LINCOLN PIPESTONE RURAL WATER SYSTEM
East Highway 14, P.O. Box
188, Lake Benton, MN 56149
(507)368-4248 fax (507)368-4573 email: lprw@itctel.com
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
The special meeting of the
Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water (LPRW) System Board of Commissioners was held at
the LPRW office on Monday, September 12, 2005 starting at 6:00 p.m. Chairman Rod Spronk called the meeting to order with Commissioners Mike Brunner, Frank Engels, Jerry Lonneman, Joe Weber, Charles Simonson, Leonard Swenson, Bill Ufkin and Ken
Buysse present. Commissioners Henry Van Dyke and Earl DeWilde were absent. CEO, Dennis Healy was also present. The purpose of the meeting was to:
1. Review and act on recommendation of the Personnel Committee concerning filling the new Water System Operator position.
2. Review and act on CREP II and permanent CRP payments.
3. Discuss 2006 Budget issues.
1. The
Personnel Committee reported that they had interviewed 5 excellent candidates
for the Water System Operator position, 3 other candidates were invited to
interview but declined because the starting salary was to low, and 1 candidate
was invited to interview but did not call to set an alternate interview date
since he could not attend on the 12th. The Committee presented a list of 3 recommended candidates in
order of preference, and recommended that the job be offered in preference
order at the current base rate of $11.60 per hour. The Board discussed the Committee’s recommendation, and they
agreed that the candidates recommended would be good selections. M/S/P Lonneman/Swenson to approve the
recommendations of the Personnel Committee, and authorize CEO, Dennis
Healy,
to hire the first candidate on the preference list who will accept the job at
the pay rate of $11.60 per hour subject to successful completion of background
checks and other screening requirements.
2. Healy reported on discussions he has had with Lincoln and
Pipestone County SWCD staff since they met with the Board concerning the CREP
II program. The consensus opinion is
that some supplemental payment is needed to encourage participation, and the
program is a very important wellhead protection tool if key parcel are
protected in the long-term. M/S/P
Engels/Buysse to budget up to $10,000 in 2005, and $30,000 in 2006 and 2007 (up
to $70,000 total) to provide supplemental CRP and CREP II payments within the
Drinking Water Supply Management Areas (DWSMA) of the Verdi, Holland and North
Holland well fields. The CEO and the
Water Resources & Equipment Committee will administer the payments
according to the following guidelines:
• The supplemental payments are limited to priority areas
including those within 2,000 feet of an LPRW well, highly permeable soils,
filter strips along streams or drainage ways flowing through or near well
fields, actions that preserve or reestablish wetlands within the DWSMA, or
other areas that offer significant wellhead protection benefits. LPRW will work with FSA and SWCD staff to
identify qualifying areas and enroll cooperating landowners.
• LPRW will make one-time supplemental payments for enrollment of
priority areas up to: $50 per acre for
a 10 year CRP enrollment, $150 per acre for a 15 year continuous CRP
enrollment, and $300 per acre for a 45 year CREP II enrollment. Permanent CREP II enrollments may be
considered for higher payments.
• LPRW will approve all supplemental payments, but to the extent
possible the program will be administered by the FSA and SWCD offices in
accordance with their rules.
3. The Board and the standing committees reviewed current financial
information and discussed 2006 Budget issues.
The Board decided to seek additional water from the Lewis & Clark
Rural Water System, do a feasibility study for a possible northern expansion,
explore financing options for needed improvements, limit the growth in health
insurance costs to less than the rate of inflation, and keep expenses in check
so no rate increase will be needed in 2006.
The meeting was adjourned at
8:00 p.m.
______________________________________________
Joe Weber,
Secretary