Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Eddie Ford & Harvey Norris. Staff members present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board and Teresa Swan, water plant operator.
Approval of Minutes from January 21, 2020 Meeting Minutes – Mr. Ford stated that barring any corrections or additions, he proposed that the Authority dispense with the reading of, and approve, the minutes from the January 21, 2020 meeting. Mr. Norris pointed out a discrepancy in his job title as fire chief. This was corrected by Ms. Hopson and the minutes reprinted. Mr. Ford made motion that the corrected minutes be adopted. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Name Teresa Swan as Clerk to the Board – Ms. Seleb recommend hiring Ms. Swan as clerk to the Board. The pay will remain at $75 a month. Mr. Norris made a motion to hire Ms. Swan as clerk to the Board. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Update on Reve Solutions Septage Contract Negotiation- Ms. Seleb reported she met with Carlos Talbott to iron out final details to revise the draft agreement. She presented the Board a summary of contract revisions. A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adopt the septage receiving agreement. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of the revisions along with the final contract is attached and made part of these minutes.
Request to Place Two Houses on One Meter – Joshua Thomas – Ms. Seleb presented a request from Joshua Thomas to service two houses on one meter. Mr. Ford made a motion to deny the request, but recommended Mr. Thomas purchase a two-inch meter to service only one house. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the request is attached and made part of these minutes.
Resolution to Create Second Georgia Fund 1 Account for Sewer Operations Fund- Ms. Seleb reported the current Georgia Fund 1 account contains funds for both water and sewer operations. Ms. Seleb recommended opening an additional account to separate the two funds. Mr. Ford made a motion to pass a resolution to open an additional Georgia Fund 1 account for sewer operations fund. The seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Adopt Water Loss Control Program based upon 2016-18 Water Audits- Ms. Seleb presented a water loss control program, required to reapply for the Ocmulgee River withdrawal permit. The purpose of the program demonstrates the progression to improve water supply efficiency. The priority areas were based on the 2016-2018 annual water audits. They include unbilled meters, volume from own sources and variable production cost. A motion was made by Mr. Ford to adopt the water loss control program as presented. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the water loss control program is attached and made part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction – Ms. Seleb reported pipework on the GA Hwy. 16 W sewer extension is essentially completed. No start date on the Holiday Inn Express installation.
Ms. Seleb reported the notice to proceed was issued on Bucksnort Road sewer. Coggins Construction wants to delay planned February 24th start date due to extensive rains.
Ms. Seleb reported the Authority’s crew will not start the eight-inch water main replacement over Yellow Water Creek until the bridge is complete. Mid February is out due to rains.
The small water main loop on Elizabeth Circle via Pine Street is 75% complete with water access to customer who needed it.
The crew has visited 3500 meters, making sure boxes and piping are clear and uncovered.
Ms. Seleb reported Tony Moore and Keith Williams have made considerable progress on the back office.
Ms. Seleb presented the Letson property offered for sale adjacent to Bucksnort Land Application System. The Board agreed to not purchase the land.
Ms. Seleb reported the cost of water meters increased. Mr. Ford made a motion to raise the current meter fee from $150 to $200. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb went over water production, water loss and customer statistics for January. The average daily finished water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from both the Burford and Stewart plants was 2 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.5 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 5.2%, with the current monthly average loss at 8.5%. The total amount of finished water pumped in January by each plant was: Burford – 58 million gallons and Stewart – 4 million gallons.
Water billing for January was $236,350, down 1% from the previous month and down 4% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for January was $50,334, down 2% from the previous month and down 17% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 5,736 at the end of January with 5,256 of those being active customers. Four regular taps were purchased in January.
There were 192 total sewer accounts at the end of January, with 187 of those being active customers. No sewer connections were purchased on the existing system.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and Capital Recovery Fees for December 2019 and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) through February 17, 2020.
To date, $2,762,691 has been collected in 2013-18 SPLOST revenue, with $2,792,691 expended. For the 2019-24 SPLOST thus far, $475,557 has been collected, with $427,917 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of January was $10,999,873. This is $432,644 over the June 30, 2019 balance.
Executive Session Begin – Motion by Mr. Ford to adjourn into Executive Session to discuss personnel matters, seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Executive Session End – Motion by Mr. Ford to return to the regular meeting, seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn the meeting at 7:20 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.