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Brodhead council approves contract with Greg Richter LLC for wastewater operator duties
Summary
The Brodhead Common Council on July 15 approved a contract with Greg Richter LLC to serve as wastewater operator in charge; the council said an appointment must be made by July 21 to remain in compliance. Council members cited limited availability from the engineering firm MSA and discussed SCADA access and backup power needs.
The Brodhead Common Council voted July 15 to approve a contract with Greg Richter LLC to provide wastewater operator-in-charge services, and said the city must appoint someone by July 21 to remain in compliance with state requirements.
Mayor Simpson told the council he had reviewed two proposals for operator coverage and that the municipal engineering firm MSA may be less available to the city because a representative had signaled plans to retire. Simpson said Richter is already assisting nearby Footville and has familiarity with small municipal systems, and that MSA’s support would be provided in phases with uncertain timing and costs.
Greg Richter, who addressed the council during the discussion, said he does not guarantee fixed weekly hours but would perform core OIC duties: collecting and submitting required data, monitoring the permit, overseeing testing, and making recommendations for plant operation. Richter said he aims to be on site at least one day a week after his regular work hours and would be available by phone and online for issues; he told the council his services are not structured as a formal training program but said on-the-job communication would provide some staff guidance.
Council members discussed system controls and staffing. Alderperson Gritzmaker asked whether the city’s SCADA system would be accessible to Richter; Mayor Simpson said current SCADA capability is limited and that outages have occurred. Richter recommended a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to avoid losing monitoring data. Alderperson Baxter and others asked about after-hours availability; Richter said he may not always be immediately available because he runs another treatment plant and assists other municipalities.
Alderperson Gritzmaker moved to enter into a contract agreement with Greg Richter LLC; Alderperson Woodford seconded. The council recorded "all ayes" and the motion carried. The council later adjourned at 8:28 p.m. after a return from closed session; council members had met in closed session earlier on matters related to the city administrator and reported no action stemming from that closed session.
The council set a July 21 appointment deadline to preserve regulatory compliance; the contract and any appointment are the next procedural steps noted during the meeting.
