Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Eddie Ford & Harvey Norris; Also present was Jared Godin, representing the Jackson Lake Association; staff members present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from July 11, 2018 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of and to approve the minutes from the July 11, 2018 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Proposed Water Sales Agreement for Monroe County – Ms. Seleb presented the board with an intergovernmental agreement for the purchase and sale of water to Monroe County. Mr. Ford made a motion to enter into the agreement. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the intergovernmental agreement is attached and made part of these minutes.
Four representatives of the Georgia Power Company joined the meeting at 5:45. The Georgia Power staff included Debra Laabs, Dawson Ingram, Craig Ogletree, and Clint Brown.
Presentation of Check for Litter Trap Project from Georgia Power – Dawson Ingram, Georgia Power’s land manager for Jackson Lake, presented a $25,000 check for the South River Litter Trap Project. Chairman White and other board members expressed their appreciation. Mr. Ingram, his coworkers and Mr. Godin exited the meeting.
Selection of Information Technology Service Provider – Ms. Seleb presented two quotes for information technology support from Nocwing (formerly Expert Computers) and Liberty Technology. Nocwing has implemented an “unlimited technical support hours only” service plan that resulted in a 116% price increase, or $1254 per month. Liberty Technology has offered a plan with three hours of monthly technical support service at $1164 per month. Both plans offer robust data backup and system security programs. Mr. Roberts made a motion to accept Liberty Technology’s quote. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Executive Session – A motion was made by Mr. Ford to go into Executive Session to discuss a potential land purchase. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Executive Session – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to come out of Executive Session after the discussion of a land purchase. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Land Purchase – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to purchase approximately twenty-four acres of land adjacent to the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application Site (LAS) from John and Sharon Harkness for $1,000 per acre. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. The Harkness’ have agreed to cover the costs of a survey. The Board directed Ms. Seleb to have the Authority’s attorney draw up closing papers at the Authority’s cost.
Manager’s Report
Construction – Ms. Seleb reported that the Authority’s crew is installing water on Highway 16 West from Windy Lane to Glade Road. Installation of spray fields at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS by the Legacy Water Group is going well. Projects set to begin the next few weeks include the Barnes Road water main installation and extension water on Hwy. 16 W to the Spalding County line.
The relocation of the Glade Road sewer force main was completed in July. It was noted that planned water extensions on Bucksnort Road, Moore Road and Bob Thomas Road are on hold.
Affirm Hiring – Mr. Roberts made a motion to affirm the hiring of Aaron Billiter as a water distribution crew member. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Affirm Transfer – Mr. Ford made a motion to affirm transfer Michael Whiting from the distribution crew to the LAS. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Affirm Large Pipe Purchase- Ms. Seleb presented quotes for 13,300 linear feet of eight-inch and twelve-inch C900 PVC water pipe. Mr. Norris made a motion to affirm the $109,336 purchase from Consolidated Pipe, the lowest price quoter. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. A copy of the quote tabulation is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Affirm Purchase of Pickup Trucks – Mr. Ford made a motion to affirm the purchase of two pickup trucks from Covington Ford, the lowest price quote, for $45,355. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the quote tabulation is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Approve Write Off of Uncollectible Bills for FY 2018 – Ms. Seleb presented a list of water/sewer billing write-offs totaling $ 3,201.62. Mr. Ford made a motion to approve these accounts as uncollectible as per the Authority’s policy. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the write-offs is included and made part of these minutes.
Consider Installation of Two Culverts by Legacy at LAS – The Legacy Water Group contractor has offered to install two 48″ culvert pipes with grading to access spray lanes across existing ravines for $3,110. Mr. Ford made a motion to approve the change order. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb reviewed water production, water loss and customer statistics for July. The average daily finished water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.3 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.7 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 12.7% with the current monthly average loss at 16.1%. The total amount of finished water pumped in July by each plant was: Burford – 67 million gallons and Stewart – 6 million gallons.
Water billing for July was $239,860 down 2% from the previous month and down 1% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for July was $51,271 up 3% from the previous month and up 5% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 5,599 at the end of July with 5,129 active water customers. Three new water taps were purchased on the existing system.
There were 180 total sewer accounts at the end of July, with 178 of those being active customers.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for July 2018. Water operations income for July was $263,340 with $182,932 in expenses. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2019 thus far was $2,964.
Sewer Operations income for July was $57,631 with expenses of $16,247. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2019 thus far was $141,227 with $0 in expenses. To date, $2,375,322 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST and interest, with $1,708,593 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of July was $10,651,758. This is $33,370 under the June 30, 2017 balances. Copies of the July 2018 financial summaries, the consolidated fund balance sheet and the consolidated fund income statement are attached and made a part of these minutes. Also attached, is a copy of the monthly check register.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to adjourn the meeting at 6:29 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.