Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Bob Harris and Wesley Keber. Also attending was Tom Sloope representing Carter & Sloope Engineering. 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 June 10, 2008 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Election of Board Members – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to table the election of officers until all members of the Board are present. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
Receive Petition for West Ball Road – A motion was made by Mr. Harris to accept a petition for water extension on West Ball Road and to place on the priority list accordingly. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. An illustration is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Receive Petition for Tom Goddard Road – A motion was made by Mr. Keber to accept a petition for water extension on Tom Goddard Road and to place on the priority list accordingly. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously. An illustration is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Receive Petition for East Ball and Greer Dairy Roads – This was tabled as Joe Patterson is still seeking more signatures on the petition for extension. An illustration is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Personnel Issues
- Proposed Hiring – A motion was made by Mr. Keber approving the hiring of Charles Morris Smith as Water Treatment Operator. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
- Sick Leave Donation Policy – A motion was made by Mr. Harris to revise the Personnel Policy to include the following: employees who terminate employment with sick leave on their record, or who currently have more than 90 days of earned leave, may donate excess leave hours to a pool to be used to assist other employees in times of need; Each full-time employee will be eligible to receive up to one week of sick leave from this pool per year when they have exhausted all other accrued forms of leave. Use is subject to approval by the Personnel Committee. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
- Revised Travel Expense Policy – A motion was made by Mr. Keber to revise the travel expense policy to include the following: must use an Authority vehicle when available; when no vehicle is available, then mileage will be reimbursed at the current Federal mileage rate; multiple employees traveling to the same location should travel together; if choosing to drive separately, then must split mileage reimbursement; breakfast allowed if leaving home before 7:00 a.m. and not offered at training – $7 maximum; lunch allowed if not offered at training – $10 maximum; dinner allowed if not able to drive home by 8:00 p.m. – $12 maximum – No reimbursement for alcohol; Lodging, rental car and air travel arrangements to be made by administrative staff with unit supervisor’s approval. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Discuss and Adopt the FY 2009 Budget – After an overview of the budget by Ms. Seleb, a motion was made by Mr. Norris to adopt the FY 2009 budget. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously. A copy of the budget is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Executive Session to Discuss Easement Acquisition on Kinard Mill Road – A motion was made by Mr. Keber to dismiss into Executive Session to discuss easement acquisition on Kinard Mill Road. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to return to regular session. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
No action was taken on easement acquisition on Kinard Mill Road.
Manager’s Report
Construction Projects
- Kinard Mill/Towaliga Church/Evans/Ridgeway Roads – The crew is working on Kinard Mill Road with the next phase being from Colwell Road to Towaliga River.
- Walter Moore Road – Walter Moore Road extension has been completed.
- Transmission Main – Work has shut down temporarily on July 16th, as Georgia Power discovered that pipe was being laid outside the back five-feet of their 100-foot right of way. The construction crew from Sweetwater had misinterpreted plans, thinking they could lay pipe anywhere within the twenty-foot construction easement. Mr. Sloope discussed the situation, saying that his staff would be talking with both Georgia Power and Sweetwater to work out a resolution.
Operation Statistics – Ms. Seleb went over the water and sewer statistics for the month of June 2008. Water billing for the month was $159,027 with an active customer base of 5,073. Sewer billing for the month was $20,166 with an active customer base of 125.
The average daily water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Ocmulgee and Stewart plants were 2.44 MGD, with maximum of 2.72 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss of 12.3%. Ms. Seleb noted her concern that over the last four months, the percent loss was roughly 20%. She is working with distribution staff of the Authority, Jackson, & Jenkinsburg to find leakages. She also noted that the Authority’s staff would be working with Jackson staff to replace a 12-inch valve at the Highway 36 pumping station that is allowing water to flow back into Jackson from the pumping station.
The total amount of water pumped in June 2008 per plant was: Ocmulgee – 66 MG; Stewart – 6 MG. The average wastewater sprayed at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .172/.550 MGD with a maximum 7-day effluent of .196/.550 MGD. A copy of the Water & Sewer Statistics is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Regional Water Planning Council Nominations – A motion was made by Mr. White to nominate Ms. Seleb for the Middle Ocmulgee regional council. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously. Ms. Seleb was also instructed to put together a group of other Butts County nominees for the group. A copy of the map showing the Water Planning Regions is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Grant Application Submitted – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that application has been submitted to GEFA for Georgia Water Supply Competitive Grant Program requesting $461,150 for the West Butts Transmission main.
Sandy Creek Property Access Strip – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the property for the access strip leading to the Sandy Creek property has been paid for and that she understands that the Authority has clear title through the judge’s order.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST through June 2008. The year ended with all operating funds within budget. Capital recovery fee funds were behind in budgeted revenues, reflecting the sluggish economy. Board members also reviewed the combined balance sheet and income statement for all funds for the month of June 2008. A copy of the combined balance sheets and income statements is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed check registers for the month of June 2008. A copy of the check registers is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Field Trip to Bucksnort LAS and Stewart Water Treatment Plant – At this time, the Board ended the formal meeting for a field trip to the Bucksnort LAS and Stewart Water Treatment Plant, where Andre’ Thomas and Herbert Head were waiting to give a tour.
Adjourn – Upon completion of the field trip, a motion was made by Mr. Harris to adjourn meeting at 9:15 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.