Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Eddie Ford and Harvey Norris. Also present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from September 19, 2017 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of and to approve the minutes from the September 19, 2017 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Review Butts Service Delivery Strategy Update -The Board reviewed draft documents regarding water and sewer service for a countywide Service Delivery Plan Update. This is required once per decade under Georgia law.
The new update was prepared by the City of Jackson using the Smith, Welch, Webb & White law firm. Ms. Seleb recommended that the Authority not sign the 2017 overall agreement at this time because water service areas were not clearly defined and because local authorities are not required to sign. Ms. Seleb will confer with the Authority’s attorney, Will White, who also works for Smith, Welch, Webb & White. A copy of the proposed service delivery plan and certification documents are attached and made part of these minutes.
University of Central Florida Study Update – Ms. Seleb gave an update of the work being done to assess the Authority’s source water, treatment processes, and distribution system. Extensive testing is underway to pinpoint optimal chemical dosages to optimize total organic carbon and turbidity removal. Pilot testing of alternative corrosion control products will begin this month.
Letter of No Cost for Yellow Water Creek – Ms. Seleb gave an overview of the water relocation project that will be required on Hwy. 36 East for the Yellow Water Creek bridge replacement. Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that the Authority provide a letter confirming that water infrastructure will be relocated at no cost to DOT. A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to have Chairman White sign the “no cost” letter. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the letter is attached and made part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction
Dollar General Sewer – Water and sewer extensions are complete with all punch list items checked off except for minor deficiencies on the SCADA system.
Brownlee Road – The water main installation is complete except for the East Ball Road tie-in which will connect the entire south Butts loop. A new boring machine ordered in July has not yet been delivered to get this job complete.
Service Line Breaks – Ms. Seleb reported that the Authority’s crew has responded to a number of service line breaks over the last month.
Hurricane Cleanup – Clean up at the Land Application System is underway. Many trees and limbs fell in the wooded spray fields.
Next Water Project – Ms. Seleb reported that the next water project on the schedule is East Ball Road from Greer Dairy to Hwy. 36 W.
Bucksnort LAS Field Expansion – Ms. Seleb is waiting for the project engineer to update plans for land disturbance permit approval.
Operations
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) committee – Board members agreed to name Walter Mayfield to represent the Authority on Butts County’s SPLOST committee.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb reviewed water production, water loss and customer statistics. She noted that water sales for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2018 were running 13% below the previous year, primarily due to the Georgia Diagnostic Prison using 50% less water than last year. This reduction in use was accounted for in the Fiscal Year 2018 budget.
The average daily finished water pumped in September to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.3 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.5 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 9.5% with the current monthly average loss at 1.1%. The total amount of finished water pumped in September by each plant was: Burford – 62 million gallons and Stewart – 5 million gallons.
Water billing for September 2017 was $263,159, up 9% from the previous month and down 12% from the same month for the previous year.
Sewer billing for September 2017 was $64,630, down 2% from the previous month, and up 10% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 5,551 at the end of September, with 5,075 active water customers. Three water taps were purchased on the existing system during the month of September.
There were 171 total sewer accounts at the end of September, with 169 of those being active customers. One new sewer connection was purchased during the month.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for September 2017. Water operations income for
September was $281,314 with $260,372 in expenses. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2018, thus far, was $3,441 with an outflow of $19,992 for payment of the Sandy Creek Loan.
Sewer Operations income for September was $83,542 with expenses of $15,719. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $2,642 with $0 in expenses. To date, $1,889,812 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST, with $916,374 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of September 2017 was $10,069,822. This is $26,773 over the June 30, 2017 balance. Copies of the September 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. Roberts to adjourn the meeting at 6:13 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.