Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Burt Jones, Eddie Roberts, Jr., & Eddie Ford; also present were Marcie Seleb, general manager and Joyce Hosey, clerk to the Board.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meetings – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the September 17, 2013 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Consider Action on West Butts Tank Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she had reviewed the West Butts elevated tank bids with Shon Hampton of Watkins & Associates. She and Mr. Hampton recommend that the Authority reject all bids received in August and rebid the project in early 2014. The loan contract with the Georgia Environmental Facility Authority will be approved in November and the Authority will have six months from contract approval to start work on this project. Mr. Hampton recommended that when rebidding, the Authority bid only the option for a multi-leg tank and break the contract down into sections for site work, metal, painting, electrical, and SCADA. It may also be advantageous to delete some of the nonessential features, like ladder lighting, from the plan.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to reject all bids received in August and rebid as recommended. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Consider Contract for Hwy. 16 Sewer Mitigation Project – Ms. Seleb and the Board reviewed the final contract for this previously awarded work. The contract document under review was negotiated between legal counsel for the Authority and for BRTU Construction, Inc.
A motion was made by Mr. Ford to approve the contract as presented and authorize Chairman White to execute the document. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Consider Revision to Personnel Policy – Ms. Seleb and the Board reviewed the draft personnel policy revision which was prepared in response to the discussion in the September meeting. A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to accept the personnel policy revision. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Consider CD Investment Portfolio from United Bank – Ms. Seleb and the Board discussed opening an investment account with United Bank to optimize the return on its reserve funds in a portfolio of certificates which will provide a greater return than that provided through current options in local banks. Ms. Seleb showed the Board several examples which are attached and made a part of these minutes.
A motion was made by Mr. Ford to have Chairman White sign a resolution approving opening an investment account with United Bank to invest up to $2,000,000 in Authority’s reserve funds in a portfolio of certificates which will provide a greater return than that provided through current options in local banks. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
A signed copy of this resolution is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Engineering Proposals for Brownlee/Nathan Thaxton/East Ball Roads – The Board tabled discussion of two engineering proposals for water extensions on Brownlee/Nathan Thaxton/East Ball Roads to allow for procurement of a third proposal.
Receive Petition from Brownlee Road Residents for Water Main Extension – Eddie Roberts presented a petition from Brownlee Road where he also resides. There were 18 petitioners for the 5.5 mile road, resulting in only 3.3 taps per mile, which is less than the required 10 taps per mile for petitioned road extensions.
However, an extension on Brownlee Road from East Ball Road to Mount Vernon Church Road has already been approved for the fiscal year as part of recommended system improvements from the 2012 water model.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to receive the petition from Brownlee Road residents into the Authority’s records. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A copy of this petition is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction
Meter Replacement Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Authority is having issues with up to one hundred of the new radio-read meters not recording water flow. Most problems have been found with one-inch meters. Mueller Systems will be in Butts County next week to check all zero-read meters.
Tom Goddard Water Main Extension – The crew has completed the water extension on Tom Goddard Road with taps currently being installed. Line work has begun on Nathan Thaxton Road from Tom Goddard Road to Brooks Road.
Halloween on Second – The Authority will be participating in the Halloween on Second event this year on October 31 . Ms. Seleb invited the Board members to participate along with the employees who volunteered.
Authority to Host Joint City/County/Authority Meeting on November 21, 2013 – A motion was made by Mr. Ford to host the joint meeting at a site yet to be determined. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Operations Report
The Board heard the operations statistics for September 2013. Water billing for September 2013 was $225,158, nearly equal to the billing for August, and up 14% from September 2012. Sewer billing for September 2013 was $44,305, up 9% from August 2013 and up 36% from September 2012.
The total water customer base was 5,309 with active water customers numbering 4,756. No regular or construction taps were sold in the month of September. The total sewer customers was 131, with active sewer customers numbering 127.
The average daily finished water pumped in September 2013 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants were 2.3 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.7 million gallons per day. The rolling 12-month average loss was 13.8% with the current monthly average loss at 10.9%. The total amount of finished water pumped in September by plant was: Burford – 65 million gallons; Stewart – 4 million gallons.
The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System was 242,000 gallons per day with an average daily effluent of 244,000 gallons per day and a maximum 7-day effluent of 329,000 gallons per day.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summaries for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for September 2013. Water operations income was $235,752, and expenses were $143,379. The balance in the water capital recovery fee fund was $306,985. Sewer operations income for September 2013 was $44,743, and expenses were $24,941. The balance in the sewer capital recovery fee fund was $34,950.
The Authority continues to use 2007-12 SPLOST to pay the monthly debt on the Bucksnort Ranch expansion loan. As of September 30, 2013, $491,113 remained in 2007-12 SPLOST funds for this purpose.
New 2013-19 SPLOST funds were received in October and are anticipated monthly until March 2014 when the next SPLOST bond payment is due from Butts County. As of October 14, 2013 SPLOST income for 2013-19 was $181,962 and SPLOST-TATV income was $13,635 for a combined balance of $195,603. It was noted that after the Authority’s inquiry, United Bank has agreed to move all 2013-19 SPLOST funds to an interest-bearing accounts.
Total cash on hand through the end of September 2013 was $6,205,337. This is $33,335 over the June 30, 2013 balances. Copies of financial summaries, combined fund balance sheets, and combined fund income statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed the check register and credit card statement for the month of September 2013. Copies of the check register and credit card statement are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to adjourn meeting at 6:45 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.