Call to Order – Chairman Marett called the meeting to order at 5:28 p.m. Board members present were Eddie Roberts, Jr., J.B. White, Eddie Ford, Curtis Taylor, and Rick Jeffares. Also present was Tim Ingram, representing Ingram and Associates Engineering. Staff members present were Alyssa Hopson, general manager and Amber Eason, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from October 15, 2024 Meeting- Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to adopt the minutes from the October 15, 2024 meeting, with the necessary corrections being made. This was seconded by Mr. Taylor and approved unanimously.
Award Hydraulic Water Model Proposals- Ms. Hopson presented two engineering proposals for updating the current hydraulic water model. Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC) proposed $136,850 for the following task:
• Hydraulic Modeling Phase
• Field Testing and Calibration Phase
• Assessment Phase
• Alternatives Analysis & Proposed Improvements
• Cost Estimates
• Final Report
Rindt Engineering proposed $64,725 for the following task:
• Water Model Build and Validation
• Model Calibration (including fire flow and pressure tests)
• Model Evaluation (including running various scenarios)
• Report, Proposed Improvements, Maps and Training
Mr. White made a motion to award RINDT Engineering, which is to not exceed $64,000. This was seconded by Mr. Jeffares and approved unanimously. Copies of the proposals are attached and made part of these minutes.
Water and Sewer Rates- The board agreed to implement the water and sewer rates that were approved at the August meeting. The minimum water rate will increase from $14.00 to $17.00 for 0-2,000 gallons. The cost per 1000 gallons of water will remain the same at $6.50. The minimum sewer rate will increase from $14.00 to $17.00. The cost per 1000 gallons of sewer will increase from $6.50 to $7.10. This increase will take effect January 1, 2025.
Project Lighthouse- Ms. Hopson reported that she met with Lighthouse representatives to discuss the Authority’s proposed water and sewer projects. They are estimated to cost $90 million.
• The Burford Water Treatment Plant Expansion – $60 million
• Water connection to Griffin – $3 million
• Expand the Land Application Sewer System – $ 12.5 million
• Hwy 36 Booster Pump Station – $3 million
• Twenty – inch Transmission Main Extension – $10 million
• Hwy 16/I75 Elevated Tank – $3 million
In order to meet Lighthouse water demands, engineers suggest prioritizing the connection to Griffin first on the project list. Request for engineering proposals are scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
Appropriation Letter for Funding – Mr. Marett informed the Board of Mr. Jones’ recommendation to request State or Federal Aid to assist with the Authority’s water and sewer system improvements. Mr. Jeffares made a motion to issue a letter to the State of Georgia requesting $40 million in Aid. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Select Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Round 5 (UCMR5) Testing Provider – Every five years the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency issues a new list of non-regulated contaminants to be monitored by public water systems. This testing, which will take place in 2024-25, must be paid for by individual water systems.
Ms. Hopson presented pricing to the Board for UCMR5 testing by two approved laboratories. Mr. White made a motion to accept the low quote of $15,240.00 from Pace Laboratories. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of the quotes are attached and made part of these minutes.
Clearing at the LAS – Mr. White reported that 10 acres at the Land Application System (LAS) has to be cleared before land applying the dried sludge. Ms. Hopson reported two quotes were received from G3 Timber and Amy Washington. Mr. White made a motion to proceed with the G3 Timber at $1,800 an acre. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of the quotes are attached a made part of these minutes.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Hopson went over the water production, water loss and customer statistics for October. The average daily finished water pumped to the Authority, Jackson, and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plant was 2.79 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.96 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss of 12% with the current monthly average at 10%. The total amount of finished water pumped in October by each plant was: Burford 74 million gallons and Stewart 12 million gallons.
Water billing for October was $329,299 down 1% from the previous month, up 11% over a rolling 12-month total, and down 4% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for October was $69,871 up 41% from the previous month, up 20% over a rolling 12-month total, and up 11% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 6,892 at the end of October with 5,744 of those being active customers. There were 0 new connections sold. There were 263 total sewer accounts at the end of October, with 208 of them being active customers.
Financial Report – Ms. Hopson reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and Capital Recovery Fees for August 2024 and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) through October 31, 2024.
Water Operations income for October was $387,690 with expenses of $293,021. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2024 thus far was $5,954 with $0 in expenses.
Sewer Operations income for October was $97,040 with expenses of $50,162. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2024 thus far was $430 with $0 in expenses.
For the 2019-24 SPLOST, $4,372,434 has been collected. A SPLOST payment of $87, 861.62 was received on November 4, 2024. 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 October was $15,573,839. Copies of the October 2024 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. Marett to adjourn the meeting at 6:25 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jeffares and approved unanimously.