AWA did not present a budget to the public. The Budget must be approved before July 1st 2012. AWA general manager Gene Mancebo stated that a tentative date was being set for June 19th. Since the meeting, a Budget workshop was held on June 19th.

Field services manager Chris McKeage told the board that Well #14 at Camanche was shut down due to an electrical issue with the pump. Later in the meeting, the board was told that the pump would be replaced by Berkeley Pump at no charge. Camanche ratepayers will be responsible for removal, installation and motor repairs. Total cost of the repairs was not disclosed.

A camera was lowered into the well. No reason was found for the turbidity that shut down Well #14 down from October 2010 to August 2011.

The board agreed to have the general manager issue a request for proposals to conduct an assessment of AWA’s financial system. The general manager will return to the board with a recommended consultant to perform the financial review. The board clarified that they will not approve the recommended consultant going forward with the review until the audit for 2010-2011 is complete.

Although AWA has not received funding for the Buckhorn Disinfection By-Products Project, the board agreed to put it into the budget for 2012-2013. AWA staff estimates that the construction cost of the project is $430,000. If AWA does not receive funding for the project, ratepayers may be looking at a 20% rate increase to pay for the project.

A groundwater study was presented by Dunn Environmental. The study showed that the basin that Camanche wells draw from can supply water to 10 times as many homes as there are in Camanche. Tapping that water can be difficult, however. At a cost of over $500,000, Well #14 was drilled in the same area as the best producing well, #9. However, Well #14 produces less than half the water as Well #9.

AWA general Manager Gene Mancebo recommended that the board suspend a 9% rate increase on the consolidated wastewater system (WWID1) that is slated to take affect on July 1st. Mancebo did not prepare a financial plan or prepare a budget for the directors to review how changing the rate would affect the system’s finances. The board voted to suspend the rate increase. They agreed that the rate could be reset during the budget process if needed.