Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Burt Jones, Eddie Roberts, Jr. & Eddie Ford; Also present was Marcie Seleb, Authority general manager.
Opening Prayer – Harvey Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting – Eddie Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the March 12, 2013 meeting. This was seconded by Harvey Norris and approved unanimously.
Selection of Engineer for Tom Goddard Work -Ms. Seleb presented engineering pricing received from Watkins & Associates and Woodard & Curran for this water extension project. Watkins & Associates offered to do surveying, engineering, and easement preparation for a lump sum price of $12,600. Woodard & Curran had quoted a survey-only price to them by a subcontractor of $22,200.
A motion was made by Harvey Norris to accept the proposal from Watkins & Associates. This was seconded by Burt Jones and passed unanimously.
Review Bids Received for Utility Vehicle – Only a single bid was received for a four wheel drive utility vehicle for maintenance use at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application Facility. This was despite advertisement and distribution of specifications to all know local dealers.
Ms. Seleb explained that the John Deere XUV 625i model specified is of a size that does not have many direct competitors. The price bid by SunSouth LLC from Barnesville was offered through the Authority’s membership National Purchasing Partners, a group purchasing organization for governments and non-profits.
A motion was made by Eddie Ford to accept SunSouth LLC’s bid of $10,933.35. This was seconded by Burt Jones and passed unanimously. A copy of the bid received is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction Update
Hwy. 36 Sewer Completion – The boring subcontractor has been at work for a week and is nearly finished with the difficult bore under Georgia Hwy. 36. Once this is complete, Davidson Hydrant and Utility Services will complete the job.
Hwy. 16 Sewer Completion – U.S. Surety’s consultant has reviewed the video of the pipeline made by the Authority in January 2013 and is in agreement with the Authority’s assessment of repairs that need to be made. There is a discrepancy as to how much money the Authority still owes on the original One Georgia grant section of the project. Ms. Seleb stated that a previously unseen pay estimate from Jones General Contracting for the period of July 14 – September 27, 2012 is under review. She anticipates agreement by all parties within two weeks.
Department of Transportation (DOT) Hwy. 36 Bridge Replacement – Despite take extraordinary efforts to miss the pipeline, the bridge contractor damage the Authority’s twelve-inch water main on the south bank of the Towaliga River during the final bridge piling installation. The damaged area will remain isolated until the by-pass project is complete.
Meter Replacement Project – New meters have been installed for all customers in Books 1-10 with work underway on Book 11. The project is approximately sixty-percent complete. Additionally, approximately forty polybutylene service lines have been replaced with copper by Authority staff over the last month.
Systemwide Flush – Distribution staff is employing a system flush plan prepared by Woodard & Curran using the water model. The plan uses a combination of unidirectional and traditional flushing to achieve the rate of flow needed to thoroughly clean pipes. Much less water is used in comparison to the previous system of flushing almost every hydrant.
Operations Report
At $205,458, water billing for March 2013 was down 11% from the previous month and up 8% from March 2012 At $48,423, sewer billing for March 2013 was down 25% from the previous month and up 39% from March 2012. Ms. Seleb noted that the Authority usually sees a billing drop from February to March as a result of the shorter reading cycle in February.
The total water customer base was 5,303 with active water customers numbering 4,758. Eight taps sold on the system in March. The total sewer customer base was 129 with active sewer customers numbering 125.
The average daily finished water pumped in March to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.1 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.8 million gallons per day. The rolling 12-month average loss was 10.4% with the current monthly average loss at 22.1%. As with billing, the high monthly loss was due to the short monthly billing cycle. The total amount of finished water pumped in March by plant was: Burford – 58 million gallons; Stewart – 6 million gallons.
The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System was .236 million gallons with an average daily effluent of .314 million gallons and a maximum 7-day effluent of .239 million gallons.
Water Quality Reports – Board members reviewed the consumer confidence report prepared for water testing done in 2012. Ms. Seleb reported that federal regulations have been revised so that these reports no longer have to be mailed directly to each customer as long as customers receive a mailing that states exactly where to find the report on the internet. April bills were mailed with a notice that the report can be found at www.buttswsa.com/quality . This will save approximately $10,000 in printing and mailing costs per year.
Trihalomethane (THM) Reduction – Ms. Seleb reported that staff is experimenting with the additional of new coagulants in Burford plan clarifiers as part of an effort to remove additional organic compounds and thereby reduce the formation of THM’s in finished water. While the plants already exceed federal requirements for organic compound removal, a small dose of a different formula may remove additional dissolved organics not currently removed by alum.
Joint City/County Authority Meeting – Board members were informed of the joint governmental board meeting set for April 18, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. at Fresh Air Barbeque.
Financial Report
Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for March 2013. For the month, water operations income was $199,222 and expenses were (-$195,603). The negative expense resulted from a meter project loan draw which created a credit to previous distribution expense. Water capital recovery fee revenue for the fiscal year so far was $9,975 with expenses of $7,129.
Sewer operations income for March was $98,717, and expenses were $18,912. Monthly revenue was boosted due to a $62,000 warranty settlement received for the failing pond liners at Bucksnort Ranch LAS. Sewer capital recovery fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $187,472 with expenses of $11,258.
The Authority used $22,734 of 2007-12 SPLOST to pay monthly debt on the Bucksnort Ranch expansion loan. To date, $599,424 remains in 2007-12 SPLOST funds.
Total cash on hand through the end of March was $5,962,581. This is $667,057 over the June 30, 2012 balances. Copies of financial summaries, combined fund balance sheets, and combined fund income statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed check registers and credit card statements for the month of March 2013. Copies of these documents are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Burt Jones to adjourn the meeting at 6:35 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.