WATER RATES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2014 At the September 10, 2013 board of directors meeting, a change in the minimum monthly fee was increased by $2 by unanimous vote. Beginning in November, 2013 water rates for RWD4 will be unchanged at $8 per 1,000
gallons. The minimum fee will be $31 per month up from $29 last year, with a continuing debt service charge of $4 per meter per month.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF PARTICIPATING MEMBERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The 38th Annual Meeting of Participating Members of Rural Water District
DAVID BROWN, CHAIRMAIN
meeting room at The Lodge in Baldwin City, KS. The Lodge is located at 502
RON DALQUEST, VICE CHAIR
the building and at the medical building next door. An election will be held
ALLEN ROCKHOLD, TREASURER
running for these positions. Incumbant John Ayler is running for his second
ANGELA LEONARD-HINNANT, SECRETARY
by Ron Dalquest, who is finishing his 6 year term on the board.
JOHN AYLER
Business at the annual meeting will include the approval of minutes of the
KENNETH FILARDO
No. 4 has been scheduled for Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 7 p.m. in the
Ames Street (Highway 56) in Baldwin City, with parking available behind to fill two positions on the board of directors. There are two candidates
three-year term, and Tammy Hostetler is running for the position now held
last annual meeting, reports from officers and committees, an election of
directors, and other business items. The board of directors is looking forward to meeting with you in January 23, 2014.
Angela Leonard-Hinnant, Secretary, Rural Water District No.4
J. MACK GRANT
NEW BILLING SOFTWARE The district has purchased new
billing software. Our old software is no longer supported and was limited in the information we
could obtain. The new software
was purchased from CUSI. Final
downloads and parallel billing will be started in January, 2014. You
should see new bills in February or
March of 2014. With a current database of 1172 patrons in the district there is a vast amount of information that must be transferred. We will keep you posted in our next
NEW WATER CONNECTION TO THE CITY OF LAWRENCE RURAL WATER #4 NO LONGER IN WETLANDS With the new South Lawrence Trafficway Project underway, the City of
Lawrence and RWD4 completed a new connection in October, 2013. This
new line is off of O’Connell Road and crosses the Wakarusa River to a new
metering station on 1600 Road, and has allowed us to remove our lines from the Baker Wetlands. Working with the City of Lawrence and the Kansas
Department of Transportation resulted in a sizeable monetary savings for
the district. Due to KDOT funding, the district was able to move lines at very little expense with an estimated savings worth over $600,000.
newsletter of our progress.
HOMESERVE USA REPAIR MANAGEMENT Recently many of you received an
offer from HomeServe USA repair Management Corporation asking
you to subscribe to an insurance or warranty coverage for your water
line if there is a break between your home and the water meter.
The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division has an open
case file investigating the company.
WATER CONTRACT WITH CITY OF LAWRENCE In September a new 40 year water contract was signed with the City of
The decision whether to take this
coverage is yours. It is our understanding this type of problem is a low risk.
Lawrence. This contract is very similar to the one they signed with the
RWD4 directors and staff do not
tations and future price inceases are linked to retail rates in Lawrence.
responsible for the offer being sent
City of Baldwin City, and will expire in 2053. There are no meter limi-
endorse this coverage and is not to you.
Authorization Agreement Direct Payment (ACH Debits) Name ___________________________
Phone _________________
________________________________
RWD#4 Acct. # _________
Street
City/State
Zip
I (we) hereby authorize Rural Water District No. 4 to initiate monthly debits, beginning next month and continuing each month thereafter, to my (our) account indicated below and the financial institution named below, to debit the same to such account. This authorization is for the purpose of payment of my (our) monthly water service and I understand that amounts may vary. ___________________________________ Name of Financial Institution
_____________________________ Branch
______________________________________________________________________________________ Address City/State Zip ______________________ Routing Number
___________________ Account Number
Type of account __ checking __ savings
I (we) understand that both Rural Water District No. 4 and my financial institution, reserve the right to terminate this payment plan or my participation therein. I (we) acknowledge that the origination of ACH transactions to my (our) account must comply with the provisions of U.S. law. This authority is to remain in effect until Rural Water District No. 4 has received written notification from me (or either of us) of its termination in such time and manner as to afford Rural Water District No. 4 and my financial institution a reasonable opportunity to act on it. Print Names on Account: _________________________________ _________________________________ ___________________________ Signature
________________________________ Date
PLEASE ATTACH COPY OF VOIDED CHECK TO THIS FORM
1768 N 700 Road
Baldwin City, Kansas 66006
EUDORA LAWSUIT UPDATE (This article is courtesy of KRWA and was published in The Kansas Lifeline Magazine in the November 2013 issue) 1926(b) Protection:
RWD 4, Douglas County,
loses 10th Circuit Appeal In a startling reversal the 10th Cir-
cuit Court of appeals reversed a jury verdict in favor of RWD4 in the lat-
est chapter of its six-year legal battle with the City of Eudora.
In a two-week trial in Kansas Dis-
trict Court, RWD4 had won a verdict against the City for violation of the
District’s 1926(b) protected territory.
The verdict was appealed to the 10th
Circuit, which ordered a new trial on
the limited question of whether the
peal once again to the 10th circuit.
sary” as required by Kansas law.
to Kansas law should not be given
RWD4 loan guarantee was “neces-
This resulted in a new round of legal arguments by both sides before the
Kansas District Court, which denied judgment in favor of Eudora on
the question. In the interim, some
changes were made to Kansas law
which RWD4 argued eliminated the
need to show necessity for the guarantee and should be given retroactive effect to include RWD4’s loan. The Kansas District Court allowed
both the District and the City to ap-
The court ruled that the changes
retroactive effect (without answering
whether they did or did not eliminate the need for showing necessity) and ruled in favor of Eudora that RWD
4’s guaranteed loan was, in fact, not necessary and therefore there was
no right to 1926(b) protection. RWD
4 intends to request that the U.S. Supreme Court review the decision. The Supreme Courts decision of
whether to hear the case is expected in 2014.