Call to Order – Chairman Marett called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m. Board members present were J.B White, Curtis Taylor, Eddie Roberts, Rick Jeffares and Bill Jones. Also present were Amber Eason, clerk to the board, Michelle Cole representing Gallagher Benefit Services and David Johnston representing Water Works Metrology. Staff members present was Alyssa Lackey, general manager.
Approval of Minutes from April 15, 2025 Meeting- Mr. Roberts made a motion to dispense with the reading of, and to adopt the minutes from the April 15, 2025 meeting, with any necessary corrections being made. This was seconded by Mr. Taylor and approved unanimously.
Renewal Options for Staff Health Insurance- Ms. Lackey presented renewal options for health insurance from Gallagher Benefit Services. The board reviewed the current renewal plan for Aetna and Aetna alternatives along with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Chamber Smart. Aetna’s current plan would increase by 10%.
Anthem Chamber Smart options were lower. They charge monthly product dues per employee on top of the premium and the Authority must be a member of the local Chamber of Commerce. Michelle informed the Board that after discussing options with Aetna, she was able to negotiate a one time admin credit of $400 per employee. At 25 employees that would be a credit of $10,000. Michelle also stated that the Authority is running at a surplus on claims and after the period ends an additional savings of $12,000 will be refunded to the Authority.
Mr. Jeffares made a motion to move forward with our current provider Aetna, option 2 with a 5% increase. This was seconded by Mr. Roberts and approved unanimously. Ms. Cole exited the meeting at 5:59pm. A copy of the renewal options are attached and made part of these minutes.
AMR Water Meter Replacements- Mr. Johnston presented a proposal for replacing the Authority’s Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system. The current AMR system replaced manually read meters in 2012 with new meters and radios. Since then, there are an estimated 800 to 1200 meters where the automatic system is malfunctioning and those numbers are increasing monthly.
Mr. Johnston stated that an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system would eliminate the need for a meter reader by transmitting data from fixed antenna system; however Water Works propagation study proved that a mixed AMR and AMI system would not be the best solution for replacement. The proposal totaled $2,785,905 for a systemwide meter replacement. Mr. White suggested to revisit the proposal at next months board meeting when all members could be present. Mr. Johnston exited the meeting at 6:20pm.
Operations Statistics – Ms. Lackey went over the water production, water loss and customer statistics for May. The average daily finished water pumped to the Authority, Jackson, and Jenkinsburg from Burford and Stewart plant was 3.09 million gallons per day, with a maximum of 3.50 million gallons per day. The rolling twelve-month average loss of 7% with the current monthly average at 28%. The total amount of finished water pumped in May by each plant was: Burford 80 million gallons and Stewart 13 million gallons.
Water billing for May was $309,837 up 28% from the previous month, up 11% over a rolling 12-month total, and down 7% the same month for the previous year. Sewer billing for May was $56.674 up 17% from the previous month, up 22% over a rolling 12-month total, and up 31% from the previous year.
Total water accounts numbered 6,892 at the end of May with 5,734 of those being active customers. There were 6 new connections sold. There were 263 total sewer accounts at the end of May, with 209 of them being active customers.
Financial Report – Ms. Lackey reviewed the financial summary for Water & Sewer Operations and Capital Recovery Fees for May 2025 and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) through April 30, 2025.
Water Operations income for May was $426,454 with expenses of $301,202. Water capital recovery fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2024 thus far was $35,282 with $0 in expenses.
Sewer Operations income for May was $84,559 with expenses of $105,640. Sewer Capital Recovery Fee revenue for Fiscal Year 2024 thus far was $40,979 with $0 in expenses.
For the 2019-25 SPLOST, $4,684,953 has been collected. A SPLOST payment of $19,114.96 was received on March 2, 2025. Overages in the 2019-24 SPLOST are being covered by temporary transfers from the Water Operations fund.
Total cash on hand at the end of May was $16,503,914. Copies of the May 2025 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. Jeffares to adjourn the meeting at 6:40 p.m. This was seconded by Mr. Taylor and approved unanimously.