Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Burt Jones & Eddie Ford; also present was Marcie Seleb, general manager, who served as clerk to the Board in the absence of Joyce Hosey.
Approval of Minutes from December 8, 2015 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the December 8, 2015 meeting and to approve the same. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Final Proposal for Aeration System at Hwy. 36 Ground Storage Tank – A final negotiated quote on the aeration system from the Medora Corporation and the Eshelman Company was presented, totaling $327,000. This compares to the previous estimate of $368,260. Motion by Harvey Norris to purchase the aeration system from Medora with installation by the Eshelman Company pending approval by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority. This was seconded by Eddie Roberts and passed unanimously. A copy of the proposal package is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Proposals for Watershed Protection Plan Annual Report – Ms. Seleb reported that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division had revised its requirements for annual watershed reporting in October 2015, meaning that a new format will be required for the annual report done for the Towaliga watershed. She had requested proposals from two consultants who are experienced in this work and received pricing of $2995 from CCR Environmental and a fee not to exceed $2500 from Integrated Science and Engineering. Motion by Burt Jones to accept the proposal from Integrated Science and Engineering, seconded by Eddie Roberts, and passed unanimously. Copies of the proposals are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Fee for Accounts Sent to Collections – Ms. Seleb noted that Penn Credit, the company used for delinquent account collections, charges a fee of 13-18% of the amount collected for its work. She suggested that the Authority assess a set fee of 20% to any account turned over to collections to cover the collection agency costs and internal administrative costs. Motion by Burt Jones to assess a 20% fee for any account turned over to collections. This was seconded by Harvey Norris and passed unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Construction
- Generator Project – Ms. Seleb reported that on January 11, 2016, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency delivered checks totaling $986,860 for the state and federal grant share of this project which is now complete.
- West Butts Tank – Electrical work has held up substantial completion on this project, but final corrections were completed the first week in January. Ms. Seleb has contacted JK Duren to install the system controls that will interface with the Authority’s SCADA system.
- Brownlee Road/East Ball Road – Staff is working with Martin Marietta to negotiate mutually agreeable language for the needed easement on Brownlee Road. Requests for easements have been sent to all property owners on East Ball Road.
- Bucksnort Land Application System (LAS) – The contractor has completed the liner repair on the Colwell Road treatment pond and about 85% of the repair on the Harkness Road holding pond. Heavy rains in December and early January have undermined the soil base around the Harkness Pond, requiring additional soils to be brought in by Authority staff.
Operations
Heavy Rains – Heavy rains experienced in December and early January resulted in two record-making periods of flow in the Ocmulgee River, but did not affect the Authority’s ability to treat and pump water at the Burford plant.
Lightning Strike – A thunderstorm late in the morning on December 30, 2015 resulted in a lightning strike on the Old Bethel Road water main that caused water outages on Old Bethel Road, Buster Brown Road and Cottonwood Estates subdivision. The Authority’s crew was able to quickly repair the main break in extremely difficult weather conditions. A boil water notice was issued and lifted after good bacteria test results were received late in the evening on New Year’s Eve.
Georgia Diagnostic Prison – A malfunctioning altitude valve at the Georgia Diagnostic Prison has resulted in extremely high usage by the prison over the last forty-five days. The valve is not anticipated to be repaired until mid February.
Water & Sewer Statistics – Water and sewer pumping and billing numbers for the month of December were reviewed. The average daily finished water pumped in December 2015 to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.4 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 3.2 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 12.0% with the current month average loss of 25.6%. The total amount of finished water pumped in December by each plant was: Burford – 65 million gallons and Stewart – 8 million gallons.
Water billing for December 2015 was $202,648, down 14% from the previous month, and down 11% from December 2014. Sewer billing for December 2015 was $41,847 down 19% from the previous month, and down 17% from December 2014. The main reason for lower billing was a shorter reading cycle due to the Christmas holiday.
Total water accounts numbered 5,433, with 4,904 active water customers. Two water taps were purchased on the existing system, and one new subdivision meter was sold during the month of December.
The average influent at the Bucksnort Ranch LAS was 288,000 gallons per day with an average effluent of 283,000 gallons per day. The maximum 7-day effluent was 309,000 gallons per day. Total sewer accounts numbered 151, with 150 active sewer customers. There were no new sewer services sold during the month of December.
Butts County Day at the Capital/Legislative Agenda – Ms. Seleb reminded the Board that Butts County Day at the state capital will be held February 4, 2016. Harvey Norris indicated that he will be attending. It was also noted that Partners for Smart Growth has asked for the Authority’s top three legislative issues. Board members agreed that the Authority has no specific legislative issues this year, but appreciates the ongoing support of the local legislative team.
Administrative Office Roof – The roof in the Authority’s administrative building has developed worsening leaks during the recent heavy rains. Board members directed Ms. Seleb to obtain several proposals to replace the existing roof with a membrane covering.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for December 2015. Water operations income for December was $216,581 with expenses of $154,813. Water capital recovery fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $7,177, with interest expenses of $2,097, and debt service costs of $37,887 (Sandy Creek Loan).
Sewer Operations income for December was $44,139 with expenses totaling $54,529. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far is $2,457 with no expenses.
$1,194,440 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST with $428,046 funds expended. Additional SPLOST proceeds of $48,413 have been calculated, but yet to be received, for January 2016.
Total cash on hand at the end of December 2015 was $7,891,935. This is $242,298 under the June 30, 2015 balance. Copies of December 2015 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 were given copies of check registers for December 2015 to review. Copies of December 2015 check registers are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.