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. & Eddie Ford. Also present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from January 10, 2017 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to approve, the minutes from the January 10, 2017 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Request for Reconsideration of Water Extension – East Ball Property Owners – Ms. Julie Solomon, Mr. & Mrs. Bill Stone and Mr. & Mrs. Mark Godlewski asked the board to reconsider running a water main down their section of East Ball Road. Board members agreed that if easements can be obtained to install the water main, they would reconsider the extension.
Consider Update of Municipal Wholesale Rate – Ms. Seleb reported that she had recalculated the municipal wholesale rate using data from the FY 2016 audit. Using the historical calculation formula, rates charged to the Georgia Diagnostic Prison, Barnesville, Monroe County and Griffin will increase by approximately 11% effective April 2017 billing. The minimum monthly bill will increase from $17.59 to $19.96. The cost per 1000 gallons of water will increase from $4.72 to $5.23 Mr. Norris made a motion to raise rates. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Receive Petition for Bob Thomas Road – Ms. Seleb presented the Board with a petition for water from property owners on Bob Thomas Road. It included five tap requests within .7 miles. A motion was made by Mr. Ford to accept the petition. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the petition is included and made part of these minutes.
Letter of Commitment for Ready Pac EIP Grant – Ms. Seleb reported that the Employment Incentive Program (EIP) grant application for Ready Pac cannot move forward because Ready Pac, Inc. is unwilling to write the required letter committing to a standby letter of credit that guarantees creation of jobs and private investment at the salad packing facility.
Review Engineering Proposals for Water Extension Line Work – Ms. Seleb reported that proposals were requested and reviewed from five engineering firms for the design of approximately fifteen miles of water mains on unserved roads. Scanlon Engineering and Watkins & Associates scored equally in the evaluation. Ms. Seleb suggested dividing the work between the two firms and negotiating a matching fee schedule. Mr. Ford made a motion to accept the two proposals if they are willing to split the work and agree to the Authority’s proposed fee schedule. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Executive Session – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Executive Session – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to come out of Executive Session after the discussion of a personnel matter. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Personnel Matter – Rusty Caldwell would like to a portion of his accrued annual leave to reimburse the Authority for family dental premiums that should have been withheld from his pay over the past year. A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to allow Mr. Caldwell to use his annual leave. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Operations
Georgia Prison Wardens’ Association -Keith Douglas requested that the Authority to purchase an ad for the Wardens’ Association 2017 Summer Convention Handbook. Board members declined to purchase the ad due to the fact that this was not an organization that benefits the entire Butts County community.
Metro Watershed Plan – Ms. Seleb suggested that the Authority write a comment letter on the revised Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District’s 2017 Water Resource Management Plan to stress that Butts County’s water supply comes from the entire North Ocmulgee watershed. Board members directed her to do this.
Workers Compensation Inspection – Ms. Seleb noted that the Authority had received a letter from its workman’s compensation insurer, Builders Insurance Group, that mandates use of personal safety equipment on job sites. While it is already part of the Authority’s written personnel policy, Ms. Seleb will ensure that crew members wear safety vests when in the rights of way, hard hats when in potentially dangerous environments, and always have a ladder available to exit shallow ditches.
Drivers Safety Course -The Authority’s staff will attend a one-day driver safety course being coordinated by Butts County through Local Government Risk Management Services in early April. Participants will receive a 10% discount on their auto insurance.
Construction
East Ball Road – An easement has been received from Anne Z. Holzinger which will allow the crew to install the approximate one thousand linear feet left before crossing onto Greer Dairy Road.
Martin Marietta Easement – Ms. Seleb has met with Martin Marietta officials concerning the needed easement on Greer Dairy Road. They have asked for a drawing of proposed main on the entire road from Hwy. 36 to the road’s current end. Water and Sewer Statistics – Water and sewer pumping and billing numbers for the month of January 2017 were reviewed. The average daily finished water pumped in January to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.1 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 3.2 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 9.9% with the current month average loss of 5.0%. The total amount of finished water pumped in January by each plant was: Burford – 58 million gallons and Stewart – 6 million gallons.
Water billing for January 2017 was $245,459, down 9% from the previous month, and essentially equal to January 2016. Sewer billing for January 2016 was $58,802, down 2% from the previous month, and up 12% from January 2016. Total water accounts numbered 5,497 at the end of January, with 5,004 active water customers. One water tap was purchased on the existing system during the month of January. No new sewer connections were purchased during the month.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for January 2017. Water operations income for January was $262,232 with expenses of $257,394. Water capital recovery fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $10,993 and outflow of $46,648 to transfer funds for payment of the Sandy Creek Loan.
Sewer Operations income for January was $60,783 with expenses of $31,067. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $7,290 with no expenses. To date, $1,698,585 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST, with $824,159 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of January 2017 was $9,040,964. This is $609,050 over the June 30, 2016 balance. Copies of the January 2017 financial summaries, the consolidated fund balance sheet, and the consolidated fund income statement are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn the meeting at 6:21 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.