Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, June 12 – Audit shows good financial health, Lori Akers retires

Correction
“Smooth audit”
District lawyer moves to new firm
Highway 105 expansion delayed
Spring rains mean free water, headaches
Lori Akers to retire
July board meeting rescheduled
Executive session

Correction

In last month’s article, board member Roy Martinez was incorrectly identified as Tom Martinez. Our Community News regrets the error.

By James Howald

At its June meeting, the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board heard an audit report on its 2022 finances. The district’s lawyer announced some changes to her legal firm. The district’s engineer updated the board on changes to the Highway 105 expansion plans and other projects. The impact of recent rainy weather was discussed. The board celebrated the service of longtime employee Lori Akers. The July board meeting was rescheduled, and the meeting ended with an executive session.

Retiring Billing Manager Lori Akers was feted by Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board members, staff, and friends from Woodmoor Improvement Association and the community. Akers worked at WWSD for 38 years in a variety of positions, including meter reading, reporting and repairing, main break repairs, landscaping, front office, and billing. She started in 1985 as a part-time employee when the district had 817 customers and most of the roads were yet to be paved. She became a full-time employee in 1987, doing customer service and using two-way radios to communicate with other employees. She initially did billing by hand, sending out bills on 3-by-5 cards, then helped implement computer-based billing and oversaw three software conversions. During her tenure, WWSD grew to over 4,000 customers. Akers said, “I don’t cry, but I have a lump in my throat,” and she planned to enjoy her retirement touring on her motorcycle. Photo by Jackie Burhans

“Smooth audit”

Uli Keeley, of Prospective Business Solutions LLC, presented the results of the audit of the district’s finances for 2022. Keeley said this was her first audit for the district, but she was familiar with its finances. The board selected her as its auditor in December 2022. Keeley had worked for the district’s previous auditor John Cutler and Associates on WWSD issues before she started her own company.

Keeley’s report issued the district an unmodified opinion, an indication that the audit did not uncover concerning issues.

She pointed out a new line item in the net position portion of the report called “land lease receivables.” Governmental Accounting Standard Board regulations have changed how leases are reported on balance sheets. WWSD leases a portion of the Woodmoor Ranch property, triggering this new reporting requirement.

Keeley said the district’s net position, which represents the district’s equity in its infrastructure, had increased by $4 million since 2021.

Keeley said since this was her first audit of district finances, she was required to do extra work to confirm all beginning balances. She found the previous auditor had deferred the reporting of some revenues that she thought should not be deferred, and she had corrected that.

The board voted unanimously to approve the audit report and authorize Keeley to file it with the state.

District lawyer moves to new firm

Erin Smith, WWSD’s lawyer, announced that her partner of 25 years was retiring, and she planned to merge her practice with Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel LLP, a firm in Durango that has a 75-year history with water law. Her rules of conduct require her to notify the board, she said, and ask for a motion to allow the president to sign a memo authorizing this change and permitting her to move her files to the new firm.

The board voted unanimously to authorize President Barrie Town to sign the required memo.

Highway 105 expansion delayed

District Engineer Ariel Hacker told the board that Phase A of El Paso County’s plans to expand Highway 105 between Jackson Creek Parkway and Lake Woodmoor Drive were being rebid. She said the county expected to award the new contract by the end of June and begin construction in August. Because of this delay, Hacker recommended that WWSD rebid the work required by the county’s project because WWSD received only one bid, which was much higher than expected. Because of the county’s expansion plans, WWSD needs to move water and sewer service lines that are in county rights of way adjacent to the highway.

Hacker mentioned two other WWSD projects she intended to rebid. The largest of these is the installation of additional equipment to manage water pressure in Zone Five, the southernmost portion of the WWSD service area. She said she was also considering whether to rebid construction needed to connect Well 19 to the WWSD infrastructure as a separate project or add it to the Zone Five project.

Spring rains mean free water, headaches

Operations Superintendent Dan LaFontaine told the board that WWSD is currently supplying only groundwater to customers. He added that the rainy weather meant free water for the district, since there are no energy costs to acquire the resulting surface water as there are with ground water. WWSD has not needed to divert water from Monument Creek due to the precipitation, he said. The water level in the Augusta Pit is high, and that additional water has been conveyed to Woodmoor Lake by gravity.

The downside to the rain, LaFontaine explained, is that once the ground is saturated, the rain often infiltrates the sewer lines through leaky manhole covers and stresses the water treatment plant.

Lori Akers to retire

The board celebrated Lori Akers, who served WWSD in many roles for 38 years. .

July board meeting rescheduled

The board delayed its July board meeting by one week until July 17 to allow additional time to prepare WWSD’s midyear budget update.

Executive session

The board meeting ended with an executive session to discuss pending litigation.

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The next meeting is scheduled for July 17 at 1 p.m. Meetings are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. at the district office at 1845 Woodmoor Drive; please see www.woodmoorwater.com or call 719-488-2525 to verify meeting times and locations.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.