Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Burt Jones, & Eddie Ford; staff members present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from June 14, 2016 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of and to approve the minutes from the June 14, 2016 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Election of Board Officers & Appointments to Personnel Committee – A motion was made by Mr. Norris to retain J. B. White as Chairman. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to retain Mr. Norris as Vice – Chairman. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Ford to retain Mr. Roberts as Secretary – Treasurer. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.
Health Insurance & Property Insurance Renewal – Ms. Seleb presented Association of County Commissioners of Georgia health and property insurance options for July 2016 to June 2017.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance renewal rate will increase by 3.7%. The total monthly premium will be $14,372.58 and the employer portion will be $10,453.58. A motion was made by Mr. Jones to accept the rate. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
The ACCG-IRMA property insurance rate will increase by 2.4%. The total annual premium will be $37,859. A motion was made by Mr. Jones to accept the rate. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Excavator Lease Resolution – Ms. Seleb presented a resolution to enter into a three year lease-purchase agreement for a Komatsu excavator. The Board had approved this purchase at its June meeting, but this resolution is required by the financing agency, BankCorp South Equipment Finance. Motion by Harvey Norris to adopt the resolution with Chairman White authorized to sign lease documents. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and passed unanimously.
Re-adopt Budget – Ms. Seleb presented a chart of rates as approved at the June meeting with the addition of minimum bills fees for meters larger than one-inch. She stated that the Fiscal Year 2017 budget was revised to include a net increase of $100,000 in water revenue due to the rate increase. Also, an expense item of $12,000 was added for SCADA upgrades at the Georgia Hwy. 36 pumping station. A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to adopt the revised budget and chart of rates. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the rate increase is included and made a part of these minutes
Potential Projects for New Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) – Ms. Seleb presented a list of potential w projects from the Authority’s capital improvement plan. Board members discussed these projects and how they could be considered for the next round of SPLOST, which could come up for a vote in 2017. This will be discussed at the joint City/County/Authority/Board meeting that will be held on July 28, 2016.
The eleven water main projects are for roads with no water and are intended to improve system flows. The total estimated cost is roughly $900,000 for materials with labor and equipment provided by the Authority’s staff through operations funding.
One potential water plant project would be to improve overall water quality by changing the chemical treatment process after a study to be conducted in the current fiscal year. This would cost an estimated $1.5 million. Long range plans are to expand the Burford plant from 4 million gallons a day to 10 million gallons a day. The expansion is expected to cost roughly $10 to $15 million, but would not be scheduled water use increases enough to warrant the investment.
Potential sewer line projects include installing gravity sewer lines throughout the Interstate 75 corridor. Total cost is estimated at roughly $12,500,000.
Ms. Seleb noted that beyond an expansion to 800,000 gallons per day, the Authority has no specific plans for additional wastewater capacity in the Interstate 75 corridor. A study of options for expansion would be one potential SPLOST project.
Powerpoint slides with more detailed information on the potential projects are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Revision to Personnel Policy – Board members reviewed the changes made to the disciplinary section of the personnel policy. A motion was made by Mr. Norris to accepted these changes. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of the new policy is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Construction
Love’s Mechanical Building- The water main extension and meter vault are complete.
West Butts Tank – The Authority has drawn down all funds and closed the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority loan for the project. After deducting for liquidated damages, the planned final payment to Caldwell Tanks, Inc. is $76,561.
LAS Harkness Pond Liner – Grading repair work to the Harkness Pond is completed and the contractor, DX2, is set to complete the liner the week of July 18, 2016.
Nathan Thaxton Road – The Authority crew is ready to start work on the last section of Nathan Thaxton Road.
Operations
Joint Government Meeting – Board members were reminded of the joint governmental meeting set for 6 p.m. on July 28, 2016. Chic N Run will cater the meal for the Authority.
Trihalomethane Results – Official State test results for June 2016 have been received with results well within allowed federal limits. Board members reviewed detailed results. A copy of the results is included and made a part of these minutes.
Hydrants in Jackson – It was agreed that fire hydrants on Authority lines that run through Jackson, such as those on George Tate Drive, will be painted and maintained by the Authority.
Ready Pac – Ms. Seleb will meet with Ready Pac leadership on July 13, 2016 to discuss an Employment Incentive Program (EIP) Grant for a ground storage tank.
Geographic Information System (GIS)- Ms. Hopson updated the Board on her progress of importing and refining water and sewer system map files into ArcMap software. Ms. Seleb suggested that the Carlson Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia provide additional assistance with file conversion and was directed to request assistance as needed.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb went over the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for June 2016. Water operations income for June was $627,576 with expenses of $284,587. Water capital recovery fee revenue for the fiscal year is $22,550 with interest expenses of $3,828 and debt service costs of $76, 140 for the Sandy Creek loan.
Sewer Operations income for June was $53,165 with expenses of $16,312. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year is $14,496 with no expenses.
To date, $1,455,191 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST, with $468,146 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of June 2016 was $8,431,914. This is $297,692 over the June 30, 2015 balance. Copies of the June 2016 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 June to review. Copies of these registers are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Ford to adjourn the meeting at 7:20 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.