Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Burt Jones, & Eddie Roberts, Jr. Tony King representing Kidwell & Company Investment Bankers; also present was Marcie Seleb, general manager and Joyce Hosey, clerk to the Board.
Opening Prayer – Mr. Norris opened the meeting with a prayer.
Election of Officers – A motion was made by Mr. Ford to retain J. B. White as Chairman and Harvey Norris as Vice-Chairman and to name Eddie Roberts as Secretary-Treasurer. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the July 16, 2013 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) Loan Refinancing Presentation, Tony King, Kidwell & Company – Mr. Tony King introduced himself to the Board and proceeded to review a rough credit analysis for refinancing approximately $4 million in GEFA loans on the private market through revenue bonds. Current loan rates are nearly twice the current bond market rate which could result in significant savings in interest costs. Board members suggested that Ms. Seleb review Kidwell’s professional services agreement before moving forward.
A copy of the company’s profile and rough credit analysis is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Consider Results of Nathan Thaxton Road Extension Tap Pre-sales – Property owners have purchased 11 construction taps for the water extension on Nathan Thaxton Road from Brooks Road to GA Hwy. 36. A total of 11 taps were needed for this project to meet the 10 taps per mile policy. Ms. Seleb asked the Board if she could proceed with engineering design on all of Nathan Thaxton Road and the related Brownlee Road/East Ball Road loop that is part of the current year capital improvement plan.
A motion was made by Mr. Jones to approve the Nathan Thaxton Road extension from Brook Road to GA Hwy. 36 and to proceed with the engineering as requested. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Consider Change in Information Technology (IT) Service Provider – Ms. Seleb asked the Board to consider changing its IT service provider from Seven Wired to Expert Computer located in Griffin. The comparison is as follows:
Seven Wired
• $674 per month for onsite & web-based monitoring of all network servers and work stations
• Monthly fee doesn’t include web and email hosting
• Any added services at a rate of $60 per hour
Expert Computer
• $495 per month for onsite & web-based monitoring of all network servers and work stations
• Includes standard web and email hosting rate
• Any added services at a rate of $85-$125 per hour
• Can add an “unlimited” support service feature for a total cost of $1,265 per month
A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to change to Expert Computers for computer and network services. The contract would be for backup and monitoring services with repair and troubleshooting services on an hourly rate. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Construction Update
Hwy. 36 Sewer – The inspection is completed, work passed, and the line is ready to use.
Ms. Seleb advised the Board that project delays kept Johnny Carter, who paid for the line construction, from having use of the sewer for a full twenty months past the anticipated completion date. She recommends that the Authority waive his sewer capital recovery fee based upon documented costs to Mr. Carter over the twenty month period.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to waive the sewer fee for Mr. Carter. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. Mr. White and Mr. Jones abstained from the vote.
Hwy. 16 Sewer – Because of the price increase from Davidson Hydrant and Utility Services, this project has been bid out to several contractors by U.S. Surety. The bids were due to open on August 13, 2013, but opening was postponed until August 20, 2013.
Meter Replacement Project – Mack Jones, Inc. is currently installing the last 150 meters that were missed previously. Ms. Seleb advised the Board that she has asked Mack Jones, Inc. for a price to geocode the roughly 500 meters on the system that were not a part of the change out.
Tom Goddard Water Main Extension – The crew is half way down Tom Goddard Road and will put that first half into service, as many of those residents are in great need of water.
Operations Report
At $208,344, water billing for July 2013 was down 8% from June 2013, and down 11% from July 2012. Sewer billing for July 2013 was $38,042, down 9% from June 2013 and up 11% from July 2012.
The total water customer base was 5,308 with active water customers numbering 4,777. No regular taps were sold, but 11 construction taps were sold during the month of July. The total sewer customer base remained at 129 with active sewer customers numbering 124.
The average daily finished water pumped in July to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from the Burford and Stewart plants was 2.3 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.9 million gallons per day. The rolling 12-month average loss was 19.9% with the current monthly average loss at 12.6%. The total amount of finished water pumped in July by plant was: Burford – 64 million gallons; Stewart – 7 million gallons.
The average wastewater influent at the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System was 221,000 gallons per day with an average daily effluent of 278,000 gallons per day and a maximum 7-day effluent of 329,000 million gallons per day.
Elevated Tank Bids Open August 27, 2013 – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that four companies are holding plans for the elevated tank bid set to open on August 27th.
She reported that tank contractors are continuing to raise issues about glass coated bolted steel composite tank option.
The glass coated bolted steel composite tank first appeared to be a good option because it is less expensive than a welded steel composite tank because it never needs to be painted. However, there is no American Water Works Association standard for an elevated glass coated bolted steel tank. There are also concerns about maintenance that would be needed on the panel seams.
Ms. Seleb and engineer Jennifer Suttles went to look at two bolted glass fused ground storage tanks in Barnesville that have been in service since the late 1980’s. While the tanks have not needed paint since installation, bolts and mastic sealant are deteriorating badly. Photos of the Barnesville tanks were shown to the board.
After discussion, a motion was made by Mr. Roberts to take the bolted glass steel tank option off the bid. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Insertion Valves Failed at Hwy. 36 Bridge Project – Ms. Seleb advised the Board both “EZ Valve” insertion valves that were installed by Mueller Services at the Towaliga River bridge, failed during the last week in July, resulting in a loss of more than one million gallons of finished water. Mueller Services failed to repair or replace the valves. Both Clayton County Water Authority and Georgia Hydrant Services responded to install new valves at a cost of more than $20,000. The Board directed Ms. Seleb to seek reimbursement from Mueller.
Truckstop Way Lift Station Overflow – Ms. Seleb advised the Board that a loss of power and generator switch failure resulted in a spill of 50-60,000 gallons of raw sewage on July 20-22 at the Truckstop Way lift station. The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) was notified, a full report was made, and contaminated soils removed and replaced. The spill did not reach Brushy Creek, a nearby water way.
Mr. Norris and Mr. Jones excused themselves from the meeting, as they had other appointments.
Water and Sewer Billing by Fiscal Year (FY) – Ms. Seleb expressed concerns about Fiscal Year 2013 ending a 2.3% loss in water billing from the previous year. This is the first time in the Authority’s history that billing dropped over the year. She added that sewer billing was at an all time high for Fiscal Year 2013. Slides showing total billing and percent change by year were reviewed and are attached to these minutes.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for July 2013. Water operations income was $221,810, and expenses were $99,812. The balance in the water capital recovery fee fund was $395,364. Sewer operations income for July 2013 was $38,837, and expenses were $22,606. The balance in the sewer capital recovery fee fund was $31,670.
The Authority continues to use 2007-12 SPLOST to pay monthly debt on the Bucksnort Ranch expansion loan. As of August 12, 2013 $534,472 remained in 2007-12 SPLOST funds for this purpose.
Total cash on hand through the end of July 2013 was $6,218,110. This is $48,108 over the June 30, 2012 balances. Copies of financial summaries, combined fund balance sheets, and combined fund income statements 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 July 2013. Copies of check registers and credit card statements are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to adjourn meeting at 7:40 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.