County Considers Billing for JCWSA
The Jasper County Commission last week heard from Frank Sherrill, engineer for the Jasper County Water & Sewer Authority (JCSWA), about the county taking over the billing as well as maintenance for the service.
The county would handle the billing in house, and would sub out maintenance calls. Basically, the county would be the go-between with the customer and the service provider. The JCWSA would approve three sets of subcontractors so that there would be someone available to fix a leak or handle whatever work order was generated. The county would receive the call, and issue a work order for whatever is needed.
The city of Monticello has handled billing and maintenance for the JCWSA for years, but it is no longer conducive for the city to do so. The city was paid for its service, and the county would be paid for its service. Mr. Sherrill said the county was a natural ally for the authority.
Mr. Sherrill also talked about the age of some of the meters, saying they need to be replaced. The Georgia Environmental Facilities Association (GEFA) would likely loan the money for the project at a low interest rate, but GEFA does not meet again until January. Mr. Sherrill said they were interested in fast-tracking the meter replacement, and indicated they would like to move ahead and borrow the money locally to be repaid by the GEFA loan. The county would have to endorse the loan.
Mr. Sherrill explained that with the radio read meters, if they were all working, the meter reading for the 380 customers only takes about half a day. However, with manual reads the work may expand into as much as two full days. The county manager had worked up a spreadsheet showing how resources would be allocated to handle the work, emphasizing that the actual cost to the county would be low, because the labor costs are on paper only, as no new staff would be added to perform the service.
There are currently nearly 100 meters that need replacing, and Mr. Sherrill had figures for replacing some or all of the meters. He expressed an interest in going ahead and replacing 240, then doing 40-50 annually.
Commissioners questioned borrowing money for the project, and asked if there were grants available. Mr. Sherrill indicated there are not. Since JCWSA has experienced financial difficulty in the past, the commissioners asked about the ability to pay back the money.
Mr. Sherrill said by entering a contract with the county and doing the meter project the authority’s expenses will go down, and they have raised rates. “We don’t anticipate a problem going forward,” he said.
The discussion took place during a work session prior to the called meeting Wednesday, Oct. 15. When the item came up on the regular agenda, commissioners voted to table any action until they could do more research.
During the meeting, commissioners voted to adopt the recreation plan. The adoption does not commit any funds, merely shows the commissioners agree with the overall plan, and puts the county in position to receive grant funds. Commissioner Craig Salmon commented that the plan is a vision for the recreation facilities.
During the public comment section of the meeting, Charles Forsythe had suggested the county not adopt the plan as the cost to the county could be phenomenal.
Also during the public comment session, Mary Patrick suggested the county add safety enhancements of some kind to the intersection of Bethel Church Road and Hwy. 212 west. There was a fatal accident there the previous week, and she said there had been numerous accidents. Commissioners agreed to look into what enhancements could be done by the county, and consider approaching the state.
Carolyn McCurdy, another resident, spoke during public comments, and said she didn’t know why the county would consider taking on more responsibility when there are already problems in house, apparently referring to the county taking over the billing for JCWSA.
Another item on the agenda was building permits for Thomas Persons Hall. Apparently the contractor failed to get permits before beginning work, and the county policy is the cost of permits is double if not obtained in advance of work beginning. The commissioners said to follow the policy.
Commissioners also approved numerous budget adjustments to close out Fiscal year 2014, which ended June 30. Money is being moved from contingency to Superior Court and the District Attorney to offset budget shortfalls. In addition numerous funds had to be moved to re-allocate as employees did not have to take furlough days for three months in the fiscal year.
County Manager Karen Degges informed commissioners that a low coast spay/neuter clinic is planned next month at animal control.
