Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Harvey Norris, Eddie Roberts, Jr., & Eddie Ford. Also present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Election of Board Officers & Appointments to Personnel Committee – A motion was made by Mr. Ford 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. Ford and approved unanimously.
A motion was made by Mr. Norris to retain Mr. Roberts as Secretary-Treasurer. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Approval of Minutes from July 11, 2017 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of and to approve the minutes from the July 11, 2017 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Consider Resolution: Intergovernmental Agreement for 2019-2025 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) Board members reviewed a proposed intergovernmental agreement for distribution of a future SPLOST which will be placed on the ballot in November 2017. The agreement anticipates a total SPLOST collection of $23,348,814. Butts County will take $7,000,000 of the total for special general obligation bond projects. The Authority will receive 16% of the remainder, estimated to be roughly $2,600,000.
Mr. Ford made a motion to pass a resolution authorizing Chairman White to sign the intergovernmental agreement for disbursement of the proposed 2019-2025 SPLOST. The motion to approve the resolution was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the resolution and the proposed intergovernmental agreement is attached and made part of these minutes.
Request for Sewer to Industrial Site in Spalding County: Spalding/Butts Joint Development Authority – The Spalding/Butts Joint Development Authority has requested that the Authority provide sewer service to a parcel on Jackson Road that is approximately 90% within Spalding County. A motion was made by Mr. Norris to not serve this property with sewer. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Consider Agreement with Rindt-McDuff to Rebid Land Application System Expansion – Ms. Seleb recommended using Rindt-McDuff Engineering to rebid the Bucksnort Ranch Land Application System spray field expansion. Rindt-McDuff was the firm that designed and bid the project in 2015. A motion was made by Mr. Norris to use Rindt-McDuff at a price of $5,957.50. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. A copy of the engineering agreement is attached and made part of these minutes.
Georgia Department of Transportation Yellow Water Creek Bridge Replacement Project – A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to use Ingram and Associates Engineering for mandatory design work to relocate the water main in affected by this construction process. The fee charged will be the standard hourly rate, not to exceed a total of $2,500 without prior approval. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Confirm Purchase of New Pickup Trucks – Ms. Seleb presented a quote tabulation for purchase of one Ford F250 and one F350 pick up truck. The tabulation compares pricing from Alan Vigil Ford, which holds the Georgia State Contract, and Covington Ford. A motion was made by Mr. Ford to accept Covington Ford’s low quote of $55,308 for both trucks. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the quote tabulation is attached and made part of these minutes.
Consider Modification to Sick Leave Accrual for Employees – A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to remove the sick leave accrual limitation from the Authority’s personnel policy. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Construction
Brownlee Road – Water main installation is underway with one mile remaining before completion.
East Ball Road – Butts County has granted permission for the Authority to install the water main on the edge of the dirt roadway on the section of East Ball Road between Georgia Hwy. 36 and the Greer Dairy Road connector. The Authority’s crew will begin installation after the Brownlee Road project is complete.
Engineer Design Work on other Water Mains – Engineers are moving slowly on survey work for new water main installation designs on Bob Thomas Road, Moore Road, Bucksnort Road (part), Red Berry Lane (part) and Patillo Road (part).
Dollar General Sewer – Crawford Grading and Plumbing has completed the sewer installation on this project, but is waiting for delivery of pumps and controls. Startup of the pumps is tentatively scheduled for August 14, 2017.
Jackson Road Paving for Dollar General Project – It has been determined that a storm drain for the paving project conflicts with the water main recently installed by the Authority. The water main must be lowered. This was an error in design that the Authority expects Watkins & Associates Engineering to correct at no cost to the Authority.
Operations
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb reviewed water production, water loss and customer statistics for July. The average daily finished water pumped in June to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.3 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.6 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 8.6% with the current monthly average loss at 9.3%. The total amount of finished water pumped in July by each plant was: Burford – 64 million gallons and Stewart – 6 million gallons.
Water billing for July 2017 was $241,523, down .5% from the previous month and down 7% from the same month for the previous year.
Sewer billing for July 2017 was $55,480, up 5% from the previous month, and down 2% from July 2016.
Total water accounts numbered 5,541 at the end of July, with 5,070 active water customers. Four construction water taps were purchased on the existing system during the month of July. There were 170 total sewer customers at the end of July. No new sewer connections were purchased during the month.
Watkins & Associates Ready Pac Invoice – Ms. Seleb reported that she had met with Shon Hampton of Watkins & Associates Engineering and explained that the Board did not feel an obligation to pay the invoice of for pre-engineering work on the Ready Pac grant project that was abandoned. She expects Watkins & Associates to request consideration of a negotiated fee.
September Board Meeting Date Change – Board members agreed to change the meeting date for September to the 19th because Ms. Seleb will be out of town on the regular second Tuesday meeting date.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for July 2017. Water operations income for July was $256,773 with $152,896 in expenses. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2018 thus far was $365 with an outflow of $6,664 for payment of the Sandy Creek Loan.
Sewer Operations income for July was $60,623 with expenses of $18,846. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $14 with $0 in expenses. To date, $1,888,948 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST, with $911,424 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of July 2017 was $9,808,614. This is $234,435 under the June 30, 2017 balance. Copies of the July 2017 financial summaries, the consolidated fund balance sheet, and the consolidated fund income statement are attached and made a part of these minutes.
Adjourn – A motion was made by Mr. Roberts to adjourn the meeting at 6:27 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.