Full Transcript

Thank you. [transcription gap] Okay, to the folks watching us live out there, we are going to go into executive session first. We anticipate being back on camera approximately 1130. So at this point in time, we're going to go into executive session to discuss contractual matters, matters surrounding contractual agreement between the town of Riverhead and the Jazz Loft. And that will be with Duane Thomas and Danielle Hurley. And after that, we should be back to open up the work session and continue our open session. And then we will retire again to executive session later on after that is completed. So hopefully we should see everybody back around 1130. Make a motion to close the open session and go into executive session. So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All opposed? Okay, we will be back at approximately 1130. Thank you, everybody.

Thank you. [transcription gap] did a rate comparison with someone in my staff who irrigates between the water authority, what we're approved for now and what we're asking for. So the current rate schedule is in green, the water authorities rates are in yellow, and the new proposal is in baby blue. So if you were to use this type of usage at the water authority, your minimum service charge would be $33.18. We charge only $20, but what I want people to understand is in our analysis, we include our tax rate, which we don't have. They don't have because they're not a special taxing district. So when you add that $23 of taxes, we're roughly at the same starting point for a service, a minimum service charge. For the first 90,000 gallons of their water, you're going to be charged $2.16. For us, it's $1.95. Once you eclipse the 90,000 gallons, there's a minimum service charge of $1.95. So if you were to use this type of usage at the water authority, you would have paid $266. They're at $3.48 per thousand. And we're currently at $2.75. We would like to move it to three. So we're still significantly lower than them. We both have the same service surcharge for treatment. So at this level of usage, if you were at the water authority, your bill would be $304.88. Currently, this past year at the water district, you would have paid $266. And if we were to use this type of usage at the water authority, we would have paid $266. If we approve this small increase, your rate would only go up to $268.50. So you would pay an extra $2.50. But I'd like to do small incremental rates rather than every couple of years and wait a long time and do a big increase. This is a small incremental rate increase on only the largest users in the system. Right. On the meter size, most residential one inch? Yes. And when we first did this... Is there any? Are there any 5.8s out there? There's some history. We don't do that anymore, but there are some because we used to offer that, but no one does that anymore. But when you first asked me a question, I didn't know the answer. Once you get over a one inch service, it's a large service. I forgot about that. So that gets billed monthly in both cases. So when consider anything bigger than a one inch service, more of like a commercial account, because no homes have more than a one inch service. In fact, the water authority doesn't even offer a 10 inch service. We do. So we've got some big industrial parcels that use those types of large services. Aside from that, there are two services we're going to add. A unit pro download. A lot of times when people get a high bill, we'll go down. We can use our meters or smart meters that record usage, and we can tell you when your sprinkler is turning on. We don't charge for that, but we'd like to charge 50 bucks for that because we've got to send somebody to your house and download all this data and it's time on my people. And then we're going to add an hourly charge for a water district employee to come help you with your water supply. So that's a big industrial parcel that we've got. So we've got some big industrial parcels that use those types of large services. We've got some big industrial parcels that use those types of large services. But there's also a lot of things that we've got to do to help you troubleshoot. Because what we're finding, not for homeowners, but for large industrial users, they may get a large bill. And in their head, they're thinking, I have a water leak and I'm looking for water shooting out of the ground. And in almost all cases, it's their operation, their instrument, their mostly cooling towers and chillers are what do it. So a lot of times we spend days helping them troubleshoot and they haven't called. We're like call a plumber and call somebody who runs your cooling tower. And they don't do any of that. thing. And then we end up spending days there where some, some guys have bought like grocery stores and stuff and they don't understand the piping layout. So we've spent days helping them figure it out. It's, it just covers our time. And we're always there to help. We wouldn't, we're not looking to charge you, but if you need help and you want us for there for two or three days, now we have a mechanism to sort of recoup that cost. Like a consultant thing. Yeah. Well, we're actually out there like turning valves and people don't really understand. They don't always understand the equipment that they have. So like, I know a lot about cooling towers and chillers, not, not as much as like Ken does, but a lot of times I can see through how the meter cycling, if it's a leak, it never stops. But if the meter is turning on and off, and I know it's something on your side of the operation and in their head, they just can't get past the looking for water shooting out of the ground. So, so, so Frank, my concern is this, and I totally, I don't think if somebody needs somebody from the water department to work on something, I don't believe the other taxpayers should be paying for that. And they are, if you are not charging for that. So the question becomes, is it, are you starting at an hour? Yeah. Okay. So like an emergency, we have an emergency. Right. But do you have a rate that you're, you know, you got vehicle, you got gut. Yeah. We calculated it. We, we, we develop a rate that covers just our hourly rate and insurance, like the cost of an employee. And we use, if we have equipment, it would be based off the FEMA rates, but it's not likely that we're bringing a machine on anybody's property. It really just costs covers the hourly rate of our employee. That's how we generate our one in service costs too, is we don't make a profit on anything we do other than selling water. We make a little bit money there and that's how we run the water district. But as far as the services we provide, whether it be installing, you're wanting service or a lot of the big development projects, we're installing water main, but water district makes no money off of that. We only make money from the sale of water. We're sort of just the middleman executing the contracting project in all cases, but we're not looking to take a loss. That's the one thing I can't have. If you don't pay for what you're asking us to do, then the rate, that's what's not fair. That's totally great. But that's it. It's just, it's primarily the small increase on, a tiered rate over 90,000 gallons. My advice to people would be never water more than every other day. We're not going to get into restricting when you can water, but the best advice I have is water differently than your neighbor. That way you're not hitting us too hard and you're getting better water pressure, but you shouldn't be watering. If you're to hit the 90,000, you either have to have a massive irrigation system or be watering every day. And you shouldn't be doing that. So like I said, only 20 to 30% of our users ever get into the second tier. At any time. What does it mean dedicated irrigation services will be charged the conservation rate for all? That's a good question. So something unique we have in Riverhead is some people to avoid sewer rents will come to the water district and get a second service. And that's only used for irrigation. So we install the service and then Michael inspects it to ensure that none of that water can ever enter the sewer system. So you're just irrigating with it. It doesn't get captured in a sewer system. So you're just irrigating with it. It doesn't get captured in a sewer system. So you're just irrigating with it. It doesn't get captured in a sewer. But we're trying to discourage people from using drinking water to irrigate. So if you have a dedicated irrigation account, you're going to be charged a tiered rate of $3 per thousand from gallon. Number one. You're still saving an enormous amount of money. Cause none of that's going into the. You're never not paying any sewer. Right. Usage. But. The big movement here is to try and get people to use less water for irrigation. We are spending a fortune producing all this, about 2.6 billion gallons of drinking water a year, so that 70% of it can be sprayed on the ground as irrigation. That's not really sustainable. And we operate this massive system that only gets used in the summertime when we can do upwards of 20 million gallons a day, where a day like today, we're going to do two or three million gallons. So we maintain this massive infrastructure pretty much just for irrigation in the summertime. So all water suppliers are trying to rein that in. Some are much more complex. They have five tiers and all of this, but we're very much aligned with what Suffolk County Water does, just a little bit cheaper than them. We're almost identical operations. So that's pretty much all I have. Anybody have any questions? That's small. Yeah, it's small, incremental, and only on the biggest users. So a lot of people won't get impacted at all, the vast majority of our customers. And then much rather. They're doing a small increase more often than big hits at one time. So I think this is better for the public too. I appreciate you considering it because I know you guys get a lot of grief for stuff like this. All right. Thank you very much. All right, guys. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, that concludes our open session for work session agenda for Thursday, December 5th, 2020. And I have a motion to close work session. So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay, all opposed? Okay, work session is closed. Everybody have a great weekend. Quickly, before I forget, holiday weekend, right? We have the Lions Parade at one o'clock. We have Santa coming by boat at 2.30 downtown. We have the tree lighting at 5.15. And we have the Santa coming by boat at 2.30 downtown. We have the tree lighting at 5.15. And we have the head lights. We have...what else do we have? James améric's head lights. [transcription gap] James améric's head lights. that should be going on that's at six o'clock down at the um uh george young community center and um food for the pantry stuff a bus this weekend yes waiting river fire department and then the riverhead chamber annual meeting is at the birchwood tonight starts at 5 00 p.m joe north fork animal league with the that's next saturday not this coming saturday the following saturday from 12 to 2 bring your pets down and come get pictures with santa and see the animals that we have up for adoption on church avenue church what is that straight church lane thank you church lane in aquabuck and and i think there's also a woodworking exhibit at the museum on saturday as well wonderland or wood wonderland or something that was advertised at the museum duff county historical society okay oh i think also hallockville has their their open house uh tomorrow night at five o'clock and it's a traditional everybody would be in traditional gog from like who knows 1690. what are you going to wear and the food is pretty good i'm going to borrow frank's jacket but uh that's always a pretty cool place to go tomorrow's tomorrow tomorrow night okay everybody have a great weekend and uh go out and do some of the things we notified you about and enjoy okay we'll see you next week you

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