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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-19-2000MINUTES OF THE SANITARY SEWER BOARD OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSONVILLE December 19, 2000 The Sanitary Sewer Board of the City of Jeffersonville met in regular session in the Mayor's Conference Room in the City County Building, Jeffersonville, Indiana on the 19th day of December 2000. Mayor Tom Galligan, with Deputy Clerk Sharon Wilder at the desk, called the meeting to order at 4:05 PM. Board Members Jeffrey Caldwell and Jack Jordan were also in attendance. The Mayor asked if there were any changes to be made to the agenda. Dan Sillings, representing T.W. Thom Construction asked to be added to the agenda, as well as Anne Marie Galligan, sewer utility attorney. There being no objections, the agenda with the additions was approved unanimously. EMC Operations Update Ray Wilkey told the Board that he had a notice ofph violation to be issued to Brinly- Hardy Co. He recommends no fine because this is the first violation by the company. Jack Jordan asked about the procedure on fines, and the Board had a discussion. Mr. Wilkey explained the regulating procedure, the City Ordinance and the increments in which the fines are levied: Mr. Jordan asked if IDEM was notified. Mr. Wilkey told the Board that IDEM receives yearly reports and the violations are recorded in those reports. Mr. Jordan made a motion to issue the notice of violation to Briuley-Hardy, 3230 Industrial Blvd., Jeffersonville Indiana, NOBDH00-1, permit #0200, with no fine at this time. The motion received a second by Jeffrey Caldwell, passing unanimously. Mr. Wilkey also addressed the yearly capital needs list, which includes three vehicles. He would like permission to purchase the vehicles, which will replace existing vehicles. They include a three quarter ton pick-up truck with utility bed available at Vissing Dodge, and a utility van, and a ton and a half truck to help with maintenance of the super lift stations. Mayor Galligan explained to the Board the need for the new vehicles, and the prices obtained from Vissings Dodge. Mr. Caldwell asked the Mayor if he had tried to obtain price quotes from the Internet. Mayor Galligan told the Board that the City would by local, and Mr. Caldwell asked for the reasons behind that. Mayor Galligan told him it was because the local companies employed Jeffersonville residents and paid City taxes. Mr. Wilkey told the Board that he was investigating other prices locally, but that the Vissing price was based on a state bid. Mr. Jordan would like Mr. Wilkey to obtain a price ~om Slone Pontiac and check the quotes against the Intemet as well. Mayor Galligan explained the pricing on the ton and a half truck, along with options for cutting the cost. PEH Engineers Monthly Review of EMC Operations Mark Sneve of PEH Engineers told the Board that everything looked great. He covered design capacity of the treatment plant regarding ammonia treatment. The plant is at 80% capacity for ammonia. He also went over an episode in November where a sample with high PH was collected at the treatment plant. EMC is checking this out. It was not at an alarming level. Mr. Sneve also addressed the Board concerning the construction project for the influent flume, including a contract extension for Smith Contractors for a 30-day period. Mr. Sneve said the delay was a result of precipitation on the scheduled date for the tie in. Jack Jordan made a motion to extend contract #100 for a 30 day period, seconded by Jefferey Caldwell passing unanimously. Mr. Sneve also went over the report presented to the Board for the review of November Operations. Sewer Bill Adjustment 919 Colonial Park Drive Dan Sillings told the Board that a tenant had moved from 919 Colonial Park Drive and lef~ the Sewer bill unpaid. The time frame was three years and the total $1,450. He said he had no problem with the bill except for the period of November of 1999, when the bill went from an average of $30 a month to $440. A plumber and the water company checked the lines and did not find a problem. He believes that it was an underground leak. Mayor Galligan told him that the previous policy has been that if the water company gives an adjustment because of a leaky line, the City will do the same. Mr. Sillings said that the Water Company did not find a leak. He believes the outside faucet was left on, but does not know for sure. Mr. Sillings asked the Board for an adjustment of $400 for the month of November 1999. Mr. Caldwell recommended taking the request under an advisement. City Attorney Anne Made Galligan told the Board that in her legal opinion, the amount was owed. Mayor Galligan told Mr. Sillings that the problem should have been addressed when the situation occurred, not a year later. Jack Jordan made a motion to deny the request because a leak was not found. Jeffery Caidwell seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Sewer Board Attorney Comments Anne Marie Galligan asked Jim Traylor of EMC if be had received a checklist for his employees on what to do in case of sewer problems or back ups in a home or business. He said he had, and she will forward copies of that policy to Sanitary Sewer Board members. She also addressed the contract approved with Gilmore Construction. She told the Board that Mr. Gilmore and David Blankenbeker, the property surveyor, had requested a one-year extension on the time frame to extend the sewers. She said it also gives the City a cushion because it extends the City deadline as well. She also told the Board that he requested a change in wording on the contract, referring to the property as the Estates of Boulder Creek Subdivision, instead of the Big Ten Property. Mr. Jordan said that upon review, the deal looked to be a good one for the City financially. The blanket waiver of annexation remonstrance was also discussed. Mr. Caldwell made a motion to approve the changes requested, seconded by Jack Jordan, passing unanimously. 1307 Basswood Court Sewer Back-Up A motion was made by Jack Jordan to amend the agenda to include Glen Reed, who addressed the Board regarding a sewer back-up in his home at 1307 Basswood Court on October 12, 2000. Mr. Reed told the Board that Tucklana Services had done clean up in his home at a cost of $3,200. Mr. Reed said he let his insurance company know about the damage, but had not filed a claim. He told the Board that Jim Traylor told him not to worry about it, that the City would take care of it because it was their problem. Mr. Traylor told the Board that he recommended to Mr. Reed that Tuckiana be brought in to provide an estimate. Mr. Traylor said he did go into the home and observed a back up. He said he was not prepared to make an investigative report. Mr. Jordan suggested that a report be done, and that the homeowner contact their insurance agency. Mr. Jordan then made a motion to table the issue pending that hfformation. Mr. Reed said he had not contacted his insurance agency because he was led to believe that the sewer department would take care of it. Mayor Galligan asked him to present a copy of the bill to his insurance company, and have them follow up with the City. He agreed, and no action was taken on the motion. Proposal to Study In House Billing vs. Sub Contracting Julia Barber, a representative fi:Om Sherman, Barber & Mullikan told the Board she had received a letter fi:om Jeffery Caldwell, sent to her partner Kevin Mullikan, outlining the billing process for the Sewage Billing Office. She said her firm would like to do a study on in-house billing vs. sub contracting. She said her firm might also have other options for billing and collections. She believes that a viable option for the Board would be a collection agency for delinquent accounts. She said that her firm could do a study for several thousand dollars. Jefliey Caidwell asked about the resources she would need. She told the Board that she would need only limited information regarding costs and someone to talk with to determine which jobs fi:om the sewer billing office could be eliminated by outsourcing the billing. Mayor Galligan asked about New Albany, and City Attorney Anne Marie Galligan said their sewage bills had gone up since Indiana American began billing for them. Mayor Galligan explained that the sewage office bills 11,000 people, and simple math dictates that the cost of outsourcing the billing would be $120,000 per year. There are 3 ½ employees in the sewage billing office, and only 1-½ persons could be eliminated because of computer operations and other necessary tasks. Mayor Galligan also believes that one of the biggest problems would be not knowing when the water company made a mistake in the billing, which has happened in the past. Mayor Galligan believes that outsourcing would cost more. Board member Jack Jordan said he was happy with the improvements in collections by the Billing Department. He would like to see the collections kept within the department. He is willing to look at it, but is not ready to make the change to outside billing at this time. Mr. Jordan would like to re-evaluate the need for a study after a few more months of in-house evaluation oftbe Billing Office. Mr. Jordan would also like a firm cost on the study proposal. Mr. Jordan also believes that doing a study to possibly eliminate jobs would be disruptive to the Billing Office employees, and create poor morale. Mr. Caldwell said he cannot understand why the study would create a drop in employee morale, and that it would have to be done eventually. Mayor Galligan would like to address the study at the next meeting. The parameters on the study were discussed. Jeffi:ey Caldwell said that those should include an outside collection agency, and Mayor Galligan said he would not have a collection agency doing the work for the City of Jeffersonville. Mr. Caldwell believes there are problems with the in house collections, and disagreed with members Galligan and Jordan that the delinquencies could be collected in house, or that attempts by the City to collect had been made. Mr. Jordan would like it noted in the minutes that the delinquent accounts were available for publication, and Mayor Galligan went over the ways that the City could collect. Mayor Galligan asked the representative to prepare a cost estimate with a not to exceed dollar amount of $2,000, and asked if she could come back to the January 22na meeting. Mr. Jordan again expressed concern regarding the employee morale over eliminating jobs, and Mr. Caldwell said that employees could always be transferred to other departments. Mayor Galllgan told the Board that was not an option. Mr. Caldwell said that if they weren't needed anywhere else, maybe they weren't needed in the sewer office. Mayor Galligan said he would not reside on the Board ifa collection agency were hired. Mr. Jordan said he is willing to let the collections be part of the study for the sake of obtaining the information. Mayor Galligan said he would never vote for a collection agency, and Mr. Caldwell told the Board that the Mayor did not have a vote. Board Comments and Discussion 0oh,~ Jack Jordan told the Board that he spoke with Jim Beyke regarding the GIS study and they are ready to move ahead with their evaluation. Mayor Galligan made a motion to adjourn the meeting. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned. Mayor Tom Galligan, ExeL'dtive Member ATTEST: urer Peggy Wilde