By David Jerome
Correspondent

Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) Director Lou Padula had a number of questions regarding items on the financial report at last week’s meeting. Two had to do with insurance.

Another item questioned was a check for almost $2,000 to former General Manager Jerry Holldber. This was for an “80% full propane tank” to be used at Rocky Point to service the emergency generator for the communications unit. A new tank alone would cost $3,500, General Manager Jeremy Potter noted.

Padula also inquired as to fees from PNC bank: A $250 service charge was a bimonthly charge for all the electronic transfers from customers paying bills, and $43 was the charge for a large electronic deposit from the Local Area Investment Fund.

Potter gave the operations report, beginning with static well #10, which has risen .8.4 inches to 69.9 feet He noted that last year the well level was 140 feet. “Good winters bring full wells,” he said. Rain also means less demand, so production is down slightly: about 12% from the last two years.

Installing new smart meters continues: the first two of seven books (meter reading routes) have been finished. Old meters are being sold for $2 each to a recycler, and the first check for $600 was received.

When time allows, the crew is repairing and replacing the last hydrants with discrepancies discovered during the summer’s inspections. A few had leaks between the meter and the hydrant. Several on Overlook Drive had been slated for replacement for decades. As new lines are being laid, some old hydrants will be removed.

Well #13, near Thousand Trails, has been completely refurbished. It was inspected with a camera, and Potter described seeing the sides of the bore through solid granite, and the cracks through which water was entering the well “just pouring in.” The well is about 400 feet deep, with the pump 300 feet down. Once the water has been tested it will be brought online.

Purchasing Pine Cove Park from the county is moving forward; it is expected to enter escrow on Sept. 15.

The district’s two temporary employees have begun laying blocks for the new vehicle maintenance pit. Once that is done the wall will be grouted and when cured, back-filled. Then prepping for the 60-foot-by-20-foot concrete slab will begin. Material for the shade cover is on hand.

Potter has been pursuing a mower deck attachment for the skid-steer. A new one, capable of cutting saplings up to 7 inches, would cost $10,505, but the district’s tractor mechanic, Ted Johnson in Garner Valley, found a slightly used unit for $2,600. It will take out saplings up to 4 inches and “we only need to cut grass,” Potter said. Potter plans to haul the skid-steer down to Lake Skinner and demo the attachment before purchase. Last month, PCWD paid $2,300 for mowing its lot in Dutch Flats.

Director Lou Padula had a number of questions regarding items on the financial report at last week’s meeting. Two had to do with insurance: The district, in addition to its responsibility for medical insurance under CalPERS for full-time employees ($9,363), also pays for life insurance ($98.93 monthly, and checks were issued on first and last of this month, the next month being paid a few days early) and ADOM, in which the district reimburses employees up to a $1,000 limit for audio, dental, optical and medical expenses.

President Robert Hewitt asked Office Manager Becky Smith to brief the board on an upcoming increase in health insurance premiums: As of Jan. 1, they are set to rise 12 to 15% on top of a “huge increase” last year. The monthly $9,363 payment to CalPERS adds up to over $112,000 a year.

A table of available plans was included in the packet. Presently, employees are given a choice of PERS “gold” and “platinum” plans. No significantly cheaper options are on the list. They may opt for a plan that includes only themselves, one dependent or a whole family; the district has covered the amount up to the one-dependent plan, and employees pay the difference if they wish to cover their whole family.

Next year, one-dependent plans will be $1,718 and $2,431, and family plans will be $2,234 and $3,161 monthly. The family plan for the less expensive plan is less than the other plan with one dependent, and so the popular option. Employees on the gold family plan will begin to pay $516 unless the board changes its policy.

Presently, Smith, slated to retire late this year, is the only employee on the platinum plan, with the other five full-time employees opting for gold. After retirement, employees may opt to continue their coverage, with the district contributing a “minimum maximum” of $120, but Smith said she did not intend to do this.

Smith and Potter both described the present plans as good ones, even “top of the line.” The gold offers 80/20 copays, the platinum 90/10. The gold has a good network, but platinum allows a wider choice of specialists. The plans are PPOs and doctors on the Hill are providers within them.

Smith recommended the board form a committee to review current policy and consider how much the district is willing to pay. She will continue to talk to CalPERS to determine what options the district has; PCWD’s contract with the system may limit how it restricts employee choice. “It’s my understanding … that we can pick from any of these [plans],” she said. “Kaiser does not insure anybody in the 92549 ZIP code, Peace Officers [plans] wouldn’t be [for] us … But the district has the right to set a cap.” Smith also provided the board with the earlier resolution (#144, from 1981) that sets the present policy, and an amendment from 2012.

Hewitt asked directors Padula and Vicki Jacubac to form an adhoc committee and report back with a recommendation and resolution for the November meeting. His own opinion: “I know it’s a lot of money, but if there’s one thing we should be spending money on, it’s our people.” The board meets next at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11.