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 October 15, 2013 meeting and the Executive Sessions held on January 10, 2013 and August 20, 2013. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Engineering Proposals for Brownlee/Nathan Thaxton/East Ball Road Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she has received engineering proposals from Watkins & Associates at $40,990, Scanlon Engineering Services at $37,500 and G. Ben Turnipseed Engineering at $31,250.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to accept the proposal from G. Ben Turnipseed Engineering for a lump sum of $31,250. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Water Extension to Great American Travel Center – Board members reviewed options for extending water service to the Great American Travel Center on Georgia Hwy. 16 near Interstate 75. A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to have Ms. Seleb prepare a cost proposal for a six-inch combined fire service meter for Great American Travel Center according to the adopted cost schedule for larger meters, to extend a twelve-inch main across Georgia Hwy. 16 with the Authority absorbing material costs for the larger line, and to set the capital recovery fee for this service at the price for a two-inch service as the facility’s regular non-fire suppression use requires only a two-inch meter. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved with votes from Mr. Roberts, Mr. Ford, Mr. White, and Mr. Norris. Mr. Jones abstained from voting, as the Great American Travel Center has used his company for insurance services.
Can-A-Thon Donation Request – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she has received a letter from the City of Jackson and the Salvation Army asking the Authority to participate in the 2013 Can-A-Thon and Christmas Stocking Fund.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to donate $1,000 to the Can-A-Thon and Christmas Stocking Fund. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. Mr. Norris abstained from the vote, as he is an employee of the City of Jackson.
Manager’s Report
Construction Update
Tom Goddard/Nathan Thaxton Water Main Extension – The crew has completed the water extension on Nathan Thaxton to tie into Brooks Road.
Progress on Hwy. 16 Sewer Project – The contractor, Brtu, is making good progress on the Hwy. 16 sewer project. Regrading has been completed and the contractor is working on the Windy Lane bore.
Henry County Water & Sewer Authority – Emergency connections to the Henry County water system are scheduled to be installed within the next few weeks.
Meter Replacement Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that there has been some difficulty getting the final closeout paperwork from the contractor. Issues with malfunctioning meters appear to have been cleared up with a final count of roughly 30 meters that were not sending a reading.
Installation of Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) Meters on 1 ½” and 2″ Services – Ms. Seleb advised the Board the crew has a total of twenty 1 ½” and 2″ meters to be retrofitted for AMR service and will be working on this over the next few months.
Replacing Polybutylene Tubing with Copper – The crew continues to replace polybutylene tubing with copper and has enough material in stock to replace fifty 3/4″ and 1″ services.
Wild Hogs at Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System (LAS) – Ms. Seleb explained that wild hogs are causing damage to the spray fields at the LAS. The Authority has a policy against hunting on its property, but hunting may be the best way to reduce the population of hogs.
A motion was made by Mr. Ford to allow only employees or board members to hunt wild hogs at the LAS at specific scheduled times. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Lead-free Brass Requirement – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that effective January 1, 2013, all brass installed in the system must be lead free. This has resulted in an increase of about 35% in costs.
Host Joint City/County/Authority/School Board Meeting – Ms. Seleb reminded the Board that the joint City/County/Authority/School Board will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. at the Mustard Seed Restaurant.
Operations Overview – The Board heard operations statistics for October 2013. Water billing for October 2013 was $211,934, down 4% from September 2013, and down 4% from October 2012. Sewer billing for October 2013 was $41,669, down 6% from September 2013 and up 28% from October 2012.
The total water customer base was 5,311 with active water customers numbering 4,783. Two regular taps and one construction tap were sold in the month of October. The total sewer customer base was 131, with active sewer customers numbering 127.
The average daily finished water pumped in October 2013 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.2 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.6 million gallons per day. The rolling 12-month average loss was 15% with the current monthly average loss at 14.4%. The total amount of finished water pumped in October by plant was: Burford – 65 million gallons; Stewart – 4 million gallons.
The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System was 249,000 gallons per day with an average daily effluent of 235,000 gallons per day and a maximum 7-day effluent of 297,000 gallons per day.
Thanksgiving Celebration – The Board was invited to the Authority’s Thanksgiving luncheon on November 22, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at the shop. This year’s menu will be a fried catfish dinner prepared by distribution staff.
Healthcare Update – Ms. Seleb reported that she had been able to review pricing for small business groups on the federal health care web site. She learned that there are health plans available for small groups in Butts County that are comparable with the price currently paid. This should allay concerns about a large increase when the Authority’s plan year changes in February 2014.
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 October 2013. Water operations income was $223,759, and expenses were $168,645. Sewer operations income for October 2013 was $42,250, and expenses were $73,769.
The Authority continues to use 2007-12 SPLOST to pay the monthly debt on the Bucksnort Ranch expansion loan. As of October 31, 2013, $469,433 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 Butts County bond payment is due. As of October 31, 2013-19 SPLOST revenue was $181,962 and SPLOST-TATV revenue was $13,635 for a combined balance of $195,603.
Total cash on hand through the end of September 2013 was $6,347,748. This is $177,746 over the June 30, 2013 balance. 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 check registers and credit card statements for the month of October 2013. Copies of check registers and credit card statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to adjourn meeting at 6:30 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.