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OCN > 2304 > Monument Sanitation District, March 15 – Election canceled

Monument Sanitation District, March 15 – Election canceled

By Jackie Burhans and James Howald

District Manager Mark Parker told the Monument Sanitation District (MSD) board at its March meeting that its upcoming election had been canceled because there are not more candidates than vacant board seats. He also updated the board on legislation that would govern how so-called “flushable” wipes would be labeled. Finally, the board heard operational reports.

Candidate withdraws

Parker told the board that Randy Estes had withdrawn his application to run for one of the three open seats on the board, reducing the number of candidates to three and eliminating the need for an election. Parker said the election was expected to cost between $5,000 and $10,000 had it been needed. Estes is willing to serve by appointment if a seat opens unexpectedly, Parker said.

The legal report from designated election official Peggy Rupp included a cancellation of election report and declaration of candidates elected that names Anthony Archer, Daniel Hamilton, and Janet Ladowski as elected to four-year terms that will begin on May 17. Archer is currently serving on the board, having been appointed in February to fill the seat vacated by Laura Kronick’s resignation. Hamilton is currently serving as the board president.

Legislation aims to educate consumers

Parker updated the board on Senate Bill 23-150, which, if passed, will require the labels on wipes to warn consumers that the products are not truly “flushable” in that they do not dissolve once in the sewer system and increase maintenance costs by jamming the pumps in lift stations, clogging filters, and catching on tree roots, leading to repair costs that are shouldered by the ratepayers. Use of wipes increased following COVID. They can create dams that cause wastewater to back up into homes, Parker said. The bill will require informational labels instructing consumers to dispose of them without flushing them down the toilet.

Highlights of operational reports

  • Parker noted that legal expenses were higher than typical in February due to work by the district’s law firm on the election and on rewriting the employee manual, which needs to be updated in light of Colorado’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance program, the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and the Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act. Job descriptions are also being updated, he said.
  • Double authentication, which requires signoff by two employees, has been put in place to improve the security of ACH transactions.
  • The district is scanning documents produced during its 65-year existence. The paper documents are being converted to Portable Document Format files that can be easily searched.

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Monument Sanitation District meetings are normally held at 9 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month in the district conference room at 130 Second St., Monument. The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 19. See https://colorado.gov/msd. For a district service map, see https://colorado.gov/pacific/msd/district-map-0. Information: 719-481-4886.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me. James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

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