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RUBA Status Report

Community: Kivalina RUBA: No
Staff: Margaret Hansen Agreement: No
DCA Region: Kotzebue Agreement Date:
Region: Northwest Arctic Exp Date:
Govt Type(s): 2nd Class City
Borough: Northwest Arctic Borough Assessment Date: 5/12/2008
Population: 398
Active Community: Yes Date Updated: 4/8/2013


Community Sanitation Overview: Wells have proven unsuccessful in Kivalina. Water is drawn from the Wulik River via a 3-mile surface transmission line and is stored in a 700,000-gallon raw water tank. It is then treated and stored in a 500,000-gallon steel tank. Residents haul water from this tank. One-third of the residents have tanks, which provide running water for the kitchen, but homes are not fully plumbed. The school and clinic have individual water and sewer systems. Residents haul their own honeybuckets to bunkers. A new landfill and honeybucket disposal site was completed. The business plan is completed. Work started on the wastewater treatment plant last summer but encountered human remains and artifacts; the community had to bring out an archeologist, which slowed the project down. Only the foundation and bin walls were completed before they ran out of funding. Construction is approximately 50% complete. ANTHC and the city applied for an $850,000 CDBG grant but fell below the funding line. ANTHC and the tribe submitted an ICDBG grant for supplemental funding. A direct grant to USDA has also been prepared and submitted. The Water Treatment Plant Upgrade project is complete. In addition, funding from the State of Alaska FY 2012 Captial Budget for a $150,000 sanitation improvements master plan was approved. The City of Kivalina has recently signed a cooperative project agreement for a project to fund the construction of the interior components of the wastewater treatment plant. The ANTHC sent a project superintendent to the site in March 2012 to begin this work. The city is still pursuing funding for construction of the exterior portions of the plant. The ICDBG program did not select this project for funding. There is still the possibility that USDA might fund this work.
RUBA Status and Activities This Quarter: Kotzebue staff worked with the administrator via email to correct monthly financial reports submitted to RUBA that had formula errors. To date RUBA has only received up to the month of December 2012 and was told that no other reports have been completed to date. In February the boilers in the washeteria quit working. The Maniilaq Remote Maintenance Worker sent the parts on February 28th, who then traveled to Kivalina to assist the operator to get them going. In the meantime, the lines froze so needs to thaw the system out. As of April 5th, the washeteria system is still frozen. In March the tanks levels were checked, they had a total of 314,641 gallons in both tanks. This equates to approximately 4.8 months of water using their current water usuage.

Capacity Indicator: Finances
Essential Indicators
Yes All revenues and expenses for the utility are listed in the utility budget.
No The utility has adopted a balanced realistic budget.
No Monthly financial reports are prepared and submitted to the policy making board.
No The utility is current in paying all water/wastewater electric bills.
Yes The utility has on hand a year's adequate fuel supply or it has a financial plan to purchase an adequate supply.
No The utility is receiving revenues (user fees or other sources) sufficient to cover operating expenses.
Sustainable Indicators
No The utility is receiving revenues (user fees or other sources sufficient to cover operating expenses and Repair & Replacement (R) costs.
No YTD revenues are at a level equal to or above those budgeted.
No YTD expenditures are at a level equal to or below those budgeted.
No A monthly manager's report is prepared.
No Budget amendments are completed and adopted as necessary.
Finances Comment: The city did pass a balanced budget that lists all revenues and expenses for the utility but show that they expect the school district to pay them $197,193.00 for this fiscal year or .30 cents a gallon which is unrealistic since no current rate study has been performed. The last approved monthly financial report that RUBA received was for the month of December so are not timely. It is uncertain whether or not they are current in paying their electric bills without having current council approved financials to show this. We do know that they did receive a year supply of fuel but without having approved financials it is unknown if they are receiving enough revenues to cover their expenses.

Capacity Indicator: Accounting Systems
Essential Indicators
Yes The utility has adopted a collection policy and actively follows it.
Yes The utility bills customers on a regular basis.
Yes An accounts receivable system is in place which tracks customers and reports past due accounts and amounts.
Yes An accounts payable system is in place.
Yes The payroll system correctly calculates payroll and keeps records.
Yes A cash receipt system is in place that records incoming money and how it was spent.
Yes The utility has a cash disbursement system that records how money was spent.
Sustainable Indicators
Yes A chart of accounts is used that identifies categories in a reasonable, usable manner.
Yes Monthly bank reconciliations have been completed for all utility accounts.
Yes The utility has a purchasing system that requires approval prior to purchase, and the approval process compares proposed purchases to budgeted amounts.
Accounting Systems Comment: The utility staff are actively following collection policies and billing customers on a monthly basis. QuickBooks is utilized for all their acounting needs - tracking accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, and recording incoming money and how it was spent. The adopted budget is used as a chart of accounts. The city has a purchasing system to check against the budget using monthly financial reports. It is unknown if monthly bank reconciliations are completed as the administrator reported no monthly financial reports have been completed since December 2012.

Capacity Indicator: Tax Problems
Essential Indicators
Yes The utility has a system to accurately calculate, track, and report payroll tax liabilities.
No The utility is current on filing tax reports.
No The utility is current on making tax deposits.
Yes If there are any past due tax liabilities or recorded tax liens, a lien release has been issued or a repayment agreement has been signed and repayments are current.
Tax Problems Comment: The city uses QuickBooks to track and report tax liabilities; have not received the return tax authorizations from IRS or DOL so do not know if they are current with deposits and reports. In reviewing the Tax Lien publication, Kivalina still owes $97,727.21 from past liability; they are repaying this under a payment plan with the IRS.

Capacity Indicator: Personnel System
Essential Indicators
Yes The utility has a posted workers compensation insurance policy in effect.
Sustainable Indicators
Yes The utility has adopted and uses a Personnel Policy, which has been reviewed by an attorney, AML or Commerce for topics and language.
Yes The utility has adequate written job descriptions for all positions.
Yes The utility has adopted and follows a written personnel evaluation process that ties the job description to the evaluation.
Yes The utility has an adequate written hiring process.
Yes The utility has personnel folders on every employee that contain at least: I-9, Job Application and Letter of Acceptance.
Yes The utility has a probationary period for new hires that includes orientation, job training/oversight, and evaluations.
Yes The utility provides training opportunities to staff as needed and available.
Personnel System Comment: According to AMLJIA, Kivalina is in compliance and has been issued new insurance coverage until June 2013 and has paid her insurance in full. There have been no changes to personnel policies, which included an adequate hiring process that was reviewed by the Northwest Arctic Borough Lawyer when passed. All job descriptions are current and are tied to job evaluations. There has been no turnover, so all personnel files have in them information as previously reviewed. No employee evaluations have been documented as completed.

Capacity Indicator: Organizational Management
Essential Indicators
Yes The entity that owns the utility is known; the entity that will operate the utility is set.
Yes The policy making body is active in policy making of the utility.
No The policy making body enforces utility policy.
Yes The utility has an adequately trained manager.
Yes The utility has an adequately trained bookkeeper.
Yes The utility has an adequately trained operator or operators.
Yes The utility has adopted the necessary ordinances (or rules and regulations) necessary to give it the authority to operate.
Sustainable Indicators
Yes The utility has adopted an organizational chart that reflects the current structure.
No The policy making body meets as required.
No The utility complies with the open meeting act for all meetings.
Organizational Management Comment: The city council is the known entity who operates the utility as adopted by ordinance. RUBA staff has received December meeting minutes confirming that the governing body is enforcing utility policy. Kivalina has a staff of two in the city office, sharing bookkeeping duties; both have worked for the city for over five years. Their water operator is certified. They have adopted an organizational chart that reflects the current structure. Without current meeting minutes, it is unknown if the council meets as required and is complying with the Open Meetings Act.

Capacity Indicator: Operation of Utility
Essential Indicators
Yes The utility operator(s) are actively working towards necessary certification.
Yes The utility has a preventative maintenance plan developed for the existing sanitation facilities.
Sustainable Indicators
No The manager receives a monthly O&M report from the utility operator and routinely "spot checks" the facilities to see that the maintenance items are being completed.
No The utility has a safety manual and holds safety meetings.
No Utility facilities have not suffered any major problems/outages due to management issues that are unresolved.
Yes The utility is operating at the level of service that was proposed.
No The operator provides status reports to the manager on a routine basis.
Yes The utility has completed and distributed its "Consumer Confidence Report".
Yes The utility is not on the "Significant Non-Complier" (SNC) list.
No The utility maintains an inventory control list.
No The utility maintains a critical spare parts list.
Operation of Utility Comment: Their main water operator is certified for Water Distribution, Provisional and Water Treatment, Provisional(expiring 12/31/2013); CEU requirements have been met. The alternate operator is certified in Wastewater Collection and Wastewater Treatment. It is unknown if the administrator receives a monthly operations report or routinely spot checks the facilities, nor whether they hold safety meetings. RUBA staff cannot confirm an inventory or critical spare parts list. They are operating at the level of service proposed. The city has completed their CCR and is not on the SNC list.


RUBA Activities for the Coming Quarter: Staff will continue to request information needed to document progress to come into compliance with the RUBA assessment. RUBA staff continues to make them aware she is available to travel to provide training and assistance just need to request assistance in writing.