Good afternoon, everyone.

Uh I'm Commissioner Robert Patrick, Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee, affectionately and accurately known as the greatest show on earth.

Um all good stories begin with minutes, and so uh commissioners, have you had a chance to reach a minutes?

Yes.

I move to approve item ending in 0805.

Second.

All right.

Proper motion, proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye.

Aye.

All right, moving on to our agenda.

We have uh several items for today and uh do have a hard stop at five o'clock for today.

So uh we're gonna try and move quickly through these where we can and then take the time to talk about other items as we need to.

So under public works transportation, we have agenda item 2026-0589.

This is for commission districts two and super six, allocate eight million dollars of SPOSS II funding.

Line item B3 for South Peachtree Creek Trail Extension from Medlock Park to Lula Hills development.

And uh good afternoon, Director Keeter, good to see you.

Yes, I wanted to point out in this agenda item that uh we we just really want to get this thing going.

So um in this agenda item, we want to use front load the construction and right-of-way with the SPLOSS um funding.

And there's a um agreement between Eden's decab and um decide to cab to reimburse the county back to this fund.

I want to make that clear um back to this fund, four and a half million dollars as a reimbursable during construction.

So every month I'll send in an invoice, they'll reimburse us back.

Um so I just want to point that out because it's a little different from just um typical projects that come securely.

So this would allow us to secure the right-of-way and also to bid it to construction.

Okay.

Um a couple questions for you.

Uh has this been through audit yet?

And then is there a time crunch on this?

I know we do want to get started.

Trails are uh high priority for a lot of commissioners.

I do not believe this has been through audit.

Um this is based on construction cost estimates because we haven't actually bid the work yet.

Uh so we're setting up the funding so that we can purchase the right-of-way or easements that we need.

Um so we're just reserving the funding at this point.

Okay.

I would imagine that when we actually bid it for construction, which is gonna be the bulk of this money, it would go through the auditing process at that time.

Okay, perfect.

Commissioners, I want to open the floor for any questions.

Uh Commissioner Terry.

Uh yes, thank you.

Real quick, I'll just um thank you, Director Keeter, for getting this going.

And um, yes, you're exactly right.

When the Lula Hills project was uh being approved and it you know went through decide to cab.

Thank you, Commissioner Patrick.

That was one of our uh main uh stipulations of the pay-go funding and what was a pretty large tax allocation district allocation to make sure Lula Hills, you know, happened and started going, but having that trail connection from their site uh to the Mason Mill trail.

Is that that's this section right?

Right.

It goes from it connects to the main the trail at Medlock Parklock Park.

Along the street network, so there's a mix and then through the development and connects, has a little spur that connects up to Latham that connects the neighborhood.

Yes.

And then it will connect over to Orion, where hopefully we'll start on another phase to get to the stuff trail.

Um and to this trail, and then some work they gotta go through Alley Brook, but wonderful.

The trail master plan is coming together.

We're we're working on it.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh Commissioners, if there's no questions or concerns, I'll open the floor for a motion.

Motion to approve.

Second.

All right.

Uh proper motion, proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All right.

Moving on, we have agenda item 2026-0813.

This is for all commission districts.

Acceptance and appropriation of six hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars from the Atlanta Region Transit Link Authority for the DeCab County Transit Master Plan update.

Director Keeter.

Yes, so um these these next two items, one is from the ATL and one is from the ARC.

Um, are to fund our update to the transit master plan.

I will be submitting a substitute.

The actual agenda item won't change at all.

I'm just gonna put a little meet behind it with you know an award letter or you know, something that just documents, so we'll have it all in one package.

Okay.

So I did want to bring that to your attention, but the agenda item itself will not change.

But this is to accept uh uh 625,000 towards the transit um master plan update.

Um what is very good about this money is it does not require a local match.

The Atlanta Regional Commission money does require local match, however, the ARC and the ATL have worked it out so that we can use our ATL money as the local match for ARC.

So right now with the two, we uh have not had to identify a local match.

Um obviously until it bids, we won't know what the final cost is, but um it it's been a good strategy for funding at this point.

Understood.

All right, perfect.

Uh Commissioners, any questions, any comments?

Comment I you answered the what I was just about to ask if we were gonna have to come out of pocket.

So thank you for the explanation.

Commissioner Terry.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um so the two agenda items, they're basically the same, they're just different funding sources.

They're all the same scope of updating the transit master plan.

That's correct, sir.

Okay.

And the um so it's an update of the 2019 plan.

Are do we know kind of the extent are we looking at when we say update, are we kind of like starting from scratch, or is the intent here to um make small changes?

Are we looking at a total rework of the master plan?

I don't know that that's been decided, but m I would imagine it would be because the technologies have changed and because the ridership has changed and in a post-COVID era, I imagine it would be a reimagination of the plan.

It would I don't want to say we're starting from scratch, but I don't think that we're tied to that 2019 plan either.

So I think we need to to really look at what our options are in today's economy and in today's technologies.

Okay.

And will will the transportation department be managing the process, or are you just helping with the agenda item and is it gonna be like who's gonna leave the actual transit master plan um work?

Well, um I hope not.

Um I just say it.

No, we're we're actually um the administration has a transit.

A transit, someone who's passionate about transit job on the board.

So if you're a cabinet level transit person, please apply um for that.

And they're gonna take the lead on it.

I'm gonna do my darndest until such time that someone else takes over.

And um, do we are we did we I think we put it in the budget but remind me, do we um f budget the um like pedestrian bike specialist for the transportation department?

We did, and that job is on the board as well.

If you're passionate about vulnerable roadway users, okay um seniors, children, pets, bikes, um please check out the DeCap County website for uh potential jobs.

Oh great, all right.

Yeah, share that with us.

Patrice, we'll be happy to send it around.

Um so if if the transportation department has a bike head specialist, we have the administration has a transit sort of quarterback, and then we know we have a pretty well thought out trail master plan vision.

Is there gonna and Zach I'm looking at you as well?

Is there gonna be an opportunity for us to try to find integration between walking biking facilities, trail network and then transit?

Do you see that how they're they can they could be really connected?

Yes, absolutely.

Yes.

Um and I I'm thinking this may be a good forum in PWI as we bring the resources on board and the you know the various uh uh plans uh just kind of talk to how we're gonna kind of stitch the different pieces together.

Okay, wonderful.

Patrice, would you mind um sharing with us just the job announcements?

Um because I mean I would love to if you're uh need to get good applications.

Oh, absolutely.

Let us know and we'll share it with our networks.

I will be glad to do that.

Okay.

And and on that, uh on the transit plan, I'm sure we'll have like a project management or a technical team where we'll get all these key components.

Not only that, but you need to focus in on uh planning and land use and and you know, other you know, water, you know, where can we where do we need transit and and where do we need, you know, do we have cap capacity in the water sewer system?

All of these are very critical components, so um we'll be gathering up all the expertise to support the plan.

Perfect.

All right.

Uh since Commissioner Terry mentioned sidewalks, um hopefully there'll be something set aside for uh sidewalk repairs as well.

I know that's uh another critical issue, at least in the district one area.

So uh I don't know about sidewalk repairs.

Um we need it.

Let's let's discuss that as the program proceeds.

But I think we do need to identify critical links and decide do we do we need a new sidewalk?

You know, that's one pot of money.

Do we need repairs?

That's another pot of money, and and try to do some prioritization.

Because that first mile, last mile connectivity is just as, if not important, more important than the actual backbone of the transit.

So it is very important.

Yep, agreed, agreed.

Thank you for the sidewalks on Shambley Tucker Road.

You're right.

They're very beautiful.

Anyway, uh Commissioners, are there any other questions or concerns?

If not, I'll open the floor for a motion.

Uh motion, do you want to do one at a time?

Let's do one at a time.

Motion to approve 0813.

Second.

Proper motion, proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye.

Aye.

All right, Commissioners.

We know all the questions.

Uh for uh 2026-0814.

This is for all commission districts.

Acceptance and appropriation of $500,000 of funds from the Atlanta Regional Commission for the DeCab County Master uh plan update.

Move to approve item ending in 0814.

Second.

All right.

Proper motion proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand say aye.

Aye.

Perfect.

All right.

Thank you, Director.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh moving on.

We have uh public works roads and drainage.

This is um agenda item 2026-0587.

This is for all commission districts.

Proposed stormwater utility fee increase.

And who do we have to speak to this?

Is that Rich with our CADUS?

Uh and Director Allen, good to see you.

Good to see you.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you, committee.

Um today we're gonna give you kind of a use stormwater utility broad over update and then also talk about a proposed fee increase and what they're gonna what they would propose to do with that.

So with that, this is uh Mr.

Chairman.

I know you're familiar with this because you've been here for a while.

But uh just just a reminder that the utility is mostly operated by public works out of roads and drainage division.

Um it currently provides stormwater services within the unincorporated county as well as the city of Stonecrest, which is still in partnership with the county.

Um handles you know collects fees from the developed properties in the area, undeveloped properties, do not pay a stormwater utility fee.

And then uh the utility has been operating for quite a while now, uh, since 20 or since 2003.

Um, you know, as you guys will recall, the this the remains rates remain static for a long time, but then in three years ago uh it was increased uh with a step increase.

Just to let everybody know what they're what they're trying to manage.

Uh you can see there's over 34,000 pipes, basically 500 miles.

I'd meet you somewhere down in South Florida, I think, if you were to line them up.

Um the lifespan's getting pretty old in some parts of the county.

Um 22,000 inlets and over 900 ponds.

I think it was it was a thousand ponds the last time I spoke to you guys because it was still included Tucker, but when they withdrew from the utility, you know, that light load got a little bit lightened.

Uh quite a few category one dams hold that that thought because we're coming back to that.

And then many miles of roadside ditches are also maintained.

So just to kind of give you some idea of what's been going on since the last rate increase three years ago.

Um they've had some some successes.

Uh this is a project, and if you got questions about it, I'll have Peggy come back up.

But this was the kind of stuff we think about when you're working in public works.

Um Stone Gate Boulevard collapsed.

Um you can see the big hole in the road there, and that was just uh infrastructure failure.

Luckily, this was a road that we could close.

Not that you know we're lucky when a road collapses, but we could uh divert traffic and maintain safety.

Um they because of the rate increase, they had CIP funds available and they were able to get that road repaired and back open.

Um it has been submitted for project of the year.

I mean, this is this is where you know your public works guys shine as stuff happens, and then they got to jump in and and and get those roads back open.

Another big uh success that they've had since the rate increase three years ago.

Um remember there was there was a thousand ponds, a lot of them were quite overgrown.

Um I can speak to this one or or these two ponds.

Um Commissioner Terry, you and I were out with these uh I think it was last year or year before last.

Um and they were we'll just say woolly, if you recall, like the one in the bottom was covered in kudzu, and the one in the top was a forest.

And so you can see over the last two years, PubWars has spent almost five million dollars.

So they've been making good headway trying to get these back into fighting water.

Not on just those two.

No, not just those two, but those those were the two that I I went out um this past earlier this year, and I was like, whoa, am I in the right place?

Because they were they were so they've been brought so far.

Um in addition to that, there's a number of green infrastructure efforts.

I mean, you can just see some of the stuff that's going on in the parks there, uh varying different types of of green infrastructure to help reduce stormwater pollution as well as stormwater volumes.

Um kind of the reason I was out uh at those two ponds is this one right here.

Uh those two ponds, um, if you recall from the last time I was here talking about Snapfinger Creek watershed assessment, um, these were two ponds that we had done analysis on, and what we had determined was from a flood control standpoint, they weren't providing great benefit to the county.

And so uh we had proposed retrofitting those in the case of pond A, which is the one close to Katie Kerr Drive, we'd recommended converting that to some kind of green infrastructure since it's not providing a great lot of food benefit, maybe you can provide some water quality benefit.

Um and so that was the proposal there.

Um the plans are basically done.

We're just working through some utility coordination on that.

Um then the other pond, pond B, which is the pond that's way in the back, that was the one we'd recommended uh decommissioning because basically it was just discharging a creek, and when you did the actual analysis, you found out there was actually no impact on the creek whatsoever, whether it was there or not.

So that was one we were kind of proposing, like let's let's decommission a pond and kind of give that land back to that that community that that lived around it.

So maybe they can do something something with it if they want.

Quick question on that, Mr.

Chair.

Uh please go ahead.

So for decommissioning and county attorney Phillips or Zach, um, could you just we don't have to get into it now, but decommissioning a pond and and in this case this is a condo complex, so there is a community that could kind of take it up, but in this scenario or other sort of decommissioned ponds sort of on the side of the road, um how do we sort of turn off the water flow into them and then reclaim them?

I assume for like some green space would be the natural.

But how what is the like can you all like provide us kind of that decommissioning playbook, I guess, for certain scenarios?

Well, and then I guess how many ponds we got to decommission.

Just answer that later.

I'm just that's just like a question, Mr.

Chair, just to kind of have out there.

Because I imagine that we're gonna you're gonna recommend other decommissioning ponds, right?

Yeah, so just so everybody understands, you know, there's there's a natural flow, like there was a ditch there long before that community was there where water flowed through, and then they just kind of dammed up that ditch in order to create a pond because that's what the code at the time said.

So when I say decommissioning, what we're talking about is normally taking the dam out and letting it return back to a natural flow flow condition where that doesn't flood so much, because that's what you do with a detention pond, is you dam it up so that it builds up, floods that little area, and then slows the water down from going in the creek.

Given that our analysis, and today you wouldn't build it.

Like you just wouldn't, because you're announced to be like, what's the point?

Like if it goes from a hundred CFS to 101 CFS, what what are we doing?

So that's the decommissioning in this cubic feet per second, yes.

A lot of water.

You see, he looked over to the resident engineer up here.

Um so in this particular case, I mean, normally what you do is you just de deconstruct the dam.

In this case, this particular one, we're gonna leave a pipe in there and we're gonna drastically lower the band because they do walk through there, and we don't want to create an unsafe condition for the residents because they like I said they walk back and forth across that dam currently.

So I do have a follow-up question.

So outside of the structural decommissioning, is there a process, I guess, to give the property back, or is are these ponds separate parcels?

Or just easements?

So in this case, this is on private property.

Okay, but there's an easement around it that was deeded years ago to the county for maintenance.

So it's a private pond that's maintained by the by the county.

Gotcha.

No, not all that's the case, you know, because sometimes we do have ponds on county property, same situation.

Obviously, that's you know, goes back.

But again, I I think, and you know, please ask the county attorney that, but I think you would just quit claim the deed back to the property owners.

Okay.

So, but I would defer to him on that.

Uh legal process.

So probably each one would it be slightly different, be a case by case basically.

Yes, ma'am, absolutely.

Thank you.

All right, so kind of thinking on those same terms, you know, we've been looking at again as part of this one.

What you're seeing on the screen here, that's the Snapfinger Creek watershed in the middle.

So it's quite large.

And then as we've kind of looked at different ponds in different areas, we've been looking at four opportunities where it makes sense to start putting in some green infrastructure or decommissioning ponds, and what you're seeing there is uh just four locations of many where we think there's opportunities there.

Like the one that I really like is that Hairston Crossing library.

Um there's a pond there again, doesn't do a lot, but public space, if you want to decommission that, that's fine.

But if you want to do something cool that could actually be like an educational component for green infrastructure, you know, there's opportunity there, and you could provide some uh water quality benefit to the watershed.

So that's what we're currently looking on.

That's in the snap finger analysis, and I'm sure we'll be bringing that back to you here in the near future because we're just about wrapped up on that effort.

So again, uh major ongoing initiatives that the the storm is always currently engaged in, as you guys know, the strategic master plan was completed.

You guys adopted it last year, uh, which is pushed us into the watershed specific critical infrastructure master plan, which is ongoing.

That's Snapfinger is is being wrapped up.

We're currently working in a Norfolk and South Fork uh watersheds.

Um there was a GIF alone.

What actually drove the original part of what drove the original rate increase was to get a chief alone to get some of the backlog that was secured, and they're currently working on that.

Um and then what's kind of bringing the current rate increase request is the core water infrastructure financing program, which they just call it SWIFT P is what's what it's referred to.

So if I say that just know that's what I'm talking about, um to kind of look at the major dams rehab, and so that's uh current effort ongoing, and this is this is the public dams inventory that the county owns, and so you can see the names and then the category, it's just uh in case y'all don't know.

Categories refers to a safe dams program categorization.

Category one means it's at least 2500 or 25 feet high, the dam, and or holds enough water to flood a hundred acres one foot deep, so we call it a hundred acre feet.

Um and if it's a category one, that's the I that means that if it were to breach catastrophically, there's the potential for loss of life.

So that's when the state EPD through the safe dams program gets involved and starts regulating that.

Um if it's category two, it's the same size dam, but the what they call breach analysis shows that it probably won't kill anybody.

So it's it's it's still a big dam, but there's less likelihood of of loss of life downstream, and then NA just means it's it's shorter and smaller than the safe dams kind of threshold.

So there's still they would still if you walked up, you'd be like, that's a pond, that's a lake.

It's just not huge big enough to get onto EPD's radar.

Um and then you can see who currently operates them, so it's roads and drainage parks, DWM has the reservoirs at Scott Canler, which are all category one dams.

And then the last column is if there's maintenance needs, uh that's where the SWIFT P loan.

That's that's where that comes in, and that's what they're proposing to use the loan for is repairs on those.

So question any questions on that because that's really technical.

Go ahead.

Just a quick question.

So uh I know Glenn Emerald Lake Dam, that was replaced.

Um the rest of them you had the SWIFT P next to them.

Does that mean that those are the ones that we need to do some kind of upgrade on.

Okay, so those are the priority ones that are the loss of life, except I guess number two, Arabian Mountain East Dam is number two.

Exchange park dam is got some needs that that are that's a category two.

So NA just means it's not a big enough dam to warn you like a category.

To get on EPD's radar, that doesn't mean that it's not a you know, if it's 24 feet high, EPDs like well, it's below the threshold, so we're not gonna track it, but that doesn't mean that it's not a county asset that needs to be carefully monitored.

Like there could even be loss of life below a non-categorized dam.

Okay, so it's like Chapel Hill Dam is an NA, but you've y'all marked that as a priority.

That's that's yeah, and then be clear.

I I was not involved in that part of this, but um just kind of reporting that.

And the other thing I would note is these are the public dams.

There are kind of going back to what I was just saying on the detention funds.

There are dams that are out there that are private that have that would be one that have county maintenance uh involvement.

Quick question.

Um I don't remember, so I don't we you explained category one and category two, and then we go to NA.

Are there other categories?

So it's one or two or NA.

Okay.

Yeah, thank you.

Yeah, the categories just the one and two just means EPDs tracking them in addition to the county.

Understood.

Thank you.

Anything NA just means EPD is not concerned with them.

They're kind of considered a local matter.

Okay.

I mentioned the uh critical infrastructure, just to remind you, because again, this isn't about Snapfinger.

Um, we're looking at all those pipes that I call them, the ones that where you guys get the phone calls.

So, like if a if you have a neighborhood and you got one road that goes in and it crosses a creek and you got a culvert there and it collapses, that that's gonna be a a bit of a problem if it if it collapses.

So again, just think that in terms of critical infrastructure, it's not the entire infrastructure of the watershed.

We're just looking at the ones that are like most you're gonna have the biggest impact on quality of life.

So the purple or the pink uh one there in the middle, that's Snapfinger.

Um currently we just started looking at the the two to the north in blue, that's Norfolk and South Fork of the Peach Tree.

Um, and then the other two in the purple and yellow are in the future.

So I'm sure you guys will be hearing something about that here in the not too distant future as far as uh what we found.

But I'm gonna give you some preliminary numbers.

So let's focus on group one.

The assessment is complete, that's the Snapfinger Creek watershed.

Um what you're seeing is there was about quite 1,100 critical assets, various pipes and whatnot in that watershed.

Um the the number I want you to focus on is 161.

Those are the ones that were found to be poor, in poor shape.

Um so we took those percentages that you see right below that, and then we extrapolated it out to the rest of the county, the stormwater utility area.

And so if those percentages hold, we're looking at about 700 poor, potentially poor condition assets that are critical in the county.

If that makes sense.

Can you go back?

Just to want to make sure I understood that.

So group one, the assessment is complete and it's just over 15 percent considered poor.

So then for the other groups, you use the same estimate of a 15 percent and assess it.

Okay.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Yeah, you got it perfectly.

So then once we identified, like if we found ones that had maybe a hole in the bottom or severely rusted out or damaged, those that were found to be poor, we actually did a cond uh beyond the condition assessment and said, Oh, well, it's in bad shape.

We actually looked at how's it performing?

So, you know, can it pass a reasonable storm event?

So in this case, we said 25-year storm event.

Like if it can pass the 25-year storm event, then it's in poor shape, but it's adequately sized.

Um why do we do that?

Because whatever we do to repair it, kind of that's becomes the decision matrix.

If it's less than 25 years, let's say it comes back and it's only passing a five-year storm event and it's potentially gonna flood a house, then that becomes a we should probably dig it up and replace it and potentially make it bigger so that we can get it up to current code, current standards.

Um, if it's passing, let's say the 50-year storm event, that's pretty good.

And we would say, let's go do a lining project where they go in and spin a new pipe into the into the existing one and kind of rehab it in place, which is a whole lot cheaper and less disruptive to the neighborhood.

Um, and so what you're seeing there in group one again, is about 40 percent of the of those uh 161 poor conditioned assets were below the 25 year level of service, and so that's how we took and said, okay, of the 161, 62 potentially need to be replaced, 99 of them can be uh rehabbed in place again, a lot cheaper, less disruptive.

We just took those same percentages again and just kind of said let's look at of the 700 that we think might be in poor shape.

What does that look like functionally?

Right.

Um so you get 272 assets that potentially need to be replaced uh in the county and another 427 that need to be uh aligned.

Now, as we do the assessments, you know, obviously these numbers will be updated and brought to you guys.

Um, and this is fresh off the books.

I asked the team uh at 2 o'clock this afternoon, and I said, because what we do is once we find ones that need to be replaced, we actually do a little concept map and actually try to do a preliminary cost opinion to see what it would take to replace that system with something that would provide 100-year level of service.

They've done 22 of the 33 expected systems, because sometimes you have more than one asset in a system that currently averaging 427 dollars per system.

So as of today, we're looking at about 14 to 15 million dollars in funding needs for Snapfinger Creek critical assets for replacement projects.

Of all the ones that can be lined, it'll be way less than that.

And that's just the one basin.

And that's just the one base.

Not all of them.

Correct.

Okay.

So anyway, I say all that.

Um to say, you know, they're working, the staff's working hard.

Um the stormwater utility user fees fund the majority of the program, but that's not the only place they're getting money.

So you know, I mentioned the GIFA loan, you know, don't want to hit 10 million dollars all at once on the utility, so they got the GIFA loan to help amateurize out the backlog.

Um they did get uh 10 million, you guys allocated 10 million dollars of ARPA funding uh from Tranch2 to help offset those impacts to the ratepayers uh from that.

Um we did win a brick grant, and we're working our way through trying to get FEMA to come off the money.

You know, as you know, there was a there was an administration change and priorities change, and so we literally were trying to respond to FEMA's request for additional information this morning, trying to get that into those guys, so they'll turn that 2.4 million dollars that you guys were awarded.

Um we got the the SWIFT P loan that we just talked about, and additionally, uh some of the SPLOSS money was being used uh for Swarmwater as well.

So all that to say it's not all coming out of just the utility uh user fees.

Um just a reminder again.

This is just from the previous master plan.

You know, this is what we're trying to kind of get as we move from reactive to proactive is trying to get things into those buckets, routine maintenance.

That's the ponds corrective is the pond lining.

You know, that's that's something we can go do quick, it's less disruptive.

CIP is the you know, that's the one where we're going in and replacing stuff, and then obviously we can't forget we've got a lot of regulatory pressures that come down from the state and firms.

So again, uh we we've run a new rate model.

Um the anticipated needs are gonna be again the debt service for the SWIFT P loans to bring the repairs to the dams as well as that capital funding that we just talked about for the assets.

So we ran uh these numbers.

Let me go next one.

Um I know there's a lot of information.

This is actually from the rate model.

The two things I want you to focus on are the top red box, that's the rates.

And uh we've run a 10-year model.

I just put a put the first five in there because it was it would get too small to see anything.

But the what we're asked to model was uh kind of similar to what you guys have been talking about on the DWM front, which was the 10 for 10, so no more than a 10% increase uh a year for 10 years, and so that on the top box that's what you're seeing is current rate is ten dollars per month or 120 dollars per year, um, ramping up 10% each year, and then you can see what'll happen on the revenue side at the bottom box.

So that's that's the first half of it, and then the second half is the spending side.

And what we've done here is we've taken the 2026 uh budget that you guys approved and used that as the baseline and started um kind of just extended that those assumptions, and where the money changes is the Swift P line item.

Uh you can see the first the top red box, that's the um the loan amortization schedule that we got from finance, and then the the next box down is money that would be sent to the CIP fund for linings and replacements and things of that nature.

Um, and what we did in order to kind of figure out you know what those numbers would be was if you look at the bottom number, the bottom red box, that is months of uh operations, um, so you know, roads and drainage uh debt service, that kind of stuff.

How long can we operate without any funding?

And what we tried to do was keep that around six months.

So keep a six-month reserve, everything else goes to capital.

So basically, we just would start bumping up the capital numbers from 4.75 million this year, uh, you know, ramping that up in order to keep that that operating reserve at around between six and seven.

So that was the goal of that.

Um, and that should allow for some of that uh repla some of those replacements, potential future debt service.

If you know we can't do 50 million dollars in one year, but you know, I I we stress test it, um, worked with Bob Atkins, he came up with what he thinks a $50 million 10-year bond would look like, just as one example.

I mean, you ran, I think eight different scenarios.

We put it in just to see, you know, would that bottom the fund out where we didn't have any money for emergencies?

And so what we found was this rate model could take up to a $50 million bond in the short term, and then still have anywhere from four to ten million dollars of remaining CIP funding, so that you know we're one hurricane away from finding out where all our weaknesses are.

Right.

And so there would still be money for emergencies and unplanned like the road collapse that we showed you.

Um when you say there's also money in reserve, the regular maintenance that you had shown a couple of slides uh earlier that still funds all of those activities as well, correct?

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, that would be all be up in you see the line items that says 51 through 70.

That's roads and drainage.

So that doesn't even touch that.

So and that includes uh modest increases for them to keep them going for you know, usual like replace a catch base on top, you know, things like that.

Right.

So I know this is usually the time when you don't start asking, like, so what are the rates look like everywhere else?

So what you're seeing here is uh the top kind of list is is some of the cities here currently in DeCab along with the current DeCab rate, and you can see in the middle column, that's what your resident pays.

Um, your typical resident pays in those communities, and then on the right, we normalize because commercial, you know, there's no typical commercial development.

Walmart pays a lot larger fee than a little zippy mart on the corner.

Right.

So what we did was we normalize it to how many dollars per thousand square feet of impervious surface per year do they pay.

So you can kind of figure out like what's the apples to apples comparison there.

So and then the second list is I included Rockdale County and Gwinnett County since they're your neighbors.

Um, and then I added a couple other cities that are outside of Georgia just to get them get an idea of what they are.

It you gotta be careful with some of those because they don't operate the same way, but I tried to normalize it to what if if a resident in DeCap County lives in say Philadelphia, what would they be paying or a business of that?

So commissioners uh Rich, anything else to add?

I don't think so.

The only other thing I had was that, and I don't think we need to talk about inflation today.

Well it it someone put it on the radar for us.

So anyway.

Uh commissioners, any questions, any comments, any thoughts?

Commissioner Terry.

Yes, thank you, uh.

Thank you, Rich.

The um okay, so the recommendation that the previous slide on the budgetary reserve.

So the goal is to get you said to six months operating.

And my mind I was thinking, I thought you said that it was the in case like there was a shortfall, but I guess but then you sort of answered it.

You said if there really was a big event, you'd have a reserve to respond to an emergency action.

So I think that makes sense.

I uh it's actually probably the epitome of a rainy day fund.

Yes.

Uh because that's probably what would happen, right?

It'd be a huge hurricane and there might be a big washout, and you'd have to just basically you wouldn't want to um cannibalize operations for current CIP projects, you want to okay.

So I I am in support of getting the six-month reserve.

I think that makes sense.

Um it looks like you're kind of going to 5.7, 6.4, but you it looks like you're trying to just try to stay in that keeping that range.

So I just bumped up that that second box until I got the bottom box down between six and seven.

Okay, and then can you just go back over the the net the last slide about the comparison?

Um just explain again how you're normalizing the non-residential rate.

Absolutely.

Well, let's leave let's use decab because it the the math is easy.

So you can see that the resident pays $120 per year.

That's based on the equivalent residential unit, which is an impervious area equal to 3,000 square feet of impervious area.

That's the average impervious area of a house.

Okay.

So the way we we charge non-residential customers is we say how much impervious area do you have?

You divide that by 3,000.

So if they've got 300,000 square feet of impervious area, like let's say there's a Walmart or something, we take that divide by the average amount of impervious area that a resident has, 3,000, we get 100 equivalent residential units, so they're a hundred times bigger than a homeowner.

Take that times whatever the rate is in this case a hundred and twenty, and that becomes their bill.

Now what we did, and and every community has a different ERU.

So you know, what the average home size or purvious area of a home in in Chattanooga is different than it is in DeCap County.

You go to like New York City, it's tiny compared to because you know everybody lives on these little postage stamps.

So what I did was in order to kind of normalize that out is I took whatever their rate is and divided it by the ERU to kind of get a dollars per square foot and then multiply it times a thousand, because otherwise it just doesn't make sense.

It's like a 2.34 cents per square foot.

So this is kind of like if you took an impervious area in, let's just pick on lithonia, and they had a thousand uh let's just say ten thousand square feet of impervious surface area, they would pay sixteen times uh ten, because there's ten one thousand units.

So it would be 160 dollars.

Same one.

I might need to see your same one in the county would pay 40 or what would that be 400?

Would you mind um providing your math?

Yeah written out.

I can I can I can send you guys.

I just need to like kind of I I hear what you're saying.

I think I'm following it, but I I need to like kind of visualize your calculations.

But I guess the the main point though is that the non-residential rate is designed to be equivalent in terms of impervious surface, and you're just trying to create a formula.

Um then equity wise, we want like if you're a hundred times the size of a resident, you should pay a hundred times as much in fees.

Gotcha.

If you're 50 times, 50 times.

Okay.

And then do y'all literally like do we use GIS mapping to determine different parcels ERU?

Okay, so every lot might be a a different ERU.

Except for residential, except for single.

All residential.

All single family pays a flat rate.

And that's, you know, where you kind of try to balance out that like at some point, and I I'll give you the ultimate example because Gwyneth County, your neighbor to the north, they charge per 100 square feet, regardless of what kind of things.

Oh.

Okay.

They spend months calculating the bills every year.

So at some point they're spending a lot of money to figure out those bills.

It's like some fraction of your bill is actually the cost of calculate your bill.

Okay.

So if you looked at like an R60 lot and an R 100 lot, it's just sort of more efficient just to average it.

Yeah.

And because you'd spend so much time equivalent over a couple dollars, maybe between a larger impervious lot, but it might just be the difference of a 100 square feet or something of the different communities now.

I mean, you saw what Gwinnett kind of went to the ultimate level of detail.

And then other communities, like I community I worked with when I first got out of college was Griffin, they had two rates.

They had the small home and the big home.

But it was still flat rate.

You just which one and ironically, it was literally which side of the tracks did you live on.

All the smaller homes were on the north side of the tracks, the big homes were on the south side.

So then last question, Mr.

Chair.

So the on the five-year um is is it a is this a ten by ten?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

All right.

All right, I'll yield back.

All right.

Uh Commissioner Johnson.

Yes, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

So on this comparison chart, could we also see the numbers for Atlanta, Cobb, Fulton, and Clayton?

Uh Atlanta does not have a stormwater utility.

They take their stormwater money out of their water and sewer rates.

Wow.

Okay.

Uh I can get you Clayton Counties.

And if you can wait till next month when I get my first stormwater utility bill, because I live in Cobb County, I will tell you how much that is, but they just passed it and it has not actually sent out a bill yet.

Uh but I can find out what they proposed.

I just don't know off the top of my head.

No, yeah, that's fine.

I wasn't expecting that.

And then what was the last one?

Fulton, I think.

Fulton doesn't have one either.

But there's really not much left of unincorporated Fulton County.

It's just a small piece down in the south end of the county.

Everything else has been incorporated.

Yeah, it has.

And then I I guess we'd have to see if the cities in Fulton County have it.

Okay.

Some of them do.

Some of them do.

Um so the increase or proposed increase would be increase equally, so to speak, the same increase amount, whether it's residential or commercial.

Correct.

The base rate increases, and then again, like if you're a a resident, you know, the kind of the bottom number on the top red box, that's what they would pay per year.

But again, the whatever proportionately how larger they the residents or the non-residential customers are, that's what they pay.

So and then how much are we expecting the increase to generate over, I guess the base of what we're already at?

So I can tell you how much the annual buildings will be.

So if you see um kind of middle of this page, total annual buildings from customer accounts, it goes from 32 million is what they're you know, if with no action, that's what we think is gonna go out as far as total billings.

And then you can see it ramps up to 51 after five years.

And I can get you beyond that if you want.

So in the first year, for example, of an increase, it looks like it ramps maybe about three million.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

And then how far is this getting us towards actually being able to complete the projects and we need to complete in the stormwater master plan?

Again, we're just getting started on that.

Yeah.

It's like said 14 to 15 million.

If we so it was 161 or 700, so what is that?

Five times.

So right there, if if all things being held equal, you know, we're going up to what's that 15?

Let's just say 15 times five is 75 million.

Okay.

If but there's a lot of assumptions there.

So what I'm saying is, you know, don't try to tackle it all at once as we find projects and then we do the risk assessments.

Um that's the part that I haven't shown you, which I'm sure we'll be bringing back to you because there's an entire risk assessment process to figure out like of these hundred plus projects, you know, which one should you tackle first.

And then with the risk assessment, um, does that tie into your add into the annual MS4 reporting when we have to do that, you know, look at our system annually?

No, ma'am.

I mean, that that plays into it because I remember I said we're only looking at the critical assets as part of the critical asset infrastructure.

The county does look at every five years.

Yes.

So 20% of the counties looked at every year, so after every five years they do an assessment.

It's less less detailed than what we're doing, where actually sending cameras up the pipes in some cases.

But you want to add anything?

No, necessarily.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you.

I yield.

Okay.

Um Rich, thank you very much.

Uh if I could ask, get us the 10-year version of this page 17.

Absolutely.

As well as I think it was page 18 that was with that.

Um Rich, I'm I'm I'm uh I'm gonna throw a hard question at you.

So we have obviously the price of gas going as it is.

And I know we're sort of more of a cerebral approach to this, but if we had if you're an elected official and you have a room full of upset people, why is this necessary?

Imagine not getting out of your being able to leave your neighborhood.

Imagine adding 30 minutes to commute because we had a major collapse under a major roadway.

These are the these are what the critical assets we're looking at.

Imagine if the So you're saying that if there was a culvert, as you described, that was uh a little bridge that I had to cross to get out of my neighborhood and it washes away.

This is what takes care of that?

Ideally, because we're trying to get again, we're moving, we're trying to move from a reactive stance to a proactive stance, we will find those and get them rehabbed and or replaced before it gets to that that place.

Like we don't we don't want those to collapse.

There are some culverts that are not culverts, but maybe there's some pipes that are kind of out in the woods that are you know, if they collapse, it's it's not good, but there's not a constant, there's not a large consequence to it.

And that's what we talk about.

What is the consequence of the failure of that asset when we talk about criticality?

And you know, some of them, you know, it's like if it fails, it fails, and we'll we'll put it on the list, we'll go fix it.

These are the ones that we don't want to fail during a storm event because the consequences are high.

You know, if we lose Redan Road, you guys are gonna get some phone calls, and that's what this is meant to do.

This is not a let's go fix everything tomorrow.

This is let's get into a proactive stance on these critical assets.

And you know, hopefully an extra 10 bucks spread over the course of a year is not horrific, and that's I think that's part of why they're looking at a 10 by 10 code is to because you know get a member 10 percent next year is not really 10 percent, it's like what is that seven yeah when you factor in place.

Um and I guess just to tie this back to the um stormwater master plan that you guys presented to us uh I guess last year that we adopted.

So within that master plan, it also identifies right, lays out the idea of prioritization of things.

The risk of failure results in this consequence, and that's sort of the approach that you guys are encouraging us to take a look at.

Absolutely.

Yeah, matter of fact, uh I mentioned the the project risk assessment.

That's actually in there, the the depart risk assessment on on how do we look at at that from a prioritization standpoint because if we bring you 100 projects, you it'd be tough for you guys to go do everything next month.

Right.

So okay.

Um I think Commissioner Terry asked for some of your math explaining how we can do that.

We need to give them if you could get that in if you don't mind putting that in Excel file so that some people like to tinker, and that would be a good thing to take a look at.

Um and then if you wouldn't mind uh if you could update this presentation with the full 10 by 10 that you guys are asking for.

Okay.

I think that would be very helpful.

Uh Commissioner Johnson, I don't think you asked for anything else in addition.

Is that correct?

That's correct.

That's correct.

Commissioner Terry, anything else you'd want to see?

I was gonna just ask Zach if he can remind us what the deadline is.

Because I assume you want this to go to go into effect this this year.

Absolutely.

What's the deadline?

Let me get the date, but it's uh I think the end of June.

With the tax bills.

Yeah.

And and I I have it, but let's just say the end of June.

End of June.

Okay.

Um and then Mr.

Chair, only the thing I was gonna maybe suggest, just because the soil and water conservation district supervisors have expressed a lot of interest and they in a way they sort of manage aspects of our stormwater system.

Would it be possible, Zach, if Rich could just present this at their at their next meeting?

They have like every month, I think on Fridays.

He calls I gotta I gotta pick up the phone and go.

Yeah.

But we'll we'll absolutely have the conversation.

Because you're uh you're right.

I mean, we've had instances where they've come to to our discussion, so it would be good to uh kind of talk to them up front.

Okay.

Thank you.

All right, commissioners, any other questions, any comments for Rich while he's here?

Oh okay.

Um what is your expectation for today?

Well, it do pass, of course.

Um of course.

You know.

So, you know, it is is as soon as the board is comfortable, as soon as the committee is comfortable, we would like to move this forward.

Um the the question that you asked, Commissioner Patrick, and there's no real easy answer in terms of you know what do we tell our constituents, right?

Um but I think Rich hit the nail on the head.

We are asking we are in fact asking for ten dollars more.

But we're asking for ten dollars more so that we can assure that roads to the best of our abilities don't wash out.

Um we'll be implementing programs that we've discussed that may be able to address some of the issues on you know where our infrastructure is impacting private property.

The fact is this system is not much unlike our uh sewer system.

And we as leaders now are simply faced with addressing issues that have been decades in the making.

But it's only going to get worse.

So we we're looking for the support so that we can move forward and fix these issues.

Yeah.

I'll I'll say that when um stormwater fees were collected at other places in the past.

Um there was not this perspective of doing the master planning and and trying to prepare for the consequences that we're now at.

I guess uh 2006, I think is when Gwyneth adopted uh master plans or uh stormwater fees.

And so um we have all of the years before and then marking 2006 to current it it it um.

But you were insistent, rightfully so, that we pursued the development of the master plan, right?

We had we didn't have one.

This is only the second time since these rates have been in place that someone has come before well, the third time.

The second time it didn't work, or the first time it didn't work, but the second time we've come asking for these types of rate increases, it is necessary.

I will say in our discussion um as we were adopting the stormwater master plan.

I know I was also trying to drill down the point that the next big infrastructure that we need to be paying attention to is stormwater.

Absolutely.

Most of these pipes are at the end of their lifespan or beyond, and the next big failures will be stormwater.

And I think we are seeing that, but I appreciate that we are trying to be proactive and get these fixes in.

But I'm also grateful that we have a stormwater master plan.

I don't think most um communities have a stormwater master plan.

So no one wants a rate increase.

But sometimes if you understand what the fund money is going to.

Yep.

Uh absolutely if you could put the screen onto page three from the presentation.

I think that probably speaks uh more to the issue and the criticality of of the conversation.

Um because uh nobody wants that.

And we're seeing more and more of that across the county.

Yeah.

And who built a house on our stormwater pipe?

Rules of change.

That's a different question.

You would be shocked.

They used to be under the house.

Yes.

What she said.

Yes.

Now we at least try to go ten feet outside the house.

That's at least we do.

Yep.

Okay.

One other discussion.

So um so I am in the posture of supporting this.

I think what would be helpful is if we could actually have the draft ordinance that lays all of this out.

I would like us to continue doing the green infrastructure set aside.

Absolutely.

I know that's part that would be part of the ordinance resolution.

And we would also be clear that it's not just schools.

Oh yeah I mean I think we should just make it green infrastructure in general that way we have more flexibility.

Absolutely and then Mr.

Chair is it is it at all possible that we could do some sort of public information session before it kind of just some and I don't want to call it a town hall but something that is just sort of here's what and because Rich has provided some very good information.

I probably wouldn't include all of it Rich but I think you know the maps the images sort of these are all things that would help paint the picture of what we're trying to do over the long term so is that something we could try to into the very busy schedule I know we have over the next so um conversation that uh PO and I just had um we are only three people and we also have four other commissioners that need to get up to speed so I'd like to suggest that um could we conditionally approve this with a presentation at uh the next cow and then we come back and have that on the I forget whatever date it would be but I think at the end of the May have an actual vote on it at that point.

We're going to need the other four commissioners on board to be aware we'll do the math in our head in terms of getting it scheduled but yeah yeah um and then to the overall question of a town hall uh absolutely I love those I don't know if you'd be fine doing a town hall here maybe six or seven o'clock in an e on an evening and then uh DC TV can uh beam it out for everybody to to log in and pay attention to but uh this is one of those critical things that we we need to be up front and forward with the residents and understand that all other things concerned that are going on in the economy right now if you can't get out of your neighborhood that's a definite level of economic stress that's out there.

So to that point the next cow is May 21st um but I think if we were to give it a due pass wouldn't it show up on VLC on the 12th so wouldn't we want to defer it and then not vote on it until the 26th and have those presentations.

I think uh and then sometime before the 26th we have the town hall is that the town hall and then we'll have the draft uh ordinance so because we're ultimately we have to vote on a resolution right yes because it's a rate a rate setting so you will absolutely have to vote on that rate okay yes I think that's that that'll be the double in the details of just so it's very clear what we're voting on.

Okay.

But I'm good with that just deferring it for two weeks we'll have the more information of the cow and then would would the town hall here just be like a PWI meeting that we just sort of make it more open-ended I I um I does every just my own instincts would be if we do it later in the evening people are going to come home they're gonna have a chance to settle in and they can log in by Zoom into the best show on Earth.

For the best greatest show on Earth.

Okay.

You want to look a virtual meeting or a hybrid meeting uh we could yeah yeah so uh people would be invited to come here and uh sort of give their opinions to us directly much like we did with the uh 10 by 10 uh for uh water and sewer yeah um but then also people can log in and watch it online and then uh and ask questions ask questions okay we have one of our moderators take care of that and if we can just I'm thinking just thinking out loud and we could you know discuss whatever the board or the committee would like to do uh we would definitely be supportive but um we're going to be heading into millage rate discussion and public hearings for that I mean all that will be kind of converging at the same time so maybe we can talk through maybe it's a broader discussion of multiple things I don't know though I need to look at the calendar I need to look at a calendar Mr.

Chair so let's at least bank on the cow presentation and work through the town hall the town hall conversations as well thank you um and and I guess for the cow presentation if you could I know you referred back to readan but if there's other uh things that have high consequence in the other districts as well uh general or super districts we want to make sure that those commissioners are aware of you know these are the concerns that are out there okay all right all right she wants to defer for two weeks you said yes pardon me I think it's two for two weeks that'll be fine all right motion to defer item zero five eight seven for two weeks second all right all those in favor are you on say aye aye okay uh commissioners I do have a meeting that I have to attend uh this evening um is there should we focus in on these uh high dollar requests yeah if there's anything urgent yes they come out of audit yes I think they emergency items did come out of audit so it would be good I had a note I think all of

Yes, pardon me.

I think it's two for two weeks.

That'll be fine.

All right, motion to defer item 0587 for two weeks.

Second.

All right.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Okay.

Uh commissioners, I do have a meeting that I have to attend uh this evening.

Um is there should we focus in on these uh high dollar requests?

Yeah, there's anything urgent.

Did they come out of audit?

Yes, I think.

I had a note.

I think all of them came out supported except one, except for the first time.

There's there's one adjustment that we would like to retain or defer to to clean up.

All right.

Um, and I can explain the details because as it stands, it kind of look um, okay suspect.

I'm gonna hop over to page three for those who are following along uh under watershed management.

We're just gonna take these in order.

Agenda item 2026-0604 for all commissioned districts.

EM, I believe that's emergency, uh Snapfinger Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility, uh wet weather pump service uh storage emergency for use by Department of Watershed Management to obtain and design and implementation of wet weather pumping storage seeking to ratify an emergency purchase awarded to Ruby Collins Incorporated, amount not to exceed 10 million eight hundred excuse me, ten million nine hundred and eighty-nine thousand dollars.

Yes, sir.

So to the sake of brevity and to put these four items in context because they all are related to Snapfinger.

Um Snapfinger wastewater basin essentially um has about 14 capacity related priority fixed lists sites that um the agencies monitor on our consent decree.

Um what we're doing here is why we're focusing on the um facility is because ultimately all the collection system in this area um winds up traversing there.

Um these four items ultimately allow us to facilitate additional capacity uh at the at the plant.

Um right now we have a uh about 20 million gallon storage, um, which is just not suffice given the events that we've been having.

So this item here in particular um allow us to put in some conveyance system, some pumping system, and take advantage of uh uh old basin that was decommissioned as a part of new membrane plant.

So that's specific to this item.

Um the next item will be um to expand the membranes and to include the purchase of those membranes, which is by itself five million so dollars.

Um the next item which will be to rehab the existing um influent lift station at the pump that at the uh facility that pumps into the station we have essentially four uh pumps that we're gonna be uh rehabbing, reconditioning along with all the components.

The fourth item, which we're gonna be um reducing to 550, ultimately submitting a substitute that item specifically initi initially was to purchase those membranes because of the fact of the long lead time and fact uh over 10 months, we had to um commit to the vendor, being that we already have these membranes existing with over uh decade of service life remaining.

We wanted to standardize and remain compatible.

Um so we had to make that purchase before actually getting the general contractor on board, which is that second item for 32 million to actually have the necessary materials to do the actual work.

Um at the point we were able to get the the procurement going for the GC, we um was uh able to uh include that purchasing within, which is a benefit to the county because you would want that GC to warranty.

Um so at that time we're we're going to ultimately reduce the amount and um submit a substitute just for that initial 10% payment we had to make for uh about 550,000 dollars.

Okay, so in a nutshell, that's what those four items are about again.

All of them did pass audit.

Um with the well, the fourth one cleared audit with the reduction to 550 with the comment that it's actually included in the 32 million, so there's a reduction of 4.8 million.

So there's a reduction of 4.8 million.

I know I threw a lot at you guys.

Of course, that was in the details.

Okay.

Essentially, we have those 14 hot spots.

Yes.

That someone's looking over our shoulder on.

Correct.

And we want to make those, we want to fix those priority areas there.

And then these other items come along to actually handling the overflow capacity.

Especially with wet weather.

And being able to handle it appropriately before it gets discharged down the stream once we're finished with it.

Yes, so and to echo some specifics.

This is an attempt to do just that.

And the ramifications are the benefit of doing so.

For if we don't mitigate some of these situations, some of those sites alone can be roughly 10 million dollars in stipulated penalties each.

So putting it in context, there's a necessary emergency, urgency, and driver for us to do these intermediate measures, basically.

Okay.

All right.

Commissioners, that was a lot.

We're gonna still we're still only focused on 0604.

Commissioner Johnson, any questions, comments?

Not on that one.

Okay.

Um let's just take them one by one.

So if there's none on that one, Commissioner Terry, do you have any questions on 0604?

No questions, no questions.

Um let's go ahead and open up the uh floor for a motion.

Again, I will note that uh 0604 came out of audit supported by Mr.

Lavois Campbell's team.

And so I'll open the floor for a motion.

Move to approve.

Second.

Proper motion, proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All right.

Uh 0606, uh emergency uh construction of the snap finger advanced wastewater treatment facility, phase C3, emergency for use by the Department of Watershed Management to build out and upgrade that an acronym.

Uh membrane capacity in clusters one through four seeking to ratify an emergency purchase awarded to Ruby Collins in amount not to exceed 32 million three hundred seventy-one thousand eighty-seven dollars.

Yes, so some specifics about this item.

Um, like I said, this item here um not only include the purchase of um new membranes for uh clusters five and six to the tune of roughly um about five and a half million dollars.

It also includes some optimization of their existing um replacements of uh blowers, um other components to make the um basically the hydraulics of the plant to be at its greatest efficiency so we can ultimately manage more flow given um the need in a heightened rain event.

Um that's really the the essence of this item.

Okay.

Commissioners, any questions on 0606?

No, no.

Okay, open the floor for a motion, move to approve, second.

Proper motion, proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Okay.

All right, and then moving on to 2026-0613.

This is for all commission districts, again, emergency snap finger advanced wastewater treatment facility, uh, phase three C influent lift stations, pumping system upgrades for an emergency for use by the Department of Watershed Management to assess, upgrade, and maintain the pumping capabilities of ILS seeking to ratify an emergency awarded to coal technology incorporated, amount not to exceed uh four million two hundred and seventy-seven thousand nine hundred and fifty-seven thousand dollars.

Yes, so this item is ultimately for us to refurbish an existing station to get the most uh pumping capacity out of it.

Currently, the uh four pumps was designed in the 1980s and and basically have some diminished capacity, which typically just happened by way of age.

So ultimately we want to um rehab, rebuild, remanufacture the pumps to get it back to the initial design capacity of 80 uh MGD as much as possible.

Um and that's the extent of this item.

Okay.

Commissioners, any questions on this one?

No questions.

No questions?

Okay.

If there are no questions, open floor for a motion.

Motion to approve 0613.

Second.

Proper motion, proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Okay.

Um and just uh for the benefit of the public again.

These three items have been through Mr.

Lavois Campbell's audit review, and the dollar amounts were supported.

Our last one.

There's going to be a bit of a modification if I understand correctly, and we're gonna talk about that right now.

So agenda item 2026-0627.

This is for all commission district.

Again, emergency snap finger advanced wastewater treatment facility, membrane bioreactor emergency for use by the Department of Watershed Management to obtain the membranes to upgrade phase two equipment to reliably treat uh plant design flow seeking to ratify an emergency purchase.

A contract will be developed in the form acceptable to the county attorney awarded to is that Clovis Separation Solutions LLC, amount not to exceed five million three hundred and sixty thousand dollars, and we'll talk about the uh about uh the substitute.

Yes, so this particular item because we just didn't have the benefit of time, we actually um had to go ahead in order to get in um the queue for manufacturing because of the long league time of the actual membranes.

We had to engage um directly with the uh vendor.

Um again, we already have uh those existing membranes and the vast majority of the plant.

Um so we're standardizing on those for uh the remaining two clusters in order to um avoid um the long lead time and getting out of scene.

We um engaged directly to make the uh purchase which required uh 10 percent uh 550,000.

Um but because we know the overall cost is was 5.3 or 5.4, the item was um written as such.

However, um it's just for the membranes itself, and it requires actually having a vendor actually retrofit and install um which is the um prior item for 32 million, which also includes the overall purchase.

Um so thus we're reducing this item to the tune of 4.8 million minus the um initial payment of 550 that we must uh render because we've already uh committed to that um which is ultimately consistent with what the audit uh filed as well.

Okay.

Uh commissioners questions.

So my only question on this item is is there a way to move forward with approving the upcoming substitute or do we need to defer it until we get the document?

I think we can uh approve a substitute, and then if that is presented in time uh for Tuesday, uh that we can handle that substitute.

Is that uh Mr.

County Attorney is that the right way to handle a substitute?

Yes, Commissioner, you can get it done that way.

All right, thank you.

Uh any other additional questions?

If if all possible, yeah.

Because we just want to make sure the contract nuances is in place.

You know, I need my procurement professional to make sure that you know we don't have any additional calls for res whatever for counseling initial agreement.

I don't have those nuances, so I would you prefer a deferral?

Yeah, just to nod all eyes and cross out okay.

Move to defer the item for two weeks.

You're still right, all right.

But you know, I just want to ask about a substitute.

You can defer.

Yes, I prefer to defer to the first one.

Okay, perfect.

Proper motion, proper second to defer for two weeks.

Uh, unless there's any other questions or conversation, raise your hand for all those that support it.

I okay.

All right, commissioners.

Uh I apologize.

Um, I do have another meeting with the resident I need to to get to, uh, otherwise I'd push us through the remainder of these.

If um Zach and and uh team, if if there's something that's urgent and we need a special call, let me know and we'll we'll work it out.

Uh if not, these will be back on I think the 19th.

You know, we move or the 20th 21st.

21st, okay.

Because of the election date.

Yeah, yes.

Um all right.

Well, commissioners, unless there's anything else to add, I'll open the floor for a motion to adjourn.

I guess it's all right.

So moved.

Second.

Proper motion, proper second.

All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye.

Aye.

All right.

Thanks everyone for sticking with us.