Mohawk Valley Water Authority Minutes
June 17, 2024
Chairman DeLia called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM.
Chairman DeLia presided, and Amy Passacantando took the minutes.
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
Board Members Present: Carl Annese, Dennis Bova, Bruce Brodsky, Vincent Coyne, Elis DeLia, Mark Ford, George Haskell, Richard Karam, Frank Meola, and Bette Szesny
Absent: Eugene Santa-Croce III
Also Present in Boardroom: Patrick Becher, Jim Korfonta, Dan Faldzinski, Phil Tangorra, Anne Milograno, Geralynn Powers, and Ken Bobrow Esq.
Approval of the May 20, 2024 Minutes:
Motion made by Mr. Annese to approve the Minutes. Seconded by: Mr. Bova
Vote: (10) Ayes (0) Nays (0) Abstain (1) Absent Motion Carried.
Resolution: Award of contract to SJBS Construction Inc for Roof Replacement Project
Mr. Faldzinski stated that this resolution is an award of contract to SJBS Construction Inc for the replacement of roofs at Cider St, Toggletown, Valley View and Christianson Rd pump station locations. They were the low bidder in the amount of $32,800. There were 2 other bids that were higher. References were checked and came back good.
Motion made by Mr. Brodsky to approve the Resolution. Seconded by: Mr. Karam.
Vote:(10) Ayes (0) Nays (0) Abstain (1) Absent Motion Carried
BST Audit Presentation:
Mr. Korfonta introduced Jeremy Barr, the Senior Manager with BST Auditors to give a brief overview of the 2023 audit. The audit can be found on the MVWA website as well. The opinion is on page 3 of the booklet and the GAAS report is on the last 2 pages of the booklet. The financial statement had an unmodified opinion, which is the highest opinion BST can offer. There were no findings. Significant transactions were reviewed, capital assets, cash investments revenue as well as other significant areas through that process we did not have any findings or concerns. Process and controls function properly. Mr. Barr stated that it was a pleasure to work with Jim and his staff throughout the process and thanked them for their efforts.
Committee Reports:
May Finance Report:
Mr. Korfonta stated that as of May consumption was back to the level we were at last year, which is good. It has been down in the prior months. Water sales are $600K year to date more than last year, which is good, however we are $200K below budget. Cash flow is trending in the right direction, we are $50K to the good however year to date we are still down $300-400K. Overall, May was a good month and hopefully we are getting back on track.
Charts/Graphs & KPI'S:
Mr. Brodsky and Mr. Korfonta gave an overview of the charts/graphs & KPI's. Mr. Brodsky stated that these charts show you the PILOT payments and the history of the rate increases. Mr. Korfonta stated that they also show you the top 20 largest users for the past year on the quarterly accounts and monthly accounts. Mr. Brodsky spoke about the future of MVWA, his concerns about consumption and revenue. Board Members discussed future rate increases, the amount of the annual increases. They also discussed replacing water lines, and the costs associated with this. We are able to replace some water lines in conjunction with the City/State/County work. The full conversation can be watched/heard on our website.
Re-Affirmation of Policies:
Mr. Becher stated that under the Public Authorities Reform in New York State we are required to have certain policies re-affirmed by the Board of Directors each year. The following policies have no changes.
Code of Ethics.
Surplus Property Disposition Policy.
Motion made by Mr. Annese to re-affirm these policies. Seconded by: Mr. Karam.
Vote: (10) Ayes (0) Nays (0) Abstain (1) Absent Motion Carried
Executive Director's Report:
Mr. Becher stated that Hinckley Reservoir is approximately 5 1/2' below the average at this time. It is 2' below the elevation trigger which requires weekly calls with the Canal Corp and NYPA (New York Power Authority).
There will not be any shutoffs this week due to the high temperatures outside.
On Wednesday June 5th at 6pm Mr. Faldzinski and Mr. Becher attended the New Hartford Town Board Meeting at the request of the Town of New Hartford for a discussion regarding extending water mains and fire coverage (distance between fire hydrants). Mr. Faldzinski and his team are preparing a response to this. It was a good meeting, and it was stated that the town is very happy with our new paving contractor so far. They are new this year.
Mr. Becher said that in the next 60 days or so Mr. Korfonta and his team will be preparing the budget packets that will be going out to the department heads and in the next 90 days will be talking to the board about the next draft budget and how it will affect the rates. Mr. Becher made a comment that 20 years ago when we did our revenue forecast the number we used was estimated at about eighty thousand gallons per year per household. That number is now down to about fifty thousand gallons per year, and it continues to drop over the years. Even with the same population, as people renovate houses and install water efficient appliances the average household usage has been dropping steadily over the years. We will go over this in more detail when we begin the budget.
Mr. Becher is in the process of assembling a task force to sit and work out a standing plan on how MVWA would go about shutting off water at large commercial residential properties, which departments need to be involved in the relocation process. We would also like to put in place a system of early warning indicators. The first meeting will be held this Thursday (June 20) at the Oneida County office building, and it looks like we will have good attendance. We hope to clean up the collections and figure out a way to get some of these properties into local hands to people that will be more responsive and care about the community. This will help to alleviate much of our work and time spent on this.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:38PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Passacantando, Secretary
Mohawk Valley Water Authority