The Kingston Sewer Commission is navigating a complex financial landscape as it balances significant revenue growth against rising operational hurdles. During the February 3rd session, Superintendent Dave detailed how recent winter weather exacerbated infrastructure strain, noting that during the time that our operators were out snow plowing, we had Riverside Drive pump clog up, the one that's been having these wipes coming down. The persistent "ragging" issue requires crews to manually clean the station twice weekly, a task Brian Don questioned for its wider impact on the system, asking, You're not seeing a buildup in the other manholes yet?

To address these maintenance demands and improve financial oversight, the commission is proposing a roughly 10% budget increase for FY27. This includes $88,000 for a new part-time administrative assistant and a full-time plant operator. Elaine Biori stressed the importance of these roles in auditing potential revenue gaps, such as an estimated $70,000 deficit in betterment payments from earlier project phases. We are literally we are limping by. So more numbers we have the sooner the sooner we can really hone in on what where we stand, Biori remarked. The commission also handled routine business earlier in the meeting. Motion Made by Bill Watson to approve the October 7th and October 23rd as amended. Motion Passed 2-0.

A bright spot for the department is the surge in septage revenue, which reached $622,000 this year, a nearly $300,000 increase that helps mitigate a projected $50,000 spike in electricity costs. Bill Watson urged the board to look toward sustainable solutions to further cut costs, stating, There's a 100 $350,000 in electrical savings per year just by taking the land gas. This discussion on biomass and green energy was welcomed by guest Mark Reed, who participated via Zoom and told the board, I'm just really enjoying the conversation about the biomass stuff. That was very good. Appreciate that. The meeting was adjourned at 38:22.