Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Mitch McEwen, Harvey Norris, Bob Harris and Wesley Keber; staff members present were Marcie Seleb & Joyce Hosey.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meetings – Mr. Harris made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the February 10, 2009 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. Mr. White abstained from this vote as he was not present at the last Board meeting.
Select Engineer for Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Sewer Extension – Ms. Seleb advised the Board of proposals’ she has received from Ingram & Associates at a cost of $9,717.68 and Woodard & Curran at a cost of $12,500.00. A motion was made by Mr. Harris to accept Ingram & Associates’ proposal. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A copy of each proposal is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Review IDA Sewer Extension Alternatives – Ms. Seleb showed the Board several previously proposed layouts for sewerage to the Riverview Business Park expansion property. She recommended an alternate route that will run gravity sewer from the Ready Pak lift station in the existing business park to the low point on the northern one-third of the expansion property. This will be the lowest cost alternative and the fastest to simply get sewer on the property within Butts County for marketing. The total estimated cost for the project, including engineering, is $118,000.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to accept this option and proceed with detailed design. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
A copy of maps outlining alternatives is attached and made a part of these minutes. Ms. Seleb also noted to the Board that the board of directors of the Industrial Authority had written a letter thanking this authority for its assistance in the re-zoning of the Riverview Business Park expansion property. A copy of this letter is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Patel Commercial Subdivision – Service Issues – Ms. Seleb’s recommendations for the Patel commercial subdivision are as follows:
- Water – Set wholesale meters at county line, affecting two of the project roads; The Butts Authority would then sell water to the Lamar County Water & Sewer Authority at its regular municipal wholesale rate. This is based upon the Lamar Authority’s preference. Water infrastructure within Lamar County would be required to meet the specifications of the Lamar Authority.
- Sewer – The developer must provide two sewer easements and stub outs at specified locations for future expansion across GA Hwy. 36 into the northwest quadrant of the Interstate 75 interchange; The Butts Authority will provide sewer service to lots in Lamar County only after Butts County lots are built out with Lamar County lots paying adopted out-of-county connection and user fees.
The Board agreed with these recommendations and stated that these recommendations are nonnegotiable.
Consider GEFA Stimulus Funding Application & Projects – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that despite the fact that GEFA has announced $143,000,000 in Federal stimulus funding with Butts County eligible for 70% “loan forgiveness”, our Authority is not on the GEFA priority list for any funding. She went on to say that the Authority has applied for and is still eligible for a $50,000 Green Projects. Board members advised her to submit “shovel ready” water and sewer projects to GEFA for possible inclusion in the coming months.
Report on State Water Planning Councils – Harvey Norris – Mr. Norris advised the Board that he and Van Whaler, Butts County’s administrator, have been named to represent Butts County on the Middle Ocmulgee Watershed Planning Council. The statewide watershed planning council kickoff was held on March 13th in Atlanta.
Manager’s Report
Transmission Main – Ms. Seleb advised the board that all the line is installed and connected. The main is being filled in preparation for pressure testing. There have been at least three leaks found that still need to be repaired. The engineers will be here on Thursday, March 19th for inspection of many erosion problems. The Authority has a balance of $117,000 left to draw on from the loan with $31,000 currently in retainage. Also, the Authority is still assessing $200 per day to the contractor, Sweetgrass, for not completing the project on schedule.
Tank Painting – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the elevated tank in Stark has been painted, but has not been put back online, as a new altitude valve will be installed before putting the tank back into service. The Hwy. 16 elevated tank was put back into service on February 18th.
Photographs of the Hwy. 16 and Stark tanks are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Tap Sales Progress
Higgins Road – Property owners purchased 15 of the 15 taps needed for this project and the crew is anxious to begin working on this project. The materials estimate for this project is $80,000 with funds coming from the Authority’s reserves.
Hamm Road – Property owners purchased five of the five taps needed for this project and design is underway. The materials estimate for this project is $10,000 with funds coming from the Authority’s reserves.
West Ball Road – Property owners signed up for seven of the seven taps needed for this project. The materials estimate for this project is $30,000 with funds coming from the Authority’s reserves.
Tom Goddard Road – Property owners purchased only four of the 11 taps needed for this project. The deadline has passed and the Authority will be refunding tap fees to these customers.
Board members approved using reserve funds to buy needed materials for Higgins Road, Hamm Road, and West Ball Road (from Buttrill Road to the 20-inch Main).
Operation Statistics – Ms. Seleb went over the water and sewer statistics for the month of February 2009. Water billing was down from the previous month at $154,480, with an active customer base of 5,149. Compared to February 2008, water billing was up 6% with usage up 1%. Sewer billing for the month was down from the previous month at $21,118 with an active customer base of 126.
The average daily water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Ocmulgee and Stewart plants was 2.0 MGD, with a maximum of 2.4 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss was 13.3%. The total amount of water pumped in February 2009 per plant was: Ocmulgee – 50 MG; Stewart – 6 MG. The average wastewater sprayed at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .236/.550 MGD with a maximum 7-day effluent of .338/.550 MGD.
A copy of these statistics is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Corporate Credit Card Needed – Ms. Seleb advised the board that the current credit cards being used are classified as “business cards” and that liability falls back on her personally as the card applicant. To avoid this problem, she has researched available “corporate cards” that base credit upon the agency, rather than the staff. Chase Bank has a Corporate Rewards Card with an annual fee of $100 and $150 cash reward per $10,000 spent. Ms. Seleb advised the Board that a similar Bank of America corporate rewards card would net only $44 per $10,000 spent.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to sign a resolution allowing the Authority to apply for a Corporate Credit Card. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
A copy of this resolution is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Consider Policy for “Annual Leave Cash-In” – Ms. Seleb advised the Board needs to establish its position regarding whether to allow employees to cash-in accrued annual leave time for cash. After discussion, the Board advised Ms. Seleb that outside of what is already in the adopted personnel policy regarding maximum leave accruals, annual leave time can only be cashed in an extreme emergency and must be approved by the Personnel Committee.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST through February 2009. A copy of the financial summaries, as well as combined balance sheets and 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 February 2009. A copy of the check registers is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn meeting at 7:30 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.