December 12, 2011 at 4:30 PM - Business Committee Meeting

Discussion:  Also in attendance were Tim Meisner and Don Hague.

Discussion:  Dennis Hadden of Dana Cole and Company thanked the board for allowing their firm to perform the district's audit. Copies of the official Audit Report were distributed to all committee members for their review. Discussions focused on the independent auditors report, financial statements, supplemental information, auditing standards, schedule of findings and the summary schedule of prior audit findings. Hague expressed his appreciation to the Business Manager and staff of Dana Cole & Co. for their hard work in the audit process for the school district. The audit will be submitted to the full board for approval. Miles suggestesd putting it on the website.

Discussion:  The committee reviewed an application for payment from Ander & Shaw Construction in the amount of $562,267.80. A $41,000 change order can be broke down by Sweeney if the committee would like to view details. $250,000 was budgeted for overages. Miles would like to see change orders included in the Business Committee packet for their review. Hague will have Sweeney share his project tracking spreadsheet with the committee.

Discussion:  The committee reviewed a request for payment from Hewgley & Associations in the amount of $13,780. It is believed that the district has paid Hewgley's around 90% of their total bill.

Discussion:  Maintenance Director Curt Hanson presented two quotes to the committee to update the heating system at the High School vocational building. Snells and Gering Valley both submitted bids, however they are not comparable, as Gering Valley's did not specify BTUs. Snells has kept the system running for the last 3 years. Classroom clearance may be an issue for overhead units. Meisner stated that he would contact Josh from Gering Valley to obtain more specific information on their bid. The committee feels that a new system will be much more efficient and warmer. The committee made a recommendation to approve an amount of up but not to exceed $27,000 and if lower bids come in they will be awarded. Installation will be scheduled for the holiday break.

Discussion:  Brunner and Copsey presented a list of questions that were addressed prior to the meeting. Topics of discussion included: demand charges on the City bill, which was previosly included in electrical payments, energy efficient lights at Northfield and Geil Elementaries, a free audit of district buildings by the City, High School windows, Verizon cellular fees, software for the PERK grant and reimbursement of taxes on district purchases. Copsey suggested utilizing a credit card vendor that provides an end of year report that can be used for tax crediting. A copier contract with Connecting Point was discussed, as was miscellaneous charges. Two local sanitation providers were given the opportunity to streamline the districts custodial process but did not follow through. A different company will be tasked with providing a proposal to fill this need. Brunner pointed out an "empoloyee vendor" that was listed on the bills list that will be investigated. Copsey questioned a charge to the Job Corp crew, who works custodian jobs and was told that both Hague and Meisner had met with their supervisors to increase their quality of work. The district partners with them to provide jobs, otherwise one custodian would be needed full time. Bottled water usage was questioned. Copsey asked if the district does a vehicle analysis for mileage each year and was told that they do. Carpooling is also being utilized when traveling east. Internet fees were explained by Meisner. Brunner expressed interest in having the district's computer system reviewed since a virus recently infected various users.

Discussion:  Meisner provided a verbal recap of the bond fund and projected costs were discussed. Hague explained that the High School window estimate is $240,000 for the north windows and the hallways. Hague has tasked Principal Hubbard with ensuring the estimate is complete. Michelle Wilson reviewed the credit card payment process with the committee and recommended that each building have their own credit card. Each building secretary would be responsible for payorders and receipt collection. Copsey suggested utilizing online payments to avoid late charges. The committee encouraged Wilson and Meisner to develop a system that holds people accountable or limits the number of credit cards available.