Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harry Marett, Eddie Ford, Eddie Roberts, Curtis Taylor and Bill Jones. Staff members present were Alyssa Hopson, general manager, and Amber Eason, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from February 21, 2023 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to adopt the minutes from the February 21, 2023 meeting, with the necessary corrections being made. This was seconded by Mr. Marett and approved unanimously.
Award Financial Audit- Ms. Hopson reported one bid was received for the financial audit. Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC submitted a lowest bid at $74,700. The all inclusive total is for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2021 through 2023. Chairman White advised Ms. Hopson to ask Haisten & Johnston if they would reconsider preparing the Authority’s financial audits at a cost higher than their previous bids. The Board tabled this discussion for April’s meeting.
Managers Report-
Disconnection Policy – A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to no longer require disconnection notices be placed on the front door or front gate of customers’ property; and disconnected meters will not be unlocked after 5pm. This will be written into the bill payment policy included in general Board Policies. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
River Park Development Fire Protection – Ms. Hopson reported that once the final cost estimate for the fire booster station is received, a meeting will be scheduled for all interested parties.
Sewer Expansion Update – Ms. Hopson presented a report prepared by Ridnt Engineering. The report analyzed the feasibility of a direct discharge option for the Authority’s waste water treatment options. Rindt plans to take a look through all of the reports associated with this project and re-submit them as one package.
Lamar County Development- Mr. Jones made a motion to reconsider HFG’s Development request for sewer services in Lamar County. Mr. Jones made a motion that developer would have to have Lamar County approval before able to explore the possibility of sewage being provided. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Retirement Plan- Mr. Roberts expressed concerns from several employees who may have potentially lost years of service, because they opted out of purchasing past years when the Authority enrolled in ACCG retirement services. Ms. Hopson advised that she would look into the matter and provide an update at April’s board meeting.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Hopson went over the water production, water loss and customer statistics for February. The average daily finished water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plant was 2.16 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.55 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss of 9% with the current monthly average at -7%. The total amount of finished water pumped in February by each plant was: Burford 56 million gallons and Stewart 4 million gallons.
Water billing for February was $303,755 up 17% from the previous month, up 12% over a rolling 12-month total, and up 18% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for February was $64,614 up 23% from the previous month, up 4% over a rolling 12-month total, and up 25% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 6,892 at the end of February with 5,615 of those being active customers. There were 3 new connections sold. There were 263 total sewer accounts at the end of February, with 204 of the being active customers.
Financial Report – Ms. Hopson reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and Capital Recovery Fees for February 2023 and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) through February 28, 2023.
Water Operations income for February was $325,555 with expenses of $304,380. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2023 thus far was $61,748 with $0 in expenses.
Sewer Operations income for February was $69,670 with expenses of $40,022. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2023 thus far was $52,400 with $0 in expenses.
For the 2019-24 SPLOST, $2,789,875 has been collected. A SPLOST payment of $92,532.07 was received on March 8, 2023. Overages in the 2019-24 SPLOST are being covered by temporary transfers from the Water Operations fund.
Total cash on hand at the end of February was $13,374,886. Copies of the February 2023 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. Marret to adjourn the meeting at 7:04 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.