Finance Committee Meeting Minutes

Glynn County Board of Commissioners

4:00 P.M., Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Third Floor Conference Room

W. Harold Pate Courthouse Annex

Brunswick, Georgia

 

 

Present:

                        Committee Members: M. Bedner, J. Chapman, and C. Fendig

Staff:  W. Davis, B. Dimeo,  M. Eckert, D. Harrison, J. Hegstrom, J. Magnant, P. McNicoll, S. Mellinger, J. Nealson, D. Newbern, R. Shell

Press:   Pam Permar, Josh Rayburn

Others:  Greenspace Committee Members

 

1. Consider approval of the Consent Agenda.

a)      Approve the January 28, 2003 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes. 

b)      Approve the real property corrections to the 2002 Digest as recommended by the Board of Assessors and/or the Chief Appraiser at their January 22, 2003 meeting. 

The following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Fendig passed unanimously.

Recommend approval of the Consent Agenda.  (Vote: 3-0-0)

2.   Consider awarding a contract to Kucera International, Willoughby, Ohio for Digital Orthophoto Imagery Services in the amount of $76,689.00 with funding to be provided by the GIS operating budget.

 

Ms. Jackie Magnant, GIS Director, stated that she has $60 thousand in her budget and $20 thousand in the Administrator’s Contingency budget which was earmarked for this item.  The following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Fendig passed unanimously.

Recommend awarding a contract to Kucera International, Willoughby, Ohio for Digital Orthophoto Imagery Services in the amount of $76,689.00 with funding to be provided by the GIS operating budget.  (Vote: 3-0-0)

 

3.   Consider

a)   approving the Greenspace Committee recommendation to allocate $250,000 from the County Greenspace Fund to help purchase the 13-acre Harrington Schoolhouse tract located along north Frederica Road,

b)   accepting the Saint Simons Land Trust statements that the environmental assessment is completed and satisfactory and there will be a clear title upon their purchase of the property,

c)      approving the Greenspace Committee recommendation to allocate $4,402 to pay for the environmental assessment of the property, and  

d)      directing staff to not pay the $250,000 from the Greenspace Fund until the date of property closing. 

 

Dick Newbern, Grants Administrator, presented this item and Mr. Mark Eckert, County Administrator, stated that the Schoolhouse tract is located along South Harrington Road instead of Frederica Road.  After discussion, the following motion made by Commissioner Fendig and seconded by Commissioner Bedner passed with Commissioner Chapman voting against the motion.

 

 

Recommend

a)      approving the Greenspace Committee recommendation to allocate $250,000 from the County Greenspace Fund to help purchase the 13-acre Harrington Schoolhouse tract located along South Harrington Road,

b)     accepting the Saint Simons Land Trust statements that the environmental assessment is completed and satisfactory and there will be a clear title upon their purchase of the property,

c)      approving the Greenspace Committee recommendation to allocate $4,402 to pay for the environmental assessment of the property, and  

d)     directing staff to not pay the $250,000 from the Greenspace Fund until the date of property closing.  (Vote: 2-1-0)

 

4.   Consider awarding a contract with Atlanta Building Maintenance, Inc. of Alpharetta, Georgia to perform custodial services at the New Courthouse, Public Safety Complex, and Public Works for the sum of $113,600, renewable annually, not to exceed three (3) years. 

 

Mr. Jay Nealson, Facilities Manager, stated that bids were received from three companies but that two of those were considered non-responsive because they did not provide a bid bond as required in the bid specifications.  He recommended that the bid be awarded to the only responsive bidder.  Commissioner Chapman stated that he needed more information before he was ready to vote on this item.  The following motion made by Commissioner Fendig and seconded by Commissioner Bedner passed with Commissioner Chapman abstaining.

Recommend awarding a contract with Atlanta Building Maintenance, Inc. of Alpharetta, Georgia to perform custodial services at the New Courthouse, Public Safety Complex, and Public Works for the sum of $113,600, renewable annually, not to exceed three (3) years.  (Vote: 2-0-1)

 

5.   Consider awarding the bid for the construction of the influent pump station and grit auger to T&A Industrial Contractors of Valdosta, GA, the low bidder, in the amount of $738,386 with funding to be provided by the Water & Sewer revenue bond. 

 

Mr. Ray Shell, Utilities Manager, presented this item.  He stated that the engineering estimate for this project was $540 thousand with and contingency of $60 thousand.  There was some concern among Committee members about the large variance between the low bidder and the next highest bidder.  Ms. Beth Dimeo, Engineer in Training, discussed how the staff checked references on the low bidder.  Mr. Shell stated that he had interviewed the firm and he was convinced that they were qualified to do the job and that their approach was correct.  After further discussion Chairman Bedner referred this item to the full Board of Commissioners with a the direction to staff to provide a full report to the Board concerning the evaluation of the project bidders. 

No recommendation from Finance Committee.

 

6.   Consider declaring the non-repairable fire hydrants as surplus and authorize Utilities Management to sell these hydrants as scrap iron with all proceeds from the sale returning to the Water & Sewer Operating fund. 

 

The following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Fendig passed unanimously.

Recommend declaring the non-repairable fire hydrants as surplus and authorize Utilities Management to sell these hydrants as scrap iron with all proceeds from the sale returning to the Water & Sewer Operating fund.  (Vote: 3-0-0)

 

7.   Consider approving the use of a combination of Facilities Management funding, reduction of Building Space and SPLOST 4, Tier 1 for the Health Building Project.  It is proposed that building space reduction will provide a minimum of $100,000 towards the fee for oversight services provided by Lee Design & Management Group and the remainder, if necessary, be taken from Facilities Management Building Evaluation budget. 

 

Mr. Mark Eckert, County Administrator, presented this item.  Chairman Bedner questioned whether $132 thousand was LDMG’s best and final offer and asked staff to request a reduction in their price for this project.  After further discussion the following motion made by Commissioner Chapman and seconded by Commissioner Fendig passed unanimously.

Direct staff to request from Lee Design & Management Group a reduction in their proposed fee for managing the Health Building Project and present a recommendation to the full Board of Commissioners.  (Vote:  3-0-0)

 

 

8.   Receive a report on moneys collected for solid waste collection services. 

 

Ms. Phyllis McNicoll, Finance Director, informed the Committee that 16,656 garbage collection customers were in the County’s database.  Recycling and Yard Debris customers had increased to 791 and 872, respectively.  The usage of the drop-off centers in January was not high enough to cover the cost of operating the Centers.  It was stated that January is typically a low volume month and staff would have better estimates by April or May.  Chairman Bedner had questioned the overflow bag process and Ms. McNicoll stated that the County was not involved in the sale of the bags.  Southland provides the bags to the stores and received revenue from the stores directly for sales of bags.  Chairman Bedner requested that staff continue to present a quarterly Solid Waste Collection report to the Finance Committee.

No Finance Committee action.

 

9.   Request that Chairman Bedner identify the Finance Committee items which should be included as consent items in the Commission’s Meeting Agenda.

 

Chairman Bedner identified items 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 as consent items.  Item 3 is referred to the full Board of Commissioners with a recommendation from the Finance Committee and items 5 and 7 are referred to the full Board of Commissioners with no recommendations from the Finance Committee.