Water Quality Fees Board - Special Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Water Quality Fees Board convened on January 16, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. at the Tate Building, North Elkhorn Conference Room, 125 Industrial Avenue, Suite 180, with George Woolwine presiding. The meeting covered 8 agenda items, including the approval of minutes from the October 10, 2024 meeting, a review of programmatic changes, and the approval of FY 2026 Grant Application Documents. Over the course of the meeting, the Board took 14 votes and received several informational presentations on topics including the Incentive Grant Program and an Incentive Grant Status Update. No public comments were heard during the session.

Attendance

The following board members were present at the January 16, 2025 meeting:

• George Woolwine
• Donna Fogle
• David Lowe
• Bill Sallee

Absent: Aaron Vaught

No members were recorded as late.

Votes and Decisions

The Board took 14 votes during the January 16, 2025 meeting. Thirteen passed unanimously (4–0); one passed by a 3–1 roll call vote.

• Approval of October 10, 2024 Minutes — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 12:39

• Continue the Change Order (CO) Program — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 28:36

• Add language to application packets defining contingency costs — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 34:08

• Preferential treatment for new applicants in scoring — Moved by Donna Fogle, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed 3–1 by roll call vote. Voting in favor: George Woolwine, Donna Fogle, Bill Sallee. Voting against: David Lowe. 46:32

• Modify Innovation and Experimentation pool to include Research/Monitoring — Moved by Donna Fogle, seconded by David Lowe. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 51:31

• Explicitly state program will not fund impervious items — Moved by Bill Sallee, seconded by Donna Fogle. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 55:52

• Add minimum clearance requirements to application packets — Moved by Donna Fogle, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 59:13

• Make pond armoring a non-eligible grant expense — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed unanimously, 4–0, favoring organic material versus inorganic material. 1:04:53

• Preferential treatment for projects on impaired stream segments — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Donna Fogle. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 1:10:29

• Incentivize BMPs based on E. Coli removal effectiveness — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Donna Fogle. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 1:16:55

• Clarify eligible expenses for grant reimbursement — Moved by Bill Sallee, seconded by Donna Fogle. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 1:19:23

• Require documentation for projects exceeding regulatory items — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 1:23:02

• Add disclaimer and signature line for maintenance responsibilities — Moved by Bill Sallee, seconded by Donna Fogle. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 1:27:15

• Require letter of support from Royal Springs Wellhead Protection Committee — Moved by David Lowe, seconded by Bill Sallee. Passed unanimously, 4–0. 1:29:39

Contested Items

• Preferential Treatment for New Applicants in Scoring: The board debated whether to give preferential treatment to new applicants as part of the scoring process. The item resulted in a split vote, with one board member opposing the measure. The available data does not specify the names of the members involved or the final vote tally beyond noting the divided outcome.

Call to Order

11:37

The meeting was called to order by Chairman George Woolwine.

Approval of 10/10/24 Minutes

12:09

The Board took up the approval of minutes from the October 10, 2024 meeting. George Woolwine, David Lowe, and Bill Sallee were among the key speakers during this agenda item. The minutes were reviewed by the Board, and the item was brought forward for a vote. No significant concerns or debate are noted in the record. The Board approved the October 10, 2024 minutes.

Comments/Suggestions from Citizens About Incentive Grant Program

13:09

This agenda item provided an opportunity for members of the public to offer comments or suggestions regarding the Incentive Grant Program. George Woolwine presided over this portion of the meeting.

No citizens came forward with comments or suggestions regarding the Incentive Grant Program. The item was informational in nature, and the Board moved on without any public discussion or debate on the topic.

Memorandum Regarding Programmatic Changes

16:28

Frank Mabson presented a memorandum outlining proposed programmatic changes to the Incentive Grant Program. This item was informational in nature, intended to brief the Board on the details of the proposed changes rather than to seek a vote or formal action.

No additional detail regarding the specific content of the proposed changes, any concerns raised by Board members, or further discussion is available from the provided meeting data.

FY 2026 Grant Application Documents

1:30:16

The Board took up Agenda Item 5, a discussion of the FY 2026 Grant Application Documents. Key speakers on this item were George Woolwine and Frank Mabson.

The Board discussed proposed changes to the grant application documents for the upcoming FY 2026 cycle. Following that discussion, the Board approved the changes to the FY 2026 grant application documents.

*Note: Detailed information about the specific changes proposed, any concerns raised during discussion, and the particulars of the vote are not available in the source data for this item.*

Incentive Grant Status Update

1:33:25

Frank Mabson presented an update on the status of various incentive grant projects. The presentation was informational in nature, and no vote or formal action was taken by the Board.

No additional details regarding specific grant projects, funding amounts, project identifiers, or concerns raised during the discussion are available in the provided data.

Other Matters

1:44:23

Under Agenda Item 7, the Board briefly addressed the "Other Matters" portion of the meeting. George Woolwine noted that no other matters would be taken up at this time, as the meeting had been convened as a special meeting rather than a regular session. No additional topics were raised, debated, or presented by any Board members. The item was informational in nature, and the meeting proceeded without further discussion under this agenda item.

Adjournment

1:44:56

George Woolwine moved to adjourn the meeting, and the Board meeting of January 16, 2025 was adjourned.