by Neil Richard
The King George Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting promptly at 6:30pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Josh Houston opened Public Comments by apologizing for his ignorance as he hasn't lived here long and wasn't sure who to address regarding his high utility bills. He said his main question was why his water bill is so high, over $400, adding that it was absolutely ridiculous. He said that the debt incurred was from before his time here and he said he understood they were trying to work through it but he just wanted to understand why families were being charged so much. Houston said the water and sewer fees are the highest he's ever paid from all the places he's lived and it is so bad that he's recommended to those stationed with him to not live here. He said he didn't want to put the blame on anyone on the Board or anyone else but said it is a strain on the family's budget. He also asked if there was some sort of plan or brief to give to residents so they could make sense of their bills and get an idea of what progress is being made on the debt. Simply put, he wanted to know where his money is going. He closed by again repeating that his bills were high and wondered if there was pixie dust in the water that caused such a high rate.
Kim Dodge spoke next, saying she had previously discussed her water bills costing too much. She said she's lived here for a decade and over the last three years, the bills have gone up a lot. She said she's discussed this before with the Supervisors and felt there needed to be something done to help families with the large financial burden. Dodge said the rates here are the highest in the state and if it were possible, she'd move because of the water bills alone. She closed by saying that washing the linens at home from her massage business are eating into her profits.
Mike Bennett began his Director's report by responding to the comments about the water bills. He said we know they're high and we pay them too. He said he wasn't going to sugar coat it but the dilemma is the system is old and the customer base is small. He said systems in northern Virginia have twenty to thirty thousand customers while King George only has four thousand. He said that the $400 bill sounded high and may need to be looked into further. Bennet said he met with Service Authority employees on November 13th after their last Board of Directors meeting and learned about additional issues. Primary among these were a lack of safety policies, limited purchasing power for administration, and an undocumented sewage spill. He said the new General Manager, Jonathon Weakley, would be determining how to handle many of these newly discovered issues. Despite the safety policy being just a piece of paper, Bennett said if it saves one person, it's more than worth it. He also said that the sewage spill, which occurred in March of 2017, was reported to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) later that week. Bennett said that DEQ informed them that no further corrective action would be taken regarding the failure to report the spill. Bennett attended a Town Hall hosted by Supervisor Jeff Bueche on the 16th and met with KGI Communications on the 20th. Bennett said the meeting with KGI was to discuss their request to use the Service Authority's existing electrical lines to power their broadband equipment. The Service Authority, in exchange for the electricity, requested that KGI provide internet for the Service Authority. Bennett said that all parties agreed in principal on the exchange of utilities. Bennett also said he met with the new General Manager for several hours on the 26th and looks forward to helping him tackle the long list of challenges.
Richard Granger thanked those that spoke during Public Comment and again reiterated that the Service Authority has a small customer base. He said the expansion of the water lines to the new Tractor Supply was an effort to get more customers. Granger also said that the Service Authority has acquired no new debt over the past three years.
Chris Werle met with several parties involved in the construction of an extended stay hotel in the Gateway Shopping Center near Murphy's Express gas station. He said construction would start next year and take about six months to complete. Werle said they would provide usage estimates and consumption data based on similar facilities. Werle echoed Bennett's update on the meeting with KGI and the new General Manager. Regarding the water bills, Werle said that it goes without saying that they're outrageous. He said based on the latest report from Davenport, King George has the fourth highest rates in the state. As for the specific bill in question, Werle said he wasn't sure of the details. He said he himself pays the minimum but that he only has two users in his house. He said the debt fees on the bill would not go up as long as the Service Authority does not acquire any new debt. He said the current debt is $32.7 million with $25 million in principal. Werle says he hopes to see a lower debt fee in the future. He said the cost of operating wastewater treatment plants is more than that of providing water, thus the higher fees for sewer. He ended his comments by saying, with some hesitation, that there is a maintenance backlog and that may mean raising rates.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
The new General Manager, Jonathon Weakley, then gave his first update to the Board of Directors. Weakley said he wasn't a big fan of self-promotion but wanted to give a brief introduction on himself. He entered his career in the water and sewer business in 2000 as a Wastewater Operator Trainee. Over the next 18 years, he learned about water and wastewater systems. He said he was honored to be selected as the new General Manager. Weakley said there were challenges ahead, as mentioned already, but felt confident that, from the top down, "we will steadily move ahead to be an organization that excels in quality of product and quality of service."
Weakley then began his report by saying he didn't have a PowerPoint presentation but may use them in the future. On the water side of the Service Authority, Weakley said he is working on the Insurance Services Office (ISO) pre-survey for Chief Moody. He said he will start developing a Request For Proposal (RFP) to paint the water tanks in Purkins Corner and Oakland Park and plans to meet with Virginia Department of Health (VDH) staff this week to establish a rapport with them and to get an idea of where things stood. Weakley also said the annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) would be mailed this week to customers. He added that the Courthouse system interconnect project is complete and that Well #3 in Fairview Beach should be online soon. He finished the water report by saying the water storage tanks in Cleydael and Fairview Beach have been painted. Weakley did add that the maintenance staff has been putting in many hours and that their dedication shows.
Weakley then gave an update on the wastewater side of the Service Authority. He said he has reached out to DEQ and plans to meet with them to build the same rapport as with VDH. He said he met with staff to discuss reporting and expectations for sewage overflows as well as alarm and alert systems. Weakley said he is working with staff and DEQ to finalize the outstanding issues at Purkins Corner and added that annual limits may not be met due to issues early in the year. He finished the wastewater report by saying he has reached out to Marta Perry, the District Manager of Tri-County/City Soil and Water to discuss pollution issues in Fairview Beach.
Bennett asked if the colder weather would make it more difficult to meet the limits of Total Nitrogen and, if that were true, to explain why.
Weakley said the microbes in the wastewater system indicate how well it is performing and that during cold weather, nitrification is difficult. He said "in cold weather, kind of like myself, you slow down and aren't as active." Weakley said that things are very sensitive in cold weather and if the nitrification process is lost, you essentially need to start over.
Werle added that adjustments can be made.
Weakley agreed and added that as a rule of thumb, you increase sludge during colder months so you can get better numbers and make better adjustments. He added that some of these adjustments are chemical.
Bennett said he was just concerned because we were already over the limits earlier in the year and it wasn't cold during some of that time. He then asked how cold it needs to be before the process stops.
Weakley said ten degrees Celsius is what they teach but he's seen it happen at lower temperatures. He added that adjustments will need to be made and it should sustain it. He said ideally, those adjustments would be biological instead of chemical.
In the written update he handed to the rest of the Directors, Weakley left out a few miscellaneous items of little import. He did summarize a few ongoing projects, including working on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), procurement thresholds, and touring the existing facilities. He also extended invitations to each of the Directors to meet with them one on one and to "break bread." He said he wanted to hear ideas and concerns and felt it was not solely on him to move forward but rather wanted to include staff, Directors, and the community.
Weakley closed his remarks by saying his motto was "patience and persistency." He said he wasn't asking for an excuse or extended grace period, but noted that going through changes and adjustments takes calm and patience. He said everyone needs to be on the same sheet of music and that's the culture the Service Authority will have and the culture we want to cultivate. He said his hours and contact information are on the County's webpage if anyone wants to reach out to him. He said he can't promise to have all the answers but he would give an honest answer. In response to the earlier statements about the high water bills, he gave an example of a leaky toilet. He said if it leaked a gallon a minute, that was 1,440 gallons a day multiplied by 30 days a month and again by two months per billing cycle. He said that was roughly 60,000 gallons of water. He said the Service Authority will work with customers because they're paying for a service.
Werle added that if the Service Authority investigates a leak and finds that it's on the customer's side, the homeowner can bring in the receipts from the repairs and the Service Authority will adjust their bill.
The meeting then adjourned at 7:15pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Jonathon Weakley (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Absent:
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on December 18, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
The King George Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting promptly at 6:30pm.
There were no amendments to the Agenda.
Josh Houston opened Public Comments by apologizing for his ignorance as he hasn't lived here long and wasn't sure who to address regarding his high utility bills. He said his main question was why his water bill is so high, over $400, adding that it was absolutely ridiculous. He said that the debt incurred was from before his time here and he said he understood they were trying to work through it but he just wanted to understand why families were being charged so much. Houston said the water and sewer fees are the highest he's ever paid from all the places he's lived and it is so bad that he's recommended to those stationed with him to not live here. He said he didn't want to put the blame on anyone on the Board or anyone else but said it is a strain on the family's budget. He also asked if there was some sort of plan or brief to give to residents so they could make sense of their bills and get an idea of what progress is being made on the debt. Simply put, he wanted to know where his money is going. He closed by again repeating that his bills were high and wondered if there was pixie dust in the water that caused such a high rate.
Kim Dodge spoke next, saying she had previously discussed her water bills costing too much. She said she's lived here for a decade and over the last three years, the bills have gone up a lot. She said she's discussed this before with the Supervisors and felt there needed to be something done to help families with the large financial burden. Dodge said the rates here are the highest in the state and if it were possible, she'd move because of the water bills alone. She closed by saying that washing the linens at home from her massage business are eating into her profits.
Mike Bennett began his Director's report by responding to the comments about the water bills. He said we know they're high and we pay them too. He said he wasn't going to sugar coat it but the dilemma is the system is old and the customer base is small. He said systems in northern Virginia have twenty to thirty thousand customers while King George only has four thousand. He said that the $400 bill sounded high and may need to be looked into further. Bennet said he met with Service Authority employees on November 13th after their last Board of Directors meeting and learned about additional issues. Primary among these were a lack of safety policies, limited purchasing power for administration, and an undocumented sewage spill. He said the new General Manager, Jonathon Weakley, would be determining how to handle many of these newly discovered issues. Despite the safety policy being just a piece of paper, Bennett said if it saves one person, it's more than worth it. He also said that the sewage spill, which occurred in March of 2017, was reported to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) later that week. Bennett said that DEQ informed them that no further corrective action would be taken regarding the failure to report the spill. Bennett attended a Town Hall hosted by Supervisor Jeff Bueche on the 16th and met with KGI Communications on the 20th. Bennett said the meeting with KGI was to discuss their request to use the Service Authority's existing electrical lines to power their broadband equipment. The Service Authority, in exchange for the electricity, requested that KGI provide internet for the Service Authority. Bennett said that all parties agreed in principal on the exchange of utilities. Bennett also said he met with the new General Manager for several hours on the 26th and looks forward to helping him tackle the long list of challenges.
Richard Granger thanked those that spoke during Public Comment and again reiterated that the Service Authority has a small customer base. He said the expansion of the water lines to the new Tractor Supply was an effort to get more customers. Granger also said that the Service Authority has acquired no new debt over the past three years.
Chris Werle met with several parties involved in the construction of an extended stay hotel in the Gateway Shopping Center near Murphy's Express gas station. He said construction would start next year and take about six months to complete. Werle said they would provide usage estimates and consumption data based on similar facilities. Werle echoed Bennett's update on the meeting with KGI and the new General Manager. Regarding the water bills, Werle said that it goes without saying that they're outrageous. He said based on the latest report from Davenport, King George has the fourth highest rates in the state. As for the specific bill in question, Werle said he wasn't sure of the details. He said he himself pays the minimum but that he only has two users in his house. He said the debt fees on the bill would not go up as long as the Service Authority does not acquire any new debt. He said the current debt is $32.7 million with $25 million in principal. Werle says he hopes to see a lower debt fee in the future. He said the cost of operating wastewater treatment plants is more than that of providing water, thus the higher fees for sewer. He ended his comments by saying, with some hesitation, that there is a maintenance backlog and that may mean raising rates.
The Consent Agenda was approved.
The County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.
The new General Manager, Jonathon Weakley, then gave his first update to the Board of Directors. Weakley said he wasn't a big fan of self-promotion but wanted to give a brief introduction on himself. He entered his career in the water and sewer business in 2000 as a Wastewater Operator Trainee. Over the next 18 years, he learned about water and wastewater systems. He said he was honored to be selected as the new General Manager. Weakley said there were challenges ahead, as mentioned already, but felt confident that, from the top down, "we will steadily move ahead to be an organization that excels in quality of product and quality of service."
Weakley then began his report by saying he didn't have a PowerPoint presentation but may use them in the future. On the water side of the Service Authority, Weakley said he is working on the Insurance Services Office (ISO) pre-survey for Chief Moody. He said he will start developing a Request For Proposal (RFP) to paint the water tanks in Purkins Corner and Oakland Park and plans to meet with Virginia Department of Health (VDH) staff this week to establish a rapport with them and to get an idea of where things stood. Weakley also said the annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) would be mailed this week to customers. He added that the Courthouse system interconnect project is complete and that Well #3 in Fairview Beach should be online soon. He finished the water report by saying the water storage tanks in Cleydael and Fairview Beach have been painted. Weakley did add that the maintenance staff has been putting in many hours and that their dedication shows.
Weakley then gave an update on the wastewater side of the Service Authority. He said he has reached out to DEQ and plans to meet with them to build the same rapport as with VDH. He said he met with staff to discuss reporting and expectations for sewage overflows as well as alarm and alert systems. Weakley said he is working with staff and DEQ to finalize the outstanding issues at Purkins Corner and added that annual limits may not be met due to issues early in the year. He finished the wastewater report by saying he has reached out to Marta Perry, the District Manager of Tri-County/City Soil and Water to discuss pollution issues in Fairview Beach.
Bennett asked if the colder weather would make it more difficult to meet the limits of Total Nitrogen and, if that were true, to explain why.
Weakley said the microbes in the wastewater system indicate how well it is performing and that during cold weather, nitrification is difficult. He said "in cold weather, kind of like myself, you slow down and aren't as active." Weakley said that things are very sensitive in cold weather and if the nitrification process is lost, you essentially need to start over.
Werle added that adjustments can be made.
Weakley agreed and added that as a rule of thumb, you increase sludge during colder months so you can get better numbers and make better adjustments. He added that some of these adjustments are chemical.
Bennett said he was just concerned because we were already over the limits earlier in the year and it wasn't cold during some of that time. He then asked how cold it needs to be before the process stops.
Weakley said ten degrees Celsius is what they teach but he's seen it happen at lower temperatures. He added that adjustments will need to be made and it should sustain it. He said ideally, those adjustments would be biological instead of chemical.
In the written update he handed to the rest of the Directors, Weakley left out a few miscellaneous items of little import. He did summarize a few ongoing projects, including working on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), procurement thresholds, and touring the existing facilities. He also extended invitations to each of the Directors to meet with them one on one and to "break bread." He said he wanted to hear ideas and concerns and felt it was not solely on him to move forward but rather wanted to include staff, Directors, and the community.
Weakley closed his remarks by saying his motto was "patience and persistency." He said he wasn't asking for an excuse or extended grace period, but noted that going through changes and adjustments takes calm and patience. He said everyone needs to be on the same sheet of music and that's the culture the Service Authority will have and the culture we want to cultivate. He said his hours and contact information are on the County's webpage if anyone wants to reach out to him. He said he can't promise to have all the answers but he would give an honest answer. In response to the earlier statements about the high water bills, he gave an example of a leaky toilet. He said if it leaked a gallon a minute, that was 1,440 gallons a day multiplied by 30 days a month and again by two months per billing cycle. He said that was roughly 60,000 gallons of water. He said the Service Authority will work with customers because they're paying for a service.
Werle added that if the Service Authority investigates a leak and finds that it's on the customer's side, the homeowner can bring in the receipts from the repairs and the Service Authority will adjust their bill.
The meeting then adjourned at 7:15pm.
Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Jonathon Weakley (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Michael Bennett (Citizen)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)
Absent:
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Meeting Agenda
Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on December 18, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.
Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.
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