4:40 we'll open up the sewer commissioners meeting April 15 Ela and I Brian Donico I Okay so start with meeting minutes I'd rather wait till Brahm Bill comes to to go through those
Uh so that means your update update from superintendent Okay Um it's been so crazy lately I'm a little unprepared for my update other than uh I'll give you a little fill in of some of the chaos that happened over the course of the weekend
We had a effluent pump fail of the FD actually blew up and burnt out Major catastrophe on it So we were down at two effluent pumps as of Saturday
morning Come 2:00 Saturday afternoon we had a second effluent pump go out So we're running the plant on one effluent pump I talked to Elaine a little bit about it Um we had the electricians come in today They found that one of our VFDs is
completely shot So we've got to open up a ticket with Schneider to have them come in and assess what's going on with that VFD Uh the second VFD is actually we learned today is running okay but the pump that it runs the bearings got bound
up in it So today they actually took a good pump swapped it in for the bad pump and we by today end of day we have two functioning BFDs and two functioning effluent
pumps So we're we're good at this point Um certainly we have to take care of opening a ticket for the third VFD that shot and send a pump out to get bearings And this is all new equipment from the upgrade That was my next question and
just answer That's not good Warranty still maybe More than likely not One year warranty is typical on a lot of this stuff We already had a pump at Marian Drive that um wrapped up let's say Um and that was
about a year and a half in and 997 hours on it Is this a glue pump or what manufacturer Uh say Patterson I'm not sure if that's the manufacturer or the supplier Just thinking
China We'll never see the thing I don't I don't know what the situation So from what I understand it's bearings and seals So those those that should be able to be rebuilt Um as far as where they get these BFDs
um we have a spare It was given to us actually for free Um but before we put that in we've got to make sure that whatever caused it isn't going to blow out on us there So that's part of the process opening up a ticket and getting
Square D and uh Snider in to take a look at it CVM in Waldo if this is a from a respect point of view I don't know if there's a you could approach them about it but typically it's one of those things that it's
speced out that it's accepted by CDM It's equal or equivalent No I get that I'm just wondering if there's a way they can on their nickel it's their design Just take a look at it and see if there's something It it just strikes me
as very odd I'm sure it does you too And not just one but one I can understand Two that's a there's a defect in something Yeah One is a VFD The second one actually turned out to be the pump Uh so as the VFD is delivering
electricity to to spin the motor the bearings were bound up in the pump and it was like putting a brake on So then it started putting more amps to it and once it thought it was putting 80 amps to it um just burn that's when the pump
was only spinning at 17% didn't lift up the check arm for a flow uh continuity signal and it shut everything down So at this point by putting one of our other pumps in its place we can at least get
that second system functioning But we're we'll be running with two until further notice And we did have the guys are great We had a plan that if that third one went out we were just going to gravity flow it over to the leeching
field under the transfer station There you go For itself it's a blessing in disguise at this point The emergency was about to score right It's not big enough for anything else but an emergency So we're also looking at some internal things that we can do maybe next year to
be able to circumvent those issues by doing changing plumbing internally and using an intermediate pump tying into our effluent system and pumping out that way So where where we've had already sec two VFD failures and pump
failure on that affluent line there's something going on Yeah we had actually CDM their electrical engineer came in today who was very helpful in determining that's what I meant is get some troubleshoot because they designed this little synchronicities they may
know from we did it over here and we had the same problem now we got to fix it you know and his name Rob Goss from CDM he's been absolutely fantastic we even reached out to him on Saturday morning on Saturday afternoon he checked in a couple times with us
He's he's a fantastic person to have on your team So he's been very helpful And Ron and Boss Rob Rob Yeah And he like I say he was in today um with the electricians that did all the work on the upgrade And one of the guys
in particular Jim did all the wiring to these and knows about the signaling and some of the problems with communications because they all have like their own IP address and the signals have to talk to each other and every if the stars aren't align nothing's going to work for you So
between him and Rob they have a pretty good knowledge of what's going on there So it was helpful Good So um other than that I've um been continuing with my labor interviews I've got to check some references
tomorrow Um but I think I'm getting close to making a decision Just got to check some references So that end is going good And that you'll be fully staffed except for the one who's out Yes and the injured
um individual he's I believe going in this week for another evaluation So we should have an update towards the end of the week So hope hopefully that goes good
And other than that we've just been dealing with a lot of um administrative stuff lately with town meeting coming up end of the year budget trying to get an idea on our betterments We've had some discussions today uh with some of
different departments Kathleen uh Keith and getting through some details So as much as we learn we still don't know Also we're still digging through a lot of different issues on that and trying to look at the whole history of the betterments
and documentation collection of funds um all that sort of stuff So that that'll take some work to get through but we've kind of come up with a least putting some heads together today to see how we get there But yeah and um what Aaron is doing is going to
be a big part of all of this with um the fact she's already gone through every single property and she's know she knows what's been paid and what hasn't been paid So that'll be a big big positive to get to the other side of all this So she'll continue doing what she's doing
Um and as far as um other resources we'll wait till after town meeting Got to get through that first Yep district And um the Jeie has the munis call on on
Thursday to talk about the first filed um test file for the bill file Uh she's got about 150 properties identified that she's going to work with them on the she's got the file format It's pretty much filled out she'll work
with them to uh validate what she's put in the columns is accurate Um and the fact that um hopefully they'll run it through their system just for the heck of it I'm just so I'm clear on this These are the ones that were found
in this analysis 650 No this is this is our special assessments for lease Oh the special Okay I'm sorry Just a test sample 150 All right It looks like 150 properties Um and we'll move along Then she's got um another meeting scheduled I
think it's May 8th that we're our goal is to have every single property that's getting a special assessment to be the file format the file completely done by May 8th to run the complete file through
Munis So if anything's going to kick out because of anything you know we've done it'll kick out then and when we when the files turned over to the assessors it should be as clean as we can get it after couple of runroughs with mutis
Just going back to the other one that that's what we actually just seems to be going on pretty well I know I came in to see Jean and she was on her way to see Aaron Aaron was tied up with some other people So I never got the closure of that but she sounds like
she's into almost more than halfway through Yes And there's a the reason 150 that's the number that's in my head Okay Of how many discrepancies missing things are That's not bad About 10% Yeah That's how many That's halfway So
you go add that 150 to 150 is 300 out of 2,100 something whatever that number is That's it She'll give us that Yeah No because that's so it's it's moving along Um Kathleen we will for for the
production file we'll need a you know a couple of charge codes which you can whatever you decide um one for principal one for interest and then I' I've asked Jeie if she can reach out
to Ken to see if um they if a coordination can be done with Kelly and Ryan just to run run the file like through to the to not necessarily print but to view make sure that the special assessments show up on the bill Okay
We would probably we would do that as for the whole thing We wouldn't I don't think we could parse it out and send that unless they didn't pass Yeah Yeah That might be problematic We'll have to see Okay Yeah So um Yeah because
if it's going to Yeah I mean because we have to make sure that everything goes over We don't want to you know like if sometimes if you go too far you can't go back and start over Yep We go through they test assessing and and collective They go through and and
probably go through test at least a dozen times to make sure it works That's that's good That's something I'll say is where do you know this is total aside You know the new mass million cards Yeah They
don't work No the new what cards Mass million cards They just change it to $5 Yeah They don't work If you try to do them they make up numbers for you And a lot of people don't know this They're actually pulling a number They're not getting but nobody's they don't see it on TV because they're trying They're
back pulling them all out every store since they start And I'm talking about you know talk about let's see if this works Oh no Let's just put it Whoops I can't help it My IT background comes up Testing Just you're doing the
right thing is a giant corporation with the millions and millions of dollars every minute They want to make money So they're like "Oh wow." You know this we're very very thorough Can we sell lottery tickets to name the new leeching field Yeah there you go Get a sponsorship for it or something Name the
Bernto Well I haven't talked about the the side of the build of the new tank right there coming into the transfer station Do some advertisements Only cost you a million dollars Okay So so it sounds like we are we're pausing
well collectively pausing on the betterments but Erin's still moving along making good progress Um it's making very good progress Um budget I think the numbers are good for the budget for town meeting My my question
for is the article question on listing what was the phrase listing the um was that mass water pollution abatement trust Yeah motion kind of went over that with Dave like
so that's a it's a it's an odd thing because we're not getting any money from them like they have they have netted out all the the debt schedules like so when they recalculate and give us on the full schedule for a
debt service it is they take into account any loan forgiveness or or interest adjustments So what they list is what we pay So like that was taken into account before that adjustment was made and then like kind of showing that but it's it's
mis that that language is misleading because we're not getting money from them it it my only question is this is how it's been for and I know the past but these are the
breakouts that illustrate that even though the invoice may be that amount this is still a number that is reducing our debt because we have a total debt number right and then from that debt number
items are used to reduce it whether it's the subs the subsidy well the subsidy actually is money that gets transferred that's an actual entry whereas this would makes it sound like it's apples that's more like apples and oranges
um that's not money that's actually being moved from anywhere because it's put in the same kind of description you know I transfer money from the general fund to wastewater I transfer money from betterments over to wastewater but I do not transfer any money from mask water
trust So it kind of looks like there's money coming from them and there isn't Then does our debt get reduced by the million Yeah the the debt service that's listed is the the 4 million is after this 1 million That's no it's 2 something
million 2.774 You look at the right Yep That's the debt service net of and this has been vetted by council Okay Because I I just can you just put that in writing
to me because you can get it from council because I just want to because it also says raise and appropriate and that's that we've never had that language before I just need to understand it
That's all That's just Well Jay can that'll work Okay Um what this is really saying is we've been going on a process for 25 years from a different council telling us what to do Well it's been Jay for at least the last but then then
that's what I'm saying We I'm to his defense He picked up on something that was going on because I mean most of his exactly the same He picked up on that I think he started to look back and maybe something changed in the state law or whatever But um I think
that's if that's has to be done that's has to be done and that's fine Yeah I just need to get wrap my head around it But I will defer to him because um like from my point of view when I'm looking motions are what I live by That's that in the whole article I do
exactly as it says It looks like I'm trying to take money from somewhere where there is no money So it it can be a little confusing Well they like it's just netted out They never like give it to us and then then we give it back type of thing or you know every year they're not giving us money to pay our debt They
just recalculate it So um they just like readjust it I know a lot of that language was actually in insisted on by D The way it was originally done was their council telling us you ain't getting anything until this is how the I mean that's just
the history things move you know Yeah Well if D or someone else wants it like that then by all means let's have them do that but without their input that question That's that's that's a good point I'm glad you
said that That's I'm in the middle of D stuff right now So yeah but like that's between that's our attorneys So and then you know if they want to change it but for me I was like when I first started looking at it I was like there's I was
like where what is this for I was like I was like we don't have any money from them Like how would I transfer or like it makes it look like it's funding source It it just gets a little confusing And if that's a legal requirement because of the nature of this your point though it's already it's
done I think part of it was when you had the original article and there was the SRF out there not none of these transfers had happened Now we're at the end of this process That makes sense that it might change only then But going into the process the language of TP Yeah
Yeah If they need it certainly will put it in I like they may not That's as long as I know what it's for Okay You know I hate to always go be like "That's why the way we've always done it just because I want to make sure I generally understand it because at the end of the day I'm the one who has to
find the numbers and move it around I just want to make sure it's right." And I and I understand how that comes across That's the way we've always done it But to that point if it changes we just need an explanation Sure Sure That's all right I'm sure gives this feedback It was it was
easier to follow the bouncing balls for me anyway The old way it would written right But so well the thing is is that the number to math mean water trust is just a calculation Yeah No I get it But I mean like that's not even from them
That's something that was done internally It's kind of on the back side And this comes into all of the betterment stuff that you know we're trying to follow exactly every penny which is what I want to do but like for that number when I looked at it it's just a percentage
formula in in Carol that's why it's you know this year it might be Jay's fine with it just leave it the way it is what we're used to when we wrap our heads around the other numbers then we can all collectively change it Yeah I mean if that number came from Math Clean
Water Trust and said "If you want this," then I would be all for it but this isn't something from them So this is what's coming out then This this waste letter that's coming out where I circle in the new version Uh no this is
this isn't in the new version The water the highlighted section is it in is not in this year's article Okay And again we got we're really trying to account for every penny
and that's just jumped out and understanding right That's half the as you know I've been struggling through this stuff and not having an accounting background but and to see changes right before town
doesn't help Um okay So that's the budget Federal town meeting 26 will just be there Um special assessments I run through those that Genie's working on Uh we'll be working with Munis on that
Um and I understand that the assessors need their file no later than May 27th a clean file earlier would be much better just because it takes a long time and Kelly and Ryan is getting backed up
We just we can get the file over soon but we'll work with Genie Yeah because Yeah Yeah Well if everything's clean on May 8th for the final run through of all the 2,00 because we want to make sure it's
clean when the spreadsheets turned over Exactly um available capacity just the fact that you know we have capacity to sell So and on
the uh kind of ties into that Dave and I have a uh we've been dealing with CDM and these punch list items that are still remaining a few things somehow we got a schedule bus online this other stuff we're doing but that's that's a
important to get it wrapped up so we can get the actually finalized technically finalized but that'll be in the next three or four weeks after we raise and there's nothing we have to do um at
the golf course once we switch to the other field Do we should we send um so we got a letter or oh yeah maybe just as a notification just you know
this is what we're doing Um but as far as a leeching field we got to get a couple elevations on on the wells and then once that's done CDM has to do a final um just
layout of where they are and then I believe that gets filed with the D We'll take our samples and once our samples come in we'll have at least a starting point of what the groundwater looks like before we even add anything up there Okay Would you actually do samples
anytime but some of the walls aren't developed right One of them Uh no I think they were all developed We can do the samples anytime If we get people to do it do them anytime to see if they're behind us The thing is with this with the D they set up an electronic filing
process that the whales are turned on on their um Oh I get it Yeah On their pay So I would think that they've got to enter all their data for the well heights and everything else that they want in that I'm just saying to get the samples so we have those um we're not
rushing around Those will be a baseline and if we put that together 3 weeks later at least we have the data to add to it Yeah Just to get that you know if you have time to just I would just have to hold on to the data till the ED comes up That's what I'm saying But just have that so we know Yeah The reason I'm
saying is is there anything funny Those those aqua pits if that well over there it's like screaming higher nitrogen Well that's a big deal Yeah Okay I just want to make sure we're not to be pristine That's a good point
Like I just you know cut off any kind of surprises we Yeah There surprise might be going you know I mean if it's high it's just you know something else going over there that that aqua pit who knows the water's going differently than I thought it was in the first place It's going
towards it's going away from the industrial part which doesn't make sense Still doesn't make sense And that's another thing we had to prove is what really is it going So okay And then I didn't know if you wanted to update anybody on the the
water commissioners meeting Uh well we had a meeting Dave was with me We presented um the concern that we had with our cash flow our betterments our everything I
presented and I had the benefit of talking with everybody before the meeting to give them a heads up why we were doing it The uh follow of the meeting I think it was a lot was a lot of good good discussion The followup of the meeting was that there would be another meeting
set up technically between myself Chris Faraka and the engineer Chris Berick And I got an email this morning I think Davis copied on it to set up a meeting on Thursday uh which we're going to do Um at the
same time we talked about I made it clear that we I had started discussing with the EP the um this concern and I learned and I had drafted a letter I suggested a Minnesota consent
order without penalty as one avenue that would help the water department go forward without a moratorum but still protect its interest that had it had raised because of their concerns and I also suggested a letter is something that D would send to the
water commission and us in the town do the same thing like different ways of doing it BP has uh I sent them a draft letter They're reviewing it But what they're doing and I think it happened today so it's public knowledge is that
they looked at the fact they hadn't done a sanitary survey in a while to the town Kingston water but that is an audit of the entire system And my understanding is they're coming down either today or tomorrow to do that And what that does
is it says okay all the different criteria that they worry about including the ones that have been brought up as the reason for why a mortorium is in place They look at all these things and say okay this is good this is good this isn't so good this isn't so good this this needs work and
but at the end of the day it will be you don't need a moratorum but these are my these are our D's hot button issues that you need to address right now and also recognizes as the what has done they're spending a lot of money they're under
contract to get a new well they're in process of doing that and I suggested again that we would work with them to try to help them expedite their process so that it's not as was mentioned maybe four or five years away having this pipe
worked up in the well functioning maybe we can expedite that but that's a different subject but let's get by the you don't need the moratorum this is why and the theme is you have one environmental program that's very important and another environmental
program is very important that they both support and they're conflicting each other just because of circumstances Yeah let's get out of that conflict that we don't have to have and carefully go forward That's the thing and hopefully it will resonate
Good Sounds like it was productive M if I can just add a little to that too is you know part of the discussion was that you know even if they were to say okay you can start developing and and tying into the system
that all of a sudden it's not going to come on hard you know there's going to be someone file for building permit then there's a few months before the permanent process goes through by the time you start digging and creating your your building and actually tapping into
the water system You know that alone could take over a year for things to happen Could take multiple years So it's it's not like there's an immediate need that all of a sudden there's someone asking for $200,000 200,000 gallons of water It's going to
be trickling in and as that starts to develop it'll start helping our process Yes And the whole time that well is going to start you know getting constructed So those two items are going to come closer together This is going to be a smaller gap That's a very good
point that that you have a lot of concern Yeah And and the end the other part of that is if you're a business person developing wanting to develop land that's vacant on Route 3A which is lots of right now that will support our tax
revenue townwide not just commission townwide because a lot of those do have water but still if you develop them into a higher um value there's more taxes So on multiple levels if you tell us if you
tell the public business community we are on a water they're not going to look at us right So you have to set it up where get them thinking that you know we're open for business We want to have some really good development there Whether it's if it helps the sewer commission directly great because that's
where our issue is But it helped the whole community and that's the whole idea You're not the only ones to leave that world I mean everybody So that I mean Dave brought that I thought of it that way You have a a yearly lead time We if
a time if something is approved today it'll be a year maybe a year and a half a good project before it actually starts taking water and then before people start realizing oh I can start thinking about developing again That's more delay that you know it's it's going to be a
process And if it takes four years to to develop this well and have it functioning that it's feeding the town you've got another year or two of permitting process You only have a two-year window that you're concerned about capacity for lot issues
I know Lane's talked to Kingston Business Association So I reaching out for a lot of these kind of ideas letting them know we're doing everything we possibly can to get this thing resolved but you know they're sitting there waiting No one's going to do anything right No one's going to spend a million
dollars or $2 million investing in a piece of land if they don't have an answer on the end So I think we're all going the right direction Yeah Good Okay And then I just put in here that public hearing that we're going to have in May
after town meeting uh to set the betterment special assessment amount Um we'll resetting two We'll have one the special assessment for the leeching fields That'll be the lesser amount And then we'll have another one that will um
have to rethink whether or not we want to pay $22,000 for a connection fee that we have now or if we want to right So uh that'll be that'll be the discussion at that meeting what that amount should be because the special
assessment will be whatever the debt is divided by whoever's paying And on that point I brought this in Tell tell me if this this is what we did in the super commission 1999 is that's not what we actually have
now I don't think no but it's very detailed for the first phase There's a lot of calculations in that Oh this stuff is is that familiar to you The words are yes not this format but
yes Okay Especially the sewer unit value determination Yeah I was gonna have Jean make a copy and send out all us but some of this is in our show our just might give some background to how we came up with it and how we did it Focused on the first two contracts and
give give us the remind myself how we came up with I mean going back to what Dave brought from Howitch Yeah you know our numbers at 22 re 22 looks like 44 48,000 and the
number that Fouch is using was like 54,000 Yeah Somewhere on a present day value point of view we're not far off from we were looking 20 years ahead Yeah So I'm I'm that's more that when I was start with 36 of 38,000 that may be low
and real in real value to a to a property So that's it's more it's not it's not a simple thing Yeah And that was I hope I'll make copies that scan it in Yeah that'll be good because this this calculation is is in our rules and regulations and it's basically the
betterment cost divided by I looked at quickly the one we have actually and it's not this one Maybe this is what confusing me It's um it's still 33 still the same Okay Yeah And that's the sewer unit units
The special assessment will be by EIUS not property So that maybe if you're the mall you're paying more than you are for single family home So but that'll just basically be the debt divided by whoever's paying whether a third by the town or 100% by the customers The debt
Yeah The debt and and it be the debt basically And then this gets into other costs There's no other cost you can throw into that legitimately for uh escalation That's
one The other one was just uh unforeseen circumstances that was like pumping things that are things that are not necessarily being picked up by the onm items that would be in that period of time Those are two that D allows you
to wants you to think about Um and we did that with the uh the original veterans So we we uh just so this is on the record We did a lot of water um we replace water lines because so we're not if you're
doing a sewer you there's one cost okay You put the sewer in you hook that thing up all that's good But when you're doing the sewer because the pipes are so old they're transite they break So now you have an added cost You can't anticip you can anticipate it but you can't get a number on it So you're allowed to put in
the in the legal way that Ben is set up you're allowed to put it in a kind of a lack of a better word it's a slush fund but it's but it's it's a legitimate how do we cover the unforeseen circumstances which is probably a legal term But there's got to be a way to do that
Otherwise we're now picking up another cost that is legitimately thought of the betterment Um the only other way to do it is to have a separate sewer connection fee that gets into that and then not to the labor point Let's say we
have that 106 well Yeah I mean the 106 pump station and we're going up to circumvent circum circum go around the all the south wells that are getting contaminated by sewage Now um that may or may not be something we can do out of
veterans or it becomes a special cost that the town picks up okay as a it's because it's for the well right Okay To protect So we'll they'll participate in it So somehow we have to be thinking in front of everybody that all right the users are going to pay a vet but we're not going to pay the whole vet Maybe
they're going to pay a partial because that particular bike only that one is is unique And then the ones if we're trying to solve the problem at Grace Beach they pick up the whole thing They had the choice of doing this and they kicked the chin down the road 20 years ago We
picked up all that already We already invested that money So you pay the whole thing It's just long as it's understood that we're better could change and we have to keep ourselves aware that we may have some unexpected cost we have to build into it Once we're done we're done
Yeah Yeah So we'll get that scheduled because we have to do the twoe notice in the newspaper So we'll we'll I'll work with Genie to just pick a date because then we'll have to get out letters to all the
sewer customers stating they have the option of saying the special assessment in full and if they don't sign the form then it'll automatically be spread out over 19 20 years
So that's where Erin's spreadsheet are coming in too So do you have anything Kathleen Um no I know there was some discussion about the betterment calculation I know that
does talk more about it but I just um figure that out what what just so we because we we we can't talk about it till as a board until um public hearing Yeah there was just concern about the calculation I think
that there was um some discussion about the the special assessment not being for the full that service because then new users um wouldn't
be it would be hard to to calculate how you're going to create the new fee is what would that be paying and that's the two fees we'll be talking about at the May meeting because right now we have the debt for the special assessment We know what that amount is And then in
future new sewer customers would be paying anywhere from currently it's $22,000 for a single family home up to how is paying over 50,000 So that's would be new customers
Is that that money we be going towards If you've covered all your debt service what is those what is that government It's the balance it's the balance for project cost It's it's the balance of what has not been accumulated to date
for the upgrade So it just be for the expansion Expansion Yeah Well and whatever other infrastructure needs there would be Yeah There'll be some piece there There's a way I'm looking at it is we we have okay the numbers in my
head are $38 million is what we needed for the expansion and the two tanks and there's a delta unpaid we haven't got fees already put in the bank we have some we have we have other people paid
extra we have so there's a delta I don't know what that delta is but I think it's 14 million about $14 million of 38 It's not accounted for And then there's a seven or eight million police We have like 400,000 for the fourth tank
right Yeah Somewhere I think we have four in betterments now Yeah And then there's a shortfall about 375 37 Yeah 375 times the 20 years right 30 for the plan expansion Okay That's
Yeah Whatever it is Yeah So 370,000 * 30 just there was a a thought 11 million I was thinking 14 It's that's 11 million So we have to come up with $1 million to pay off that debt Then this
announce I just mentioned a little bit more And then still the 7 million that's for the fourth million Well the 7 million would be paid in full with these proposed betterments and special assessments whatever right I think we're
looking at if we if we are able to once we get we have to get to town meeting that's the problem We haven't got this answer yet right But once we get through it I mean I think legal the best situation was we only need this one year You know if we if we if we get the
betterment open the betterments open and we have five projects in the next year that total I'm thinking in terms of the same size of the mall is that was 6 million three I mean 3 million 28 yeah
3.2 million right 3.2 that that paid for the sewer line paid for the pump station pay for the engineering design The other way we look at it is this betterment of 36,000 or 39,000 or whatever it is would be used to get that
11 million paid off faster And what's once paid off the 7 million we could draw that down faster So the assessments could actually be terminated not in 20 years but in fact you know we
well then you're making people pay more So what's your solution We have debt to pay So I I've got a a thought on this So if we're looking at a special assessment for leeching right
And to Kathleen's concern is all right say all these current users pay that special assessment for the leeching field If it were more an infrastructure cost
So once those people pay for that if there's more users coming in if they also have an infrastructure cost that at least can upkeep any any upkeep we need to do on on the pump stations because once this is all it's
things never end You look at just our situation with the VFDs this week Yeah that's my point Well there's about a $70,000 just boom in one day just spent on a pump and a VFD You've got 16 uh pump stations
You've got 16 pump stations at the pumps generators electrical panels all those are 24 years old So there's going to be a point that those need replacement So with the electric company they have that transmission cost
So instead of looking at it more as a bleaching field better it's an infrastructure um assessment So that way if it were fully paid at the leeching field then the new
infrastructure costs that are being charged to people can go towards future infrastructure costs that you won't have to then in 15 years add another cost to people that that that will fill in that void because you got to start looking
further ahead with some of this stuff too Well user fees are going to have to go up to pay for that too That's that's another thing we usually do But again we're offsetting different numbers for the same purposes Well and that's it And as we sell the capacity for the fourth tank uh we're getting the infrastructure
fee cost and um user fees So as the user fees come in will we like we said we reevaluate our user fees It may be we give relief on that end and um continue with the infrastructure So that's why
you deal mixed too vitamins and their goes to the bank right Bank So the $70,000 we're not going back right for that Right Yeah You'd have more of a capital fund Yeah For Yeah Because that's that's more maintenance and
upkeep rather than a new project which is really what betterments are for They're not necessarily for repair of existing should be It should be more of a capital type of you know like reserve for capital you know and that's that's how things should
run Like the betterment should pay for your project costs your borrowing and and then but you you know you need money set aside for different things like that But and that's it because you don't want to overcharge people on betterment No we're very sensitive Come to our public
hearings the um the the thing is the and I it's all verbiage but betterments can only be charged once on a property That's why we use the term connection fee special assessments legally can only charge a property one betterment So
working with Jay years ago we got the connection fees in in line So you know I just want to make sure that we can all come to you know working agreement because you know hearing some
people this or some you know it's just you know let's just answer the questions and get it resolved so none of us have to revisit this every day every year There was um a lot of cons a lot of concern about charging people too much
in this new special assessment and I in because you're having the the existing users pay for the entire leeching field project What's the option that as new users come on they would be benefiting
from the expansion of this leeching field because that's you had to replace it but you also expand it You did it one for one then you'd be like those users pay for their new reaching but this is bigger you're using it for more users you have capacity that's what new
betterments people who come on from it would be paying for that was the thought process that you are putting quite a burden financially on the existing users to pay for replacement of something of like continuation of
service and that decision was made because we had we were looking had no ability to get any veterans in the short term So we're kind of in a quandry that we have to not play but we have to think about what if we don't get
this moratorum over We're we're looking at huge amounts of money So I know we we're taking a pretty And those are the uses that would use it Yeah Sure Sure for the unknown but to change it you know when there's like oh we can cut it off early or do whatever You're going
through a leave process saying I need money for 20 years because I have 20 years of expenses It's just brainstorm and bouncing around Well I just want to make sure that you know we don't go through a lot of work to create betterments and and and task other
departments with a lot of work and then it turns out you're like ah never mind You know just to be fair to everybody Well in the in the short term then we have debt to pay That's the issue right And that's not the only method to pay for it but it is I know And as far as using um a lot of consumption use of
fees that can get into a what ament of fee on the the bill then you have flexibility to adjust them accordingly Whereas you are making a 20-year commitment to every person who
is hooked up they have to pay this amount Well and this other side of that is when we put on a special assessment a lean lean goes on the property right So we're guaranteed no matter what happens
with that property that we'll get that money But whereas if it's on a user fee if it's on a regular consumption bill if someone doesn't pay it goes right on the property It gets leaned to the tax bill right But that all same enforcement tax
title same enforcement That all takes time So does tax Okay No I mean like I'm just saying like at the end you have like a six months a year difference behind You still have legal enforcement you would not be where
you were unable to collect the funds Who's concerned with we're charging the customer I am Okay So this is No I'm not the only one by any mean because I want to make sure that this passes muster and it passes DO that they are okay with it
Is usually that the IGR states that you need to have reasonable proportional assessments of a project cost That's right The current people who are on the sewer were paying for that cost unless town meeting is generous enough to say that they should be environmental
stewards and pay a third of it I mean we are charging the pool of people who are currently right using the services It just I guess my thought was at some point in the future you're going to have new users
Correct and and so they are paying for just a very small portion of the project whereas existing users are paying for a much larger well if we're if I infrastructure fee is upwards of over
20 30,000 proportionately they're paying more than the debt that the current sewer customers would be paying for the leeching fees you just it's just a slippery slope to use betterment is for
like us funds in case things go bad It's supposed to be projects supposed to be under funding sources I mean we can go over it No I I think we've you know there's differences of opinion Certainly what we're doing is legal or we wouldn't
have been able to do it for the years that we have with the different projects that we've done And I just want to make sure that you know it's not miscommunicated that we're doing something inappropriately No I just want to make sure The town council was pretty clear that
it had to be a reasonable assessment If he thinks 100% is reasonable I will go with that Well if somebody's going to raise it now's the time to raise it because I haven't I've raised it repeatedly Risk but I haven't heard anything We did in the email Pete said
that the amounts we put out there were reasonable Well if I mean I don't know what more I think 100% of the debt service if you want if legal counsel says if he says it's great more power okay then let's get that answered so we
can put this to rest because this has been um a conversation for way too long right and I do want to stress that you understand just just because semantics and we are going to revisit the motion as well but to make sure that you know
that these betterments won't fund F126 budget as it is now Okay help me understand that because the motion that you were looking at earlier doesn't include that new money I know So what does all that mean We're going to have a shortfall No you're going to just use
user fees The revenue has to come No it has to You don't explain to me So you're saying we won't have money that if we start these special assessments July 1st that money can't be used to pay debt
No Because it's not in motion right That's how you fund a budget Vote a town meeting how much you want to use and from what sources I So I'll put out a general motion in the middle to jail and ask them because
it's the money doesn't exist right now That's why I thought I actually thought you were voting on how much the veterans tonight We can't We have to have a public hearing for that that we can't have till after town meeting to see if they're going to be paying the third Okay I I just want I just want to be
clear and we can we can talk very very specifically and I don't want to email with Jay I want to talk to him on the phone Well so this is public because back and forth and this one replies and this one's typing and well this is the first that I've heard that I have
repeatedly repeatedly repeatedly repeatedly Well that's good So on our article the 2026 the way it's written now we have
with the additional monies we asked to pull from Yep You have that article at 37 that covers our expenses for 2026 Yeah But your revenue number is very very high because you're picking up the extra you
got to pay for the leg and field debt service with but we've got that wrapped up because you still have that other you have the expansion debt that doesn't have full coverage of benefits and then you have a leeching field that has no coverage of benefits So between those
two you have the 370 article and then you have increased revenue Yes And that increased revenue plus our septage revenue plus the article we're pulling from balances out our FY26
numbers Yeah I just want to make sure without without this betterment coming into play even though ideally that's what we want is the new assessment to pay for the and I think like if it's voted and there's an adjustment that needs to be made about funding sources
it's probably something that could be revoted at full town to make an adjustment to the budget But I did ask that question in one of the emails because I was surprised to hear So Dave we're covering all our debt
for 26 that's covered without the special assessment with increased revenue Yes And a special article Increased revenue from the user the user fees are paying for the operating buds
Well the user fees are also going to pay for some of your debt service That's not the acceptage I mean revenue as a whole but any like acceptage and user fees are your funding source Yes And fees and then betterments go towards your debt service but your betterments
are not enough to cover all of your debt service User fees are paying for the operating budget Accepted revenue is paying for the fourth tank The expectation was special and let correct me if I'm wrong the special assessments would be paying for the
leeching field debt with the first payment in July and the second payment in January that but if that doesn't go through we have that article you have in front of me one for FY26
I mean if you read how the motion is written now it's using how Everything was structured to 26 without the new special assessments Yes So I just I just wanted to be clear
Yeah And that's where I help understand as if you mind the So when I say water department revenue that's user fees and then septage as well So those combined we I can't parse out like this dollar goes for this Well
that's how we have to to make sure we have it all coming Well that's why I wanted to make sure that's why I sent that request to prove out the revenue number revenue big bucket will map will be okay because septage isn't build It's
correct No but I mean like you can't you can't forecast it because it's not a build thing like user are So on where is it showing that we're trying to pull from the do you have a that's the latest one that
I have I thought we were we were going to take it's in that on the short term that amount money that's already in the bank for this year Oh this part here the 25 or 26 25 or okay 26 26 transfer 370
from Yep from the that uh May 23 article 7 the 370 2 million from wastewater enterprise revenue So that's user fee septage you know other money that may come in And then um 1.163 million through a
betterment fund which is this year's allocation not taken into account for new special assessments That's what was previously mapped out And again this does not now take anything from that's already correct in
the bank Okay It's not taking anything from the 1.6 No because that's I know I just told you we're not taking anything from there No Does that make sense So I thought like if there
was if there was concern that this this revenue number was not obtainable that you maybe give consideration We don't we are very precise and um if if you didn't if we can't prove out to this number
that we use and then it would all because if you have money where you if you don't need it all that would be use 57 2 million56,600 which is considerable given between revenue and septage I'm
estimating 2.322 Okay But that additional surplus [Music] um will be rolling [Music]
into is that sentage surplus will be rolling into the fourth tank and then the 370 should be covering look at the numbers exactly but the um bleaching be alone Okay But
that's more like 420 I think I think 404 with the new new schedule So kind of what I sent the other day if you know if you guys can map it out So long as I can pres I can have this past
muster with the state that's fine with me If you if you can reach that number then great So like I want that to happen You know that's good That means that you know that's what we're trying to get to Right Right I just but I just want you know we just have to make sure that we
just have the documentation to back it up That's you know we do and that's why we compartmentize everything So we say yeah the verbiage was easier for me to follow the old the old school way Right Yeah I mean I kind of looked at it like and I
did you know allocate like this is debt and this is what's going to what you can do and try to figure out what goes where But at the end when you do the motion you kind of need the this money go all this money adds up to the total that I need for this
budget But you also have to remember you have the 365,000 in indirect costs that revenue has to cover as well This is just your budget This is your actual that plus
this has to be covered by all funds I think that's what's happening past Well it gets transferred out and then it's just this big hit that budget takes And so then well we had one year that all of a sudden everything fell off the cliff and that's what we've been trying
to recoup since then trying to figure out why We've always been able to cover everything including the town allocated costs So yeah something's happened But I there was a one year where there when I look back I can't remember what it was I looked it up months ago but there was
more expensive revenues of the year Oh yeah That's why we had the shortfall we did right And so that just put you really far behind We understand that That's what we're trying to correct it now Um so we'll look at the numbers D and um the numbers are off then we can
always amend them on the floor No I don't know Well ideally we we have it Yeah but if you have a change you got to make a change Well I mean that's why we're talking about it now So we can have it resolved and then this is written properly and there's no math errors or
issues or questions you know we can you know have it be clear Yeah Well you understand Where is mud I mean this is not the only article motion that I'm worried about Not worried about but like I have to keep track of So I'm just saying there's
a lot of moving parts to tell me worried about as far as making sure we have the revenue to cover the debt Yep And just to make sure like if things get changed I don't wanna like be like hold on
for any for any article not even this I understand I understand it's always just like we work so hard to try to get every dollar tracked that you don't want anybody to Yep mess with the process We're all on the same page We all want it to work Yep And have town meeting be
as clean as possible Yep No good if there's confusion No So that way I can go home and sleep at night Let's get this board and we can start become a just a memory quickly I hope so Okay
great So anything else No I make a motion to second All in favor