LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP
ANNUAL GENERAL BOARD MEETING
JULY 8, 2020
LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP
ANNUAL GENERAL BOARD MEETING
APRIL 3, 2019
Opening
The annual general meeting of the LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP was called to order at 7:00 PM on April 3, 2019 at Diamond City by Andy.
Appointment of Chairperson
Andy called for nominations from floor. Rob nominated Roger Zeinstra as chairperson for the 2019 annual general board meeting.
Moment of Silence
Roger called for a moment of silence to observe passed members.
Introductions:
Board — Andy Van Essen, Arnie Bergen-Henegouwen, Dirk van der Kooij, Frans VandeStroet, Morris Zeinstra, Murray Kester, Norm Spencer, Rob Boras
Administration — Rae Lynne Friesen, Marcella Klein
Operation Technician — Martin Nordstrom
Guests — Darren Adamson CPA – Avail LLP, Ann Mitchell CAO – Lethbridge County, Rick Bacon Director of Municipal Services – Lethbridge County
Apologies — Earl Dunn
Approval of Agenda
Approval of agenda as distributed. Moved Frans. Seconded Dirk. Carried
Approval of Minutes
The minutes from March 28, 2018 were approved as presented. Moved Arnie. Seconded Rob. Carried
New Business
None
Reports
President’s
The year started off business as usual until late summer when the co-op was hit with a boil water order as a result of tampering. This event led to further investigations by Alberta Environment and Parks who informed the co-op that we are not in compliance with the water act. The co-op board and employees have been working diligently to fix these issues.
Frans VandeStroet has indicated he will not be seeking another term on the LNCPWC board. On behalf of past and present board members and the co-op as a whole Andy thanked Frans for his many hours of volunteer service to the co-op and thought provoking ideas at board meetings.
Andy thanked the employees and board for their efforts over the past year.
Member Questions
Question: What does it mean to be not in compliance?
Answer: Co-op needs more water license, it’s going to cost money.
Motion — Accept President’s report as read. Moved Andy. Seconded Arnie. Carried
Operations
The co-op has a new sampling protocol which this past year saw 100% of all line ends sampled at least four times for residual chlorine levels. Also other preventative maintenance tasks were undertaken: air release inspections, vault inspections and valve rotations. Complete system wide audit will take place this year: Recording blue municipal address numbers for customer records, rotation of all gate, isolation and curb-stop valves. All older aluminum/galvanized cistern support channels will be replaced with new pvc units.
Customer tampering will again be a focus of the co-op going forward. Caught individuals will lose water and incidents reported to AHS and AEP.
If service is needed, we ask members to feel free to call. The LNCPWC does not charge for service calls, unless it’s preventable frost damage to co-op owned emitter.
Motion — Accept operations report as read. Moved Frans. Seconded Dirk. Carried
Administration
Rae Lynne thanked membership for keeping their accounts current. She also thanked Marcella for her efforts to help customers with terms for accounts past 90 days. Administration asks members to contact office to keep any contact information current.
Member Questions
Q – Is administration a full time job?
A – It’s a contract job, paid hourly.
Motion — Accept administration report as presented. Moved Frans. Seconded Morris.
Carried
Auditor
Darren Adamson of Avail LLP distributed and presented the draft financial statements to co-op members.
Motion — Accept auditors report as presented. Moved Norm. Seconded Everett Van Essen. Carried
Motion — Appoint Avail LLP CPA as auditor for 2018. Moved Norm. Seconded Morris.
Carried
Treasurer
Dirk presented the 2018 Actual versus 2019 budget report to membership.
Net income (cash basis) for 2018 was $173,009.00
Motion — Approve treasurers report as presented. Moved Andy. Seconded
Norm. Carried
Elections
Three positions up for renewal.
Nominations:
• Josh Groten
• Dirk Van Der Kooij
• Earl Dunn
Accepts
Accepts
Accepts
Motion - Arnie called for nominations from the floor to cease.
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 7:45 PM by Arnie.
2018 AGM Minutes
LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP
ANNUAL GENERAL BOARD MEETING
MARCH 28, 2018
Opening
The annual general meeting of the LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP was called to order at 7:10 PM on March 28, 2018 at Diamond City by Arnie.
Appointment of Chairperson
Arnie called for nominations from floor. Rob nominated Roger Zeinstra as chairperson for the 2018 annual general meeting.
Moment of Silence
Roger called for a moment of silence to observe passed members.
Introductions:
Board — Andy Van Essen, Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen, Dirk van der Kooij, Earl Dunn,
Frans VandeStroet, Larry Peterson, Murray Kester, Rob Boras
Administration — Rae Lynne Friesen, Marcella Klein
Operation Technician — Martin Nordstrom
Guests — Darren Adamson CPA – Avail LLP
Apologies — Jack Feenstra, Morris Zeinstra, Norm Spencer
Approval of Agenda
Approval of agenda as distributed. Moved Andy. Seconded Rob. Carried
Approval of Minutes
The minutes from March 30, 2017 were approved as read. Moved Murray. Seconded Andy. Carried
New Business
None
Reports
President’s Report
• The past year has been the first fully operational year of supplying potable water to the residents of Lethbridge North County.
• Staff of LNCPWC were thanked for their outstanding hard work over the past year.
• Last board meeting it was discussed and voted on to reduce the board from eleven members to nine due to completion of major construction phases. Two board members; Larry Peterson and Jack Feenstra voiced their wish to retire which facilitated the natural transition to nine board members.
Larry Peterson was the original chairman of LNCPWC and member since its inception and has seen this project through to completion. Larry has volunteered many hours of his time and knowledge to produce a very successful co-op.
Jack Feenstra has indicated he will not be seeking another term on the LNCPWC board. On behalf of past and present board members and the co-op as a whole Arnie thanked Jack for his longstanding service and his freely given time and energy in regards to the LNCPWC.
Arnie presented Larry with award for service, while accepting Larry gave a brief history of interesting moments during his fifteen years involved with the co-op.
Motion — Accept President’s report as read. Moved Arnie. Seconded Earl. Carried
Operation’s Report
A power point and handout were presented to AGM attendees by Martin giving statistical highlights of the LNCPWC.
• 2017 average daily water consumption 860 liters per day.
• 2017 equals 39.87% of water allocation.
Member Questions
Q – Andy Van Essen – Did main pump fail?
A – Yes main pump failed, slave pump is ok.
Q – Andy Van Essen – Are both pumps same size?
A – Yes
Motion — Accept operation’s report as read. Moved Martin. Seconded Andy. Carried
Administration
• Rae Lynne gave a quick breakdown of unit status as of March 28, 2018.
• Overall membership has been great at keeping accounts current.
• Keeping contact information current and accurate is important in cases of boil water and other announcements.
• 2017 saw lots of land/water unit transfers.
Member Questions
Q – Roger Zeinstra asked how long Rae Lynne has been in administration?
A – Thirteen years.
Q – Roger Zeinstra asked how many new unit/construction requests in 2017?
A – Seventeen units.
Motion — Accept administration report as presented. Moved Rae Lynne. Seconded Rob. Carried
Auditor
Darren Adamson of Avail LLP distributed and presented the draft financial statements to the co-op members.
Motion — Accept auditor’s report as presented. Moved LJ Dunn. Seconded Frans. Carried
Motion — Appoint Avail LLP CPA as auditor for 2018. Moved Sandi Peterson. Seconded Earl.
Carried
Treasurer
Dirk presented the 2017 Actual versus 2018 budget report to membership.
Net income (cash basis) for 2017 was $149,860.00
Motion — Approve treasurer’s report as presented. Moved Dirk. Seconded Larry. Carried
Elections
Two positions up for renewal.
Nominations:
• Frans VandeStroet
• Norm Spencer
Accepts
Accepts
Motion — Earl called for nominations from the floor to cease.
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 8:35 PM by Earl.
2017 AGM Minutes
LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
MARCH 30, 2017
Opening
The Annual General Meeting of the LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP was called to order at 7:07 PM on March 30, 2017 at Diamond City by Arnie.
Appointment of Chairperson
Arnie called for nominations from floor. Morris nominated Roger Zeinstra as chairperson for the 2017 annual general board meeting.
Moment of Silence
Roger called for a moment of silence to observe passed members.
Introductions:
Board — Arnie Bergen-Henegouwen, Bill Hamman, Dirk van der Kooij, Earl Dunn, Jack Feenstra, Larry Peterson, Murray Kester, Morris Zeinstra, Rob Boras
Administration — Rae Lynne Friesen, Marcella Klein
Operation Technician — Martin Nordstrom
Guests — Darren Adamson CPA – Avail LLP, Glen Weile – Weile Enterprises
Apologies — Frans VandeStroet, Norm Spencer
Approval of Agenda
Approval of agenda as distributed. Moved Rob. Seconded Jack. Carried
Approval of Minutes
The minutes from March 30, 2016 were approved as read. Moved Dirk. Seconded Morris. Carried
New Business
None
Reports
Presidents
• January 2017 Monarch phase 3 was completed under budget, thanks to the hard work of Martin.
• Thanks to the vision and drive of the original board members over thirteen years ago, there is now 465 kilometers of pipe installed and 766 units sold.
• Thanks to Rae Lynne and Marcella for their outstanding long term service to the co-op.
• As we approach full subscription of 850 units for the co-op, there are a few questions we have to answer. Do we expand past 850 units by purchasing additional water license and is there enough pipe capacity or demand to pursue this costly undertaking?
• Thanks to present board members for keeping the board meetings positive and productive.
Bill Hamman has indicated he will not be seeking another term on the LNCPWC board. On behalf of past and present board members and the co-op as a whole Arnie presented Bill with a coat and plaque and thanked him for his longstanding service and vision in regards to the LNCPWC.
Motion — Accept the President’s Report as read. Moved Arnie. Seconded Larry. Carried
Operations
A power point was presented to AGM attendees by Martin, which gave highlights of the LNCPWC from 2009 to present.
Emitter upgrades are available for customers who are experiencing low flow or no flow through emitters.
2016 average daily water consumption 834 liters per day.
2016 equals 38.62% of water allocation
Six Weile Enterprises chlorine, pressure and temperature monitoring sensors were installed. These sensors will help insure safe potable water for customers and over time will offset costs of manual water testing and repairs by finding issues early.
Motion — Accept operations report as read. Moved Martin. Seconded Earl. Carried
Administration
Rae Lynne gave a quick breakdown of unit status as of March 30, 2017. Twenty-seven units paid in full by Blood Tribe are still not activated. There are four additional units pending as well within Monarch phase 3.
Overall membership has been great at keeping accounts current and now there is a new way to make payments on account in the form of E-Transfer via email.
New units are still available for purchase.
Motion — Accept administration report as presented. Moved Rae Lynne. Seconded Dirk.
Carried
Auditor
Darren Adamson of Avail LLP distributed and presented the draft financial statements to co-op members.
Question — Is loan to County interest rate fixed or floating?
Answer — Fixed, County borrowed money from “Alberta Capital Finance”.
Motion — Accept draft financial statements as presented. Moved Bill. Seconded Earl. Carried
Appointment of Auditor
Motion — Appoint Avail LLP CPA as auditor for 2017. Moved Bill. Seconded Morris. Carried
Treasurer
Bill presented the 2016 Actual versus 2017 budget report to membership.
Net income (cash basis) for 2016 was $122,193.00
Cash reserve account for repairs was established with initial amount of $100,000.00.
Water usage fees should decrease for 2017, with new water fee structure
Motion — Approve treasurers report as presented. Moved Bill. Seconded Dirk. Carried
Bill thanked the co-op and stated “The pipe dream – became pipe reality”.
Elections
Three positions up for renewal and one vacancy.
Nominations:
• Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen
• Murray Kester
• Rob Boras
• Andy Van Essen
Accepts
Accepts
Accepts
Accepts
Motion — Earl called for nominations from the floor to cease.
Member Questions
Q – Ken Vanden Broek – Lifetime marker signs made of fiberglass are breaking?
A – Some are left over and will be replaced as needed.
Q – Roger Zeinstra – Where is Martins office located?
A – It is located in his house.
Q – Evert Van Essen – Why is county opening valves?
A – County is testing and with new sensors manual testing could be reduced.
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 8:36 PM by Jack.
2016 AGM MINUTES
Lethbridge North County Potable Water Co-op
2016 Annual General Meeting
Diamond City Hall
March 30, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
1. Call to order at 7:15 p.m.
2. Appointment of Chairman for the meeting from the floor.
Arnie called for nominations. Motion to appoint Roger Zeinstra as chairperson for the meeting. Seconded. Carried.
3. Moment of Silence
Roger called for a moment of silence to observe those members who have passed
away in the past year.
4. Introduction of Board Members
In attendance: Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen; Bill Hamman; Rob Boras; Murray Kester; Jack Feenstra; Morris Zeinstra; Larry Peterson; Norm Spencer; Dirk van der Kooij
Administration: Rae Lynne Friesen; Marcella Klein
Operation Technician: Martin Nordstrom
Not in attendance: Frans vande Stroet; Earl Dunn
5. Approval of Agenda - Motion to approve the agenda. Seconded. Carried.
6. Minutes of April 1, 2015 A.G.M.
Motion to approve the minutes of the April 1, 2015 A.G.M. Seconded. Carried.
7. Business arising from the minutes - None
8. President’s Report
Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen reported:
- The construction plan of the Lethbridge North County Potable Water Co-op is inching closer to substantial completion. 2016 could be the year when the Co-op achieves services to all members who originally signed up when the Co-op came into existence in 2009. It looks like that the final phase of Monarch will be completed in the fall of 2016. Construction costs are below anticipated levels due to great work of Martin and the contractor Syn-Core Directional.
- The Co-op continues to operate a solid financial ground. The curb stop fee will continue at the 2015 levels.
- Arnie thanks Rae Lynne, Marcella and Martin, who do the day-to-day tasks of the Co-op. Also a thank you to the board members who dealt with issues in a transparent and consistent manner.
Motion to accept the President’s Report. Seconded. Carried.
9. County of Lethbridge Report
Morris Zeinstra reported that the County of Lethbridge council is happy to see how the LNCPW Co-op is going forward. The new water rate set by the water committee looking all over the province is reasonable. The County continues to thank the Co-op board for all that they do to deliver potable water to the Co-op members. Motion to accept the County of Lethbridge report. Seconded. Carried.
10. Operation Report
Martin Nordstrom as Operations Manager is impressed to see how the LNCPW Co-op is designed, built and operates and is up to date on all the Standard Operating Procedures, Drinking Water Safety Plans, Policies and Guidelines. Monarch Phase 3 will be finished later this year and will be the last major construction project that the Co-op has planned. The Co-op has started to track water consumption and how much the members actually use. Fiscal year 2015 started with 497 units and ended with 543 active units. Allocated is 2160 L per day. Average consumption is 846 L per day or 39.16% of amount available. Martin is still experimenting frost issues which is giving float valve damage. Advised is to insulate the cistern well. Motion to move the Operation Report as presented. Seconded. Carried.
11. Administration Report
Rae Lynne Friesen reported that members are keeping their accounts current. The administration is encouraging members to pay online or pre-authorized to reduce postage costs. New units are still available for purchase at a minimum of $16,500/unit (or cost + 10%).
Bank Balance as per March 30, 2016 is $555,221.29.
Motion to move the report. Seconded. Carried.
12. Auditor Report
Darren Adamson of Y.P.M. distributed and presented the draft financial statements to Co-op members.
Motion to move the auditor report. Seconded. Carried.
13. Appointment for Auditor - Motion to appoint Y.P.M. Chartered Accountants as Auditor of 2016.
Seconded. Carried.
14. Treasurer’s Report
Bill Hamman explained the 2015 Actual vs. Budget report.
Overall numbers were close with understanding that water use fees were higher because of more active units and $78 per month as of December, 2015. Water rate will increase by 10% to $1,176/m3.
The balance of the County of Lethbridge construction loan as per December 13, 2015 is $214, 352.53 (incl. Principal + Interest).
Motion to move the Treasurer Report. Seconded. Carried.
Questions:
- Cost of water. Can we get a 3 year contract? We cannot. The Co-op deals with the County of
Lethbridge and they deal with the Water Commission.
- What is the First Call Fee? There is a $5 fee for the first 100 locates then $3 per locate up to 1000.
15. Elections
Three positions are up for renewal.
Nominations: Larry Peterson Accepts
Earl Dunn Accepts
Dirk van der Kooij Accepts
Motion for the nominations to cease. Seconded. Carried.
16. Question
Can members sell their units back to the Co-op or sell to neighbours? Answer is NO.
When a unit is not wanted it will be disconnected.
How many locates? This is different throughout the year. A low of 25 and high of 150 per month.
17. Motion to adjourn at 8:00 p.m.
2015 AGM Approved Minutes
LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP LTD
2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
APRIL 1, 2015
Call to order
Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen called to order the Annual General Meeting of the Lethbridge North County Potable Water Co-op Ltd. at 7:20 p.m. on April 1, 2015 at Diamond City Hall.
Appointment of Chair
Arnie called for nominations to appoint chairperson for meeting.
Motion to appoint Roger Zeinstra as chairperson for meeting. Seconded. Carried
Moment of Silence
Roger called for a moment of silence to observe those members who have passed away in the past year.
Introduction of Board Members
In Attendance:
Board - Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen, Bill Hamman, Earl Dunn, Larry Peterson, Frans VandeStroet, Murray Kester, Norm Spencer, Morris Zeinstra, Jack Feenstra.
Administration - Rae Lynne Friesen, Marcella Klein
Operation Technician - Martin Nordstrom
Not in Attendance - Dirk van der Kooij, Rob Boras
Approval of Agenda
Motion to approve the agenda as presented. Seconded. Carried
Minutes of April 2, 2014 AGM
Motion to approve the minutes as presented. Seconded. Carried
Business Arising from Minutes
Question arose in regards to John Haarman memorial. Arnie explained some details of the memorial and it’s dedication ceremony , along with its location within Diamond City.
Presidents Report
Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen gave a synopsis of the past year events of the Co-op.
Monarch construction consisting of 3 phases was started in March, 2015. Phase 2 will commence in the fall, 2015 with a wrap of phase 3 in 2017-2018. All without Government funding.
Co-op finances are on solid footing with a 5-year extension to the construction loan, the Co-op has in place with the Lethbridge County.
Lessons learned in March, 2014 was the shut down of the Co-op distribution lines, because of rapidly depleting treated water from the City of Lethbridge, because of turbidity of river water.
Arnie recognized support from Lethbridge County and Council, Rae Lynne, Marty, Marcella and Board Members
Motion to move the report as presented. Seconded. Carried
Lethbridge County Report
Lorne Hickey and Morris Zeinstra stated the County support for the Board as it moves forward with day to day operations of the Co-op.
Operations Report
Martin’s report gave a break down of his activities over the past year.
Martin repeated the importance of cleaning and insulating of cisterns by Co-op members. Repairs in cases of the latter are starting to be invoiced for time and materials.
Regular maintenance of the water distribution line and flush outs is an ongoing process.
Bacteriological sampling and daily chlorination monitoring is conducted by County of Lethbridge.
As of January 1, 2015 a new crossing agreement was in place to better track what is placed above Co-op lines. Also effective immediately, any work at less than 4 ½ feet will no longer require hydrovac exposure with a crossing agreement in place.
Motion to approve the report. Seconded. Carried.
Administrations Report
Rae Lynne reported that there are still a large amount of idle curb stops
Members have been responsible for keeping their accounts current
At present, credit card payments are not accepted, because of high credit card charge back fees.
Motion to approve the report. Seconded. Carried
Auditors Report
Darren Adamson of YPM distributed and presented draft financial statements to Co-op members.
Questions asked include the following:
Why accounts receivable seem high? It was explained that it is mostly owing on accounts.
Why is the pipeline now capitalized instead of expensed? It was explained that water line is almost complete.
Motion to approve auditors report. Seconded. Carried.
Appointment of Auditor
Motion to appoint YPM chartered accountants as auditor of 2015. Seconded. Carried
Treasures Report
Bill explained the 2015 cash flow budget.
2014 saw significant pay down of debt on loan with Lethbridge County.
Questions asked include the following:
It was asked if County loan repayment could be paid down faster? It was felt that at this time we should stay on the same repayment schedule.
Motion to approve treasures report. Seconded. Carried
Elections
Three positions up for renewal.
Nominations: Jack Feenstra - accepts
Frans VandeStroet - accepts
Norm Spencer - accepts
Motion nominations cease. Seconded. Carried
Member Questions
Will Co-op purchase back idle curb stops? Idle curb stops will not be re-purchased, but will be removed if no longer wanted or needed.
Motion to adjourn. 8:15 p.m.
2014 AGM Minutes
Lethbridge North County Potable Water Co-op
2014 Annual General Meeting
April 2, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Diamond City Hall
Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m.
Appointment of Chair
Arnie called for nominations to appoint a Chair for the meeting.
Motion to appoint Roger Zeinstra as chairperson for the meeting. Seconded. Carried.
Moment of silence. Roger called for a moment of silence to observe those members who have passed away in the past year.
Introduction of board members:
Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen, Bill Hamman, Dirk van der Kooij, Earl Dunn, Larry Peterson, Frans VandeStroet, Murray Kester, Erik Dunsbergen, Norm Spencer, Morris Zeinstra.
Administration: Rae Lynne Friesen, Marcella Klein
Operation Technician: Martin Nordstrom
Not in attendance: Rob Boras, Jack Feenstra
Approval of agenda
Motion to approve the agenda as presented. Seconded. Carried.
Minutes of the March 27, 2013 A.G.M.
Motion to approve the minutes as presented. Seconded. Carried.
Business arising from the minutes
- Cost of water differences between the Co-op and the City of Lethbridge. There is no comparison. ie. Length of pipeline
- Metering water use is not feasible. Members are sure of 500 gal/day. The pipeline construction capacity is designed for more units hook up.
- After January 2012 the unit price is minimum $16,500.00 per unit, or cost + 10%.
President Report
Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen reflected on the loss of John Haarman and that the Co-op is planning to set up a memorial at the Diamond City Park.
In September 2013 the Co-op hired the Operation and Maintenance technician, Martin Nordstrom, and thanked Brett Schafer for his exceptional service to the Co-op.
During this transition the Co-op enjoyed the services of Ken van den Broek (Mini-Ex). Looking forward, the City of Lethbridge gave a go ahead to use water for the Monarch phase. Construction is planned for mid-summer 2014 and there is a good possibility for some government funding. Arnie reflected on the precautionary water boil issue due to possible contamination of the Co-op distribution lines during the depressurization of the system. The decision had to be made by Alberta Health Services after unusual spring weather conditions. Also Arnie recognized the support from Lethbridge County and thanked the board of directors and the contributions of Martin Nordstrom, Rae Lynne Friesen, and Marcella Klein. Motion to move the report as presented. Seconded. Carried.
Lethbridge County Report
Morris Zeinstra presented the report. The Lethbridge County thanks the group of volunteers that make the goal to provide potable water to rural citizens a reality. And that the county is trying to secure grants from the Building Canada Fund to finish the Monarch phase. This all came together with the same goal in mind, providing quality country living to the Lethbridge citizens. Motion to accept the report. Seconded. Carried.
Operations Report
Martin Nordstrom explained his role as Operation Technician to look into short term and long term maintenance of the water distribution network. Martin advised the members to insulate the cistern. Annual cleaning of the cistern is highly recommended. Care and awareness of the curb stop is important, which also includes weed control around curb stops and hydrants. Watching for possible leaks is very helpful to avoid major problems. Martin is enjoying his work for and with the Co-op and thanks the board for the confidence and trust, and looks forward to becoming a more experienced and certified Co-op water systems operator. Motion to approve the report. Seconded. Carried.
Administrations Report
Rae Lynne explained the handed out report. In the four phases finished, 458 members have installed 702 units. This means that there are 83 units available yet. For the most part, the membership is very good at paying for their water service fees. The account receivables are an important part of keeping the Co-op operational. Pre-authorized payments and post dated checks are options for the monthly payments.
Bank balance as of March 3, 2014: $348,118.64. Motion to approve the administration report. Seconded. Carried.
Auditor’s Report Tyler Brack from Y.P.M. Chartered Accountants presented the handed out draft of the financial report. Motion to approve the auditor’s report. Seconded. Carried.
Appointment of Auditor Motion to appoint Y.P.M. Chartered Accountants as the auditor of 2014. Seconded. Carried.
Treasurer Report Bill Hamman explained the handed out Cash Flow 2014 Budget. The revenue and expenses show we are in great shape. It includes construction of phase 1 of the Monarch phase, a 10% decrease of water rates for 2014 that give a net income cash flow of $112,182. This gives room to do another down payment of $100,000 toward the construction loan, which was $510,000 at March 1, 2014. Motion to approve the treasurer report. Seconded. Carried. The board is asked to set up a savings account that could get better interest. Question about the cost of Alberta One-Call, which is $6.00 each for the first 100. Motion to approve the proposed Cash Flow Budget. Seconded. Carried.
Election
The board discussed downsizing the number of board members. There is no need for the 13 board members as it is now. Motion to downsize the total board members from 13 to 11. Seconded. Carried.
Five positions are up for renewal. Only four are needed
Nominations for board members: Morris Zeinstra nominates Rob Boras, accepted. Evert Van Essen nominates Erik Dunsbergen, accepted. Earl Dunn nominates Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen, accepted. Murray Kester nominates Bill Hamman, accepted. Richard Papworth nominates Murray Kester, accepted. Frans VandeStroet nominates Gerrit Haarman, declined. Motion nomination ceased. Seconded. Carried.
Results of the voting: Rob Boras, Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen, Murray Kester, and Bill Hamman will fill the 4 available positions. Motion to destroy the ballots. Seconded. Carried
Member Question: Water Boil Issue: Alberta Health Services had a safety concern after the depressurization of the pipeline. The Board had a good learning experience with the situation and will discuss an emergency plan. Will discuss this also with the South Co-op. Will look into what is the best communication with the members. Text, cell phones, email, Co-op website. Look into having a small reserve reservoir. There was no contamination in the system at the time of emergency. All the water test results were good.
Ken Vanden Broek is the Co-op Back-up Operation Manager.
Arnie thanked Erik Dunsbergen for his input, and his time on the Co-op board.
Motion to adjourn at 9:21pm.
2013 AGM Minutes
Lethbridge North County Potable Water Co-op
2013 Annual General Meeting
March 27, 2013 – Diamond City Hall
1 Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM.
2 Appointment of Chair: Arnie called for nominations to appoint a Chair for the meeting.
Motion to appoint Roger Zeinstra as Chairperson for the meeting. S/C.
3 Moment of silence. Roger called for a moment of silence to observe those members
who has passed away in the past year.
4 Introduction of the Board members and Guests. Roger welcomed Ken Benson as County Rep
and Phil Wever from BDO Canada LLP. Board members attendance: Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen
Bill Hamman, Frans van de Stroet, Larry Peterson, John Haarman, Earl Dunn, Rob Boras, Norm Spencer,
Dirk van der Kooij. Administration: Rae Lynne Friesen, Marcella Klein. Operation Manager - Brett Schafer.
5 Approval of the Agenda: Motion to approve the agenda as presented. S/C.
6 Minutes of the March 28, 2012 AGM. Motion to accept the minutes as presented. S/C.
7 Business arising from the minutes. None.
8 President’s Report: Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen read the handed out report. Arnie stated in his report
that the Board moved from construction meetings to meetings on policy and finance. In September 2012
the Co-op together with the County held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, celebrating the completion of the
four phases of the Co-op project. The Board will focus now on the completion of the Monarch phase,
looking at additional grand monies to complete the fifth final phase of the North County Potable Water
Coop. The proposed budged includes a rate hike for the coming year. The City of Lethbridge and in turn
County of Lethbridge has increased the rate it charges for the water. And now that the Co-op is more
operational we are able to more accurately budget what the income and expenses look like.
Also Arnie acknowledged the contributions of the employees Brett Schafer, Rae Lynne Friesen and
Marcella Klein, that they make the organization a success together with the support from County Council.
Motion to move the report as presented. S/C.
9 County of Lethbridge Report: Ken Benson presented the report and congratulated the volunteer Co-op
Board with the efforts to deliver water to rural residents. At the provincial meetings in Edmonton
the County is always asking for grant monies and wants to see the Monarch phase finished in the near
future. The County did received an email from Alberta Government but it was not clear if grant money
will be available soon. Motion to move the report. S/C.
10 Operation Report: Brett Schafer says four phases are now in full operation...the Picture Butte phase
has 151 units hooked up, the Nobleford phase 57, the Diamond City phase 136, and the Little Bow 69.
All these members are enjoying their potable water service. These four phases are registered with
Alberta One Call. Having the water line listed on first call is the best-cost effective way, protecting our
valuable asset. There were a few issues with frozen emitters. Members are recommended to insulate
their cistern well. Also there were a few additions completed this winter. The cost for a new unit is a
minimum of $16,500. Brett asked for help from the members to keep the attachments clean from the
growing weeds. Motion to move the report as presented. S/C.
11 Administration Report: Rae Lynne presented the handed out report. From the 850 units 85 are still
available. Outstanding monies to collect for installed units is $329,550.00
Bank Balance as per March 27, 2013 = $366,735.65
Motion to move the report as presented. S/C.
12 Auditors Report. Phil Wever from BDO Canada LLP presented the handed out draft of the financial
report. Motion to approve the auditor’s report as presented. S/C.
13 Appointment of Auditor 2013: Motion to allow the Board’s decision after examining quotes from
various accountants. S/C.
14 Treasurer Report. Bill Hamman presented the proposed 2013 budget.
The Co-op owes the County $600,000.00 in construction costs to pay over seventeen years, and an
operational loan for two years standing at $800,000 now. The budget was approved by the Board.
Motion to move the treasurer report as presented. S/C.
15 Elections: Nominations for Board members. Frans Van de Stroet nominates Larry Peterson, accepted
Rob Boras nominates Earl Dunn, accepted. John Haarman nominates Dirk van der Kooij, accepted.
Frans Van de Stroet nominates Roger Zeinstra, declined. Larry Peterson nominates Peter Brouwer,
declined.
15 Member questions: The cost of water differences in the City of Lethbridge vs the Co-op costs.
The Lethbridge water commission decides the cost per cubic meter.
- Metering the water use. Costly but the Board will discuss this.
- Concerns about the rate increases. Explanation: rates not that costly to get
potable water delivered to your house in a rural area. –
- Kanai Blood Reserve: Applied for 27 units. Is part of the Monarch phase.
Will get water from the new West Lethbridge reservoir when the City of
Lethbridge agrees to lift the restriction.
- Monarch phase. Will construction start this year? The Board will decide to go
when to go ahead, possibly do it in smaller phases.
17 Motion to adjourn at 9:30 PM.
2012 AGM Minutes
Lethbridge North County Potable Water Coop
2012 Annual General Meeting
March 28, 2012 - Diamond City Hall
1 Bill Hamman called meeting to order at 7:40 PM.
Board members attendance : Bill Hamman, John Haarman, Richard Papworth, Earl Dunn,
Jack Feenstra, Murray Kester, Frans van de Stroet, Larry Peterson, Arnie Bergen-Henengouwen,
Rob Boras, Eric Dunsbergen, Morris Zeinstra and Dirk van der Kooij.
Administration: Rae Lynne Friesen and Marcella Klein. Brett Schafer – Operations Manager
2 Moment of silence. Bill called for a moment of silence to observe those members who have
passed away in the past year.
3 Appointment off Chair. Bill called for nominations to appoint a chair for the meeting.
Motion to appoint Norm Spencer as chair person for the meeting. S/C.
4 Minutes of the minutes from the 2011 AGM. Motion to approve the minutes as presented. S/C.
5 Report of the Board. Bill Hamman read the handed out report. In his report Bill states that since
the LNCPWC started 10 years ago, members now are able to enjoy high quality, potable water.
Last year till now, the construction went well to finish phase 2, 3 and 4. Water will be delivered
to Co-op members for $10,000 per unit. Final phase 5, Monarch is estimated t cost approx.
$800,000 for 65 units.
Three members are up for re-election. Richard Papworth wishes to remove his name from
nominations. Jack Feenstra and Frans van de Stroet are open for re-election.
6 Audit report. Phil Wever from BDO Canada LLP presented the handed out financial report.
Motion to approve the auditor’s report as presented. S/C.
7 Operations report. Operation manager Brett Schafer presented the handed out report.
He says that it has been a very busy construction year for the Co-op. With finalizing phase 4, now
members can hook up their cisterns once disinfection has been completed.
8 County of Lethbridge report. Morris Zeinstra presented the report & congratulated the Co-op
on their progress so far, in getting potable water to the rural residents. The County is happy with
the dedicated administration, the effort, and the energy that has been put in, during the
construction. The County Council is 100 percent behind the LNCPWC & will assist them with their
efforts to attain additional funding to finalize the Monarch phase.
9 Membership status/Administration report. Rae Lynne Friesen presents the handed out report.
The Co-op has 550 members with 764 units applied for. In total 850 units are available. Rae Lynne
encourages the members to keep their accounts current. Monthly invoices & statements are being
sent out. Administration is working on pre-authorized payments for monthly service fees that will
commence on May 20, 2012. The Co-op has to still collect approx. $1,728,570.00 in outstanding monies
from members whose curb stops have been installed.
Motion to accept the administration report as presented. S/C.
10 Treasurer’s Report. Richard Papworth presented a power point presentation. He guaranteed
the $10,000 cost per unit. Motion to accept the Treasurer/Financial report. S/C.
11 Auditor 2012. Motion to appoint Phil Wever of BDO Canada LLP for the 2012 audit. S/C.
12 Board members/County Rep. Motion to approve 12 members for the Co-op board plus one
County Rep with full voting privileges .Motion rescinded after lengthy discussion about bylaw’s
and voting privileges from the County Representative.
13 Nomination’s for Board members. Larry Peterson nominates Jack Feenstra, accepted.
John Haarman nominates Frans van de Stroet, accepted. Eric Dunsbergen nominates
Norm Spencer, accepted. Richard Papworth nominates Brian Penner, declined.
Brian Penner nominates Morris Zeinstra, accepted.
14 Questions...General discussion.
Discussed is - Legal binding document (Water Agreement). Should not charge interest on $2000 due,
until the whole co-op infrastructure is finished and final cost determined.
- Membership water agreement deals with person, not the land.
- Cost per unit for new members. To be discussed in the next Policy Committee Meeting.
- Bill explained the situation with the Kainai Blood Tribe membership.
Morris says that the City of Lethbridge has to approve this.
15 Motion to adjourn at 10:10pm
LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP
ANNUAL GENERAL BOARD MEETING
JULY 8, 2020
Opening
The annual general meeting of the LETHBRIDGE NORTH COUNTY POTABLE WATER CO-OP was called to order at 7:00 PM on July 8, 2020 at Diamond City by Andy.
Immediately point of order was raised by co-op member on grounds that co-op AGM was not advertised in a timely fashion according to co-op AGM by-laws and should be postponed until further notice. Point of order was deemed invalid.
Motion – Continue with 2020 LNCPWC AGM as scheduled. Moved Earl. Seconded Stan Vanessen. Carried
Appointment of Chairperson
Andy called for nominations from floor. Morris nominated Earl Dunn as chairperson for the 2020 annual general board meeting.
Moment of Silence
Earl called for a moment of silence to observe passed members.
Introductions:
Board — Andy Van Essen, Arnie Bergen-Henegouwen, Dirk van der Kooij, Earl Dunn, Josh Groten, Morris Zeinstra, Murray Kester, Rob Boras
Administration — Janice Larson
Operation Representative – Jeremy Wickson
Guests — Darren Adamson CPA – Avail LLP
Approval of Agenda
Approval of agenda as distributed. Moved Morris. Seconded Arnie. Carried
Approval of Minutes
The minutes from April 3, 2019 were approved as presented. Moved Murray. Seconded Andy. Carried
New Business
None
Reports
Presidents
The LNCPWC continues to work alongside AEP, Lethbridge County and Wilde Bros. Engineers to bring co-op back into compliance. There has been success and progress in some areas. Last year ended without any boil water orders or tampering incidence.
Thanks to Rae-lynne who retired from her position after more than thirteen years of service to LNCPWC.
The past year also saw retirement of Marcella Klein from her bookkeeping position with the co-op. Thanks Marcella and all the best in the future.
Administrator and bookkeeping jobs have now been combined into one position, which will be handled by Janice Larson. She comes to the co-op highly qualified with experience in banking and management.
Member Questions/Comments
Question: Why wasn’t position advertised to the public?
Answer: Professional human resources person was used to seek out a number of candidate’s best suited for positon.
Question: Why suddenly is co-op not in compliance?
Answer: The issue is lack of adequate water license capacity and AEP’s view of water unit numbers and water volume per unit.
Question: Is there a policy change to up idle curb stop fees?
Answer: Increase to idle curb stop fees was reversed because of possible COVID hardship to members.
Motion — Accept presidents report as read. Moved Andy. Seconded Dirk. Carried
Operations
Jeremy Wickson spoke about services that Lethbridge County supplies to LNCPWC. They are as follows below:
-Supply of level II water testing.
-Provide testing of water for customers.
-Twenty-four hour support.
-Relief supply for weekends.
-Working with LNCPWC board and Janice in regards to testing.
Member Questions/Comments
Question: Will Lethbridge County monitor line pressure for signs of tampering.
Answer: Lethbridge County employees have been testing pressure.
Comment: Bill Hamman stated that residual chlorine emitter at his shop has been leaking and is wrecking his floor.
Reply: LNCPWC will follow up on Bills concern and remedy issue.
Question: What is current status of automatic pressure testers located at his premises?
Answer: Weile sensors purchased by co-op are no longer active and are without support from manufacturer.
Motion – Accept operations report as read. Moved Jeremy. Seconded Bill. Carried
Administration
Janice started new position with co-op December 2, 2019, and thanked Rae-lynne and Marcella with help given. Active and idle unit numbers were presented as of December 31, 2019. Even with co-op on hold in regards to new unit sales, calls continue to come into the office from people seeking to purchase new units. Janice reminded members to advise the co-op on sale or purchase of property that any changes affect co-op water agreement. Also at time of transfer a co-op representative will inspect cistern and co-op owned parts to ensure safe and proper operation. Administration is continuing ongoing effort to switch as many members as possible over to paperless billing and payments.
Member Questions/Comments
Q – Use surcharge on paper billing to force members to use electronic options?
A – Surcharge could be an option.
Motion — Accept administration report as presented. Moved Janice. Seconded Larry Peterson. Carried
Auditor
Darren Adamson of Avail LLP distributed and presented the draft financial statements to co-op members.
Motion — Accept auditors report as presented. Moved Arnie. Seconded Rob. Carried
Member Questions/Comments
Question: How many years left on county loan?
Answer: Seven years.
Question: Most of professional fees were for engineering?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Does administrator have an office?
Answer: Located in Alberta Prime Beef spare office.
Motion — Appoint Avail LLP CPA as auditor for 2020. Moved Bill. Seconded Dirk. Carried
Treasurer
Dirk presented the 2020 budget report to membership.
-Net income (cash basis) for 2019 was $46,996.00
-Cost of water usage is approximately 37% of total budget.
-Lethbridge County water fee increase 2020 will be 8.5% ($1.17 to $1.27 m3).
Member Questions/Comments
Question: Capital reserve account still in place?
Answer: Still active for repairs.
Motion — Approve treasurers report as presented. Moved Bill Hamman. Seconded Larry Peterson. Carried
Elections
Positions up for renewal.
Nominations:
•Andy VanessenAccepts
•Rob Boras Accepts
•Murray KesterAccepts
•Arnie Bergen-HenengouwenAccepts
•Bill HammanAccepts
Rob moved nominations cease from the floor.
Norm Spencer resigned from board, replaced by Bill Hamman
Member Questions/Comments
Comment: Water thefts are very irritating to all members.
Reply: Thefts of water in 2018 were bad and fines were increased, no thefts in 2019.
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 8:25 PM by Morris.