6 February 2025 DCRSD Board Meeting Notes

 

6 February 2025 DCRSD Board Meeting Notes

Steve Renihan - President, Brett Fehrman - Vice President, Russell Beiersdorfer, Bill Shelton, Doug Baer, Jeff Stenger, and Steward Cline 

ABSENT: Board Attorney - Frank Kramer

Also present: Christy Harlan and Bob Hrezo of Hrezo Engineering, Commissioners JimThatcher and Duane Bischoff, and Marc Emral, Register, Tamara Taylor -Beacon.

This meeting was video recorded by Sam Mortenson. You can access that video by clicking the link in the post just below this one on this blog.

Renihan read the Title VI Public Access Statement as legally required.

Minutes: January 16, 2025 Minutes- Approved

Treasurers Report: Year end report from Boggs and Race Accountant was in the packets. Cline wanted it to have a cash flow expense for each month decoupled from the projects. Board also wants to TABLE until Lee Ann can come in. TABLED

Public Comment: Mike Lawrence- here as a taxpayer and former commissioners and some concerned citizens. Had heard about Sewer sale. Asked about who appointed the 7 board members. Answer- 2 from Commissioners (Cline and Beiersdorfer), 1 from Aurora (Fehrman), 3 from Council (Stenger and Renihan.and Shelton?) Plus Baer who comes via Health Board app’tment.  Wants to know if they are pressured to sell. Stenger- not personally pressured. But we as a board did not seek this out. It sought us out. Approached by an outside company and then by the commissioners. 

Fehrman there is pressure 

Renihan said there was truth in that. Pressure. He went over the history of how they work. Also the lower income areas of the  county. 

Russell Beiersdorfer - was put here by the commissioners to investigate this proposal primarily. He’s been pressured by elected and not elected people. Not naming them. 

Stenger talked about being rep of county council. etc… but we are here to represent the constituents of county.

Mike Lawrence was worried about pressure from bosses for Baer and Shelton who work for the county. ( Note- Shelton is appointed by Commissioners as Building Inspector, Baer is appointed by the Health Board) 

Renihan- need to hire a utility supervisor. 

Stenger- Not a unanimous vote to send this to RFP (request for proposal). Predominant thing was to find someone to help us run this. 

Renihan went on about how there is an option to make money from the Guilford project eventually. The ARPA money was key to this and Lake Dildear. These were 2 of  highest pollution areas in the county. High Ridge 1st plant. Guilford is 2nd one. 

Lawrence- Imagine-what would have happened in these low income areas that were fixed. If it wasn’t the county- but a private sector running it. Just want you to remember the govt. is not in it ( utility) to make money- but private investment is. 

Lawrence- Are you servicing any TIF area. Yes. Have you record of any funding from TIF? NO. Lawrence said: I should talk to Council- because that is what TIF does…. 

Jim Thatcher- How can you indicate you were pressured if I did not pressure you. The commissioners have NO vote on this! The options are for you-  the board to decide. 

Fehrman -did not get to decide.

Heated interchange here- see video of meeting about 40 minutes in

Renihan discussing rate consultant and 

Lawrence said- do you think it will be equal or less with private company. Kept stressing the the sewer board is not there to make profit- like a private company is.

This ends the discussion with Mike Lawrence’s questions. 

Stenger- wanted to get back on task.  

Renihan said he has no sewer yet - still on septic. 

Cline-  IURC will preclude private entity from too high a rate? ( Which bumps our troubles up to a state agency.)

Mark Drury-former mayor of Aurora and they made an appt to this board ( Fehrman)- Thanked them.  Asked how many Woolpert recommendations have they done from that report. About 2 were done. (Issue is funding for those areas in trouble NOT new construction.)  2007- it was done. SDRSD is still the largest treatment plant in the county. Question about the HOTIF site on SR1.

Harland Burlage answered on the Casey Knigga site with buildout so far….

Drury wanted to know what the RFP they just had response to - what recommendations was it adding to the Woolpert study recommendations. He thinks Woolpert has a much more comprehensive plan. (Did Barnes and Thornburg use that in their RFP?)

Guilford is a tactical unit as it is smaller plants that require no pumping 15 miles to get to a plant for treatments.

End of Public Comment - the Board discussion and vote on this site is below under RFP Review at 6 PM

I left the room for a few minutes here….

Project Updates:

Christy did updates - pump and housing was $8500 for E-1 pump with thermal shutdown. Not including installation. Got all easements finished before Frank Kramer left. 

Board asked about sewer line in West Harrison TIF and why the new proposed business in that TIF isn’t checking on sewer availability. They gave right to Harrison to charge fees - answered to Renihan regarding the existing line. 

Where is our furthest manhole in West HarrisonJ- western end of Hirlinger property, per Christy Harlan. 

Brought up the Farmer property in the TIF and the project set for this. There is absolutely capacity for this. Per Hrezo. The line could be extended to it- noting crossing SR 52 and also some RR tracks???

That project has 130 employees so sewer is necessary.   

RFP Review 6 PM- 

Stenger said he is going to make a motion before they discuss. The proposal is for purchase- and Jeff Meinders and one other person he knew of wanted to respond to RFP to operate the DCRSD. Neither of the other 2 operators in the county had knowledge pf this RFP being sent out. What even I would have done  (check local operators) was not done by the attorney’s. The RFP had stated finalization of asset purchase agreement. Not operating the district. 

Stenger- Motion to reject the Envirolink proposal so they can pursue operators. Also we have no other bids for fair numbers to compare this one with. Fehrman 2nded so discussion could proceed. 

Cline-said this was discussed at many board meetings. Anyone who would have been interested should not have been deterred by things on the opening page. He thinks we could get a rate study number and the cost of operator.  

Stenger-If it weren't for this DCRSD the West Harrison TIF and Whitewater Mills would never have happened. Selling an asset of this magnitude - takes away from us helping with any other development that assists the county in the future.

If we give up ownership things that we did would never have happened had that private ownership been here back then.Their sewer bills would have been zero. (Guilford) Because it would never have been fixed. 

Stenger did not disparage the company- they are impressive, but…. Neither were several operators in the county notified of this RFP for operators as well. It does have shortcomings in this RFP. Finalization of asset purchase agreement is what’s on this RFP- nothing about the assistance of operating this district. 

This proposal and the timing of this proposal - Frank Kramer- DCRSD attorney told him that he can disclose the information in the proposal at this time. 

Why give an asset to a company ($8 million) and the company offers less? 

Cline wants to ask more information. It’s 88 pages?!
Stenger said this proposal makes him even less favorable for this. 

Wants to get rid of this proposal so we can quit kicking this down the road. We can start to see if we can get operator. 

Restated Motion to reject the Envirolink proposal so they can pursue operators. Also we have no other bids for fair numbers to compare this one with. motion was: Motion by Stenger to reject the Envirolink proposal so they can pursue operators. Also we have no other bids for fair numbers to compare this one with. Fehrman had 2nded . 

Cline noted they were advised by counsel they had to close the RFP bid time last meeting. And he said this was talked about at many meetings. He didn’t think that anyone really wanting to bid would not be discouraged by these things written on the RFP. Wants to go on for 45 days or more. Trying to table this.

Discussion continues with repeated references to the issues with private versus public and what services would have happened and which ones wouldn’t. Cline was strongly in favor of tabling and more discussion.  

Vote was Beiersdorfer, Stenger, and Fehrman to reject. Cline nay and Renihan, Baer and Shelton. Abstain. RFP was rejected?

Parliamentary procedure was called into question and verified by Stenger and Wright. The vote stands. They will check with Frank Kramer regarding this to be sure.

Next step to get RFP for operators to respond.

New Business: 

Stenger - he will come up with new ideas for the RFP for operator. 

Cline - continue the rate study with Steve Brock. From Cline to get him started. We do not have contact with him. $5,000 was his last one. Decide to continue to use him for $5000 NTE ( Not to exceed). More discussion. Approved.  

Office Update: 

$8.36 billing adjustment approved. 

Claims: 

for 3 different claims (they each have different accounts at the bank)- 

Lake Dildear $165,485.36 approved- note that reclaimed amounts go to separate account. 

Guilford $379,207.23 approved with the reclaimed amounts going into a separate account. 

Operating claims paid- approved. 

Thatcher came up to board - showed and read the text from Andy Baudendistel saying that there was no statute that he was aware of regarding Baer and Shelton voting or not voting as county employees.

Adjourn: 7:50 PM

Christine Brauer Mueller

Lawrenceburg Township