Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Robert Harris, Wesley Keber & Burt Jones; representing Mueller Systems was Todd Chartrau; Authority staff members present were Marcie Seleb & Joyce Hosey.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Jones opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting – Mr. Harris made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the June 14, 2011 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Election of Officers – A motion was made by Mr. Keber nominating J. B. White as Chairman. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. White nominating Robert Harris as Vice – Chairman. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Harris nominating Wesley Keber as Secretary – Treasurer. This was seconded by Mr. White and approved unanimously.
Results of Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) State Revolving Fund (SRF) Project Submittals – The Board was briefed on results of GEFA SRF projects submitted for funding in June.
North Butts Tank/Line Project
- This project was not approved for funding.
- It competed with $260,000,000 in requests for $70,000,000 available funds.
- Other projects were much further along and received more points
Automatic Meter Reading & Service Line Replacement
- This project was funded at $950,000 with 30% “loan forgiveness” ($285,000).
- It is considered a green project and receives a 1% lower interest rate– 2% for twenty years.
- If accepted by the board, over the twenty-year term, the Authority would save a total of $445,000 in principal & interest versus borrowing the full amount at the standard rate.
Ms. Seleb noted that she had applied for this project because she knew the odds of being funded were good as a green project. She went over pros and cons to consider before implementing a systemwide meter change out.
Presentation on Automatic Meter Reading – Todd Chartrau from Mueller Systems gave a presentation on Mueller/Hersey’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure Automatic Reading System. This is the type system that the GEFA SRF funding would provide. Mueller/Hersey is the brand of meter currently being used by the Authority, with approximately five-percent of system meters already being read with an automatic Mueller/Hersey device.
Mr. Chartrau spoke about the potential to install collector radios throughout the system so that meter readings and usage could be checked instantly throughout the county with customers able to monitor their usage over the Internet. A copy of his presentation is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Ms. Seleb explained the system greatly would improve the level of service given customers, but would not result in either cost savings or revenue increases that would offset the investment made in the system. Chairman White asked her to provide a detailed estimate of any savings for consideration in the coming months.
Audit Proposal from Haisten & Johnston – Board members reviewed a proposal from Haisten and Johnston for the FY 2011 audit. A motion was made by Mr. Keber to enter into an agreement with Haisten & Johnston for the audit at a cost of $5,250, the same price as the previous year. A copy of the audit proposal is attached and made a part of these minutes. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Update on Construction Projects
- Taps Sold – There were four taps sold in June.
- Isaac Head Road Extension – All of the main line is in and has been tested, with taps and cleanup to be completed this week.
- Walt Banks Road – Walt Banks Road is one-hundred percent complete with four customers transferred from Jenkinsburg.
- Hwy. 16 Sewer Project – The contractor started laying pipe on July 18th. All requirements have been met for release of OneGeorgia grant funds, but not for release of EIP grant funds. The developer still must provide a performance bond for job creation before those funds are released.
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Hay Cutting at Bucksnort Land Application System (LAS) – The crew continues to assist with hay cutting and brush control at the Bucksnort LAS.
Operations Report – Water billing for June was up 18% from May at $248,700, and up 11% from June 2010 with a total customer base of 5,235 and an active customer base of 4,648. Sewer billing for June 2011 was down 5% from May at $32,066, and down 12% from June 2010 with a total customer base of 129 and an active customer base of 118.
The average daily finished water pumped in June 2011 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.7 MGD, with a maximum of 3.1 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss was 9.7% with the current monthly average loss of 10.7%. The total amount of finished water pumped in June 2011 per plant was: Burford – 68 MG; Stewart – 12 MG. The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .219 with an average daily effluent of .173/.550 MGD and a maximum 7-day effluent of .311/.550 MGD.
Major Force Main Break – A lightning strike on June 18th damaged the wastewater force main behind Ready Pak with an estimated 900,000 gallons leaking into an unnamed tributary of the Towaliga River. The Environmental Protection Division was notified, repairs were made, and public notice carried out. Because most of the wastewater was from the salad packaging plant, it was of low toxicity. Initial bacteria tests show no increase from the line break.
A graph of the average daily influent at LAS is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Update on Rindt -McDuff Jackson Lake Sewer Study – Ms. Seleb asked the Board if they wanted to hear presentations from manufacturers of particular systems as alternatives to traditional gravity sewer. Board members stated that they didn’t want to get into that much detail on the initial study.
Update on July 18th Special Purpose Local Option Sale Tax (SPLOST) Meeting – The Board of Commissioners has proposed making 15% of the 2013-9 SPLOST available for water and sewer projects. This is an estimated $2,836,275.
A copy of the draft SPLOST intergovernmental agreement is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Award Engineering Contract for Water Model and North Butts Tank – A committee of Ms. Seleb, Mr. Harris, and Mr. Keber has completed review of engineering proposals. Based upon the committee’s rating of finalists, a motion was made by Mr. Harris to proceed with negotiating a contract for the work with Woodward & Curran. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST and the combined balance sheet and income statement through June 2011, the last month of the fiscal year. Copies of these reports are attached and made a part of these minutes.
For the year, Water Operations netted 101% of budgeted income and 87% of budgeted expenses. Sewer Operations ended with 103% of budgeted income and 91% of budgeted expenses. Net revenues were good with an overall increase in cash of $108,408 from the previous June.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed check registers and credit card statements for the month of June 2011. Copies of these registers and statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Keber to adjourn meeting at 7:40 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.