Call to Order – Vice Chairman Roberts called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J.B. White, Eddie Roberts, Eddie Ford, Ken Rivers, and Curtis Taylor. Staff members present were Alyssa Hopson, general manager and Amber Eason, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from October 17, 2023 Meeting – Mr. Rivers made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to adopt the minutes from the October 17, 2023 meeting, with the necessary corrections being made. This was seconded by Mr. Taylor and approved unanimously
Workman’s Comp Proposal – Ms. Hopson presented the Board with a proposal from J. Smith Lanier and Company for workman’s compensation insurance for 2024 through American Builders Insurance at a cost of $23,026, which is $2,226 less than the 2023 pricing. Mr. Rivers advised Ms. Hopson to contact the Authority’s agent at J. Smith Lanier and suggest rate comparisons. If a lower rate is available, Mr. Rivers made a motion to accept the lowest cost provided by J. Smith Lanier. This was seconded by Mr. Taylor and approved unanimously.
Harkness Road Land Acquisition – Ms. Hopson reported the sewer expansion study preformed by Rindt Engineering stated, that an estimated 70 acres of land to increase sewer capacity to an additional .3MGD, totaling 1.1MGD would cost $2,000,000.00. The option of direct discharge was estimated to cost $11,000,000 for 10-20 acres for an additional 1MGD.
Ms. Hopson reported John Harkness is proposing $2,500,000 for 80 acres adjacent to the Land Application System (LAS) property. Mr. White suggested the Authority continue to pursue the McKibben’s 300 acres contiguous to the LAS. The Authority previously offered $3,000,000 for 300 acres. That offer was declined. Mr. Rivers made a motion for Mr. White to continue negotiating with the McKibben family. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Weavers Pasture Road- Water Main Project – Ms. Hopson reported looping of mains from Harbour Shores onto Weavers Pasture Road would increase fire flow. The entire loop is estimated to be 2 miles. The projected cost is unknown at this time. Mr. Rivers made a motion to approve Weavers Pasture’s water main project. This was seconded by Mr. Taylor and approved unanimously.
Burford Water Plant Valve Replacement Quote- Ms. Hopson reported two of the original effluent valves and actuators at the Burford Water Treatment Plant are defective. Without the ability to lower the water pressure enough to replace the water filters, there is a possibility of contamination. Ms. Hopson presented a quote from ECO-TECH, Inc to the replace both valves and actuators at a cost of $91,434.00. Mr. White made a motion to approve the valve replacement. This was seconded by Mr. Rivers and approved unanimously. A copy of the quote is attached made part of these minutes.
Project Lighthouse Discussion- After much discussion, Ms. Hopson reported she received a ballpark estimate from Wiedeman and Singleton to expand water capacity from 4MGD to 8MGD for $30M to $40M. The next step would be to request for proposals from engineering firms. A more detailed and accurate construction cost estimate will be available at a later date.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Hopson went over the water production, water loss and customer statistics for November. The average daily finished water pumped to the Authority, Jackson, and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plant was 2.51 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 3.09 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss of 14% with the current monthly average at 24%. The total amount of finished water pumped in November by each plant was: Burford 72 million gallons and Stewart 4 million gallons.
Water billing for November was $284,821 down 21% from the previous month, up 4% over a rolling 12-month total, and down 9% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for November was $58,537 up 26% from the previous month, up 15% over a rolling 12-month total, and up 8% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 6,892 at the end of November with 5,672 of those being active customers. There were 8 new connections sold. There were 263 total sewer accounts at the end of November, with 207 of them being active customers.
Financial Report – Ms. Hopson reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and Capital Recovery Fees for November 2023 and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) through December 1, 2023.
Water Operations income for November was $284,821 with expenses of $258,405. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2023 thus far was $298,886 with $0 in expenses.
Sewer Operations income for November was $58,537 with expenses of $86,606. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2023 thus far was $168,220 with $0 in expenses.
For the 2019-24 SPLOST, $3,410,386 has been collected. A SPLOST payment of $98,542 was received on December 1, 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 November was $14,063,861. Copies of the November 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. Rivers to adjourn the meeting at 6:12p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Taylor and approved unanimously.