A couple of significant water-tank maintenance jobs are on the horizon for the Butler County Water Authority, and several key issues were dealt with at Monday’s meeting.

The board learned from Artesian Utilities Systems Management’s Wesley Bass that the Ridge and Phillips tanks were inspected and will soon be requiring some upkeep.

“Overall, the Ridge tank was a lot better than we thought,” he said.

Bass said there were several spots on the tank that needed repair, but nothing critical at this time.

However, the Phillips tank is in need of quicker attention.

Bass suggested that the board hold off on the Ridge tank and go ahead with the painting of Phillips.

“Hopefully, we can beat the summer heat,” he said.

It’s preferable to paint water tanks in the spring or fall because those two seasons are closer to the ideals in humidity and temperature, Bass said.

The BCWA voted to move ahead with advertising bids for the Phillips tank.

The goal is to work on the Ridge tank next year, but in order to make that feasible, the board boosted their operations and maintenance reserve.

Usually, $10,000 per month is put in that fund, but the board voted to up that amount to $15,000 per month to have the reserves replenished by next year.

That change is just a reallocation of funds and won’t impact that board’s monthly profit or loss.

The other main issue of the meeting involved the Butler County Water Supply District.

Joe McCraney and Lamar Giddens previously represented the BCWA on the supply district board, but since Giddens is no longer with the BCWA, a new representative was needed.

Member Tommie Hamilton questioned the BCWA’s involvement in the supply district, but Josh Pierce of Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood helped clarify its purpose.

“It has two purposes: to help find a long-term solution to water issues in the county and to help with grants,” Pierce said. “There are grants available, and the government is favorable to giving grants to communities that band together.”

After some discussion, Hamilton was named the replacement representative to the supply district.

The next meeting of the BCWA is set for 9:30 a.m. on April 27 at Whitney Bank.