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. 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 March 15, 2011 meeting and approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Adopt Updated Cafeteria Plan Document – This was tabled until the May meeting.
Consider Policy for Requiring Active Full-Time Work for Retirement Accrual – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the retirement policy needs to be clarified to read as follows:
• Employees must be regular, full time workers either working, or using accrued annual or sick leave, in order to be eligible for employer contributions to the Authority’s defined contribution retirement program.
• There was no change in the requirement to have been employed twenty-four months in order to be eligible for retirement.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to accept the retirement policy as written. This was seconded by Mr. Harris and approved unanimously.
Consider Feasibility Study for Sewering Jackson Lake Area – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she has asked Rindt-McDuff for a proposal on potential layout, costs and alternatives for provision of sewer service to the Jackson Lake area.
• Rindt-McDuff has proposed a lump sum price offered at: $8,500
• Alternate proposal to study the entire county: +$21,000
The Authority could not use Sewer Capital Recovery Fees to pay for this study as they are restricted for use in the defined service area of the Towaliga sewershed, but Sewer Operations funds could be used.
A copy of the General Services Agreement with Rindt-McDuff is attached and made a part of these minutes.
A motion was made by Mr. Harris for a feasibility study for sewering Jackson Lake to be put on the budget for 2012. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
Consider Request for Wastewater Service to Lamar County Water & Sewer Authority (LCWSA) for Rock Springs Church – Ms. Seleb reported that the LCWSA has requested that the Authority consider the possibility of serving Rock Springs Church for sewer. This would require lifting the moratorium on new sewer service outside of Butts County. She noted that the current price per gallon per day Capital Recovery Fee outside of Butts County is $24.01.
Board members requested that LCWSA furnish the Authority with the gallons per day needed and a layout of how the sewer would get to Bucksnort Land Application Facility.
Manager’s Report
City of Jackson Response on 2005 CAT Excavator Sale – The Council of the City of Jackson has countered the Authority’s $50,000 sale price with an offer of $45,000. Ms. Seleb advised the Board that recent Internet pricing for the same unit (no comparison data on hours/condition) was as follows:
• Average auction price: $52,750
• Average for-sale price: $68,970
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to accept the City of Jackson’s offer of $45,000 with the condition that the Authority could use the unit for no cost from time to time. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously. Mr. Norris abstained from the vote as he is an employee of the City of Jackson.
Update on Construction Projects
Isaac Head Road Extension – Clearing on Isaac Head Road has been completed and is ready to lay pipe.
Walt Banks Road – The crew will start the Walt Banks Road project this month.
Taps Sold – There were two taps sold in March.
Hwy. 16 Sewer Project – Local match on the Hwy. 16 Sewer Project will result in Authority’s crew providing labor and equipment for approximately 7,100 lf 6-inch force main.
Meter Change Outs Ongoing – All of reading Book 1 & Pebble Creek Subdivision accounts have been switched to radio read meters. Other system 3/4″ meters with more than 1,000,000 gallons usage will be replaced with radio ready meters.
Flushing – System wide flushing is underway in West Butts. 4.3 million gallons were used to flush lines in March.
Hay Cutting at Bucksnort Land Application System (LAS) – The crew will start cutting hay at the LAS in early May.
Burford Plant Maintenance – Ms. Seleb reported that the failing contact curtain has been removed from the Burford ground storage tank by Tank Pro with the complete rehabilitation planned for Fall 2011.
Photos of ground storage tank rehab and shredded curtain are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Ms. Seleb also told the Board that the crew has assisted the plant in break down & maintenance on the treatment clarifier. The crew also dug out one of the two sludge lagoons and assisted the hauler with replacement sand.
Operations Report – Water billing for March 2011 was down 5% from February at $176,341, and down 7% from March 2010 with a total customer base of 5,218 and an active customer base of 4,618. Sewer billing for March 2011 was down 7% from February at $29,960, and down 15% from March 2010 with a total customer base of 129 and an active customer base of 120.
The average daily finished water pumped in March 2011 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.0 MGD, with a maximum of 2.3 MGD. The rolling 12-month average loss was 9.2% with the current monthly average loss of 16.6%. The total amount of finished water pumped in March 2011 per plant was: Burford – 57 MG; Stewart – 6 MG. The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was .243 with an average daily effluent of .167/.550 MGD and a maximum 7-day effluent of .230/.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.
Upcoming 25th Anniversary of Authority – The Authority will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Ms. Seleb asked for suggestions on how to commemorate the event. It was agreed that the Authority would take out a full-page ad in the Jackson Progress Argus and purchase pens to give to all the local officials and staff.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and SPLOST through March 2011. Finances are within budget thus far for FY 2011. Copies of these financial summaries 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 March 2011. Copies of these registers and statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn meeting at 6:30 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.