Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Robert Harris, Harvey Norris, Wesley Keber & Burt Jones; Authority staff members present were Marcie Seleb & Joyce Hosey.
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 February 15, 2011 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
2011 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) Campaign Projects – The Board discussed needed capital improvement projects and selected those to request for SPLOST funding for the 2013-2018 period.
Projects Selected for SPLOST Funding Request
- 500,000 gallon North Butts Elevated Storage Tank – joint project with Jenkinsburg – $900,000
- Old Bethel Booster Pump – supports joint project with Jenkinsburg – $100,000
- 12″ Main in Jenkinsburg to new Elevated Tank – supports joint project with Jenkinsburg – $400,000
- Materials for up to 20 miles water main extensions on existing county roads – $1,000,000
- Expand sewer lines at I-75/Hwy. 36 so sewage is accessible to every property within one mile of all quadrants of the interchange and throughout Butts County IDA Riverview Industrial Park – $1,500,000
- Expand sewer lines at I-75/Hwy. 16 so sewage is accessible to every property within one mile of all quadrants of the interchange. Budget assumes receipt of OneGeorgia and EIP grant projects for Hwy. 16 – $1,000,000
- Expand Bucksnort Land Application Wastewater Treatment System from .550 to .800MGD by adding sprinklers in five unused fields – $300,000
Other Capital Improvement Projects Not in SPLOST Funding Request
- Expand Ocmulgee Water Treatment Plant from 4 to 8MGD – $12,000,000
- Ocmulgee Ground Storage Rehab – $150,000
- Shop/Office at Bucksnort Ranch – $100,000
- Haying Equipment for Land Application Fields – $100,000
SPLOST Campaign Committee Nominations – The Board nominated the following people for the SPLOST Campaign Committee: Mrs. Bobbie Travis, Mr. Jimmy Saunders, Mr. Roy Reid, Mr. Michael Hosey.
Award Hay Equipment Bid – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the overall lowest bid was from Gene & Matt Tractor of Winder, GA and included a Kubota tractor at $41,175 and New Holland hay equipment at $31,860 with a total bid of $73,035. She went on to say that a grapple/accumulator may also need to be purchased separately for approximately $5,000. A copy of the bid tabulation is attached and made a part of these minutes.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to award the hay equipment bid to Gene & Matt Tractor, as theirs was the lowest combined total at $73,035. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Executive Session to Discuss Personnel Issues – A motion was made by Mr. Jones to go into an executive session to discuss personnel issues. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to return to the regular Board meeting and vote on decisions made during the executive session. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Harris to hire Jerry R. Caldwell as a Class III water treatment operator and Jonathan Womack as a laborer. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Update on Construction Projects
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Taps Sold – There were three taps sold in February.
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Colwell Road 12-inch Main – The entire main and all taps are complete.
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Flushing – System wide flushing is underway in East Butts with West Butts yet to come.
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Isaac Head Road Extension – The crew is clearing on Isaac Head in March in preparation for line installation.
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Walt Banks Road – The crew will start the Walt Banks Road project in March/April.
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Wastewater Lab – The wastewater lab at the LAS is complete and in operation.
Operations Report – Water billing for February 2011 was down 12% from January at $185,033, but up 6% from February 2010 with a total customer base of 5,212 and an active customer base of 4,642. Sewer billing for February 2011 was up 3% from January at $32,291, but down 9% from February 2010 with a total customer base of 129 and an active customer base of 120.
The average daily finished water pumped in February 2011 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.0 MGD, with a maximum
of 2.5 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss was 9.0% with the current monthly average loss at 8.9%. The total amount of finished water pumped in February 2011 per plant was: Burford – 52 MG; Stewart – 5 MG. The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .249 MGD with an average daily effluent of .254/.550 MGD and a maximum 7-day effluent of .329/.550 MGD.
Update on Grant Projects -The bid opening for the Highway 16 OneGeorgia/EIP project has been set for April 20. Final approval on the EIP grant still has not been received.
Customers Not Meeting Service Commitment – The Board directed Ms. Seleb to send letters to customers not meeting their service commitment of twenty-four months on publically funded water extensions. The letters will advise those customers that this contractual obligation must be met or legal action will be taken.
Burford Ground Storage Tank – Ms. Seleb advised the board of progress being made on the rehabilitation design for the ground storage tank at the Burford Plant. She showed preliminary drawings by Ingram and Associates that would install a truss across the top of the tank to support a new baffle curtain without stressing the overall structural integrity of the tank.
2005 CAT Excavator – The Board directed Ms. Seleb to revise the Authority’s previous selling price to the City of Jackson for its 2005 Caterpillar excavator and offer it at $50,000 with the stipulation that the Authority can maintain use of it on occasion at no cost. The previous selling price offered in July 2010 was $70,000.
If this is not something that the City would be interested in doing, the Authority would put the excavator up for bid to the general public.
Upper Ocmulgee Draft Plan Document – Ms. Seleb gave each Board member a copy of the draft of the Middle Ocmulgee Water Development and Conservation Plan and reported that a meeting was held in Jackson on March 24, 2011 to get public input on the plan.
A copy of this draft plan is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST through February 2011. Finances are just within budget thus far for FY 2011. A copy of the financial summaries, along with a combined fund balance sheet and income statement, is 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 2011. A copy of the registers and statements is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn meeting at 7:00 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.