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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.16.2024.telecommunications minutes TELECOMMUNICATIONS UTILITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mollenhoff Conference Room October 16, 2024 4:00 p.m. 1. Members present: Mr. Kurtenbach, Mr. Young, and Mr. Batemon. Absent: Mr. Van Fleet. Ms. Wienands arrived at 4:08 p.m. 2. Moved by Young seconded by Batemon that the agenda, as presented, be approved. Voice vote-Ayes: Three. Motion carried. 3. Moved by Batemon seconded by Young that the minutes of September 18, 2024, Regular Session, and October 2, 2024, Special Session, as presented. Voice vote- Ayes: Three. Motion carried. 4. Moved by Young seconded by Batemon to adopt a resolution authorizing payment of bills. Roll Call vote-Ayes: Three. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024-010. 5. Moved by Young seconded by Batemon to adopt a resolution approving hiring Ross Horbach to the position of Product and Services Manager at a salary of $80,000 per year plus benefits, effective November 4, 2024, conditioned on passing a background check and executing an employment agreement. Mr. Kurtenbach requested further information pertaining to the job duties for the Product and Services Manager. Eric Lage, General Manager, provided the details requested. Roll Call vote-Ayes: Three. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024-011. 6. Moved by Young seconded by Batemon to adopt a resolution approving the Supplement to Fiber Project Reimbursement Agreement with City of Waterloo, estimated to be in the amount of $18,000,000.00, in conjunction with the Fiber Project, and authorizing the Board Chair and Board Secretary to execute said document. Mr. Kurtenbach requested details on the agreement. Mr. Lage explained that it's essentially an agreement stating that Waterloo Fiber will repay the City of Waterloo the specified dollar amount, with a repayment schedule attached. Maggie Burger, Senior Vice President with Speer Financial, gave further background of this agreement to Mr. Kurtenbach. Roll Call vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024-012. 7. Moved by Young seconded by Batemon to adopt a resolution setting date of hearing as October 30, 2024, to approve a lease agreement with Twin Trees, LLC, to lease office space at 402 E. 4t" Street, in conjunction with the Request for Proposals to Lease an Office Facility. Mr. Kurtenbach requested background information on this agreement. Mr. Young explained the process began with a request for proposals and they received five responses. Each response was scored based on the criteria in the RFP and arrived at two finalists. One finalist was a property owned by a board member and Mr. Young emphasized that Ms. Wienands and Mr. Van Fleet were not involved in these discussions, for conflict-of-interest reasons. After working with architects, it was determined that ultimately the property in question is the best fit. In the future, through discussions with Eric Lage and Board members, building a facility will be a better long-term fit for the utility but that will take some time and be dependent on take rates. Kelley Felchle, Board Secretary, stated that they had worked with Invision Architecture for assistance in finding the ideal location from a cost and fit standpoint, and provided details of that process. Mr. Kurtenbach provided comments on looking at numbers for building a facility versus renting space, and that the importance of being prudent with dollars the board has been trusted with. Page 2 Roll Call vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024-013. 8. Motion approving a Collection Services Agreement with Municipal Collections of America and authorizing the General Manager of Telecommunications to execute said document. Mr. Kurtenbach requested further comments on this agreement. Mr. Lage provided a brief overview. Mr. Kurtenbach raised the question whether they have the option to assess customers for unpaid utility bills. Mrs. Felchle explained that the assessment process would be an option. She explained that it is a labor-intensive process and city staff have moved away from utilizing assessments. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. 9. Motion awarding the Auditing Services RFP to BerganKDV and authorizing the General Manager of Telecommunications to execute necessary documents. Mr. Kurtenbach requested further information on this RFP. Mr. Lage provided a brief overview. Maggie Burger made comments explaining why she believes only one bid was received for the RFP. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. 10.Motion approving an Addendum to the Emergency Repair and Maintenance Contract with ITG Communications, LLC, and authorizing the General Manager of Telecommunications to execute said document. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Eric Lage, General Manager, provided an overview of the item and shared that the utility can invoice the city for repair costs. 11. Motion approving a Pole Attachment Contract with MidAmerican Energy and authorizing the General Manager of Telecommunications to execute said document. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Eric Lage, General Manager, explained that some parts of the community, including Chautauqua Park Neighborhood, have extremely narrow right of ways. The agreement will help to bring connectivity to these locations. 12.Motion approving Change Order No. 2024-0015, for an increase of$25,937.04, in conjunction with the FY2023 Construction of a Fiber-to-the-Premise Feeder/Distribution and Backbone Network Project, Contract No. 1088. Voice vote- Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Eric Lage, General Manager, explained that a splitter cabinet was hit and damaged by a vehicle. The change order is to replace the cabinet and noted that they did file an insurance claim and received payment to essentially cover the cost of the damage. The board and board secretary discussed the change order with the general manager. 13. Motion approving Change Order No. 2024-0016, for an increase of$1,313.00, in conjunction with the FY2023 Construction of a Fiber-to-the-Premise Feeder/Distribution and Backbone Network Project, Contract No. 1088. Voice vote- Ayes: Four. Motion carried. 14. Motion approving purchase of an annual Calix Support License in the amount of $10,890.00. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Eric Lage, General Manager, provided an overview of the item. Mr. Kurtenbach questioned if the Purchase Policy could be amended so that software renewal costs could be paid without board approval. Eric Lage confirmed that the policy could be Page 3 amended. 15. General update from the General Manager of Telecommunications and consultants. Eric Lage, General Manager, explained that they are currently working on staffing open positions, including the Products and Services Manager, Field Locator, NOC Technician and Bookkeeper. They will be looking to hire a Network Engineer as well. He noted that there is a Go Live event scheduled for November 13th and that board members and staff will be in Des Moines in early November to accept a Prometheus Award for Iowa Technology City of the Year from the Technology Association of Iowa. Maggie Burger, Speer Financial, provided an update on financing on working capital. She shared that Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust can provide the next round of funding and that they have adjusted interest from 6% down to 5.75%. She added that a special session is likely needed to approve the necessary paperwork. Logan Fowlke, ITG Communications, provided a update on construction. The board, general manager, and Mike Reagan, Entrust Solutions, discussed the upcoming fiber but installation project. Kelley Felchle, Board Secretary, explained she has been working with Mr. Lage on the office lease, conducting interviews, and following up on open administrative projects. 16. Adjourn. With no further business before the board, it was moved by Wienands seconded by Young that the meeting be adjourned at 4:46 p.m. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. oicSIiraur D Xe ey Fe C e Kelley Felchle Board Secretary