Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Burt Jones & Eddie Ford; also present was Warren Plowden representing Jones, Clark & Miller, LLP; Byrd Garland representing Smith, Webb & White, LLP; Tony King representing Kidwell & Company; also present were General Manager Marcie Seleb and Joyce Hosey Clerk to the Board.
Opening Prayer – Harvey Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meetings – Eddie Ford made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the May 13, 2014 meeting. This was seconded by Burt Jones and approved unanimously.
Revenue Bond Underwriter Proposals – Tony King, Kidwell & Company – After review of proposals, Mr. Ford made a motion to approved using Stifel as the bond underwriter and to have Chairman White sign the Bond Resolution. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously. A copy of the underwriter proposal is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Mr. Ford made a motion to approve the Bond Resolution as written. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the Bond Resolution is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Bid Results for West Butts Elevated Tank – Stevenson & Palmer – Ms. Seleb advised the Board of bid results for the West Butts elevated tank project with Caldwell Tanks, Inc. being the lowest bid of $1,135,000. This is a savings of $307,570 over the previous bid, with the Authority being approved funding from Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) with loan forgiveness of $422,000. Mr. Norris made a motion to award the project to Caldwell Tanks, Inc. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. A copy of the bid results and a signed notice of award is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Engineering Proposal for Added Fields at Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System (LAS) – Rindt-McDuff – Ms. Seleb advised the Board of the need for added fields and pond liner rehabilitation. She went on to say that Rindt-McDuff has offered to do the engineering for $11,882.50. This will add 250,000 gallons per day capacity to the LAS and $350,000 has been budgeted for this work. Mr. Jones made a motion for the Authority to add work order #9 from Rindt-McDuff’s proposal for work at the Bucksnort LAS. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of drawing of record showing added fields and a signed copy of work order #9 is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Change Order Proposal from Brtu for Hwy. 16 West Sewer Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board of a Change Order #2 from Brtu requesting additional $9,817 to correct Manhole (MH) #8 and replace last 55lf of pipe between MH #7 and MH # 8 to correct the slope for completion of the Hwy. 16 West sewer project with the Authority paying for any new materials. Mr. Roberts made a motion to approve the change order proposal from Brtu. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. Chairman White abstained from the vote. A copy of the Change Order is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Budget – Ms. Seleb reviewed the FY 2015 budget in detail and the proposed budget for FY 2015 and the Board agreed to postpone adoption until the July meeting when Revenue Bond pricing has been finalized.
Request for Water in Lot Partially in Butts County – Gary Lapides – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that Gary Lapides has requested a water tap on a 6.7 acre lot on Short Road, road frontage in Butts County with the back of property in Lamar County. The Board tabled the vote on this topic until it was determined what county will be collecting taxes and issuing building permits for the lot.
Proposal for E-Billing/Internet Payments/Telephone Payments – Summation 360 – Ms. Seleb advised the Board of the improvements using Summation 360 for e-billing, internet payments, telephone payments and customer notifications. The Authority is currently using Official Payments for customer’s credit card payments at a cost of $2.00 per $100.00 transaction versus a cost of $1.50 per $500.00 transaction, which would be a savings for our customers. Other improvements are the ability for e-bill notification and infinite reminders, with 5,000 free telephone reminders per year, a flat 2.5% fee for large payments like connection fees, payment by phone (staff can transfer after answering), after hours phone service to take payments, and interfaces with our billing and payment system automatically update within seconds after payment. Mr. Norris made a motion to switch from Official Payments to Summation 360 for credit card and the addition of e-billing. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of the agreement is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction Update
Hwy. 16 Sewer West of I-75 – The completion deadline for the Hwy. 16 West Sewer project is the end of June.
Hwy. 16 Sewer East of I-75 – The contractor’s projected start date for Hwy. 16 East Sewer is August.
Nathan Thaxton Water Main Extension – The crew is laying pipe between Brooks Road and Hwy. 36.
Geocoding of Line Valves – Staff is working on the completion of geocoding of line valves.
Sludge Disposal – Bucksnort Ranch LAS – The sludge accrued from the original treatment pond at Bucksnort LAS is rising to the top and overflowing, and we can bypass this pond with pumps. A waste disposal company will remove solids to a holding area on site and we can take it to the landfill when dry. This is scheduled to start on June 30th at a cost of $25 – 30,000 for pumps and hauler.
Possible Generator Grant – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she will be researching the possibility that FEMA is offering a grant for a generator.
Fire Hydrant Maintenance Plan Update – The Board reviewed a map showing modeled hydrant flows for each water main segment on the system.
Surplus Materials & Equipment – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the high bid on brass for the systemwide meter changeout brought in $48,319. The c. 1986 Army truck tractor was auctioned on GovDeals.com and brought in $4,575.
Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Insurance – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that ACCG Insurance has increased to $33,842, which is a 5% increase and she recommends that the Authority get outside bids for insurance.
Hydrant Painting and Flow Map – After discussion of the current method of regular fire hydrant maintenance and painting using fire fighters and emergency service personnel, board members recommended that the Authority paint, weed, and maintain all hydrants with its own forces, possibly hiring a part-time worker using a spare pickup truck.
Operation Overview – Water and sewer pumping and billing numbers for the month of May were reviewed. Water billing for May 2014 was $237,105, up 22% from the previous May. Sixty-nine million gallons of water were pumped to the system during May. One new subdivision water service was sold during the month. The current monthly water loss estimate was 12.9%, with the rolling annual average loss at 14%.
Sewer billing for May 2014 was $57,674, up 47% from the previous May. Average influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was 302,000 gallons per day during May. One new sewer service was sold during the month.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and SPLOST through May 2014. With 92% of the fiscal year passed, Water Operations has brought in 114% of budgeted revenue and used 76% of funds budgeted for expense. Sewer Operations has brought in 117% of budgeted revenue and used 67% of funds budgeted for expense. Through June 16th, $548,955 has been collected in 2013-19 Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (SPLOST). Total cash on hand at the end of May was $6,731,272.
The financial summary reports, combined balance sheets, and combined income statements are attached and made a part of these minutes. Board members also reviewed copies of check registers for May 2014 which are also attached and made a part of the minutes.
Adjourn – Mr. Ford made a motion to adjourn meeting at 8:00 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.