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January 10, 2013 Regular Board Meeting

Posted on: January 10th, 2013

Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Wesley Keber, Harvey Norris, Burt Jones, & Eddie Roberts; also present were Laura Hale, representing the Butts County Industrial Development Authority, and Will White, attorney with Smith, Welch, Webb & White, Authority staff present were Marcie Seleb, general manager & Joyce Hosey, clerk to the board.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting – Mr. Keber made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the December 11, 2012 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Executive Session – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to go into an executive session to discuss the Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 36 Sewer Projects. This was seconded by Mr. Keber and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to return to the regular meeting after coming out of executive session following the discussion of the Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 36 Sewer Projects. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. No action was taken.
Health Insurance Quotes for Coming Year – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Authority’s Blue Cross Blue Shield health rates will go up 21% February 1, 2013 with reduced benefits. She went on to say that our broker, Michelle Cole, had sought pricing from other companies.
Coventry was the only company offering a competitive rate and has committed to an underwritten health plan at a rate nearly equal to the previous year with Blue Cross Blue Shield, and with slightly better benefits. Ms. Seleb also reported that Liberty Financial Group has gone up 5% overall for Life, Accidental Death & Disability, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, and Dental.
Board members reviewed rate quotes which are attached and made a part of these minutes.
A motion was made by Mr. Keber to change health insurance coverage from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Coventry’s Premier Plus Option 1 effective February 1, 2013 and to continue using Lincoln Financial for Life, Accidental Death and Disability, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, and Dental Insurance. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report

Construction Update

  • Hwy. 36 Ground Storage Tank Altitude Valve – The materials are in for the installation of the electronic valve. Staff is waiting on J. K. Duren to install the electric control panel and equipment to control the valve through the SCADA system.
  • Goens Road Extension – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Goens Road Extension is complete.
  • Department of Transportation (DOT) Hwy. 36 Bridge Replacement Underway – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the Hwy. 36 bridge construction project is underway. There are concerns with protecting existing water and sewer mains during the project.
  • Meter Replacement Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the meter replacement project started on January 9th. A 28-foot storage trailer has been purchased for $1,200 from Trucks Inc. to store the scrap meters before taking them apart and selling to metal recyclers.
  • Burford Filter Sweep Piping – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the crew is changing out the rusted steel pipes and replacing them with stainless steel.
  • West Butts Elevated Tank – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that the design is almost complete with additional paperwork needed for the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. An engineering report must be prepared due to federal requirements, loan applications must be revised to clarify that the project now does not require water main extensions or a booster pump station, and a reduced environmental review process must be undertaken.
  • Woodard and Curran has quoted $4000 to complete the engineering report required for federal funding. A  motion was made by Mr. Norris to proceed with having Woodard & Curran to complete the engineering report. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously. Ms. Seleb will prepare the new loan applications and execute the environmental review.

Operations Report 

Water billing for December 2012 was down .3% from November at $189,998, and down 3% from December 2011 with a total customer base of 5,303 and an active customer base of 4,735. Sewer billing for December 2012 was down 16% from November 2012 at $37,688, and up 3% from December 2011 with a total customer base of 129 and an active customer base of 124.

The average daily finished water pumped in December 2012 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.1 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.4 million gallons per day. The rolling 12-month average loss was 8.7% with the current monthly average loss at 7.5%. The total amount of finished water pumped in December 2012 by plant was: Burford – 61 million gallons; Stewart – 3 million gallons.

The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System was 219,000 million gallons with an average daily effluent of 273,000 million gallons and a maximum 7-day effluent of 344,000 million gallons.

Financial Report 
Regular Monthly Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and SPLOST for December 2012. For the month, water operations income was $199,042 and expenses were $440,064. Sewer operation income for the month was $38,211 and expenses were $31,952. Sewer capital recovery fee revenue was $187,464 with expenses of $9,163 for the fiscal year thus far. A total of $2,605,530 has been spent from 2007-2012 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, all of which has gone toward payment of debt on approved projects. Total cash on hand at the end of November was $5,614,626. This is $319,102 over the June 30, 2012 balance. Copies of financial summaries, the combined fund balance sheet, and combined fund 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 December 2012. Copies of these documents are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Keber to adjourn meeting at 7:30 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.