Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District
Meeting of Board of Trustees
Minutes of May 1, 2025
Chairman Gordon Maybury called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. In attendance were Larry Hopkins, Vice Chair; Lauren Edgerton, Secretary; Dr. Joseph Martin, Executive Director Emeritus; Seth Eckard, Executive Director.
Approval of the Agenda
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
Approval of Minutes
MSD Report
Ms. Bryson shared that MSD’s personnel committee developed recommendations for benefits for the next fiscal year’s budget. She left a packet with relevant information for the Board to review.
Public Comment
No one spoke during public comment.
Director’s Report
Director Eckard provided the following updates:
Director’s Report – February 2024
FEMA Hurricane Helene Recovery Update
On April 10th, Chairman Maybury and Director Eckard, accompanied by District staff and engineers from WithersRavenel, participated in a FEMA field inspection. FEMA representatives assessed damages caused by Hurricane Helene to several District assets, including the reservoir dam, emergency generator, spillway, water treatment plant bridge, warden house, and bank erosion near the lagoon. Informal feedback suggests FEMA agrees that the damage was storm-related. The next step is for WithersRavenel to submit repair recommendations along with cost estimates. FEMA will review these submittals for potential project approval.
On April 16th, District staff met with SDR, a pre-authorized FEMA debris removal contractor, to evaluate debris removal needs along the District’s transmission line and firebreak within the District-owned watershed. A follow-up meeting with SDR and FEMA is being scheduled to finalize project scope and details.
NCDEQ has formally approved the District’s bridge loan in the amount of $3,000,000. As of this writing, we are awaiting the official loan agreement and reporting guidelines from NCDEQ, which will be finalized prior to the transfer of funds to the District’s account.
Woodfin 5K
Director Eckard and Sam Chattin represented the District at the Woodfin 5K race. We provided Woodfin Water in iced coolers to share with participants and attendees. Chairman Maybruy participated in the race. The weather was great, and we enjoyed engaging with the community!
Reservoir Capacity
The reservoir is currently at 100% capacity.
Local Water Supply Plan
The 2024 State-approved Local Water Supply Plan (LWSP) is included in your reading materials for review.
Meter Reader Position
We are pleased to announce that Haley Todd-Ellesin has accepted the position of Meter Reader with the District. Her first day will be April 30th.
Old Business
No old business.
New Business
a)
Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District Capital Improvement Plan: Engineers from McGill Associates presented a 10-year capital improvement plan for the Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District. The plan calls for approximately $12 million of investment into the system over the next 10 years, with modest rate adjustments to fund the plan. Director Eckard stated that the plan is a living document and will require updates every two years.
b)
FY 26 Budget Proposal: Director Eckard provided the following budget highlights:
Proposed FY 2026 Budget – Executive Summary
Total Budgeted Revenue: $2,850,800
Represents a 5.1% increase over the adopted FY 2025 budget.
Revenue Highlights:
- Monthly minimum charge increases by zone:
- Zone 1 (In-District): +$1.00
- Zone 2 (Outside District, mixed supply): +$1.25
- Zone 3 (Outside District, purchased water): +$1.50
- Zone 4 (Furthest customers, purchased water): +$2.00
- Tap fees increased by $100
- Meter relocation fees increased by $500
- System Reduction Fees increased by $500 (Zones 3 & 4 only)
- Budgeted revenue exceeds expenditures by $7,726.00
Total Budgeted Expenditures: $2,843,074
Represents a 13.8% increase over the adopted FY 2025 budget.
Expenditure Highlights:
- 33% wholesale water rate increase from the City of Asheville is the largest cost driver
- $271,000 allocated to Capital Improvements
- $20,000 budgeted for website upgrades
- FEMA-related projects are excluded and tracked separately under the adopted project ordinance
- All expenses, including capital improvements, are covered by projected revenue. Expenditures do not include any McGill Associates proposed adjustments to the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
- 5% across-the-board Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for all staff
- Funding included for merit-based raises tied to certifications earned in FY 2026
- No changes to employee health insurance contributions at this time
(Note: Last year’s renewal resulted in a 10% premium decrease; future rates will be reassessed in the fall) - Budget includes one unfilled field position
- Two of the three previously vacant field technician positions have been permanently eliminated
Capital Improvement Expenditures:
- Meter Replacement Program – $25,000
- Hydrant Repairs/Replacements – $24,000
- Treatment Plant Upgrades:
- Day Tank Replacement – $15,000
- Security Gate with Communications – $20,000
- Actuator #1 Replacement – $17,000
- Field Tool Replacement – $10,000
- Website Improvements – $20,000
- Water System Resiliency – $100,000
- Flagging Machine – $35,000
Additional Notes:
The separate construction budget (pipe laying crew budget) has been dissolved, and those funds have been reallocated to departmental capital improvement projects. Positions have also been moved from the construction budget to the distribution budget.
Chairman Maybury requested that Director Eckard add the assumptions he used in revenue and expense forecasting to the budget document. Director Eckard noted that he will update the document to reflect those changes.
c)
Dr. Martin outlined a new internal accounting control that will be implemented going forward. He recommends adopting a modified purchase order system in which expenses for larger items, such as contracts or capital expenditures, are encumbered at the time of approval rather than when invoices are received.
Call of the Board
Chairman Maybury noted a few outdated areas of the website and asked that we pay better attention to it. Dr. Martin said that he would. Trustee Hopkins and Chairman discussed the upcoming Board vacancy that Trustee Edgerton’s upcoming resignation will create. Trustee Edgerton plans to resign due to a new job opportunity that her husband has accepted.
Closed Session: At 7:26 p.m., Trustee Hopkins made a motion to go into Closed Session Pursuant to NC General Statute 143-318.11(a)(6) to consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee, seconded by Chairman Maybury. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
Trustee Maybury made a motion at 7:740 p.m. to return to open session, seconded by Trustee Hopkins. The vote was unanimous, and the motion carried.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:44 p.m.