Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Wesley Keber, Harvey Norris, Burt Jones and Eddie Roberts; Authority staff present included Marcie Seleb, General Manager, and Joyce Hosey, Administrative Clerk.
Congratulations to Mr. Jones – All the Board members joined to congratulate Mr. Jones for winning the 25th District Georgia State Senate seat that represents Butts and eight other counties.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting – Mr. Norris made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the October 9, 2012 meeting and approve them as written. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Resolution to Enter into Butts County’s Retirement Program – Ms. Seleb informed the board that GEBCorp, the Government Employee Benefits Corporation, has prepared paperwork that is needed for the Authority to join into Butts County’s defined benefit retirement program. She reviewed the relative costs and benefits of the program in comparison with the Authority’s existing defined contribution retirement program as previously presented in March 2012.
The Butts County Board of Commissioners approved inclusion of the Authority in Butts County’s retirement program on November 12, 2012.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to direct the Chairman to sign the resolution to amend the ACCG Defined Benefit Plan for Butts County Employees Adoption Agreement. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. A copy of the resolution and comparative information are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Haisten & Johnston Audit Agreement – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that Haisten & Johnston PC has increased the cost for annual audit service by $250.00 from last year at a total cost of $5,500. A motion was made by Mr. Keber to have the Chairman sign this agreement and to designate Ms. Seleb as the responsible party to submit data to the auditor. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of this agreement is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction Update
Hwy. 36 Ground Storage Tank Altitude Valve – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the City of Jackson is installing connection on Hwy. 36 for Garden Walk Subdivision so the Authority will be able to reactivate the Hwy. 36 elevated storage tank check valve.
As a separate issue, the Hwy. 36 ground storage tank altitude valve has not been responding remotely with the SCADA system. When working, the existing valve normally has a fill range of only four feet on a thirty-six-foot tank (eleven percent). The Environmental Protective Agency recommends a minimum of thirty percent tank turnover with fifty percent as optimum. Over the last year, the Authority’s crew has rebuilt the valve and pilot, but it continues to have to be opened and closed manually by overtime staff each night.
Ms. Seleb recommended to the Board that the altitude valve be replaced with a new electronic valve which can be set with any tank levels needed and which will turn over the water in the tank more regularly. The cost of the electronic valve is $16,500 and can be remotely controlled from the SCADA system.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to replace the Hwy. 36 ground storage tank altitude valve with an electronic valve. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 36 Sewer – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that there has been no action in the past month.
Tussahaw Village Subdivision – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the crew will be removing some twenty taps at the developer’s cost due to a re-platting of this subdivision that consolidated lots.
Department of Transportation (DOT) – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Hwy. 36 bridge construction has begun.
2012 Can-A-Thon and Christmas Stocking Fund – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she has received a letter from the City of Jackson and the Salvation Army asking the Authority to participate in the 2012 Can-A-Thon and Christmas Stocking Fund. For the last four years, the Authority has set up a donation box in the office lobby and donated $1,000. She stressed the importance of these donations this year, as more families in the County are in need.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to donate $1,000 to the City of Jackson and the Salvation Army’s Can-A-Thon and Christmas Stocking Fund. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously. Mr. Norris abstained from the vote, as he is an employee of the City of Jackson.
Operations Report – Water billing for October 2012 was up 12% from September at $221,326, and up 8% from October 2011 with a total customer base of 5,302 and an active customer base of 4,721. Sewer billing for October 2012 was up 23% from September 2012 at $40,082, and up 19% from October 2011 with a total customer base of 129 and an active customer base of 122.
The average daily finished water pumped in October to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.1 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.5 million gallons per day. The rolling 12-month average loss was 8.6% with the current monthly average loss at 8.3%. The total amount of finished water pumped in October 2012 by plant was: Burford – 59 million gallons, Stewart – 5 million gallons.
The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System was 178,000 gallons with an average daily effluent of 163,000 gallons and a maximum 7-day effluent of 249,000 gallons.
Financial Report
Regular Monthly Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and SPLOST for October 2012. For the month, water operations income was $233,987 and expenses were $145,938. Sewer operation income for the month was $41,312 and expenses were $34,036. Sewer capital recovery fee revenue was $187,384 with expenses of $9,163 for the fiscal year thus far. A total of $2,540,329 has been spent from 2007-2012 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, all of which has gone toward payment of debt. Total cash on hand at the end of October was $5,743,934. This is $447,934 over the June 30, 2012 balance. Copies of financial summaries, the combined fund balance sheet, and combined fund income statement are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed check registers and the credit card statement for the month of October 2012. Copies of these documents are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to approve bills as paid and adjourn the meeting at 6:05 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.