Open up the February 3rd civil commissioners meeting. Elaine Biori, Bill Watson. I Brian Don. >> Okay. So, let's segue. And any Nobody's on with us, correct? >> No. >> Okay. Let's segue into meeting minutes. >> I had a chance to look. I'll make a
motion. I I didn't look at all the other last two, but I did make I make a motion to approve the October 7th and October 23rd as amended. >> I'll second that. >> All in favor? I >> I >> And
the other Dave, you made the amendments on made changes on 129 was it? >> I can't say specifically. It was just a couple of things like I think AI picked up how lane and change it to island but
I didn't saw those out yesterday. >> Is that who's generating them? AI >> through AI. >> Okay. >> It's like the speech recognition. >> There were a couple of typos of you know sewing commission was civil commission or something.
>> Yeah. I didn't see I saw your last context was all still there. >> Do we want to hold off? have a guest between the guest on. >> Okay. Um, would the guests like to identify themselves for our records?
Do you have to unmute them or anything? Yeah. I'll let the records reflect that we have a guest on and we don't know who it is. >> You just brought up a good point. One more one more thing. Is it is possible because we used to we used to list who was here and who was absent.
>> Okay, thank you. >> If you could please I mean I was trying to figure out what meeting I was and that I know it was at least one of them. >> Okay, >> but thank you. >> Then let's hold off on 11:18 and 129 till everybody gets >> Okay. Um sewer extension project. Brian,
I added that. If you have something to talk about, fine. If you don't, fine. The only thing is um CDM's working. I think I mentioned that the woman work with us has sickness in her family. So I should have something this week. She said she'd have it today, but I didn't see it. >> Okay.
>> Um and then we just got a public records request um on the plan expansion project from um something uh settlement between Frasier and Mwood. about payment and what
whether there should be a change order or not. >> This went back probably well over a year ago. >> We thought it was resolved. They've asked for a public records request now. That's very very extensive. >> So Jean's working with legal counsel on
that to see how we provide them the information that they uh they needs >> and they haven't requested hasn't come back yet about the payment and whatnot. But Ben Moa sent me all of the bids, the amendments, and all of that stuff.
>> Okay. Um, update from superintendent. >> Okay. Um, since our last meeting, we've had our snow event, so everything went as well as it could. We had a few
challenges during the storm. uh storm started around midday on Sunday >> and we provided two operators to the highway barn from and this was pre-arranged with Sean and myself
highway department um we provided two operators from around 1:00 till midnight on Sunday and then we were short staffed I wanted to make sure our staff was rested so if we had an emergency at any time we couldn't respond to it
without safety concerns. Um during the time that our operators were out snow plowing, we had Riverside Drive pump clog up, the one that's been having these wipes coming down.
>> Yep. >> So, um during the storm, one of the guys got pulled off from plow in the Rocky Nook area and Carl was at the plant. The two of them went out, pulled the pump, dragged it, set it back into place. So,
that problem still exists. Unfortunately, they had to deal with it with the snow blowing sideways and, you know, >> good the snow off the, you know, the containment for it and everything else just to get to it. But,
>> it was good that they were flexible and be able to be able to pull them out for the period of time that Yeah. We need we needed the backup >> and and that was a discussion I had with Sean on you know Friday afternoon that if I give you someone at any time and that's how they work it with the water
department too if something happens all hands on deck you break loose deal with your own emergency and then come back. So there was a couple hours that we took Dave off of plowing but he got back on and they plowed till midnight.
Um other than that it was pretty uneventful. just moving snow around except it's dropped off for a day and a half but you know normal stuff. >> Question on the rag question again. Did the device we put in there to go get overloaded so much that it flip by?
>> That gets overload well gets loaded up after you clean it. It takes about two days and it's loaded up again. >> That's just weird. >> So >> that's a lot of stuff. >> Yeah, I mean that thing's about this big, right? >> It's a pretty good sized tray. Yeah.
you know, what we talked about before, getting that thing resolved is getting more more important. >> So, what we've moved into at this point, and again, some of it's a staffing issue. Um, there's just not enough time in a day to do everything we need to do, but we've been trying to deal with it on
Friday afternoon. Pull it, clean it out, set it back into place. So at least Friday it's dealt with and then whatever day we can free up in the beginning of the week, Monday, Tuesday, we'll try and do it again. >> You're not seeing a buildup in the other manholes yet?
>> We haven't gone through and pumped all the other manholes. >> Yeah. Because at some point in time you're going to get to a manhole not going to be any signs of it. This one now, >> right? So the next thing the the first point was to see if by sending mailers out door to door see if there'd be a
change of you know how these people operate whoever's doing it and there has as far as I can see has been no change. >> So that's when we put in this bar screen to catch all these things >> and you know that's every two days
filling up. It would be interesting if we could just get something we could make out ourselves like a rebar screen that we could put in every manhole upstream of this thing just temporarily and find out where like you just said where do you
>> springtime project something just go right in >> and that's that's the next step. Um it's just again with staffing, you know. Um unfortunately just even the weekend of the storm, we had one of our operators
had already planned on heading down to Virginia. So we were short staffed by one more person during the storm, >> of course. >> Um and he got stuck down there because all the flight delays, but it's, you know, it's manpower. If we had enough people to go out tomorrow on top of our
regular duties and go pop, >> you know, every major intersection manhole, we could pop it and to Brian's point, put an obstruction in there to catch things and then okay, is is this the product that we're trying to find >> and just chase it until we get to the
>> middle point? No. Well, it's if it's up here starting anyway, you know, it's coming from that side. >> Yeah. So right out of the station, you can go left or right with the piping. So we put something there. We know it's coming from the right. We track >> then you get up to another intersection
and it splits again. Is it coming from this way or that? >> No, you say pitchfork down. >> You see the catching over this side. >> All you need is one rag to get on one. Okay, here they go. >> Rick on a string. >> Totally lost
popcorn. >> Yeah, exactly. So it's it's on the list, but it's, you know, one step at a time and yes, >> it's it's on it's on the list on top of all the other things that go on the daily basis. So we're working on it.
It's ongoing for >> unfortunately that many man hours every every week, every month and cost is being getting prohibited to a certain point that >> it's at least two stops over there a week to pull the bombs and pull the screens, clean them all up, put them
back in. So they're not doing preventive maintenance on anything else because they they have to focus on that. >> Yeah. On top of your daily routine, there's not a lot of free time right now, >> right? >> Uh hopefully that'll change, but you
know, we're I just heard today our person that's out for the shoulder is going to be re-evaluated one month from today. >> Okay. So there's another month. >> They're about 75% mobility at this point. So there's been improvements
and um there's going to be a discussion this week um internally with HR, myself and Carl and we're going to see if we can figure out a way to maybe introduce a light duty
protocol. >> Oh, come next month. >> Good. >> So we're going to investigate it and talk about it. So we we don't have any decisions yet but hopefully >> are we are we allowed to hire him review
>> but then again your budget has his him in the you know >> yeah right now I believe his pay is all going through you know what's that >> work is gone >> work is gone >> okay >> so it hasn't really been attacked in my budget but it might on the backside
through town allocated costs >> I don't we work as a lot more expensive than hourly range. >> Yeah. And what I have done, I actually reached out to two different contractors lately uh to see if they could give me pricing. >> But just that just for
>> if I had to call someone in if we had an emergency, we don't have enough bodies to handle it. I want to be able to pick up the phone, >> know what their rates are, and that they'll be able to help us. So, I started doing that uh a week ago, and I'm waiting for two people to respond. >> Oh, good. >> So, >> proactive.
>> Good. Yeah, just you know, you never know when your next emergency is going to pop up. So, um other than that, we have been um asked to provide the budget for FY27.
And uh that's where we're kind of stuck in the mud with a bunch of different uh issues of concern or you know, things that we need to think about as a whole department. Um, you should have a pack
in front of you with page 1, 2, 3, and four on it. So on page one, um, if you look at our FY26, what we'd be looking to do to change
from the FY26 to FY27 on the upper section is all your personnel. So, um, elected officials, wage and personnel, clerical, labor union, overtime, longevity, and licenses.
So, where we've been struggling being short-handed, um, we discussed about getting admin to help Jeanie in the office so that she can get a little bit of her day-to-day activities taken away from
her responsibilities and to concentrate more on the betterments and financial side of things in the office and try and make sure that everything's been accounted for in the last eight or 10 years where we've had a lot of absences
or turnovers in the admin position, there's a lot of things that we've discovered that there could be a few holes that need to be plugged. So, um, she hasn't had the opportunity to really dive deeply into that because there's other dayto-day activities that are
really clogging up her dayto-day. So between adding the admin position part-time and adding a full-time operator, those those would be the two changed items
in the personnel side. When we go down through our expenses, the one big category that's going to change is our electricity. Currently, our electric budget is 382,000.
And with the rate changes and the extra usage of electricity going from three uh two tanks to three tanks um mostly due to the increase in costs. Our electric bills fall from 382 to
about 435 in our budget. about a $50,000 difference >> and that includes the the rate increases that just keep on coming, right? >> For the alliance. >> Yeah. >> So, from what I understand, the rate will stay the same for the next, I
believe, three years. >> Okay. But all the transmission costs and all the extra >> fluff that they throw into our bill, which is more than the actual electricity charge, you know, it's all this stuff to supplement all the extra
stuff that they want to >> and the rate 9 cents to like 11.4. So >> that's still >> that little amount with the amount of energy. So it's a combination of of t the third
tank in addition to rate increases. So what we've yeah the rate increase for the electric and the delivery charge has gone you know quite quite higher than it than it had been. So the other thing is to try and offset some of the cost
plant. We are taking in more septage >> right >> and you take in more septage then you need to airate more because it's a high concentration. So that you know uses more electricity but the value that it brings right you know with
doubling up >> it always >> our income from septage and I don't want to say it's a small increase but relative to the increased cost of electricity we're getting value from that so there is an increase in in
electric use but it's more tied to the increase in cost for electricity >> just these two items represent a 10 a little over 10% increase in the budget from one year to the next. >> Yeah. >> Which is
a good thing in one way. >> Yes. >> It rep the thing that jumps out. It just represents the whole written study being a m every couple year thing to deal with that. >> Yeah. Jeie and I were talking about that
because that'll become more obvious as we go through some of these pages. But as far as categories, that that would change. I've tried to zero out everything else. So, um fuel for heating, we were actually we got a
very efficient uh furnace a few years back and it's really been helping with our gas usage to heat the the plant. So that won't change any equipment repair. I I'm going to keep that at zero. Vehicle repair, zero
change. The next item that's going to change significantly is contract services. So our sludge pickups at the plant, that's a three-year contract. It historically has gone up 5
6% every year for the last three years. and that goes out to bid this year again. So I'm expecting that it's going to be about a 5% increase as well. >> So um in addition to that, we've had a few more pickups because we're
generating a little more sludge. >> So there's been kind of a dual effect on that side as well. But again, there's value in that extra septage coming in. uh equipment maintenance is going to stay the same, engineering services the
same. So if I just follow down the line, basically electricity is going to change and contract services and then a small change on chemicals. Um couple years ago we got into a
chemical co-op and saw almost a let's see 20 about a 30% decrease in cost from going in the chemical co-op. >> Excellent. >> But, you know, now those prices are
slowly coming up. Um, so I just want to increase that by just >> 3,000 $3,000 which is very minimal on that end. >> Um, so our big ticket items are the increased personnel and electricity and
contract services. Now the um just before the expense side um by being proactive with the with the new heating system and and the chemicals you've you've actually maintained
um these costs for for a few years now. >> Yes. >> So that that in it of itself just maintaining and is remarkable. So, thank you for all the time and energy you spent on that. Um, if the personnel
side, what are the these um include the union contract increases? So, yes, if you look at the increase from year to year, the way we've been asked to prepare the budget is to not include the cost of living, >> okay,
>> raises, >> okay, >> because the union contract is also up this year, >> okay? So they don't have the cola set. >> Okay. >> But each person is locked into at least a step increase. >> Okay. So this includes all steps and so
that includes the steps. It doesn't include what potentially would be cola as well. Um, and the additional admin and laborer, I'm sorry, admin and
technician, plant operator would equal out to between the two of them about 82,000. >> Yes. >> Okay. I believe uh the way it breaks out is around 24
and 60 66 somewhere in that range. >> 64 89. Yeah. I've had so many numbers float through my head. So genie too. I think we're uh
just about trying to match a little. Oh yeah, >> I know that one goes to something. I'm not sure which one. 24596 for the admin and 6557.
Oh, sorry. 628.99. Okay. So, we'll call it 63 and 25. That's 88. >> Okay. What um and we don't know what town allocated costs are yet.
>> No, but what we've done for planning purposes is um we increase by 10%. >> Okay. So I think that grand total comes out around 401 and some change
780. >> And we've already had that conversation that we're going to re-evaluate those as soon as we get those numbers based on um division of local services recommendations for how to calculate
enterprise fund um town allocated costs. that that is as a placeholder. I don't want to say that >> we're accepting a 10% increase. So,
right, but for budgeting purposes, it I I think that's a very good idea. >> And we don't have our free cash certified yet or anything like that. We don't know if we have any >> leeway of using any of that to offset something until the customers get on
board. Yeah, it'd be certainly helpful to um to see where we were in the last couple years because there's been a lot of changes. Okay. You know, between going from two tanks to three tanks and then the least field coming on and um you
know, betterments and things like that to accurately detect it. We doing the best we can with the numbers we've been given, but sometimes we see different numbers come >> Yeah. >> for the same item. Now, correct me if I'm wrong. Past town
meetings, we've allocated money to pay for um debt if there was a shortfall or the operating budget if there was a shortfall. Have we used any of those funds to make up any shortfall that we have
had that you know of that if you don't know you can >> it's not definitive. Okay, I'll say that. Um, Jeanie and I have been trying to determine that on our end to see where our numbers lie. >> Um,
we expect that it's going to be unused monies from our budget somewhere north of 120,000 or so, right? And then there's potential that we didn't touch the 300,000 that we allocated right
>> last I think it was we allocated in April of 2024 fall town meeting but 25 and we as far as we know we didn't touch any of that. >> Right. Your your records show you didn't but it needs to be confirmed by the accountant.
>> Right. I'm hoping that stuff gets closed out. I think they have a deadline of February 13th. Does that sound accurate? >> Okay. So, give or take, we probably have hopefully $400,000 of disposable income that we could put
towards this budget if need be until the customers start coming on and give user fees and betterments. If that sounds and then whatever septage may be, >> right? So,
>> okay. And based on our current FY26 budget, we've been looking like we're trending in the right direction. our user fees have increased but you know 2025 was that year that we
we had half of the year >> that we were on the old rate and half the new rate. >> Yeah. So between all these moving pieces, it's hard to kind of, you know, hit your target exactly where we want to be in terms of trends and
all the area that's changed have changed in the past two or three years. So based on our current FY26, we're trending towards being balanced. We um we've got more in the user fees.
We've got increased septage. Um the town contributed to help out with the Legion Field debt. Correct. Um we've also assessed the Legion field fees,
user fees. So with all that combined, we're trending in the right direction. But you know, again, you you look at uh user fees are based on water usage, which people use a lot more in the spring and summer than they do in the fall and winter. So that's also a
sliding scale. So, it becomes a little bit slippery, but we're we're trending in the right direction and hoping hoping for the best, but it certainly helped knowing what we have left over from last year to do our spring cleanup at town meeting,
right? To supplement any shortfalls. >> Yes. >> But we'll have to follow that trend as we continue. >> We have about eight or nine new connections, too, in the last several months. So, I'm I'm not sure exactly where the
laundromat is at this point. >> That was a big one. Yeah. >> Um, and I with the uh Joyce being out at the board of health and I haven't seen anything come across my desk as far as whether they're getting water from the water department or they're getting water from a well. I don't know where
that is at this point. >> That was going real fast and then they stopped. >> Yeah. Yeah. That's a significant uh increase for us as far as customer and then a couple ones and twos up at Country Club Way
>> and then we have whatever is going to happen at the mall. >> Launderat though kind of changed use that half of it is a dog grooming studio and the other half it's not the whole building is a laundromat. >> Correct. one whole half that all they're doing is
washing dogs in the window constantly. Okay. And but it takes up about half of the building. I mean they must have changed their model on what they wanted to do there. >> That dog uh place has been there for a while. >> Oh no. There was a doggy daycare in
Yeah. But this is looks like they upgraded the whole drive through there. You'll see >> there's always somebody in the window. Two people washing dogs. >> Washing dogs. Yeah, they don't they don't hold kettle them and they don't I don't think they walk around and go watch them during the day. I think they just just grooming.
>> Oh, okay. >> So, I don't know how that changes the water usage, but >> Okay. >> or whatever. But, but then again, is he scaling back on his overall operation? I don't know that question, but I thought they were using the whole building. >> Interest Yeah. Not for the laundromat. They're
just using a portion of it. >> Okay. Okay. So, they weren't they weren't using Okay. So that that was part of their plan. >> That's not upstream of our problem pump station either. Yeah, that could be >> Yeah, >> they changed all that and all of a sudden they use these wipes and they don't realize that's not a problem.
Okay, >> generally this is really good. >> This is good news. I mean, right? >> Yeah, it is. So, one thing that's kind of um you know what Jeie and I have been looking at um and we've shared some
information with Elaine about the financial side is we've done a great job of adjusting to the transition from the water moratorum greatly affecting the revenue for the third tank and fourth
tank and the leeching field. Um, so I think we're always going to be relying very heavily on Septage and you know our rate of less until we can at least get more customers on and
hopefully with the water moratorium lifted this will be a a shortterm problem and to Elaine's point we can use some of the monies that weren't used in the last couple years to kind of help out with this budget.
>> Well, having meters that work and reflect what's really being sold affecting our budget, our income is the other key to me, a real big key. We could be short. We talked about the numbers. We could be short on the low end
250 300,000 and on the high end a million. Yearly revenues from not having having unaccounted for water. It's >> it's huge. >> But it's amazing what we thought. We we built out the plant, redid it, put in a
leaking field, and we're maintaining the budget and with with the min with the increases they were minimal. I mean, across the board, I think, you know, all the overall picture for the users >> and so I think they did a pretty good job here. And I think a lot of it has to
do with the with the with the plant and Dave and the and the staff because the septage revenue is is doubling >> through the roof >> and and fortunately for us but not for but the some of the private plants we know have had have had issues. So
they're coming to us which is a is a compliment to you that they want to come to our facilities. They're in and they're out but you need staffing to be able to maintain all of that. So, you know, some of these increases for staffing
>> part of that >> all part of the big picture to maintain the revenue sources that we're getting now to then ultimately to be replaced when the projects come on board. What what B roughly is is the septage
per year as you set right now with the new the flow type of thing 300,000 >> collected 622,000 and change >> from the year before is a $290,000
increase that we did from >> um >> wow >> this year from last year >> that's part of that there's no infrastructure whatsoever just have to support it they just drive and dump it. >> It's already in place. It's already there, right? >> Except for the additional power using
that. >> Could you imagine if that money were available if we have more users on the system as it's designed >> that's been revenue? Yeah. >> Could just be that much more helpful
instead of just keeping you, you know, floating, right? That it could be out there as, you know, a 25 year old collection system. We could start looking at, you know, phasing in piece by piece to upgrade that so it'll last another 25. Yes. You know, there's
there's a point where you're using that to just get by point and that's where we, you know, forward thinking. >> Yeah. That's where we are. That's where we were over the last couple years, but just upgrading the plant completely and adding one more. Yes. usage
>> the storage tank ideas for the you know >> flow equalization and then the septage having that also so you can bleed it in >> you can collect it whenever they want but you can store it and bleed it in so it doesn't overwhelm the plant you know you're not putting you know batching >> that's the worst thing that happen you
put a whole bunch of this really strong septage in there and then >> when I go oops wait a minute particularly when it's freezing cold >> so yeah I mean >> it's always meant to be the gravy that was accepted as the gravy the plant we
spent so much money on this plant just for that reason >> problems the Christmas party >> yeah that we don't have >> the we handed out FY25 1.512
million and right now um the use revenue is at 1.14 >> and we still have >> five homes, six. Yeah. >> And the 1.5 was the two different rates and the 1.1 to date is the increase
rate. So that okay because the overall budget increase um and I'm staying away from percents because percents make it, you know, something goes from a dollar to $2, you know, it's it's to me the money amount.
So the the total of the operating budgets 215,000 and it's regular operating expenses other than the the the minor addition to staff to maintain it all.
I mean and then what whatever happens with union negotiations, the whole town will be probably addressing that at maybe a fall town meeting if everybody's that lucky. Yeah, if it can move at that speed.
>> Right. Exactly. So, um, so you'll keep fine-tuning this. >> Yeah. So, um, sorry. >> No, go ahead. >> On page three, just so you get a sense of year by year.
The top section is basically a wrap up of 2025, but that's again books haven't been closed. So, right. So, we don't have a solid conclusion on that, but it looks like, you know, that year ends in a surplus.
And hopefully, even though it's saying 181, hopefully that's really 300,000 unused article money, right? Plus more like 140. So that could be as much as 440,000 available that could roll into help us
in 26 or help us in 27 as needed. >> Mhm. >> Um and the way we're trending on 2026 that middle section just on and it's hard to know with a
using your low estimate or high estimate. It looks like we may have a $100,000 shortfall or there may be a surplus. >> Yeah. >> And out of that $440,000, if there was a $100,000 shortfall, now
you're looking at 340 still left >> unused cushion that could continue back into the 27 budget. And that's just what we're looking at today. So, we're trending fine for 25 and 26. And as we
move forward, we're just going to have to keep track of this and then know where we sit with town meetings so we can make some housekeeping changes. >> Yeah. But that's it. It it'll it'll really help to know what we have for free cash, retained earnings and and all
of that because we know we're limping by until we get the customers and and the you know trying to do everything we can not to do another rate increase or put more of a burden on the sewer customers. So we're literally we are limping by. So
more numbers we have the sooner the sooner we can really hone in on what where we stand. So, one one point I wanted to make on that too is part of this whole plan of maybe having this admin come in and help
Genie more on the 10,000 foot view of our department on the financial side is you know we look at phase one and phase two in terms of the betterments and the way we're getting information from
the finance department shows that there's actually a little bit of a defic deficit betterment deficit on phase one and phase two and I think it was around $70,000 does sound accurate Jean. >> Yeah. >> Okay.
>> So, and this this is no shot at anyone in particular, but when you look at um we know for the plant upgrade and the leeching fields, we have a pretty good solid grip on that. Uh but phase one and
two after the admin left back in the original phase one and phase two, we had probably four or five different admins in the department. >> And
without getting deep into it, I would think that phase one and two would have had enough betterments to pay for phase one and phase two. And that slowly over time after 2006 I think was the last
time we had a contract go out between 2006 and the new plant upgrade it must have been new people coming in on the system. So you would think that betterment number in phase one and two would have just maybe grown at least to
close itself out at full capacity and full payments, >> right? >> But to show it at 70,000 >> especially accounted for on a yearly basis, >> especially right and I would agree especially where we've had a lot of payoffs within the these 20 years that
that money should be in a fund being drawn down off of it each year. So that's to your point that's what we need to get. >> That's not small money. >> No, that's $70,000. And how many years has that been going on? Is it one year
or is it 10 years? could be 700,000, right? So, it's the unknowns and not having that information. And there's been a lot of change in other departments as well. So, some of this information to actually go find it and track it down and close a
loophole. It's going to take quite a bit of effort. Well, if the information's out there >> with the betterment numbers, I'm using spreadsheets that Carol had supplied to me with the yearly betterments going to like 2037. >> Oh, okay.
>> So, she has it separated by each section, each fund, and then the total. >> Okay. >> Just a quick check on that. I took 700,000 just divided by 22,000. It's only 32 veterans.
32 people that that's a it's a small number makes a big problem. >> So to your to the point of the accounting oversight getting down and the bug dust all that going back if there could be very easily 32 >> missing links you know we've already found how many have we found in the past
at least 10 or 15. >> Yeah I've been trying. >> Yeah. >> So it's not a big it's not like it's a huge number. There's like 350 people out of >> Well exactly. It doesn't take a lot, like you say, to get to that number. It's the time and the resources to find
it >> and and then get it recovered, >> right? >> And if you look at the cost of that admin position being, say, $24,000 and you have potential to get 70,000, right, >> by finding that information or at least
>> knowing that, hey, this is how it happened and this is where we're short and it's a legit number. without knowing >> and that's less hours than paying a comp. >> I want to bring that because it's a marketing thing for us to say it's it's it's some kind of mistake, lack of a
better word, mistake, misunderstanding, whatever for a period of time from when we knew we had a good administrative person handling it to we have a new big person and there's a gap in there and 31 things maybe got missed, right? or accounting in the treasury
went to the wrong account. Whatever >> they paid it off and it went to the general's fund. It didn't come to our fund. >> Yeah. >> It's not a huge number in terms of the betterment. The the people that the actual house. Yeah. But it's huge to our but you know it's accumulated. So if we
can get it all back that's a it's a windfall straightens out of the next rate increase. >> Yeah. So, >> and that could be a bargaining chip as well and say to the town, look, you know, this has been a shortfall for all these years because of X, Y, and Z, you
know, that gains more support for us to get support for, say, the leasing field contribution that look, this happened all along. We're just asking for a little help on this side. So, it's if nothing else, it's a bargaining for that. And for for the past two years
anyway, um you and Genie have been trying to do it yourself and there's just not the time to be able to to focus on it. You're you're a superintendent, you know, >> I'm doing my
>> doing it very well, too. >> Thank you. Um, so that that body is gonna we need it. Yeah. Gonna take this this stuff and thankfully genie's and a at this stuff is it does drag me away from
what I need to be doing, right? >> And the rest of it and the amount of man hours that both Jean and I spend doing this stuff is definitely more than what it needs to be. >> Right. >> So you asking for a raise? Is that what you told
>> G? >> I'm asking if I can go become a greeter at Walmart. >> That's what I'm asking. >> All right. >> Thank you both of you. >> Very good job. >> Oh, we appreciate the support from you
guys. So, it helps. >> We're here to give you the tools you need. >> Absolutely. Rather than wait. So, anybody else have any >> anything on the what we talked about the other day? Is there any >> No, no. Um movement on that yet. Okay.
>> We can talk about that next week. >> Yeah. Next meeting. >> The next meeting? >> Yeah. >> I'll get you a copy of the plan. >> Okay. >> Put it on the agenda. >> Yep. >> Okay. The short the short version is if you look at the field you stand on
landing road well bay road look at the field with the pond it's gone still there restless >> really mar they didn't take the buildings down yet did they >> no nothing has been that going down oh
that's separate >> okay >> since he sent it to you that's that's what you know we'll get into it more next U so just back on this budget just real quick Zach. Um Scott the town
administrator asked that we provide something for tomorrow. So I'm just going to run with this budget the way it is uh for 2027 with the two new employees and uh the increase for electricity
contract services and chemicals. >> Yeah. And then there was just a minor adjustment, a couple hundred dollars on a item here and there. But >> and I I know you'll I mean he would be expecting it anyway. Some caveats that you know this this could change based on
you know the the revenue forecast we get things like that. >> Yeah. And and there was some verbiage I already put in there because he's basically looking for um there's wording on it was uh
include any contractual step increases include uh don't include any polar because that hasn't been determined and then to level funding. >> Okay. basically. >> Yeah. >> Um,
you know, if you get increases for electricity, that's it is what it is. There's no control over that. So, all the other stuff that we can keep it zeroed at zero increase. That's what we've done. >> Yeah. And the the um additional staff
was in this budget that just hasn't been posted yet for us to hire. So, >> what was the number on uh septage taking? Not septage, but the sludge hauling and disposal cost. I was just looking at
>> it goes anywhere from um 18,000 to 26 27,000 a million >> per month. >> Per month. >> Yes. >> Oh, great. That's right. Okay. >> It's gone up. I think you're taking how much it's gone up.
>> The reason I bring that and I have been talking over a year about some bio gas thing I came with. Yes. Okay. And at the Democratic meeting the other day, I brought up again and this is on my radar screen if you know I'm doing my engine
up in just started running. So So it's there's a 100 $350,000 in electrical savings per year just by taking the land gas. the septage I mean
the sludge with combined with some other bio gas we can do and place to do it is in the industrial park I'm just I I'm getting this is the kind of thing I need to understand with our cross because we can pay for that and and not and in two years we'll the time we pay it off we'll be getting our own
electricity 24/7 not portable tax not windmills that don't go 247 250,000 250 kilowatt consum steam driven turbine. >> Yeah, it be it would be No, no, it would be steam be directly
burn the methane, turn the generator and it goes 24/7. >> Okay. The methane burn with that. Okay. >> So, it it's not anything like with these other and it's a renewable green thing. >> Yeah. >> And it's we have a we have free fuel for as long as we have this plant running.
our uh current landfill over here that's capped that wouldn't generate anything. >> But it's it's not that big, but we could in fact recover >> the technology I've developed would we basically restart the landfill.
>> Okay. >> And there's probably some Yeah. I don't know how deep that is. When I started coming here, dumping in there wasn't that big. It was just a >> trench. Yeah, they were trenches in sand pits kind of thing. Wasn't it wasn't the typical landfill that you have that just
dumps everything. >> So, but you know it and they only have gooseenecks so they don't invented. It's just venting gas to the atmosphere right now, >> right? >> Yeah. So >> yeah. >> So anyways, that's I'm just thinking this becomes more real going forward and
if we can come up with $100,000 no $100,000 a month of income free electricity. >> Not a bad deal. >> It's just a matter of building out the uh plant to to produce it.
>> Well, we' have other sources. So you'd have the sledge would go into this batch. You have solid, you know, organic waste coming in. You'd have all kinds of things. So, you have this thing running. >> The town's bringing it in, too. >> Yeah. You could have all kinds of stuff >> or supermarkets that have a dumpster
solely to produce left over >> and there by law have to do it, but they end up putting in landfills because there's no place to do it except Stop Chop does have a bio gas facility they run. >> Totally. >> Down in in Planeville. >> Oh, okay. So, they they check all this stuff out there. >> Yeah. They go back and they do there's a
place in Brainree that takes all the cans that that are expired. So you milk denatured milk >> coin they bring all the stuff and they punch the cans and they put them in the thing and they haul it off to another bio gas place somewhere in Ohio where the hell it is. It's >> wow.
>> But I we shouldn't be doing that here. Anyways that's that's those are the numbers I want that makes it the economy is of scale are there already. >> So on our budget you'll see contract services. Yeah, this was >> as a line item. >> But that's not all sludge. That's people
coming in to check the fire protection system, >> check the lab equipment, um flow meters, there's all different, you know, the uh security for the building, >> things like that are all tied into contract services. >> That's where it is. But the actual
sludge numbers um I would say if you use around 22,000 a month somewhere in there probably average >> and that goes off to a landfill in Providence or somewhere around right. >> Yeah. It goes down to Cranon and they burn it.
>> Yeah. They just burn it. >> Yeah. >> Which is another waste. >> Yeah. >> You're using gas to burn something that has fuel in it. >> Yeah. >> Stupid. We ought to get to all the plants in the area. >> Well, that's what No one will do it. >> Bring it.
>> It's It's nimi. No one wants it. >> It's like foreign to a lot of people. It's so foreign. It's just like real. You can do that. When I bring people up to the limp, they go, >> you're running it from gas to landfill. Yeah. Yeah. >> This big giant engine. Yeah.
>> Three gas breaking down underground. >> That's what it produces. >> Is it natural gas pretty much? Yeah. Right. Toxin toxins in there too. >> Well, they're burning it off. >> Typical gets about 38% methane. The rest of it
carbon dioxide, stuff like that. >> But by doing the right by treating the bacteria correctly, we've got it up to 45%. So, it's actually a point where we can >> there's a lot of a lot of the big landfills in the Midwest that are run by
like BFIs and that kind of thing. They actually have enough that same kind of level. So these are operating. So it's all fresh stuff. Okay. So they're getting 40% and they're able to >> basically fra refract it and bring bring it up to actual natural gas and then
start selling on the market and it's wicked economic to do that because again it's free. >> Is that basically propane like we >> No, it's it's methane still but it's uh >> can they turn into something? >> That would be another step they could do it. Yes, they could do that. Propane. Propane is derived from that from
gasoline. >> Oh, okay. >> Propane is a derivative of gasoline in the fraction. Whereas methane can be made into propane, but it's a lot more expensive to make it bigger. See, when you're breaking something in half, it's easy. When you're putting something together, it's hard. So methane is two prop two methanes make a propane.
>> Yeah. Just like propane is product, you know, natural gas. >> I guess it isn't. >> No, I mean it can be, but it's not. It's it's again the other physically it's more expensive. the tire of like fusion as opposed to breaking something in half. >> See, you hit a break something.
>> Yeah, break something. >> Well, I see that Mark Reed is on. Mark, do you have anything you want to uh say before we adjourn? >> No, I'm all set. I'm I'm just really enjoying the conversation about the biomass uh stuff. That was uh very good.
Um appreciate that. Thank you. >> Put it in your backyard. >> Yeah. Yeah, that's all right. I'm sure there's a spot up there in that industrial park being used for nothing right now that we could find to do that. >> This is true. >> So, yeah. No, it's all all good stuff.
Thank you very much for uh asking if I had a question, though. >> Yeah. Well, >> well done, guys. Good good budget discussion. I enjoyed that. Thank you. Good. I'll >> make a motion to return. Second. All in favor? I I thank you.