BMWC 30th Annual Meeting Minutes – March 3, 2026
Darren Apken, President, called the 30th Annual Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The meeting opened with Randy Haukap leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Attorney Jeffrey Mollet reported that the 1% quorum had been met with 82 contract holders in attendance. Darren Apken then introduced members of the Board, Engineer, Legal Counsel, Contractor, and employees. Randy Haukap resigned from his Board member position after serving for 10 years. A thank you plaque was presented. A moment of silence was taken in honor of Board Member, Brent Whittaker, who passed away at his home on June 23, 2025. Darren then turned the meeting over to Mike VonderHaar, Secretary of the Board, who provided proof of the Annual Meeting Notice and pointed out that the 2025 Annual meeting minutes were included in the agenda. Greg Beaumont made a motion to accept the minutes. David Holthaus 2nd motion. Motion carried.
Kay Lange gave an update on the Bond/Madison’s Rounding up for your Community Program. The Program was implemented in February 2020. Currently having approximately 343 contributors for a total collected in the past year of around $ 1793.59. Grand total collected from inception being $ 10,171.32. The money collected was placed in a special savings account with a balance of $ 960.71 as of December 31, 2025. The Round Up committee met during the year and reviewed submitted applications. The following were approved recipients of a $ 250.00 award: Bond County Toys for Joy, Edens Glory, Lemuel Rhodes Cancer Foundation, Come to the Table Food Pantry, Pocahontas School Library and The Simple Room. The Board approved to make these award donations to each of the above-mentioned community organizations abiding by Bond/Madison’s Rounding up for your Community policy guidelines. Members were encouraged to donate to the Rounding Up for your Community Program by calling the office.

Mr. Eyman submitted the Treasurer’s Report directing membership to review the Profit/Loss and Balance Sheet printed in the agenda. Any questions can be answered at the meeting, or anytime at the office. With the financial reports being in good order, Doug Haston made a motion to approve them. Rich Lange 2nd. Motion carried.
Bob Massa of Juneau and Associates took the floor to give an update on the “Project” of water main looping, tower painting, telemetry system replacement, and water system improvements. Contract A – Haier Plumbing & Heating Inc. has completed the mainline installation and is currently flushing and pressure testing the system. Installation of meter services is also underway. Approximately 70 new water services are being added to the BMWC system. Contract B – The Shawnee Tower painting project has been completed by Neuman Company Contractors, Inc. Contract C (SCADA)-Vandevanter to begin installation of the new SCADA system soon. Funding for this project is being provided through a low-interest loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Public Water Supply Loan Program (PWSLP). The PWSLP is funded through a combination of state and federal sources. The project received a $3,200,000 loan with an interest rate of 1.4%, to be repaid over a 30-year period. The loan also includes approximately $1,420,000 in principal forgiveness.

Attorney Jeffrey Mollet presented the slate of nominees and explained the voting procedure. For the Madison County Director position, Warren Aplin and Brandon Eldridge were nominated, requiring a vote of membership. Each candidate addressed the members and provided information regarding their educational background, work experience, key skills, and qualifications for the Director position. Ballots were collected and tallied, resulting in 42 votes for Warren Aplin and 39 votes for Brandon Eldridge. Mr. Mollet asked the members to accept the nomination of Warren Aplin and requested a motion to accept the slate as presented. Greg Beaumont made the motion, and David Holthaus 2nd. Motion carried. Eric Gillan was presented as the unopposed nominee for the Bond County Director position. Mr. Mollet then asked for a motion from the floor to approve the nominee by acclamation. Henry Reymond made the motion, and Jim Schlemer 2nd. Motion carried.
Laura Knackstedt was presented as the unopposed nominee for the Bulk Water Representative position. Mr. Mollet asked the bulk representatives to accept the nomination of Laura Knackstedt and requested a motion to accept the slate as presented. Rich Accornero, Pocahontas representative, made the motion, and Darren Apken, Marine representative, made the 2nd motion. Motion carried. Mr. Mollet then asked for a motion from the floor to approve the nominee by acclamation. Darren Apken made the motion, and Rich Accornero 2nd. Motion carried.

President Darren Apken asked if there was any unfinished business. None was stated. The President then asked if there was any new business for discussion. Marty Landmann, Manager/Operator, took the floor to inform the membership that, regretfully, Illinois American Water (IAWC) has once again submitted a request to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) for new rates. Information provided indicates the company is requesting an increase of approximately 16–18%. Mr. Landmann noted that in 2024, IAWC requested a 38% rate increase and was granted an 18% increase. He explained that the rate review process typically takes approximately eleven months. Final decision is expected late December 2026, with any approved rates effective January 1, 2027.

Mr. Landmann reported that in August 2024, BMWC increased its rate by $0.55 per 1,000 gallons. Since that time, BMWC has been closely monitoring income and expenses to keep any future rate increases to a minimum. Currently, a tentative increase of approximately $0.25 to $0.30 per 1,000 gallons is being considered. Mr. Landmann further reported that water purchases for 2025 increased by $262,730 compared to the previous year. In addition, an unexpected repair to a 14-inch water main in the amount of $17,400 contributed to higher expenses for the year. However, unbudgeted income from earned interest and CoBank patronage totaling $83,400 helped offset these expenses, resulting in BMWC finishing 2025 with net revenue of approximately $83,519.21.

David Frueh made a motion to adjourn the meeting. David Holthaus 2nd motion. Meeting adjourned. Each member submits signed invitation card at the registration desk to receive a BMWC $ 10.00 bill credit. BMWC $ 50.00 bill credit winners were: Jesse Thompson, Pleasant Mound Township, St. Peters UCC Church, Carl Albert, Jana Willis and Nancy Kahl. Applebee’s Dinner/AMC Movie Theater gift cards winners were Eric Gillan and Gary Kreutzberg.