanitation Virtual Attendance: Kevin O’Brien – Record Review, Mike Forslund – Strand Associates, Brian Roemer – Ehlers Financial, KateLynn Harrigan – Ehlers Financial 4. PSC WATER RATE STUDY PRESENTATION WITH EHLERS FINANCIAL Mike Forslund from Strand Associates presented 2 options for the new Well 5. Both options include about a 30% (around $1,000,000) contingency. Option 1: Raise the road to current Well 1 to create year-round dryland access and build the new Well near Well 1. Forslund estimated $1.2 million to construct the dryland access and about $4.5 million for the overall well project. He voiced there may be additional DNR regulatory hurdles to overcome with this option as the area may be considered wetland, not just a floodplain, creating more unknowns. Option 2: Relocate Well 5 to a brand-new location near North Ridge Road. Forslund stated that a Well at this location may require a treatment facility to remove the iron and manganese anticipated to be present in the ground. This would eliminate water being pumped to the central water treatment plant and would pump directly into the distribution system from Well 5. Estimated cost for this option is $6.5 million. Brian Roemer from Ehlers Financial presented a rate study for both options/costs presented by Forslund. Both options were based on a 30-year loan with principal payments beginning in 2028. The last Conventional Rate Case (CRC) for the Village was effective April 1, 2016. The Village is currently looking at a 10-year audit process from the PSC to update rates. Roemer explained the lack of recent rate studies shows the Village should implement a 38% rate increase before the Well Project. He stated that it would make sense for the Utility to apply for a CRC before July 31st to get rates in place for the current year. Waiting until after July 31st or until Well 5 project is underway, could significantly raise rates. Option 1: To cover cost of the $4.5 million option, a CRC reflects a 38% increase for 2027 and the Utility could then continue with Simplified Rate Cases (SRC) in subsequent years to maintain funds to pay for Well 5. SRC rates were assumed at 3% annual inflation in the presentation given. Roemer showed the impact to be a $36 increase in the water portion of customer bills based on 12,000 gallons of consumption per quarter for the first year, with a 10-year overall increase of $58 per quarter (about $230 per year). Option 2: To relocate Well 5 to North Ridge Road the Utility would need to implement 2 CRCs in sequential years. First would be the same as Option 1 at 38% increase or about $36 per quarter. The 2nd CRC presented showed a rate increase of about 35%, resulting in a quarterly bill increase of $45. After the 2 CRCs, Ehlers again recommends SRCs in subsequent years. Roemer’s presentation showed a 10-year overall increase of $99 per quarter or just under $400/year, based on 12,000 gallons of consumption. 5. DISCUSS HOLDING TANK ACCEPTANCE AT WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT – JOEY KNAUF TO PRESENT At the previous meeting in April, Director of Public Works, Ken Bloom, explained that he was approached by Joey Knauf, owner of Dvorak Sanitation Services, to see if the Utility would consider accepting holding tank waste at the wastewater treatment plant. Bloom went back to Knauf with a quote of $15 per 1,000 gallons plus a $10 admin fee per load. Knauf asked to appear before the Commission at the May meeting to discuss options. He proposed $11 per 1,000 gallons plus a $10 admin fee, similar to what Wausau and Rib Mountain charge. Edgar is currently at $13 per 1,000 gallons with no admin fee. Bloom voiced concerns with bringing on extra waste to treat. The WWTP is not currently set up to fully handle the capacity of waste that Knauf is proposing to dispose of, although holding tank waste is typically a lower concentration of waste to treat. It does not have prescreening capabilities, though Knauf addressed these Cassie Lang Village Clerk / Deputy Treasurer issues and plans to fabricate a screen to filter out the sediment before it enters treatment plant. Knauf’s intent would be to bring 2-3 loads per day, up to 100,000 gallons. The Commission agreed to accept the holding tank waste for $13 per 1,000 gallons for a trial period to determine if it would be worthwhile for the Utility. 6. APPROVAL OF APRIL 29, 2026 MEETING MINUTES MOTION – Approve April 29, 2026 Meeting Minutes Motion made by Handrick second by Bohr. Motion passed by voice vote. 7. REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF BILLS Commission members questioned the following bill payments: Check 49536 – PSC of Wisconsin – Assessment for Well 5 Check 49573 – Marathon Plumbing Service – Damage to pumphouse hose by Visu-Sewer – to be reimbursed MOTION – Approve Payment of Bills Motion made by Handrick second by Seiler. Motion passed by voice vote. 8. PUBLIC UTILITY REPORT • Water Department Daily Operations Update • Wastewater Department Daily Operations Update Director of Public Works, Ken Bloom, updated the Commission with the daily operations of the Utility for the month of May. His full report can be found in the Agenda Packet. 9. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Update on Well #5 Update on Well 5 came with the Presentation from Strand and Ehlers. b. Update on Cure-In-Place-Piping Project Visu-Sewer is continuing with the sewer lining project as scheduled. They noted one sewer lateral leaking groundwater into the lateral and main. Lateral repair would be the homeowner’s responsibility. There is a collapsed main in a grass alley that is still flowing water thru it but is not getting relined as it would be a cheaper dig to repair than a roadway. c. Update on 4th Street Lift Station The week of May 4th the new dual port impeller and refurbished motor were installed. Bloom reported the lift station cavitated more than before resulting in the old impeller being put back in. A technician from William Reid believes the pressure is too high. Bloom requested a write-up of what William Reid noticed upon installation to forward on to Vierbicher and Smith & Loveless. 10. NEW BUSINESS a. Discuss and Possible Action on 2025 CMAR Report Public Works Director Bloom explained the CMAR (Compliance Maintenance Annual Report) and scoring results. The WWTP scored an overall 3.86 GPA, down from the 4.0 score for 2024. The 2025 score is down due to the biosolids portion of the report. Bloom stated that one of the farms the Utility spreads biosolids to has not had the required testing every 4 years as the farmer does not plan to continue with spreading biosolids. Administrator Cherek supplied the Commission with the Financial section of the CMAR. He described that the Village should be able to reach the required LGIP Utility Replacement Fund balance in just over 2 years with the help of interest income earned. The WWTP scored a 4.0 GPA on the Financial section of report. After Commission approval, the Village Board will need to approve before the CMAR can be submitted. Deadline for CMAR submission is June 30, 2026. MOTION – Approve 2025 CMAR Report and Forward to Village Board for Final Approval Motion made by Telford second by Berens. Motion passed by voice vote. 11. SCHEDULED MEETINGS a. Regular Meeting: Wednesday, June 24, 2026 – 4:00 pm b. Special Meetings as Needed 12. ADJOURNMENT at 6:11 pm Motion to adjourn made by Handrick second by Bohr. Motion passed by voice vote. JOINT VILLAGE BOARD/UTILITY COMMISSION MINUTES Monday, July 20, 2026 1. CALL TO ORDER at 4:10 pm VILLAGE ROLL CALL: K. HANDRICK JR.-Present, M. AHRENS-Present, J. LAWRENCE-Absent, K. PAUL- Present, B. PARLIER-Present at 4:42pm, A. CABRERA-Absent, K. SORENSON-Present via phone until 4:59 pm UTILITY ROLL CALL: A. BERENS-Present, B. BOHR-Present, M. TELFORD-Present, D. SEILER-Absent, K. HANDRICK, JR.-Present 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS a. Virtual Meeting Guidelines i. This meeting will be recorded and available upon request b. Public Participation at Government Meetings Virtual Attendance: Ken Bloom – Director of Public Works, Kevin O’Brien – Record Review, Brian Roemer & KateLynn Harrigan – Ehlers Financial 4. PSC WATER RATE STUDY PRESENTATION WITH EHLERS FINANCIAL Brian Roemer from Ehlers Financial gave a virtual presentation on Phase 2 of the Water Rate Study and Conventional Rate Case (CRC) Application with the Public Service Commission (PSC). The PowerPoint is available in the Packet. Key points of the study were: • The last CRC for the Village was 27% effective April 2016 – water rates have remained the same since then, not taking into consideration the rate of inflation • A projected rate increase of 27.34% is necessary to catch the water utility revenues up to where they need to be, prior to the new Well #5 project o The Village could then apply for consecutive Simplified Rate Cases in subsequent years to account for the new Well • The Village must file the CRC application by July 31st to avoid a potentially larger rate increase of up to 95% • Impact on average residential bill with assumed consumption of 12,000 gallons per quarter estimates a quarterly bill increase of approximately $16 (roughly $64 per year) for water service • A CRC allows for changes to the tariff (rate) schedule, including Public Fire Protection (PFP) o The Village’s current PFP cost of $146,460 is split equally through both the levy, as an expense from the General Fund to the Utility, and through direct payment from water bills  Moving the municipal expense to the Utility for PFP would free up about $73,000 in the General Fund Budget o Another option to change is the charge methodology for the PFP  The Utility currently charges PFP based on assessment values of properties  Have the option to charge based on meter size, making it more streamlined on the billing department with less chance in errors to billing o Another tariff schedule item to consider is a change to the billing frequency  Currently bill quarterly. Could change to monthly. MOTION #1 – File Conventional Rate Case as Presented Reflecting the 27.34% Increase in Water Rates UTILITY Motion made by Handrick second by Telford. Motion passed by voice vote. VILLAGE Motion made by Paul second by Ahrens. Motion passed by voice vote. MOTION #2a – Convert Public Fire Protection from the Levy to the Water Bills and Forward to Village Board for Final Approval UTILITY Motion made by Handrick second by Berens. Motion passed by voice vote. MOTION #2b – Convert Public Fire Protection from the Levy to the Water Bills VILLAGE Motion made by Parlier second by Ahrens. Motion passed by voice vote. Cassie Lang Village Clerk / Deputy Treasurer MOTION #3 – Adjust the Public Fire Protection Billing Method to the Equivalent Meter Method UTILITY Motion made by Handrick second by Telford. Motion passed by voice vote. VILLAGE Motion made by Paul second by Parlier. Motion passed by voice vote. 5. SCHEDULED MEETINGS a. Regular Utility Commission Meeting: Wednesday, July 29, 2026 – 4:00 pm b. Regular Village Board Meeting: Wednesday, August 5, 2026 – 6:00 pm c. Special Meetings as Needed 6. ADJOURNMENT at 5:34 pm Utility motion made by Telford second by Berens. Motion passed by voice vote. Village motion made by Paul second by Ahrens. Motion passed by voice vote. Marathon City Utility Operations & Facilities Report For June/July 2026 Water Treatment Facility Report The water facility is operating well and meeting all the monthly testing requirements. The Wisconsin DNR Sanitary Survey was conducted on March 19th, 2026. Jessica Minich, WDNR Water Supply Engineer, met with Aaron, Steve, and Ken, to evaluate the overall performance and compliance of the Water Department. The sanitary survey is a more in-depth water system inspection, conducted once every three years. Here is a list of records covered during the inspection; 1) Most recent water tower/reservoir inspection reports 2) The private well ordinance and private well permits 3) The cross-connection ordinance and cross connection records 4) The wellhead protection ordinance and wellhead protection plan 5) The hydrant flushing and flow testing records 6) The valve exercising records 7) The water system map 8) The monitoring site plan 9) The water service material inventory and supporting information 10) The most recent PSC report 11) The most recent consumer confidence report (CCR) After reviewing the paperwork, Jessica then toured the water plant, the wells, and all the water storage structures. A sanitary survey report will be sent to the Utility with the results of the inspection. I will share this report at a future Utility Commission Meeting. UPDATE 7/26 – We still have not received the Sanitary Survey Inspection Report from the DNR. I would assume that they did not find any significant deficiencies. If we receive an inspection report, I will share the results with the commission. Lead and Copper Sampling, required once every 3 years, is tentatively scheduled to be conducted in June 2026. UPDATE 7/26 – Lead and copper sampling was conducted July 13th – July 15th. The results of the sampling event will be shared with the homeowners and the commission. The Water Utility is beginning to explore options for a new water meter reading & billing system. Our current meter reading/billing system is out of date and vulnerable to reliability issues. (Explanation by staff at meeting) UPDATE 7/26 – The pilot study with Metron has been discontinued, due to significant issue of not registering low water flow through the meter, which could affect Utility revenue and PSC water loss reporting issues. Badger Meter has agreed to provide us with their meter reading and billing system software and 10 trial water meters to conduct a pilot study using their system. We already have numerous Badger water meters in our system, so this may be an easier transition. In coordination with the Main Street Repaving/Improvement Project, the Utility moved a hydrant out of the sidewalk work area on the southwest corner of the 6th Street and Main Street. The hydrant was moved back from Main Street further to the west, but in the same general vicinity. Watermain valve turning/exercising is currently ongoing. The target area this year is 4th Street, north to North Street, and Main Street east to East Street. Wastewater Treatment Facility Report The Wastewater Treatment Facility met all permit limits for the months of May and June 2026. The 2025 Compliance Maintenance Annual Report (CMAR) was approved by the Village Board and submitted to the DNR on June 9th. The Rotork air actuating valve on Aerobic Digester A has not been consistently working properly. The actuating valve adjusts the airflow to the digester as needed, by opening and closing the valve a certain percentage. Currently it is not adjusting the airflow as intended and is under aerating the digester, which can cause treatment issues long term, regarding biosolids and land spreading limitations. I will be contacting the Rotork Representative for Wisconsin, LAI, to inquire about this issue and get the problem resolved. UPDATE – A quote from LAI, to have a technician onsite to fix the issue with the actuating air valve was provided the Utility for $2,176.00. The quote was signed and set back to LAI. Adequate aeration of the digester is very important to get proper treatment of biosolids in the digester, in order to meet all DNR permit limits, prior to land application. A technician has not yet been on-site to address the issue, at the time of this report. Joey Knauf, owner of Dvorak Sanitation, asked the Utility to accept septage/holding tank waste and to provide pricing per 1000 gallons dumped. The Utility provided pricing per 1000 gallons on a temporary, trial type basis, unfortunately we could not come to an agreement in terms of price. There are a few concerns on behalf of the Utility; 1) Effect on downstream processes and overall treatment efficiencies at the plant 2) The wastewater plant is not set up ideally to accept higher strength, hauled wastes 3) Setting a fair price to cover the cost of treating these wastes, that does not put the burden on the rest of the Utility rate payers. UPDATE – A 2-month trial period began on June 22nd. The trial period will run through August 22nd at a price of $13.00/1000 gallons of holding tank waste, approved by the commission at the May Utility Commission Meeting. So far, the addition of holding tank waste into our influent waste stream, has not affected the performance of the treatment plant or caused any issues with DNR permit limits. If the commission decides to continue accepting holding tank waste after the trial period, a permanent pricing structure would need to be approved. (Discussion on holding tank rates per 1000 gallons) Wastewater Treatment Facility Report (Continued) Early on Monday morning July 6th, at approximately 12:50 AM, I received a call from Rapid Response (the fire alarm monitoring service for the wastewater treatment plant) that the Marathon Fire Department had been dispatched to the Wastewater Treatment Facility for 8 unknown alarms. The fire department responded to the scene and found no signs of a fire in any building or structure. Ahern was contacted on Monday morning and they sent a technician onsite to assess the fire alarm monitoring system. No previous alarms were found in either of the fire alarm control panel logs. After further investigation by Rapid Response, it was found that our account (Starlink) had somehow received alarms that were generated out of Iowa, which notified the monitoring service, which then dispatched our local fire department, as if the alarms had been generated from the wastewater treatment facility. Rapid Response has made the correct changes to Starlink to only acknowledge alarms that generate from our (2) local fire alarm control panels. Ahern verified the fire alarm monitoring system was working correctly, prior to departure. Sanitary Sewer Cleaning/Televising is currently ongoing. The target area this year is 4th Street, north to North Street, and Main Street east to East Street. Submitted by: Ken Bloom, Director of Public Works & Utilities