Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Eddie Ford & Harvey Norris. Staff members present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from January 09, January 12, 2018 and January 24, 2018 Meetings – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of and to approve the minutes from all three January meetings. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Mr. Ford made a motion to adjust the meeting agenda asking that Item 4. (Request for Water Extension on Hwy. 16) come before Item 3. (Appoint Representative to Butts County Charter Committee). This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Request for Water Extension on GA Hwy. 16 – Bill Jones, Jones Petroleum Company – Ms. Seleb presented a letter from Bill Jones requesting that the Authority extend an eight-inch water main on the south side of GA Hwy. 16 from Windy Lane to Glade Road for Jones Travel Center. Mr. Ford made a motion to proceed with the extension project because it has been established that extending water and sewer to all properties at the I-75/GA Hwy. 16 interchange is a priority for economic development. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. Mr. White abstained due to a conflict of interest because he owns property in the area. A copy of the request letter is attached and made part of these minutes.
Appoint Representative to Butts County Charter Committee – Ms. Seleb presented a letter from the Butts County Board of Commissioners asking the Authority to appoint a representative to the Charter Committee. The committee will design a model charter for a consolidated local government. A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to appoint Mr. Norris to the Charter Committee. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of the letter is attached and made part of these minutes.
Consider Board Policy for Service to Properties that Cross County Line – The Board considered a policy for water and sewer service to properties that cross county boundaries. Ms. Seleb suggested that the Board consider service to a property located in multiple counties only if at least sixty-percent of the property is within Butts County. This is the same criterion outlined in the previously-adopted staff guideline for non-disclosure negotiations with developers. A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adopt the policy. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Report on Settlement of Final Payment to Caldwell on West Butts Tank – Ms. Seleb reported after nearly two years of negotiation, Caldwell Tank submitted a final invoice for $40,993.10 for the West Butts Elevated Tank. Board members directed her to pay this invoice marked as “final payment”.
Manager’s Report
LAS Field Expansion – A pre-bid conference for the Land Application System will be on February 15, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in the Authority’s conference room. The bid opening is scheduled for March 1, 2018.
Engineering Proposal – Ms. Seleb reported engineering proposals for the Hwy. 16 W sewer project are due February 16, 2018.
Valve Exercising – The Authority’s crew is doing a systemwide valve exercising program that is going well.
Joint Quarterly Meeting – The Butts County School System will sponsor the joint quarterly meeting on March 15, 2018.
Backflow Prevention Program – Ms. Seleb discussed the draft backflow prevention program policy. As a first step in implementation, Ms. Seleb will get proposals from contractors to inspect commercial and industrial customers’ backflow prevention devices to determine whether they have the appropriate type devices installed.
Membership in Partners for Smart Growth – After discussion, it was agreed that funding for membership in Partners for Smart Growth would not be added back to the Authority’s budget.
Operations
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb reviewed water production, water loss and customer statistics for January. The average daily finished water pumped in January to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.2 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.6 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 11.1% with the current monthly average loss at 9.4%. The total amount of finished water pumped in January by each plant was: Burford – 60 million gallons and Stewart – 7 million gallons.
Water billing for January was $245,842, up 17% from the previous month and equal to the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for January was $55,415, up 10% from the previous month and down 6% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 5,567 at the end of January with 5,092 active water customers. One new water tap was purchased on the existing system. Three subdivision meters were purchased during the month.
There were 177 total sewer accounts at the end of January, with 176 of those being active customers. Three new sewer connections were 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 January 2018. Water operations income for January was $259,843 with $174,065 in expenses. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2018 thus far was $8,033 with an outflow of $46,648 for payment of the Sandy Creek Loan.
Sewer Operations income for January was $58, 115 with expenses of $13,753. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $25,507 with $0 in expenses. To date, $2,149,040 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST, with $ 1,179,530 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of January was $10,072,020. This is $28,981 over the June 30, 2017 balance. Copies of the January 2018 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 6:50 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.