Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:40 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Eddie Ford and Harvey Norris. Staff members present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from February 13, 2018 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of and to approve the minutes from the February meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Select Engineer for Water and Sewer Extensions on GA Hwy. 16 – Ms. Seleb reported three engineering proposals for water and sewer extensions on Hwy. 16 were received. Based upon review ratings by herself and superintendent Rus Nail, Ms. Seleb recommended Ingram and Associates for the work. Mr. Ford made a motion to accept Ingram and Associates’ proposal to do this engineering work for a price not to exceed $54,428 and to provide subcontracted rock exploration work for a price of $7,500. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved by affirmative votes from Mr. Norris, Mr. Roberts, and Mr. Ford. Mr. White abstained due to business interests he has in the project area. A copy of the proposal is attached and made part of these minutes.
Award Bid for Bucksnort Land Application System (LAS) Field Expansion – Ms. Seleb reported three bids were received for the LAS Expansion. Legacy Water Group submitted the lowest bid at $1,213,481.32. Ms. Seleb suggested possible contract changes to reduce costs including no burial of two-inch pipe and potential purchase of materials at a lower price. The board directed Ms. Seleb to negotiate the cost changes before award of the contract. A copy of the bid tabulation is attached and made part of these minutes.
Ms. Seleb also reported that the Authority has no agreement with Rindt-McDuff for engineering services during construction of the LAS expansion. Rindt-McDuff Engineering Firm has offered these services at an hourly fee estimated to total $5,274 monthly. Ms. Seleb recommended that the Authority set a total “not-to-exceed price”, without prior approval by the Board, in the agreement equal to six months estimated cost, or $31,644. A motion to accept the agreement as revised was made by Mr. Roberts. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Burt Jones joined the meeting.
Outsourcing of Bill Printing – Ms. Seleb presented prices for outsourced bill printing using full page bills with return address envelopes from Arista and Harris. The total cost per month from Arista would be $2,614 and Harris $2,848 a month. Arista also offers e-bills, integrated credit card payments, online billing history accessible to customers, and multiple bill consolidation into one envelope for customers with several accounts. Ms. Seleb recommended entering an agreement with Arista with July 2018 as the planned date to switch billing formats. Mr. Norris made a motion to sign a two-year contract with Arista with services as proposed. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Select Backflow Prevention Inspection Firm – Ms. Seleb presented four bids received from backflow prevention inspection firms. BLBC Associates had the lowest bid at $50.00 per inspection of industrial and commercial customers. Mr. Roberts made a motion to accept the BLBC bid. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously. A copy of the bids are attached and made part of these minutes.
CCR Environmental Proposal for Watershed Monitoring – Ms. Seleb reported that continued water quality monitoring is required in the Towaliga watershed in order to keep the Bucksnort LAS permit. CCR Environmental submitted an $8,330 proposal for long term biological and habitat monitoring. A motion was made by Mr. Ford to accept the CCR proposal. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously.
Yancey Proposal for Generator Maintenance – Ms. Seleb presented a five-year proposal from Yancey Power Systems for generator maintenance which totaled $41,524.08. Yancey will maintain seven system generators with twice yearly basic service, annual oil changes, and annual load bank testing of water system generators. Mr. Roberts made a motion to accept Yancey’s proposal. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. A copy of the proposal is attached and made part of these minutes.
Manager’s Report
Update on Consolidation Charter Committee – Mr. Norris reported the first meeting was March 15, 2018. There was a presentation from an Association of County Commissioners of Georgia representative and officers were elected as follows: David Nester, Chairman, Harry Norris – Vice Chairman, Mike Patterson – Secretary/Treasurer. The committee will meet twice a month to develop a charter for a consolidated local government.
Litter Trap – Ms. Seleb reported that the $75,000 Seed Grant for the South River litter trap grant was approved by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. This grant is contingent upon the community raising the total funds needed to pay for the $360,000 trap. Ms. Seleb will open an escrow account for contributions.
Caldwell Tank – Ms. Seleb reported Caldwell Tank final bill was incorrect. The Authority owes an additional $49,517. Board members directed her to pay the amount due.
Water Service to Monroe County – Ms. Seleb stated that Monroe County staff has contacted her about potential revisions to the current water sales agreement for the High Falls area. After a general discussion, she was directed to set up a meeting with Monroe County officials.
Bob Thomas Road Water Line Layout – The project was placed on hold until property owners grant an easement or when the road is paved with sufficient right of way to install a water main.
University of Central Florida (UCF) Presentation Meeting – The University of Central Florida study is complete. A presentation is scheduled for April 24th.
Rescheduled Joint Government Meeting – The joint government meeting was changed because of the charter committee meeting. The tentative date for a rescheduled meeting is April 12th.
2017 Water Audit – Ms. Seleb presented the annual water audit. The joint water system had an Infrastructure Leakage Index of .39 with a validity score of 69 out of 100.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb reviewed water production, water loss and customer statistics for February. The average daily finished water pumped in February to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 2.0 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.2 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 11.5% with the current monthly average loss at 6.7%. The total amount of finished water pumped in February by each plant was: Burford – 51 million gallons and Stewart – 5 million gallons.
Water billing for February was $206,666, down 16% from the previous month and down 7% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for February was $56,907, up 3% from the previous month and down 14% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 5,567 at the end of February with 5,094 active water customers. Four new water taps were purchased on the existing system. Two subdivision meters were purchased during the month.
There were 177 total sewer accounts at the end of February, with 177 of those being active customers. Zero new sewer connections were purchased during the month.
Financial Report – Ms. Seleb reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations, Capital Recovery Fees, and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for February 2018. Water operations income for February was $225,083 with $192,159 in expenses. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2018 thus far was $11,591 with an outflow of $53,312 for payment of the Sandy Creek Loan.
Sewer Operations income for February was $59,109 with expenses of $25,359. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for the fiscal year thus far was $25,507 with $0 in expenses. To date, $2,205,317 has been collected in 2013-19 SPLOST, with $ 1,179,530 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of February was $10,110,729. This is $57,680 over the June 30, 2017 balance. Copies of the February 2018 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 6:35 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Jones and approved unanimously.