Green.

All right, welcome.

It is uh 6 p.m.

on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

This is the regularly scheduled Waukesha Water Utility Commission meeting.

I would like to call it to order.

Uh roll call, please.

Commissioner Francour?

Here.

Commissioner Fowell?

Here.

Commissioner Curry.

Absent.

Commissioner Pyatt.

Here.

Commissioner Matthews?

Here.

Commissioner Riley?

Here.

Commissioner Bartells.

Here.

We have a quorum.

Excellent.

Thank you for confirming.

All right.

Let's move on to public comments.

There is no one in the room physically.

Any emails or messages that we should be aware of?

I do not have any any correspondence from customers.

Okay.

Thank you.

So there's no public comment.

We'll move on to approval of the minutes.

Um can I get a motion and a second to approve the minutes from December of 2025?

Move to approve.

Second it's a motion and a second.

All right.

Any um questions or comments about the minutes from uh 121825.

Hearing none, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Abstain.

Okay.

Unanimous approval for the minutes.

So we'll now move on to action items, action item 5A.

Approved payments from the general fund and the improvement fund.

So we have Riley and Bartell's motion and a second.

Okay.

Commissioners, um questions or comments on the vouchers.

I mean the general fund and approvement fund.

I do have one I'd like to point out on the find it here.

Sorry.

On the loop's a little further ahead.

Um the fourth page.

Oh, I got a new one.

That's why.

Um, so it is the one dated uh January 16th, and it is uh check number 51873, City Waukes Waukesha Treasurer.

That would be our first pilot payment of 2026 for 774,000 50 dollars that we paid to like to thank you for pointing that out, Courtney.

How many how many of those pilot payments do we make each year?

We we make three of those every year.

So I'll be in excess of 2.1 million dollars for the city?

Correct.

It doesn't seem to be enough.

Well played, Courtney.

I don't know what any other uh questions, comments.

Okay, hearing none.

Um all in favor say aye.

Aye, aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Abstain.

Okay.

Um item 5A, unanimously passed.

Okay, action item 5B.

Uh approved designation of Waukshaw State Bank, including its investment branch, Waukeshaw investments, JP Morgan Chase Bank, and the state of Wisconsin local government investment pool as depositories for the 2026 calendar year.

So moved.

So moved, second, or did you want a second, John?

I'll second.

All right, is this you, Courtney?

Yes.

All right, so water utility policy requires the commission to authorize that's what was I'm sorry.

And we would like to recommend designating Waukesha State Bank, JP Morgan Chase Bank, and the state of Wisconsin local investment or government investment pool or LGIP for 2026.

Waukeshaw State Bank is currently our everyday bank, they are our servicing bank.

Um, they are in a convenient location for us.

We make deposits there daily.

Um they we have a contract with them through the city of Waukeshaw that uh was extended in 2015, and they currently have uh excellent interest rates that we've seen all year long.

JP Morgan Chase Bank is a bank that holds all of our electronic banking from customers that write a check.

So uh if a customer is a JP Morgan Chase customer and they write a check to us and uh used to come in check form, and then we would have to manually process those.

It now comes um electronically for us, and so we can easily upload all of those into our system for for all of the payments that come through from them, and so that holds all of those payments for the month, and then at the end of every month we pull the money from there and deposit back into Waukesha State Bank.

And our third banking is LGIP or the uh local government investment pool, and they are a very safe low-risk um facility for us.

Um, most government agencies use them.

Um, they hold all of our um money for that we carry for debt for our taxes, things like that.

So that is our third um facility that we use for our banking.

Um approving this today does not hold these as our only facilities that we can use for the year.

If we get something or we find something throughout the year that um is a very good deal or something that we want to invest in, um we will bring it back to the commission for approval.

So this does not tie us into just these.

We have had uh several people come in the last couple years, and with the interest rates that we receive both at Waukesha State Bank and at LGIP, they can't touch them.

So right now we are in a very good position with where we hold all of our money.

Um so um I I'm happy to take questions, but I'd like to move to designate Waukeshaw State Bank, including its investment branch, Waukeshaw Investments, JP Morgan Chase Bank, and the state of Wisconsin local government investment pool as depositories for the 2026 calendar year.

And those are the same that the city has.

We may have a couple more, but I'm pretty sure we have all three of those.

Yes.

We've had these same three now for years.

Correct.

That is correct.

Okay.

Other questions for Courtney or comments.

Won't be so close to Wakeshaw State Bank.

That is true.

We'll have to hit that other one over there on the on the other side of town.

Are they still the banker-friendly service?

They are, they're a very friendly service.

And they they have great rates, they have grades, they don't charge us a whole lot, so we we like them.

Thank you.

Okay, all in favor of uh approving, say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Abstain.

All right, excellent.

That brings us to our final action item 5C.

Approve the $37,930 and 22 cent change order to Myron Construction for regrading of the pond and the loading dock leveler uh for the new operations center.

It's all moved.

Frank Coor, second.

Okay.

Uh this must be Matt or so.

We had a change order from Myron for regrading the pond at the slate.

And this was per the city engineering concurrence letter that they sent us.

So that's after they review the plans, look at them, send it back.

Hey, the pond isn't big enough, you got to extend it here to conform with their um stormwater runoff and capacities.

So that was something we weren't aware of in the original plans.

And then the other part of this change orders for loading dock leveler.

Um there was money budgeted for the loading dock leveler.

It was a $15,000.

Did come in a little bit higher, $18,000.

But we did have money in there.

We do have an allowance built built in.

We have the contingency, the million-dollar contingency in the original budget.

Um, so we're not really gonna be going into that at all.

We do have an allowance that has been built up from after their original bid, some stuff has been changed, so we've gotten credits.

We got a roughly $80,000 credit on the roof trusses because they're able to change the shape of the roof when we went from metal to rubber roofing.

There was there used to be a step with windows and stuff in it, so they we were able to get a pretty significant credit.

So I think there's roughly a 160,000 in the allowance fund right now.

So we're still right on track for budget, maybe a little bit ahead of the game right now.

But the motion is to approve the $37,930 and 22 cents to Myron for the regrading of the pond and a loading dock leveler for the new operations center.

At first, I thought it meant some extra grading for like the approach to the loading dock.

30 seconds.

What is a loading dock leveler?

So it's the it's basically a ramp that a semi can back into, and then the where they would back to, there's a ramp that flips open and it adjusts up and down.

So every semi is not the exact same height.

So it's to get it to that deck height of whatever if it's a flatbed or semi, so that we can get a forklift onto it to get the stuff off of it.

Thank you.

How many docks do we have?

We just have one.

Just one.

Yep.

Do we have a forklift?

We do.

Good.

Yeah, sorry.

Other questions for Matt.

All right.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Abstain.

Unanimous.

All right.

Excellent.

Let's move on to uh item six discussion items.

Um discussion items.

So I have a uh small update from Dan, and then we'll kind of just give a little departmental update quick.

Uh Dan said uh depositions continue uh with the lawsuit.

They are continuing to gather information, and they are still waiting for the summary judgment.

Uh the decision by the judge, and hopefully, once we get that, then we will get a court date and uh know a whole lot more information on um and when we can get some decisions in from them for that.

Um, for departmental updates, uh, we did get a list of questions back from the public service commission for our rate increase, uh rate case that we have submitted.

Uh we did ask for an extension on that just because it is year end.

Uh and we are more short staffed and we are doing training.

So we have asked for an extension on that.

Um we've made our final or we're working on our final furniture selections for the new operation center.

Uh we are also working on your end and the audit.

The auditors will be here um March 11th through 13th, and we are also working on the diversion report, which is the report required um with the Milwaukee water.

Um, Matt has uh update for his department.

We've had three water main disruptions since the last meeting.

Um, one was the day after Christmas, the other ones were on regular hours, luckily.

Um we just have ongoing hydrant survey, valve survey.

The PLC project is going, and we they started it last month.

They're they're working their way through the stations, replacing the PLCs, so that that'll be a couple month project.

Um, and then Tom has started designing the new water mains for next year's uh this or this coming year's projects for the resurfacing project and the other uh main projects that we had approved earlier in the year.

So can you uh talk to like Alex?

Um, just about uh which projects um just double check make to make sure because there could be a change in which private projects are gonna be done for 26.

I'm I'm thinking it may be in the future, but um past 26, but just okay, say the mayor said something and then double check.

Thanks.

It was just a meeting um late yesterday.

You had a meeting today with them, right?

That was some what is the PLC again?

Those replacements of the programmable controller okay.

So it runs the tells the pumps when to turn on and off.

Yeah, okay.

Yep, we could all right.

Um that is all we have for discussion.

Discussion items this month.

Questions for Courtney or Matt.

Is that a picture?

Other pictures in that in the interview.

Did Dan have any idea about when we might hear a summary judgment?

That's still just okay.

Until they get down to depositions okay, until they hear back from the judge.

So they're just waiting on the judge for that summary judgment.

Sounds good.

All right, that moves us on then to information items.

New operations center update.

So they made quite a bit of progress in the last time.

I mean, it probably doesn't look like a ton on picture, but you can see now all the whole the steel structure.

This is the whole office portion of it.

So all the steel framing is up now.

Um, they're gonna start putting decking on that shortly to make it look like a roof.

Um, the insulation is up on the roof now for the roofing membrane, so all corrugated steel, but steel decking is up.

There we're supposed to start on that this week.

The wind and cold might delay that a little bit now, but uh it is starting to come along.

All the the water lines are so there's a hydrant back here and over there, and the service to the to the building are all installed now.

The prep this one is pressure tested and passed.

They pressure tested these lines today.

That passed, so we're gonna take a back T sample tomorrow on that stretch, and then our water will be in.

They're still working on sewer, uh, some storm stewer, and then the uh sanitary lateral the gas is into the building, and I believe the electric permanent electric is it's not into the building, but the transformers there, and they have temporary power randoff of it.

We have that uh the masonry, so you can kind of see in here some um masonry block walls that those are like the lunchrooms up here, training room.

This is like the locker room in here, and then there the lab and some other walls, but the masonry needed to go in.

The reason that this section of roof is left off of it is because there's um the precast panels make the floor for the upper mezzanine.

So all this area holds all of our electrical and HVAC units there.

So they had to have all the block in because that's what supports the floor.

So Monday and Tuesday was the original plan to set pre-cast plan uh floor panels.

It is supposed to be like a high of two degrees on Monday, so I don't know what that's gonna do.

Their schedule, but they're pretty uh they feel comfortable with their schedule, and they're still hoping for a late October finish date.

But I think there's another one.

You blame January on that.

It's gonna Jambury happens, it's gonna turn really.

It's gonna be freezing.

Um, just a couple more pictures of the back side.

So this is that pond that had to be regraded to and had to be extended out, and that was the basic more capacity out of it.

Oh, sorry, that's fine.

Uh, this is uh some lean two covered storage in the back.

I don't know if that was on the last month or not, but yeah, we don't.

So then hopefully the next their next week or two, they'll be putting the the roof deck on the office part, setting these precast panels and finishing that roof.

The roofers are there actively there trying to get the they put the styrofoam down first and then the rubber membrane goes over top of that.

So they're working on that with the weather.

The uh framers are there, so they'll start studying in all these next, so it's just basically steel posts that hold the whole structure up, and they'll fill in between the posts with the steel framing to close in that front office part in the next week or so, they'll be in there starting with that.

Oh, yeah, and then the the interior plumbing hoopers in there, they're putting all the roof trains in so that when they do get the roof on, the water has a place to go, and we're not creating more problems for ourselves.

And then they did start installing windows, the back side of the building, they have the casings in, and they'll be putting the glass in.

So it's moving along very well, I think.

But any other questions questions.

Any plans for a back patio with a grilling pizza oven and things like that?

Uh it's over here, it's right there.

Okay, excellent.

Okay, well, that's good news.

That's exciting.

Yeah, there you can kind of see this is all like the masonry walls.

Okay, this is the lunchroom, right?

Or training room there, and then locker rooms will be a dividing wall for the women's, and then just a couple other rooms back in there.

Oh, it's exciting.

All right, center.

I turn the page here.

Okay.

Sorry.

Would that have uh AC and everything inside it?

Too or not the sh the office will have ACOS, but the shop shop will not have accent.

Sorry.

Oh, it's okay.

Uh let's see here.

Uh utility performance report and administrative activities.

We just did that in discussion items.

I apologize.

Oh, well, it's okay.

Did a little early this time.

All right, that's all right.

Um about that.

Any other questions about utility performance?

We're moving water.

Okay, let's move on then to the financial report.

Okay.

So as we talked about, we are working on year end and the audit.

Um, so like every um December, we do not have full financials for you because we are working on getting everything tied up for the year and all of that.

Um, we hope to have them next month.

Um, but I'm I'm not certain on that, just because we are doing some training and and learning, and so we want to make sure that uh we obviously have everything in before we before we do that.

So um we will that will be a to be determined.

So this uh graph here just kind of shows our consumption for the year.

It's actually a two-year look back, but also um our consumption uh for December and also for the year.

We actually ended the year um a little higher than we thought we were going to, uh two and a half percent above what we thought.

Um part of for December, the increase there.

Um we had half of the city was billed two days longer, so there was a little increase there.

Irrigation is is um up a little bit, and then we also, if you notice, uh have commercial, which is about 28 million gallons over budget.

Uh, I think that's probably a continuation of the you know, bounce back kind of from COVID, and also we had a property that had a cooling tower go down, and so they went from a few hundred thousand gallons a month to millions of gallons a month that has now been repaired, but that did make a big impact on consumption um for 2025.

Is that don't worry asking?

Do you remember?

Um probably can't say just because we can't give out information regarding that.

Yeah, um it yeah, it was we can challenge.

Yeah, that's right.

No, I appreciate that.

So next line, our next item we have is our cash.

So we started the month at uh 48.1 million dollars, and we ended at 50 million, and so uh as you'll see there, we have an issuance of the long-term debts that 2.1 million dollars right in the middle of the screen there.

That is our um uh reimbursement from Wi-Fi.

So that is everything that we're doing with the operations center.

We submit then for reimbursement.

Um, other than that, pretty much business as usual for the end of the year, and then finally we have all of our projects for our transmission and distribution.

Um, as we talked about last month, all of the projects are complete um for the year.

The exceptions would be arrowhead trail, that is the one that we needed the eminent uh domain in that that area to to get an easement, um, which the uh city attorney and um is working on.

I believe they're close to getting that all done.

Um so that should go this year, and then we have that highway 59 was a two-year project.

So uh the 2025 piece is complete.

We will have another piece uh on it for 2026.

So other than that, everything is complete for the year.

I believe we have all invoicing from the city for everything except potentially one for a very minimal amount of money.

So everything is in and good to go.

So project-wise, we are our are good.

When will we get the 2026 list?

So that'll be next month.

Next month, okay.

Yep, that'll be with the January.

Okay, all right.

Pretty good.

I don't I just a comment.

I don't think like a lot of people understand that that with your money basically is building this building, it's 40 years to pay it back from the day you starts the day you take the money out, which is different than most um loans, and then it's also at interest, maybe even less one.

Yeah, it's a total of 38-year loan.

38, okay.

So and it does end in 38 years, but it is an average of 1.16% interest.

So that while the interest rate does fluctuate, the average throughout the whole term is 1.16, which is an excellent rate.

Um you know, almost unheard of.

So it's a great great thing for the community for sure.

Yeah, if you drive by, they've got the big WIFIA sign out in front of the slide.

I've driven by funded by commissioners.

Any questions?

Um I guess is the once we know more about the SJ Lewis suit, then we'll know more about we'll at some point this year we'll be talking about the GM transition and job search sort of thing, but we just can't make a move on that until we uh at least have uh uh a date for the trial, and even after that, just some uncertainty.

So other than that, I think the operations center, GM transition, and just keep pushing water for 26, right?

All right, um Courtney Matt by the number of times you say just keep pushing water, right?

I do.

I'm gonna trademark that oh, because we don't pull the water through the system, right?

We push it, right?

They push the push it from there, yeah.

We just keep pushing it.

Oh, you pull water on the flash.

All right, commissioners anything?

Courtney, Matt, Ellie.

I don't think we have all right.

I guess uh if there's nothing else, and if there are no objections, we are adjourned.

Okay.

All right, we're trying in it is uh 625.

Nice.

That definitely is a record.