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OCN > 2406 > Donala Water and Sanitation District, May 16 – Audit report positive

Donala Water and Sanitation District, May 16 – Audit report positive

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

In May, the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board heard an audit report from Tom Sistare of Hoelting and Co. Inc. on the district’s 2023 finances. The board heard comments from resident Tammy Ball and operational reports from district staff and from consultants. The meeting ended with an executive session, after which no actions were taken.

Good news on 2023 finances

Sistare told the board he had good news concerning the district’s 2023 audit. The district staff was well-prepared for process walkthroughs he performed in early March and the audit went smoothly, he said. He issued an “unmodified, or clean, opinion” in the audit report, as he has in the past.

The audit report included these highlights:

  • DWSD’s total assets exceeded its total liabilities at the close of the 2023 financial year by almost $47 million.
  • The district’s total net position increased in 2023 by $2.5 million.
  • Capital assets net of depreciation increased by $19,895 from the prior year.
  • DWSD’s total outstanding long-term debt decreased by $396,897 due to the payment of loans.

Sistare noted DWSD’s operational expenses were up 10.5 %. They declined by 8.5% in 2022.

Resident asks for help with repair schedule

Tammy Baugh, representing the Donala Club Villas Townhomes Association, told the board the association had issues with broken water lines and sewer backups and needed to make repairs to roads. She asked the board to advise her about repairs to water and sewer lines DWSD might have planned so that road repairs would not have to be redone. The roads could be damaged by the line repair work.

District Manager Jeff Hodge said repairs to the association’s lines had been delayed because the funds were redirected to the repair of eight of the district’s 12 wells. He said some of the failures Ball mentioned were service lines, for which the residents, not the district, are responsible.

Board President Wayne Vanderschuere told Baugh he would make sure the association got as much lead time as possible when the district scheduled repairs to its lines.

Water Operator Ronny Wright told Baugh he believed the association’s service line problems were due to the use of dissimilar metals that degraded over time.

Manager’s report

During his manager’s report, Hodge told the board he was expecting a memo from DWSD Attorney Linda Glesne outlining any compliance issues that arose from the last legislative session.

Hodge said the release of 400 acre-feet of water owned by DWSD from the Pueblo Reservoir, which was anticipated last month, had not happened. Consultant Brett Gracely of LRE Water explained this further in his report below.

In his comments on the Loop water reuse project, on whose board Hodge serves, he said the City of Fountain is considering becoming a participating district.

Operational reports

  • Wright and Chief Waste Plant Operator Aaron Tolman reported normal operations for water and wastewater.
  • Consultant Roger Sams, of GMS Engineering Inc., said spot blasting was underway in the first of the water tanks the district is rehabbing. He predicted the tank would be back in operation by the end of summer when demand for water is at its highest.
  • Gracely told the board Pueblo Reservoir had reversed its decision that it was necessary to release water for safety reasons. He said snowpack was still high and snow is continuing to fall at higher altitudes.

Executive session

The meeting ended with an executive session to deliver Hodge’s annual performance review.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 20 at 1:30 p.m. Generally, board meetings are held the third Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. and include online access; call (719) 488-3603 or access www.donalawater.org to receive up-to-date meeting information. The district office is located at 15850 Holbein Drive, Colorado Springs.

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

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