Five department heads and the Comptroller from TMU, plus City Administrator/Utility Director met for nearly two hours last night with utility committee representatives from the Trenton City Council.
Of the eight topics on the agenda, three will proceed to the full city council while information was shared and discussion held on five.
First, the utility committee elected David Mlika as chairman. Others on this committee are Travis Elbert and Jen Hottes Urich. Councilman Larry Crawford attended TMU heads: Bob Hutchinson, Steve Reid, Mark Newton, Kenny Ricketts, Steve Sims
The city of Trenton is looking to partner with vendors who can provide fiber optic connectivity to all city and utility facilities. Also sought is internet access to seven facilities as well as connectivity to the two substations and the two water towers.
The city also is willing to evaluate vendors who can offer bundled services that may include telephone service along with internet access. Using Missouri Network Alliance, only City Hall is the hub for the current network and voice over internet protocol VOIP system.
Having overhead fiber optic cable on existing power poles is considered to be cheaper than going underground. The utility committee looked over a draft of a request for proposals on building the fiber optic system and the internet service provider. This topic will advance to the full city council for further review.
Information was presented noting at the north substation on Industrial Drive, two engines failed an oil analysis due to fuel in the oil. Engine oil and filters need to be replaced on both. The estimated cost of repairs is $22,250.
This topic also will be forwarded to the city council for action. There’s some urgency in getting repairs done because if TMU misses testing in September, it loses capacity credits for the two engines at 930 dollars per month until engines can be used.
In a related matter, three engines at the south sub station at 1st Street and Johnson Drive failed oil analysis due to higher copper levels. The cost for oil and filters tops $13,000 and could be placed in the TMU budget in the next fiscal year.
City Administrator Utility Director Ron Urton led the general discussion and reviewed possible work to be done, involves renovation at the power plant and preparing bid documents for North sub-station fuel tanks.
An update on the effluent disinfection project has engineers preparing cost estimates. There’s a quote of $10,000 for repairs to a gear box.
An update on water plant projects includes a need for a water level control valve at the base of the Iowa Boulevard water tower. Also discussed were controls for high service pumps, SCADA notifications and to allow control with use of a cell phone.
The Committee recommends city council approval of a policy on rental contracts regarding utilities. Comptroller Rosetta Marsh said it would help TMU in collecting outstanding utility bills. She noted some $40,000 is written off yearly.
The policy, directed at non-owners of residential dwellings, would include proof of rental inspections, a list of all tenants, and a permit for occupancy before connecting electrical or water service.
