Call to Order – Chairman White called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. Board members present were J. B. White, Eddie Roberts, Jr., Eddie Ford, & Harvey Norris. Staff members present were Marcie Seleb, general manager, and Alyssa Hopson, clerk to the board.
Approval of Minutes from February 12, 2019 Meeting – Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to approve, the minutes from the February 12, 2019 meeting. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.
Award Hwy. 16W/Liberty II Sewer Bid – Ms. Seleb reported six bids were received for the Liberty II Sewer Project. Pyles Plumbing & Utility contractors submitted the lowest bid at $216,410. A motion to award the bid was made by Mr. Ford. This was seconded by Mr. Norris and approved unanimously. Mr. White abstained due to conflict of interest. A copy of the award letter is attached and made a part of these minutes.
Forsyth Hotel Management Funding Hwy. 16 – Ms. Seleb presented a commitment-to-lend letter from a bank for the Holiday Inn Express hotel planned by Forsyth Hotel Management. The Authority had agreed to proceed with engineering to run a sewer line from Jackson Road to the site’s property line once funding for the hotel was documented. A motion was made by Mr. Norris to proceed with engineering. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. A copy of the letter is attached and made a part of these minutes.
New Account for 2019-2024 SPLOST – Ms. Seleb reported that United Bank will administer 2019-2024 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) money, including distribution of funds to participating entities. This requires the Authority to open a new account. Mr. Roberts made a motion to open the new bank account at United Bank. This was seconded Mr. Norris and approved unanimously.
Manager’s Report
Drinking Water ‘Violation’ – Ms. Seleb reported the Authority received a letter of noncompliance dated February 27, 2019 for failure to monitor disinfection by-products. Quarterly disinfection by-product samples weren’t taken in June 2018 because sample bottles were not received by the Authority from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) lab. EPD staff had previously informed Water Production Superintendent Herbert Head that the violation would be removed from the Authority’s record. According to the letter, the Authority has one year from the date of the noncompliance letter to inform all water customers of the violation by mail. Ms. Seleb and attorney Will White plan to visit EPD on April 8th to negotiate the issue. A copy of the noncompliance letter is attached and made a part of these minutes.
GovDeals Equipment Sale – Ms. Seleb reported the Authority sold four surplus trucks for a total of $10,677.53 on the GovDeals web auction site. GovDeals receives a 7.5% fee. A copy of the fee invoice is attached to the minutes and includes details on the individual trucks and their sales prices.
Employee Termination – Ms. Seleb reported the Authority terminated employment of water plant operator Marlon Moore on February 21, 2019.
April Board Meeting – The Board meeting date for April was changed to the 16th to give Ms. Seleb more time to prepare for the meeting.
Construction – Ms. Seleb reported the Authority’s crew has completed work on the Barnes Road extension. The T.W. Leverette Road water main extension is underway. Projects set to begin the next few weeks include Airstrip Road and Hwy. 16 West to the Spalding County line.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Seleb reviewed water production, water loss and customer statistics for February. The average daily finished water pumped to the Authority, Jackson and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plants was 1.9 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 2.2 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss was 11.1% with the current monthly average loss at -3.7%. The total amount of finished water pumped in February by each plant was: Burford – 48 million gallons and Stewart – 6 million gallons.
Water billing for February was $234,251, down 5% from the previous month and up 13% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for February was $53,588, down 12% from the previous month and down 6% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 5,644 at the end of February with 5,164 active water customers. Two subdivision water meters were purchased on the existing system.
There were 187 total sewer accounts at the end of February. One sewer connection was purchased on the existing system.
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 2019.
Water operations income for February was $268,296 with $150,267 in expenses. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2019 thus far was $20,370.
Sewer Operations income for February was $59,809 with expenses of $33,553. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2019 thus far was $10,883 with $0 in expenses. To date, $2,759,166 has been collected in 2013-18 SPLOST revenue, with $2,526,706 expended.
Total cash on hand at the end of January was $10,196,521. This is $489,007 under the June 30, 2018 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. Norris to adjourn the meeting at 6:25 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Ford and approved unanimously.