Marshall Municipal Utilities

Board Meeting Minutes

November 25, 2008

The Board of Public Works convened the regular session at 2:30 p.m. at the Marshall Municipal Utilities Business Office. Present were Spencer Fricke, President; Charles Hird, Vice President; Mike Mills, Secretary; and Jim Heinzler, member. Also present were Sara Bargfrede from the Naught-Naught Agency and Scott Spasnick from Mercy Health Plans.

The agenda was approved as revised to allow Megan Baldridge to present her Employee Relations report as the first of the department reports. On a motion by Mr. Mills, seconded by Mr. Hird, the minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed.

Employee Relations Manager Megan Baldridge explained Mercy Health Plans utilizes three design options for MyChoice benefits (wellness program incentive). Of the three, management recommends using an option which would charge a fixed dollar amount ($10) for employees participating in the standard (non-MyChoice) plans. MMU would then pay this amount on behalf of the employee who elects a MyChoice plan (pricing on the My Choice Plan would be indentical to how premiums are shared right now). Overall, MMU (and employees selecting MyChoice) will experience a decrease in costs as compared to 2008 rates. On a motion by Mr. Mills, seconded by Mr. Hird, the Board approved the option as stated above for the wellness incentive program with Mercy Health Plans.

Ms. Baldridge reported Huey Pointer will have used 10 weeks of leave on December 3. Mr. Pointer has requested leave to January 26, 2009. On a motion by Mr. Mills, seconded by Mr. Heinzler, the Board approved continuation of the leave of absence for Huston Pointer until January 26, 2009, if needed, with continuation of health insurance.

Ms. Bargfrede and Mr. Spasnick left the meeting.

Mr. Mills requested that Scott Melton, Safety and Training Officer, be asked to join the meeting. A discussion was held regarding what has been and is being done to prevent the type of accidents recorded over the past year. Mr. Melton also discussed what measures are being taken to improve the overall safety of employees throughout MMU. Mr. Melton left the meeting.

Administrative Services Director Ken Gieringer recommended that a $250 impact fee per meter be charged to new single-phase services, and requests for three-phase service would be charged the greater of the estimated costs of construction (or the upgrading of an existing service, including any line extension requirements) or the $250 fee for a single-phase service. Customers making a major investment in the community could ask for consideration for a waiver of this fee. A decision on this matter was postponed until the next meeting, at which time Mr. Mills will present an explanation of what he would like the Board to consider in this matter.

The following bids were opened November 24, 2008, for a pickup for Underground Facilities.

Company	Bid	Make and Model	Delivery Time
Elmer Hare Ford Sales    Marshall, MO	$23,288.00	F150	10 – 16 weeks
Reliable Chevrolet    Springfield, MO	$23,896.00	Silverado 1500	6 – 7 weeks
Rick Ball Ford/Mercury    Boonville, MO	$23,855.65	F150	High priority
John Rector Motors    Marshall, MO	$23,904.38	Silverado 1500	6 – 8 weeks

On a motion by Mr. Mills, seconded by Mr. Heinzler, the Board accepted the bid from Elmer Hare Ford Sales for $23,288.

The following quotes were received October 24, 2008, for a telephone system for the Water Treatment Plant.

Custom Communications    Sedalia, MO	$1,470.37	UPS Wire	$ 250.00 $ 40.00 each
Mitel Technologies, Inc.    Columbia, MO	$3,160.59	Voicemail	$ 845.00

On a motion by Mr. Mills, seconded by Mr. Hird, the Board accepted the quote from Custom Communications for $1,470.37 plus what may be necessary for UPS and wire.

Environmental Services Director Ginny Ismay reported the effluent irrigation system for the golf course has been shut down for the winter. Mr. Mills suggested that a heater be installed in the building housing the irrigation system equipment in order to avoid any problems with possible freezing.

The following bids were opened November 21, 2008, for a forklift for the recycling center.

Company	Bid	Make & Model	Delivery Time
Oram Material Handling Sys.    Kansas City, KS	$29,950.00	Nissan PFD60	9-11 weeks
The G. W. Van Keppel Co.    Kansas City, KS	$29,817.16	Hyster H60FT	9 weeks
Shoppa’s Mid America, LLC    Kansas City, MO	$27,576.00	Toyota 8FDU30	10-14 weeks
Doosan Corporation    Warrensville Heights, OH	$27,345.00	Doosan D30S	ARO 90 days

Electric Production Director Jim Johnson indicated the bid from Shoppa’s Mid America was the lowest bid meeting specifications. On a motion by Mr. Hird, seconded by Mr. Mills, the Board accepted the bid from Shoppa’s Mid America for $27,576. Up to $25,000 of this will be funded by a Solid Waste District grant.

Director Johnson is in discussions about the backhauling of the coal ash with Knight Hawk Coal Company. The Illinois DNR has indicated there will be requirements that will cause Knight Hawk to install wells and monitoring equipment, which will result in a substantially higher cost to MMU for the backhauling. Director Johnson is searching for solutions to this problem.

Unit #5 controls are being completed and the unit should be started back up on December 1, 2008.

Electric Distribution Director Jeff Bergstrom reported PAR Electric will start the transmission line maintenance project the week of December 1. Director Bergstrom indicated there could be some additional work that would be beneficial for MMU to allow PAR to do while here. It was the consensus of the Board to allow Director Bergstrom to negotiate with PAR for extra work as needed.

General Manager Kyle Gibbs indicated MMU needs to appoint a representative to the MSDC Board for 2009. On a motion by Mr. Hird, seconded by Mr. Heinzler, the Board appointed Kyle Gibbs to represent MMU on the MSDC Board for 2009.

The Board was given a copy of a letter from Consolidated Public Water Supply District #2 concerning the recently passed water rate increases. This matter may be discussed at a future meeting.

On a motion by Mr. Hird, seconded by Mr. Mills, accounts payable were approved and warrants ordered issued from the following funds:

	WATER OPERATING FUND			$	 90,793.87
	ELECTRIC OPERATING FUND			$	231,809.08
	SEWER REVENUE FUND			$	 96,600.98
	INTERNET OPERATING FUND			$	  8,150.95
	NATURAL GAS OPERATING FUND		$	  2,497.21
	ELECTRIC CONSUMERS DEPOSIT FUND		$	  5,025.00
	WATER TREATMENT PLANT IMPROVEMENT RES.	$	302,077.09

On a motion by Mr. Hird, seconded by Mr. Heinzler, the Board voted unanimously to adjourn the regular meeting at 3:58 p.m. to go into executive session to discuss matter related to personnel (Mo. Rev. Stat. 610.021 [3], if authorized). Roll call:
Mr. Heinzler yes
Mr. Mills yes
Mr. Hird yes
Mr. Fricke yes