Joint Village-Utility Minutes 07.20.2026

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.