Personnel and procedure dominated most of the discussion at Thursday’s Limestone County Water & Sewer Authority board meeting as the board voted to implement several updated policies.

Chief among those was an updated GPS policy that would apply to all LCWSA vehicles. Daryl Williamson, the utility’s chief executive officer, said though there is an existing policy, LCWSA’s human resources firm, Rocket City HR, updated it.

Williamson told board members he would like to “start back the policy and put it in functioning order” so employee workloads can be managed. He said the ability to track employee behavior behind the wheel could also benefit the utility in case he or she is involved in a crash.

A few price options were presented to the board, but Williamson preferred Verizon’s GPS service because it is the least expensive at $13,100 per year. The cost would cover 43 vehicles, and the utility’s mechanic could hard-wire the GPS tracking devices into each vehicle.

The devices would not only track an employee’s speed and location but also generate a driver report card to show how often he or she brakes hard or accelerates rapidly. The devices also have a maintenance component that can send alerts to fill low tires or change old oil.

The board ultimately approved the policy and authorized Williamson to work toward implementation. Verizon, which is on the state bid list, could get the contract subject to review by the utility’s attorney.

In a separate motion, the board voted to approve an updated employee handbook. The updated GPS policy will become a part of that book.

Elsewhere, the board voted to update the utility’s hydrant policy. Williamson said individuals, businesses and developers had been granted hydrant meters, but they were not being charged the correct amount. For example, a contractor building a subdivision or paving crews may use hydrant water to keep dust down.

“We are now going to treat a fire hydrant meter like any other meter in our system,” he said.

Engineering costs down

In reviewing year-to-date costs, Board Chairman Jim Moffatt noted engineering costs were $53,000 less than the previous year. That is partially because LCWSA cut ties last May with Hethcoat and Davis, a Tennessee-based engineering firm that previously served as the utility’s engineering firm.

The board approved a $13,806 payment to the firm Thursday as part of ongoing engineering and design work to run a pipeline to the new GE Aviation plant. The LCWSA has paid the firm $107,000 for engineering services related to the project and is on the hook for an additional $300,000.

The board voted last month to sell part of its southern service area and related infrastructure to the city of Huntsville for $5.5 million, and that would include the GE Aviation plant. Williamson hopes the LCWSA will be reimbursed by Huntsville for engineering fees paid to Hethcoat and Davis related to the GE Aviation project.