Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Bookkeeping Changes Are Urged For Water Dept.

Gurdon's Water and Sewer Commission meeting was tense with a discussion of left over issues from the Gurdon City Council meeting.

Gurdon's Mayor, Rick Smith and former Mayor Daryl Potratz spoke at the meeting to promote changing the water departments bookkeeping system.

"I'm not saying what's being done is illegal, just inadequate," Potratz said. "Inadequate accounting of what's going on. You're operating four separate entities, Gurdon City Water, Gurdon Sewer, Gurdon Rural Water and Whelen Springs Water Project."

Continuing, Potratz expressed his disapproval of the current bookkeeping system which charges the Gurdon Sewer a percentage of the operating and maintenance cost from other areas.

The mayor and former mayor said the work/labor time and other charges can be assigned codes relegating each charge to the appropriate division. Effectively, assigning cost per action to each entity.

Department manager, Harold Hurst failed to convey his belief to Smith and Potratz the immense labor and cost increase for such a overhaul. Hurst said, during the encounter, " If it isn't broken, why fix it?"

Smith and Potratz needled the point with Hurst until the board motioned to contact Ronnie Rodgers, accountant for the commission.

Rodgers reiterated Hurst's opinion and said, "It can be done, but it will be a bookkeeping nightmare."

Continuing Rodgers said the work load would increase for record keeper, Debra Shaver.

Hurst questioned Smith and Potratz, "You want to risk an already approved bookkeeping system that could end up increasing the rural water rates? We're trying to keep costs to a minimum."

Smith said, "I'm not questioning your management. . . it's a paper loss."

Commissioner Don Morehead posed relevant questions, "Who determined or determines the rates and how they're set up? What's the allocation percent and could it be adjusted? I know state statues tell us how too. Don't our auditors set this up and break it down to the 65/35 percentage because we don't have the labor?"

"How hard is it for someone to mark on a time card or to punch in a code 1 or code 2? How many labor hours are involved?" Smith asked.

Currently, the parts for the sewer system and the water systems are separated.

Ken and Sue Harris of the Pizza Barn of Gurdon have requested through two proposal options, either $8,460 or $9,475. The funds would reimburse them the cost of alleged damages to their businesses parking lot after a long time leak and final breaking of a fire hydrant occurred.

The proposals will be looked at by the commission's attorney. But Hurst said, "It's only the drive through area we would be responsible."

In the Harris's proposal, 1,060 square feet of surface would be reworked. "It did some damage, just not that much damage. It had washed the dirt out of the cracks that already existed," he said.

The lift station work for Miller street is on hold pending completion of work by Entergy for power. "Once Entergy gets theirs done, we'll get it going.

"We received a good report from the auditors, except for the $2,600 in taxes we will have to pay on the new backhoe," expressed Hurst. "Previously, we were not required to pay taxes on off-road equipment," Hurst said.