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, Harvey Norris & Burt Jones; Authority staff members present were Marcie Seleb & Joyce Hosey.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris 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 July 12, 2011 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Consider Resolution Authorizing SPLOST Agreement – Ms. Seleb summarized the 2013 – 2019 SPLOST plan for the Board. The election is set for November 8, 2011 with an estimated total of $21,852,000 to be collected. An estimated $8,404,627 is to be bonded to pay off debt of Butts County (for jail) and the Butts County Industrial Development Authority. Our Authority would receive 17% of the balance not used for debt. This is estimated to be $2,286,053.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to authorize Mr. White to sign the intergovernmental SPLOST agreement. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
A copy of the intergovernmental SPLOST agreement is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Request for Water Extension – Seven Lakes Hangar Property Owners – Ms. Seleb told the Board that the Authority has received a petition for water service from the property owners on a private road for airplane hangars in the Seven Lakes subdivision. The extension would need to be run from Stark Road on Singley Road up to the private road. The extension length would be .7 mile with ten customers, a density of 14.3 taps per mile. There is a potential to continue the extension on Singley Road.
Ms. Seleb asked the Board members if they would be interested in to surveying property owners further down on Singley Road to see if they are also interested in water. This is a densely populated section of some twenty residential lots with no public water access.
She noted that the Authority has relied on property owners to petition for water service since the late 1990’s and suggested that it might be a good idea to have staff identify under-served roads to see if there is an interest. Board members agreed to this concept.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to accept the petition from hangar property owners in the Seven Lakes subdivision, to send out tap letters to those property owners, and to survey property owners on Singley Road to see if they are also interested in a water extension. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. Staff was directed to go ahead and send tap letters to the hangar property owners.
A copy of the petition requesting the extension is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Results of August 4th Bid for Hwy. 36 Sewer Project – Ms. Seleb went over the results of the August 4th bid opening for the Hwy. 36 Sewer project. Six contractors bid on the project with the low bid coming from Jones General Contracting at $321,092.54.
After negotiations using a slightly revised design with a more shallow cut crossing Hwy. 36, no boring under the Dixie Pipeline, and 12″ sewer ending at Hwy. 36, Ms. Seleb and engineer, Mike Lott, were able to get the contractor to agree on a reduced lump sum price of $251,092.54.
This project is to be paid for by the May and Carter Oil Company, which is building a travel center on Hwy. 36 on the North side of Bucksnort Road. May and Carter will post a letter of credit for the project before work begins.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to award the bid to Jones General Contracting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. Burt Jones went on record that he has no family relation to this company. Mr. White abstained from the vote as he has property in the immediate area.
A copy of the bids and the notice of the award is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Set Bid Date for Burford Tank Rehab – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that a bid date of September 29, 2011 has been selected for the Burford ground storage tank rehabilitation project. She went on to tell the Board that the rehabilitation will include tank painting inside and out with installation of a truss, columns and a new curtain to prevent short circuiting of water into the system.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to set the bid date for September 29, 2011. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
A diagram of the tank rehabilitation design is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Update on Construction Projects
Hwy. 16 Sewer Project – Pipe laying is at a standstill as the Authority waits for a blasting permit from the Georgia Department of Transportation. And boring of I-75 is to start this week.
Crew – The crew is cutting timbered lanes at the LAS, catching up on all maintenance work orders, and painting & tagging hydrants.
Operations Report – Water billing for July was down 1% from June at $245,766, and up 6% from July 2010 with a total customer base of 5,235 and an active customer base of 4,639. Sewer billing for July 2011 was up 9% from June at $35,044, and up 25% from July 2010 with a total customer base of 129 and an active customer base of 118.
The average daily finished water pumped in July 2011 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.4 MGD, with a maximum of 2.7 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss was 9.7% with the current monthly average loss of 11.1%. The total amount of finished water pumped in July 2011 per plant was: Burford – 68 MG; Stewart – 8 MG. The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .196 with an average daily effluent of .148/.550 MGD and a maximum 7-day effluent of .266/.550 MGD.
Potential Purchase of Tractor Trailer from Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) – Ms. Seleb reported that there is a potential to purchase a used tractor trailer from the GFC at an extremely reduced rate. The crew is in need of a tractor trailer to haul the trackhoe from project to project. The Authority has been borrowing a tractor trailer from the City of Jackson or Butts County Public Works with no assurance of availability in emergencies.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to a tractor trailer from the GFC if the purchase price is less than $10,000. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
Atlanta Gas Light (AGL) Transmission Line – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that AGL will start installing a gas line that runs parallel with the Authority’s water lines in several areas of West and North Butts County. Butts County Public Works has been working with the Authority to facilitate installation of the project so that it doesn’t cause problems for our infrastructure in the future.
Joint Meeting of City/County Boards & Authorities – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Butts County Board of Education will be hosting a joint meeting of City and County Boards and Authorities on September 8, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST through July 2011. Finances are within budget thus far for FY 2012. Copies of these reports 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 July 2011. Copies of these registers and statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to adjourn meeting at 6:30 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.