Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Bob Harris, Harvey Norris, Wesley Keber & Burt Jones; Authority staff members present were Marcie Seleb and Vickye Smith.
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 8, 2010 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Elect Board Members for Fiscal Year 2011 – A motion was made by Mr. Keber to retain J.B. White as Chairman. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to retain Robert Harris as Vice-Chairman. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to retain Mr. Keber as Secretary-Treasurer. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
Update on EIP/One Georgia Grant Applications – Ms. Seleb informed the Board that the $500,000 OneGeorgia grant was approved for the sewer project on Highway 16 at Interstate 75. Staff is still working with Great American Travel Center to get the financial documentation needed to complete the final EIP grant application that is needed for the project. Construction has begun on Great American site.
Award Bid on I-75 Bore @ Colwell Road – Ms. Seleb informed the Board of all the bids that were received. Turpin Inc. had the lowest bid at $39,804. This bid is for labor only materials will run approximately $20,000. A table showing all bids received is attached and made a part of these minutes.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to accept bid from Turpin Inc. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
DOC License for Colwell Water Main – Ms. Seleb informed the Board that the Authority has received the DOC use license document for placement of the Colwell Water Main project on an easement at the Interstate 75 crossing. The use license requires that the Authority maintain $3,000,000 in liability insurance where it only carries $1,000,000. Ms. Seleb stated that this would cost the Authority an additional $5,000 in the current policy, which renewed July 1. After discussion, the Board recommended that the Authority increase its general liability insurance to $5,000,000 as a practical measure for general operations.
Received Petition from Walt Banks Road – Ms.Seleb presented a petition for a water extension on Walt Banks Rd. The project involves .65 mile and would have three new customers along with four customers to be transferred from the City of Jenkinsburg. The customers currently served by Jenkinsburg are on one-inch and two-inch mains with no fire protection. Wesley Keber confirmed that the City has already agreed to transfer these customers if a six-inch main can be installed with the Authority’s funds.
With seven total customers, the project would have a density of 10.8 customers per mile, meeting the criteria for extension approval. A motion was made by Mr. Keber to accept the petition for Walt Banks Road and to sent tap letters to property owners. This is seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Update on Construction Projects
- System Maintenance – The crew continues to do valve and hydrant marking, meter change-out, line flushing, right of way cutting, and switch overs of prior system radio-read meters to Hersey/Mueller’s Hot Rod system.
- Main Breaks – A pressure relief valve on the West Butts twenty-inch main failed on July 1 resulting in a water loss of an apparent 750,000 gallons that day. Another major break took place on the night of July 9-10 where construction at the Georgia Diagnostic Prison resulted in a twelve-inch main break resulting in an apparent loss of 400,000 gallons.
- Isaac Head Road Project – Ms. Seleb noted that surveying is underway for the Isaac Head Road project. It appears that easements and rights of way will have to be obtained, delaying the start of construction.
Operations Report – Water billing for June was up $20,000 from May and was the biggest June ever at $223,939, with an active customer base of 5,205. Sewer billing for June was up $1,000 from May and was the biggest June ever, at $32,402 with an active customer base of 127.
The average daily water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Ocmulgee and Stewart plants was 2.3 MGD, with maximum of 2.7 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss was 12.5%. The total amount of water pumped in June 2010 per plant was: Burford – 63 MG; Stewart – 6 MG. The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .209 with an average daily effluent of .230/.550 MGD and a maximum 7-day effluent of .320/.550 MGD.
For fiscal year 2010, which ended June 30, total water billing was up 18.25% versus the previous year. Sewer billing was up 22.2% for the same period. While metered residential usage was up 2%, biggest usage gains came from the wholesale sector (up 21.8%), the industrial sector (up 12.3%), and the commercial sector (up 17.6%). Charts illustrating this data and detailing use by the largest system customers are attached and made a part of these minutes.
County “Code Red” Program – Ms. Seleb informed the Board about the “Code Red” emergency notification system instituted by Butts County. The computerized system can make 20,000 phone calls in two minutes, and already has 80% of the phone numbers in the county. The system will cost Butts County approximately $16,000 per year. The Board of Commissioners has asked if the Authority (and the cities) would consider contributing to this subscription.
The Authority could use it to contact customers concerning water emergencies, planned flushing, and area outages. After discussion, Mr. White suggested that the capability to select call location by parcel would be needed if the Authority were to participate financially.
Price 2005 CAT Trackhoe – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the City of Jackson is interested in buying the Authority’s 2005 trackhoe. She presented advertised prices on comparable units ranging from $67,000-$84,000. A motion was made by Mr. Jones to start the negotiating price at $70,000. This was seconded by Mr. Keber with the stipulation not to go lower than $62,000 and approved unanimously.
Request from Clean Community Group to Use Back Office Space – Ms. Seleb informed the Board that Jim Trenton, representing the Jackson Clean Community Commission, had requested use of a portion of the space at 117 North Oak for an office space. The board agreed that Mr. Trenton could use the portion of the space not occupied for storage on a month to month basis.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial for summary for Water & Sewer Operations and 2007-2012 SPLOST through June 2010, which covers the entire fiscal year 2010. Water operations had revenue equal to 116% of anticipated budget with expenses at only 83% of budget. Cash flow was a positive $663,122. Sewer operations had revenue of 121% of anticipated budget with expenses at 87% of budget. Cash flow was a positive $111,250. $2,828,644 remains in 2007-12 SPLOST, all of which is reserved for debt service. Capital recovery fee revenue was better than projected for the water division at $47,008 (140% budget) and only $4,362 for the sewer division (55% budget). Copies of the financial summaries and combined balance sheet and income statement 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 June 2010.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Harris to adjourn meeting at 7:50 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.