Utility Minutes 05.27.2026

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.