Tipton utility board reviews finances, infrastructure projects and water-system planning

The Tipton Utility Service Board approved the previous meeting minutes and a set of claims and then spent the Aug. 4 meeting reviewing financials, safety and IT work, and multiple water and wastewater projects that staff said will require near-term spending and coordination with county and outside parties.

Board members voted to approve the minutes as submitted and later approved claims described in the meeting as “26 8 12 through 26 8 55 for 03/1991 issue.” Both motions carried on voice votes; no roll-call names were recorded in the transcript.

The board’s financial update, presented during the meeting, said June financial reports showed nothing out of the ordinary. A staff member reported the utility had made six-month bond payments of “300 and some thousand dollars,” and noted the water department is currently debt free. The staff member said overall financials were “in good shape and better than they were a year ago.”

The utility also reported completing an electrical arc-flash safety training attended by electric-department staff and some wastewater employees who work on live panels. Parker, a staff member, summarized a recent contract review with the utility’s third‑party IT vendor and said the vendor is providing substantial value for the monthly fee; Parker and staff plan follow-up actions and a final report back to the board.

Staff said they conduct a quarterly call with the vendor’s professional‑services lead to review ticket statistics, planned server upgrades and device readiness; staff cited an upcoming Windows 11 transition date of Oct. 24 that could affect older machines.

On water-system planning, staff said the utility completed a five‑year wellhead protection plan and distributed the roughly 400‑page document to board members. The report covers the utility’s wells — staff said there are five wells located in the city (one at the main plant and four east of town) plus three wells at the West Plant — and documents state wellhead protection requirements and nearby industries that could affect groundwater.

Staff reported recent inspections at the West Plant found metal degradation on some parts and valves; they said they have opened and closed filter ports during the review and expect to need repairs and replacements that will require funding. The board was told staff are “formulating a game plan” for repairs but did not propose or vote on specific contracts at the meeting.

Work on a new force main at the site across from the triangular lot near Don Don’s house is advancing, staff said, with concrete poured, electrical equipment staged and a generator on site. The utility expects to start that system up in mid to late August; once operational, staff said they plan to install new pumps at the West Plant to route flows to the town lift station and possibly decommission the old wastewater plant.

A separate water-tower project is underway; staff said an electrician is scheduled to begin work “this week or next” with a couple of weeks of work expected before the tower can be filled and placed into service. That work will trigger additional electrical and pump upgrades at the water plant.

Staff discussed one large customer, Park 100, calling it the utility’s biggest customer in the area being served by East Street improvements. Staff said utility work to improve flow to Park 100 is complete and that street crews will follow to reconnect and serve customers along East Street.

Staff also described contact from the county health department about failing septic systems in the unincorporated community of Goldsmith. According to the staff report, roughly 35 homes lie south of the railroad and about 25 homes north of the railroad; the utility’s sewer line is south of the railroad. Staff said a prior agreement tied to the Kent and force‑main work anticipated that, if Goldsmith needed to connect, the utility could accept flows. Staff stated the utility can accept the flows but said planning, design, construction and financing of any connection would be the county’s responsibility; staff estimated, without committing to a schedule, that it could be about two years before flows might reach the utility if the county initiated work today.

Staff also said they will attend a design‑review meeting the next day with EMPHA (the regional power authority) about a new combustion turbine at the Anderson site; that meeting is at EMPHA’s Carmel office. The board received a brief summary of investor‑owned utility rate comparisons presented earlier to the board, noting Tipton’s residential example of roughly $125 per 1,000 kilowatt‑hours compared with higher rates elsewhere in the state.

No formal board action was taken on the West Plant filter repairs, the water‑tower electrical work, the Goldsmith connection feasibility, or the EMPHA project; those were reported as staff updates and potential future expenditures. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn, which passed on a voice vote.

Board members said the next meeting is scheduled in two weeks.