Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Bob Harris, Wesley Keber & Burt Jones; representing Haisten and Johnston accountants was Rae Johnston; staff members present were Marcie Seleb & Joyce Hosey.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Jones 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 November 10, 2009 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Presentation of Fiscal Year 2009 Audit – Rae Johnston – Haisten & Johnston – Marcie Seleb presented a series of graphs included in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis portion of the audit. She noted that during FY 2009, the Authority actually billed a lower volume of water to customers than the previous year with water metered down by 5.2 percent. Net revenue from water operations fell by 1 percent, but increased by 13 percent in sewer operations. This is the first time in the Authority’s history that this has happened. Rae Johnston gave a brief overview of the Financial Statements for the FY 2009. She summarized the Authority’s financial situation by stating that the Authority had remained stable during the year despite a floundering economy. Ms. Johnston excused herself from the meeting at 6:15 p.m.
A copy of the audit is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Receive Petition for Water Extension – Isaac Head Road – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Authority has received a petition from Jeff Stewart for water extension on Isaac Head Road. The residents of this road are in significant need with many well problems. The distance is .8 mile and the petition has six signers, which equal’s 7.5 per mile. Mr. Stewart has been asked to get at least two more customer commitments so that the project will meet the minimum ten customers per mile for public funding.
Select Engineer for Interstate Corridor Sewer Layout – The Authority received five proposals for the interstate corridor sewer layout. The proposals were reviewed by Mr. Harris and Ms. Seleb.
The duo recommended the Rindt McDuff firm for their practical initial recommendations, such as a “leap-frog” idea where a force main is used instead of a gravity sewer on long runs until development occurs. It was also noted that Rindt McDuff has been very successful at stimulus and grant funding for clients.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to hire the firm of Rindt McDuff as the engineering consultant for the interstate corridor sewer layout at a total cost of $7,970. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Update on In-House Construction Projects
- West Ball Road – The acquisition of easements is complete. Clearing is scheduled to start next week.
- Large Leak Repaired at Hwy. 36 Pump Station – A large leak was discovered and repaired at the Hwy. 36 booster pumping station. It had taken several months to find this leak because water had been flowing down through gravel over ten feet deep.
- System-wide Flushing Ongoing – The crew is doing system wide flushing encompassing the entire county and probably won’t be finished until the end of January. One crew is being used so as to avoid pulling down the levels throughout the system.
- Switch Over to Hersey Handheld Meter Reading – The Authority is switching over to Hersey handheld radio read meters as the Sensus handheld meter is no longer supported by our system. They will be installed on Hwy. 36 W as this is a dangerous are and there is no room to pull off the highway in most places.
- System Maintenance – The crew continues to do meter change outs and rebuilds, flushing, valve maintenance, valve and hydrant marking.
Other Projects
- Riverview Sewer – The Authority’s contractor has received a permit from the Dixie Pipeline to move ahead with blasting at the project site. The Authority is awaiting on parts to outfit the lift station for a generator and the crew is not planning to blast until after the first of the year as this is Ready Pac’s busiest season.
- Hwy. 42 Road Widening Project – The Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) Hwy. 42 widening project will open bidding this week. This will involve about three miles of water main relocation.
- Ocmulgee Ground Storage Rehabilitation Project – The Authority is awaiting plans and specs from the engineer for the Ocmulgee ground storage rehabilitation project. Ms. Seleb has learned that we will be able to use a floating mixer to provide contact time and no wall or curtain repair will be necessary.
Operation Statistics – Ms. Seleb went over the water and sewer statistics for the month of November 2009. Water billing was down $42,430 from October at $167,064, with an active customer base of 5,192. Sewer billing for November was down $7,025 from October at $32,698 with an active customer base of 126. Ms. Seleb advised that the lower numbers reflect both the cooler, wetter season and a shorter reading period due to Thanksgiving.
The average daily water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Ocmulgee and Stewart plants were 2.1 MGD, with maximum of 2.9 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss is 12.8%. The total amount of water pumped in November 2009 per plant was: Ocmulgee – 57 MG; Stewart – 6 MG. The average wastewater sprayed at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .292/.550 MGD with a maximum 7-day effluent of .393/.550 MGD.
A copy of these statistics is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Water Contingency Task Force/Regional Water Council – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Governor’s Water Contingency Task Force is looking at drawing water from Jackson Lake as indirect potable reuse as an infrastructure requirement in the six critically affected counties of Hall, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Cobb, Fulton and Forsyth. Jackson Lake is lumped into minimal impact/lowest cost grouping of potential resources to make up for water supply that may be lost from Lake Lanier.
Holiday Event – Ms. Seleb reminded the Board about the Authority’s upcoming holiday event. The Authority will be hosting a combination employee appreciation and Christmas celebration on Friday, December 18th at 11:00 a.m. at the group shelter at Indian Springs State Park.
Holiday Can-a-thon – A motion was made by Mr. White to donate $1,000 to the annual City of Jackson Can-a-thon. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously. Mr. Norris abstained from the vote, as he is employed by the City of Jackson.
Change Board Meeting Time – A motion was made by Mr. White to change the regular Board meeting time to 5:30 p.m. from 6:00 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST through November 2009. Finances are within budget thus far for FY 2010. A copy of the financial summaries, as well as combined balance sheets and income statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Financial Highlights for November
- There has been no new growth the month of November as no new taps have been sold.
- There has been an overall increase in cash of $178,600 since July 1st with an increase of $289,043 in Water Operations and a decrease of $4,362 in Sewer Operations.
- There are big ticket items still to be done in Water Operations during the current budget year. These include the rehabilitation of the Ocmulgee ground storage tank at $100,000 and the Authority’s share water main relocation on Hwy. 42 North at $60,000.
Review Bills Paid – Board members reviewed check registers and credit card statements for the month of November 2009. A copy of the check registers is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to adjourn meeting at 7:00 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.