06-10-2008 ERMU MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 5 Regular meeting of the Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission June 10, 2008 6.2 Review Job Description -Electrical Superintendent Staff has been making preparations for the upcoming retirement of the electric superintendent. Because a job description was not previously done, a job description was drafted and reviewed. Job qualifications were discussed and some verbiage was changed. Commission expressed a desire to interview the potential candidates for this position when the replacement process starts. 6.3 Water Shut-off Policy The mortgage crisis and the number of foreclosed and vacant homes continue to be very troublesome. The issue staff has is, should we or should we not be turning the water off at the curb stop if we know the house is vacant or if we are asked by the mortgage holder to turn off the water. When the electric is disconnected, the water pipes will freeze in the winter and damage will occur. If staff turns the water off it provides good customer service, however, this can be a time consuming matter to try and turn off the water at the curb stop. Some curb stops are bent or completely gone and it would be time consuming and costly to fix. Discussion followed regarding the time and percentage of services that these problems occur. John Dietz recommends requiring an up front fee and having a legal document signed prior to the utilities fuming the water oil: Staffwas directed to come up with an amount for this service and have the attorney approve a legal document and return to the commission for approval. 6.4 Review Annual URGE Test Results Elk River Municipal Utilities operates and maintains four diesel generation units at the power plant by Orono dam. These units are contracted by Great River Energy through a Power Transaction Agreement which is based upon the proven capacity from the annual URGE test. The URGE test results have steadily increased the past few years due to more maintenance and better training. Staff is commended for a great job of upkeep on the engines. The capacity results from this test will result in $349,800 in annual payments from Great River Energy. Other Business John Dietz read a prepared statement regarding complaints he has received of suspected fraud within the Elk River Municipal Utilities. Jerry Gumphrey commented he was also contacted by someone. John Dietz said he will be in contact with the auditor, Steve McDonald, of Abdo Eick & Meyers to investigate this matter. John Dietz moved to retain Abdo Eick & Meyers at a cost not exceed $5000. Jerry Gumphrey seconded the morion. Motion carried 3-0.