PUBLIC WATER DISTRICT #13
Minutes of the October 17, 2006
Regular Session of the Board of Trustees

The Board of Directors of Public Water District #13, Jefferson County Missouri met in regular session at 7:03 p.m. on October 17, 2006 at the Lake Tishomingo Community Center, Hillsboro, Missouri.
Roll Call of Directors:
The following Directors being present or absent as indicated:
	Name	Present/Absent
	Marilyn Meyer	Present
	Lou Harting	Absent
	Rich Hirsch	Present
	Larry Kimmel	Present
	Henry Brym	Absent 

Motion was made by Marilyn Meyer and seconded by Rich Hirsch to accept the Agenda. On voice vote, all Directors were in favor of accepting the Agenda.

The Minutes of the Meeting of September 19, 2006 were given to the Directors prior to the meeting so they would not need to be read at this meeting. Copies of the Minutes were available at the back of the room for the audience. Motion was made by Marilyn Meyer to approve the Minutes. Second was by Larry Kimmel. On voice vote, the Minutes of the previous session were duly approved.

Treasurer’s Report:
There was no Treasurer’s Report.

Old Business:
Plan for promoting the November Bond Election.
•	Informational meetings: The first sewer information meeting was held on Oct. 10 following the regular monthly LTPOA Board meeting. Larry Kimmel summarized the meeting: “We had a lot of discussion and covered a little ground.” The second information meeting will be held on Oct. 17 following the regular monthly Sewer Board meeting.
•	Brochures: Brochures were designed, written, printed, and mailed to voters in PWSD #13.
•	Signs: Signs need to be made and posted. Our attorney Ray Dickhaner has offered us some of his unused campaign signs. These signs will be modified for our use. Signs will be made Sat. Oct 21.
•	 Phone campaign: Mary Leiweke will organize the phone campaign. Callers will be given an information sheet that contains possible questions with answers. If a question is asked that is not on the information sheet, callers will be instructed to direct their question to a Sewer Board member. Calls will be made one or two weeks before the Nov. 7 election.

New Business:	

Voting for the Nov. 7 election for voters in PWSD #13 will be at the Hillsboro Civic Center.

Larry Kimmel asked Eng. Brunjes to explain what happens if the bond election succeeds and the Board believes that the user fee is too high to start the project. Mr. Brunjes said that the Bond Counsel will not give the district any money until the project actually begins. 

In terms of safeguarding loan and grant funds, Mr. Brunjes said that funds are carefully watched so theft is very unlikely. Expenditures will be audited by both the USDA and the Grant Administrator. 

There were three questions that came up at the Oct. 10 information meeting that the Board could not answer without help from the District’s engineer and attorney:
 
•	Would Sewer Board members be paid a salary? Mr. Brunjes said that as elected officials, Board members are prevented from drawing salaries by State of Missouri statutes. The current Sewer Board members are appointed and have staggered terms of from one to three years. The first elected Board member will be elected in April 2007. 
•	Will the district have any paid employees? The district will need two paid “employees,” an engineer to maintain the equipment and check the plant’s operation and an accounting firm to do billing and complete the required paperwork. Although there is a fee for having the billing done by an outside company, one big advantage is that no one on the Board EVER accepts any cash, so there should not be accusations of theft. Outsourcing billing may also mean that Lake Tishomingo does not need a dedicated office for District business. 
•	What type of bonds would be issued? Would they be revenue bonds paid for by user fees or would they be general obligation bonds paid for by taxes? We now can state without hesitation that they will be revenue bonds paid for by user fees. In the word’s of the District’s legal counsel, “There are two very definitive answers to this point: 1. The District does NOT have the authority to issue General Obligation Bonds because we elected to be organized under a section which only permits revenue bonds. A District may issue General Obligation Bonds if the Charter so states (ours does not). 2. The actual ballot says REVENUE bonds.”

As an explanation as to why this question came up, Public Water Supply Districts are governed by Chapter 247 of the Missouri statutes. There are many sections within Chapter 247 and not all apply to our District. 

Rich Hirsch mentioned that an article by Bill Phelan published in the News Democrat Journal on Wednesday, Sep. 27 2006, contained some information about the Bond Election that was incorrect. Here is the correct information:
 
•	Ray Dickhaner the Sewer District’s attorney was described as a Lake Tishomingo lot owner. He is NOT a lot owner.
•	The article stated “If the bond issue measure passes, Dickhaner said construction of the sewage 
system could begin next year and be completed in 2008.” While it is possible for construction to begin next year it is extremely unlikely, as we will not begin the project until we have enough grants to make the project affordable. As has been said in the past, the Board will not proceed with the project until the user fee is reasonable.
•	The article states “District officials have discussed a flat monthly fee and fees based on water 
usage for customers of the district, but have yet to determine a fee structure.” A flat monthly fee will be charged. The fee will NOT be based on water usage. There is no way to measure water usage.

We are continuing with the income survey and concentrating on the residents of Lake Bono Del.  

Mary Leiweke asked if it would cost much to connect to homes in the Lake Bono Del subdivision. Mr. Brunjes replied that since the homes on Lake Tishomingo Rd will be connected to the sewer system, it would not cost much to also connect homes in the Bono Del subdivision.

Engineer’s Report:
There was no engineer’s report.

Attorney's Report:
There was no attorney’s report.

Executive Session:
None needed.

Adjournment:
There being no other formal business to come before the Board, a Motion to adjourn was made by Marilyn Meyer and seconded by Rich Hirsch at 8:24 p.m., with all Directors in approval.

Respectfully Submitted,

Rich Hirsch
Acting Recording Secretary

Approved this 21st day of November, 2006.

___________________________	_________________________________
Secretary	Chairman

October 26, 2006