Brantley County New Recreation Park Starting to Take Shape

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Commission Focuses on Debt and Developing Projects‏

In the regular meeting of the Brantley County Commission last week, the Commissioners tackled a long list of items in almost record time. With the meetings streamlined and properly organized, the Commissioners' ability to focus on policy is beginning to show results.

On the Consent Agenda the Commission voted to:

1. Adopt a resolution to return property to Cheryl Lynch on Waynesville Road that was not needed for Right of Way (ROW), as Scott Lynch has donated property across the road and the road design has been adjusted.
2. Appoint Greg O'Quinn to the Coastal Advisory Council.
3. Re-appoint Chad Scruggs and Pat Evans to the Recreation Advisory Council, leaving only one vacant position that may later be filled by Mr. Hagen of Schlatterville.
4. Re-appoint Michael Hickox and Virginia Barber to the Library Board.
5. Purchase the Volvo road grader that has been test driven for the last few weeks, which was the low bid tractor which met the county specifications. The County Manager was empowered to make application to the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utility Services (RUS) for a $50,000 and 7 year 4% loan funds for the remainder of the cost of the tractor. This is a real win-win for the County if he is successful obtaining this grant, which was brought to the County by Ms. Reich.
6. Approved entering into an agreement with Ecological Planning Group (who's representative is Courtney Reich) to write grants for the County.
7. Approved Golden Isles Engineering Consultants to provide Engineering Services for the Coastal Incentive Grant process.

On the regular agenda, the Commissioners discussed the following items and took the appropriate action on same:

The County Manager was asked to solicit volunteers from different neighborhoods, churches, and social circles to serve on the "Complete Count Committee" to support the Census Count. Getting this count correct and the associated information is critical for Brantley County as it determines how Brantley ranks when grants are applied for. Mailers will go out twice and if those are not completed and returned, your house will be flagged for a physical visit. They will visit up to 7 times to try and get the information. So, the best thing to do is complete the 10 question form, which takes about 10 minutes, and stick it back in the mail.

The Commissioners agreed to allow Commissioner Summerlin and representatives from the Recreation Board and staff to design a concrete walking track at the Schlatterville park using the funds that are set aside for that park in designated capital account. Those funds have to be used for Schlattervillle as that was assigned by previous Commissioners. Prison labor and local volunteers will be utilized to hold down costs so that the County only has to purchase the concrete, which will not exceed designated funds. Mr. Summerlin vowed to oversee this process personally.

A public rally ordinance & application process was reviewed and approved. This ordinance will assign structure to private groups interested in using County property for peaceful demonstrations with 50 or more people in attendance. This will not impact civic organizations and the like. With this in place, organizations that wish to use Brantley County property after January 1, 2010 will have to complete an application process and provide the County with information so that proper facilities, security, etc, can be planned and acquired.

The Commissioners approved for the County Manager and the Chairman to put together the necessary funds to pay off the $3.1 million TAN loan acquired in early 2010. About 1/3 of these funds were used to operate the County this year. The bank that provided the lowest interest rate required the County to draw down ALL of the $3.1 million, even though it was not needed, costing the County a significant amount of unnecessary interest. So, this was not the cheapest alternative. The good news is that the County still has $2.3 million of that $3.1 million in the bank, and there is only one more payroll and 2 weeks of Accounts Payable to manage. A separate account has been set up for the deposit of next year's tax money so that a proper accounting of how much of next year's tax money is used to pay off this year's debt. This will give the County the measurement of how much of a loan will be required to operate next year. The goal has always been to pay at least $1 million on the debt, hold the millage rate steady and make progress on roads, recreation, etc, using SPLOST dollars. That goal appears to be easily obtainable. But, all departments have been asked to hold all spending to an absolute minimum over the next 3 weeks.

The appointments to the Future Land Use Management Advisory board were made. George Skarpolaza, Richard McKinna, Gary Johns and Amy Schlutze were appointed and Commissioner Summerlin was to contact the Clerk on the following morning with his nominee. This committee will work with a handful of others and various boards and staff to develop the land use outline which was a deliverable in the grant that was acquired through DNR last year. This has to be completed by October 2010.

The Commissioners agreed to renew the contract with the Ware Correctional Institute for inmate labor. With a change in leadership on the prison detail, previous concerns by the Board have been rectified and alternatives were not readily available. The Sheriff is more than willing to work during 2010 to develop our own inmate labor force but since his inmates are "detainees" and not "convicted inmates" the process is different. The Sheriff is using inmate labor to clean up around the current recreation park and jail facility and is more than willing to expand that scope once we are able to work out the details and get that detail properly equipped and staff to manage them. With the savings that the County is seeing from using the Ware inmates for items that were previously expensed, this was a sound financial move.

The Commissioners discussed the "Dangerous Dog Ordinance" which defines the process that should be followed if a dog attacks a human being. Mr. Peter Bugalino Sr. was appointed as the dog control officer, but all calls should go through 911 or the Sheriff's office if a dog bites a human being and assistance is needed. Calls should NOT go directly to the dog control officer. Possible modifications to the ordinance are being considered to modernize it. The County Manager and Clerk were empowered to purchase the necessary equipment for this agent. The Chairman discussed with the Sheriff the possibility of a dog holding facility being built at the jail so that inmate labor could be used to feed and manage any dog that attacked a human being and was acquired by the dog control officer. He was fine with that and discussions are under way to define the requirements for such a facility (based on code sections) and exactly where the Sheriff could put such a facility within his compound. This is a very economical approach to what is hoped to be a rare occasion.

The Commissioners agreed to apply for a DNR grant with Ms. Jennifer Kline of DNR to provide public access to the river. There are some properties that have already been offered for donation to the County and an evaluation would have to be completed by DNR to see if they are suitable. If this works, out they could serve as part of the County "match" for the grant. The goal is to acquire Right of Way and river access for a project that would include the installation of a public boat ramp. This would be completed with grant funds and will not impact local tax dollars.

The County Manager gave an update on several items. One was a bid for the collection of garbage using our existing dumpster system. Advanced Disposal was the low bidder and received that award. The County Manager was asked to get the contract over to the County Attorney for review. All new dumpsters will be installed and this contract includes their cleaning up the dump sites at least one time each weekly. Their bid was $498,288, which is somewhat less than the amount the County is currently paying, and significantly lower than the second place bidder.

Modifications to the hours of operation at the landfill at Smyrna were discussed. Effective February 1st 2010, the landfill hours of operation will be changed. Look for the new hours of operation as they will be posted in the newspaper over the next two months. The manpower currently assigned to the second shift at the landfill will be reassigned within the road department.

Beginning immediately, the Recreation department will only be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8 hours a day. This is only a change in the hours, reducing them from 10 to 8 hours. The extra hours will be spent ensuring that recreation department staff is on-site at concession stands and gates to ensure the proper accountability of funds that come through the recreation department.

Members of the Atkinson Volunteer Fire Department had asked if they could take over the maintenance and upkeep of the voting building that is located on the property there. The goal is to use it for some of their meetings and for some of the civic meetings like Cub Scouts, etc. that meet in the area. The Commission agreed with this, but asked the County Manager to discuss this with the Voter Registrar and her Board prior to making a commitment to the fire department.

Bids were opened for the A/C for the new records building (the old Chamber of Commerce Building) that is needed to complete that project. Baker Heating and Air won that bid. Hopefully this project will be completed and the hall of the Courthouse will be cleaned out starting the first of the year.

The Brantley County Commission meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. at the County Office building for their work session, where the agenda for the regular session is developed, and on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Brantley County Courthouse for their regular meeting. For more information, monitor this web site, attend one of these sessions or review the video that is provided compliments of BTC Communications.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

BTC Video by Robby Thomas

Road Construction Meeting

The Road Construction meeting was held last night and updates were given by engineers, surveyors, contractors, utility providers and County Manager, Parrish Barwick.

The Waynesville Road Project is underway with right of way (ROW) clearing underway. This will take 45-60 days depending on weather and due to the Christmas break. Phase II under development and all utility contractors (EMC and BTC) are involved with these updates. The County received the "okay" from the State to go across 121 to Waynesville West and pave in front of the new Atkinson Upper Elementary School. This will help the buses, parents and teachers that are driving on the dirt road in and out every day. The ROW for this section is being secured from the school and two land owners across from the school. The State also allowed some subset of the $300,000 that was allocated to Waynesville West to be applied to Waynesville East and maybe even Buster Walker. If this actually happens, it will be a real blessing.

Buster Walker ROW continues to be a challenge. The team is down to a hand full of negotiations over items that will come to closure but the biggest issue is land owners from out of town that are failing to respond to any communication attempt. They may lead the County to the condemnation process that is lengthy and expensive. Some new approaches are being attempted that will hopefully bring a good result. No
progress can be made on Buster Walker until a "certificate of
authentication of ROW" can be issued by the attorney.

The attorney has letters ready to be mailed for Satilla Church Road ROW and Boots Harrison ROW. These will be mailed out by the end of December, according to updates given at the meeting. Once all right of way is acquired, bids will be let for phase 1 of these two projects. Meetings with key property owners on Satilla Church and Boots Harrison road have already taken place.

The Mt. Calvary project is in the initial design phase. Since the original DOT scope was to only connect the two pieces of pavement on that road, this is a very small project. In fact it is less that 0.2 miles. It will be very difficult to get a crew to seriously consider this small of a job. The team felt that extending this pavement so that it connects to High Bluff Rock Road would be work investigating. The engineer will review the topographical design and water flows and the surveyor will canvas the area and see how many property owners there are and how much ROW might be needed for this phase of the project.

The Dude Circle project was discussed. The surveyors have completed field work and will deliver their findings to the engineers so that they can begin work. There is only one land owner involved. which is one of the timber companies. They will regain ownership of the old road in exchange for the ROW on the new road. The Dude Circle Road will be straightened so that there is only one gentle curve that aligns with the existing paving on Burton Street. Many of you may remember the fiasco
that took place when CSX closed the rail crossing earlier this year. With no paved bypass, this created a nightmare in a very short time frame. For this reason this is being given a priority. The team is considering a similar approach to the crossing in Hortense as 32 was equally impacted. In fact, it may have been worse as the detour was longer and in less desirable condition.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

Commissioners Begin to Wind Down the Year

In the Work Session Tuesday night the Commissioners covered a wide variety of items from roads to reindeer.

Ferrell Malone from the Census Bureau came by and made a presentation to the Board on the upcoming census. The County needs to appoint a "Complete County Committee" to help ensure that a complete and accurate count of Brantley County folks. The Census Bureau will be sending out mailers with only 10 questions that take 10 minutes to complete and return. Completing this information will really help the County when they apply for grants and other assistance if we have an accurate count. If you don't fill out the mailer and return it, a second one will be mailed. If you fail to send that one in, then they will send out people to knock on your door. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

An update on the Road Construction projects was next. The Baker Creek Road project has had the flowcrete and cap material installed. Once the compaction is tested and the weather cooperates, paving will begin. The Right of Way clearing contracts for Waynesville Road have been approved by the attorney and will be executed tomorrow. They will start work on the road in 2 to 3 weeks. The Right of Way acquisition on Buster Walker Road is still under way. The Right of Way and design work on Boots Harrison is almost complete. Right of Way acquisition and design work is under way for Satilla Church Road in Hortense. Survey work is being complete on Mt Calvary Road and the Dude Circle Connector. When the CSX crossing on 82 was closed last summer and all the rains came, the increased traffic around Dude Circle demonstrated a real need to manage this traffic better. By connecting the pavement at Dude Circle with the pavement near the housing projects, the County will create a bypass that can be used in the event of another issue at this primary crossing on 82. The survey work and pre-engineering are under way for Mt. Calvary Road and the Twin Oaks Park entrance.

The Recreation Park construction project, Phase I is nearing completion. Immediately, Phase II will begin where the infields and outfields will be completed with irrigation and drainage. County Manager, Parrish Barwick, reported that conversations with Plum Creek on the additional irrigation pond/property is ongoing. The lake is about 8 acres and will provide enough irrigation that the additional irrigation wells will not be necessary. A simple crossover pipe will be installed between the two ponds and a sump pump used to irrigate the new ball fields or manage levels between the pond. The really good news is that there is DNR grant money for the purchase of the property and the installation of a "nature trail" for educational purpose. The challenge is going to be how the County finds the money for the lights for the new fields. The Okefenoke REMC has offered to install the light poles if we choose poles consistent with their equipment. Golden Isles Engineering is completing an illumination study based on the field designs, which will define the number and power of lights that are needed at the desired elevation.

The Board discussed bids for the walking track at the Schlatterville Recreation Park. One Commissioner desired to have the County employees prepare the surface and base material and limit the purchase to only paving. The County Manager is going back to the drawing board for another solution. There is capital outlay money available for the Schlatterville Park in the amount of approximately $9000. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

The Commission discussed a public Rally Ordinance that would define the application and permit process as well as the other requirements to use public property for Rallies. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

The payment of the Operating TAN loan was discussed. The County Manager is getting payoffs and procedures for payment and will have them at the regular meeting. The County still expects to be able to pay $1 million or more on the $3.1 million in operating capital that was borrowed in March. Tax payers are encouraged to pay their taxes by the end of the year to allow the County to generate enough money to pay off the Tax Anticipation Note (TAN). The County still has over $2 million in the General Fund but we have to operate through the month of December. The revenues from back taxes and unanticipated revenues will derive how much the County will be able to pay on the debt. The ENTIRE debt must be paid by December 31st. Then the County will have to anticipate how much money will be needed to operate in 2010 and secure those funds. These items were placed on the regular agenda.

All County Commissioners will must bring their nominations for the Future Land Use Technical Advisory Committee to the Regular Meeting.

The County's contract with Ware Correctional Institute for inmate work was discussed. The County Manager is discussing using our local inmates with the Sheriff. The challenge is in the reduced pool of inmates to pull from at the local facility and the fact that many of these are detainees and are less likely to volunteer for this work detail. If an insufficient number of inmates were available, work would go undone. The County Manager will prepare the alternatives and bring them to the Board. Ware County is pushing for a contract, as the previous contract ended this summer. This was placed on the regular agenda.

A Dangerous Dog Control Officer was the next topic. Mike Edgy had approached an individual from his area who was willing to consider the role, but needed more information. Mike will provide the candidate with more information and the Chairman will discuss detention alternatives for any dogs that land in County custody with the Sheriff. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

Commissioner Q'Quinn was nominated to serve on the Coastal Advisory Council, where former Commissioner Hunter had served. This item was placed on the Consent Agenda.

Recreation Advisory Committee members Pat Evans and Chad Scruggs asked to be reappointed to the committee. This item was placed on the Consent Agenda. Scott Studstill resigned from the Recreation Advisory Committee. Dick Hagen came to the meeting to list his qualifications and interest in potentially serving. But, he asked for the opportunity to attend one of the committee meetings. So, the filling of the position was placed on the January Work Session.

Michael Hickox and Virgina Barber agreed to serve another term on the Library Board. This item was placed on the Consent Agenda.

The County Manager gave a very thorough update on a variety of items listed below:

1. The Volvo road grader is performing well. The County put the purchase of this item on the Consent agenda.
2. The RFPs for dumpster garbage collection were opened at 2pm today and more review was needed. The County Manager will bring a recommendation to the regular meeting. This was placed on the regular agenda.
3. The EMS updated included that they will move to their new facility once EMA has completed their transition to the new facility. Issues with the ATT telephone lines and new telephone equipment have stalled the migration to the new building and system, which is now slated for 8:30 Monday, December 7th. The new ambulance that was purchased with Grant funds will be delivered and placed into service in the next two weeks. Specifications for the new Substation in Schlatterville for EMS are being reviewed so that alternatives can be reviewed with the County Manager and the board in January and February. The completion of this process will be a lengthy process, so some data gathering is already under way. EMS is now transferring old debt to the collection agency that won the County's service. 2006 debt has been turned over, 2007 and 2008 will be close behind. Moving forward, after 4 attempts to collect EMS debt are unsuccessful, the debt will be turned over to collection. So, no debt older than 6 months should be on the County's books moving forward.
4. Landfill hours of operation were discussed, as we are staying open after dark now to receive trees and limbs (inert material) which is all that our landfill can receive. The County Manager will discuss this with the employees and bring some alternatives to the regular meeting. This item was placed on the regular agenda.
5. The hours of operation for the Recreation department were also discussed. With our working 10 hours days now and closed on Wednesday, we aren't properly utilizing Recreation Department employees. With opportunities to reduce the number of hours of part time employees, this seemed like a good area for analysis. The County Manager had some suggestions that he will formalize and bring to the Commission at the regular meeting. This was placed on the regular agenda.
6. Brantley has the opportunity to pursue multiple grants for everything from Courthouse renovation to new road graders, trash trucks, dump trucks/equipment, office space, etc. A specification for the renovation of the Courthouse Roof was delivered by Golden Isles Engineering and reviewed by the Board. The development of this grant list and the approval of the Courthouse Roof Spec was placed on the regular agenda. The spec for the roof, if approved will be floated in the remainder of December and January, with contracts let in January and work completed during the month of February prior to the Spring rains. This item was placed on a regular agenda.
7. A Master Services Agreement with Ecological Planning Group (Courtney Reich and company) was placed on the Consent Agenda. His work with the USDA has already put the County in line for hundreds of thousands of grants and low interest loans to purchase equipment or complete a number of projects that are on the County's radar screen.
8. A quote for services from Golden Isles Engineering to participate in the Coastal Incentive Grant project was placed on the Consent Agenda. Their services are required, based on the definition of the grant.

Mary Gibson gave a report on the airport. The dirt work is complete and the County surveyor is double checking the elevations. She expects work to be wrapping up down there soon. Jeannie Boland has lined up a possible candidate who is interested in utilizing space at the airport for business purposes. A meeting is being held next week for her to hand off this lead to the airport authority.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

Chairman's Corner

Taxes....

Well by know most of you have received your tax bills or you will. And yes, they are higher than last year because the Governor had to abandon the Homestead Relief Tax Grant (HRTG) that you heard so much about this summer. That made the bills go up.

The County Commission this year reduced the "local effort" by over $250,000. This is defined by taking the total County expense budget and subtracting the anticipated revenue budget from other sources. That represents a tax reduction of about 1/2 of a mill. But all that was blown away with the fact that the state took away the HRTG credits.

What I can tell you is that this Commission has worked very hard to reduce the burden on the taxpayer, but while we were handed a $3.1 million debt from the previous administration, millions owed in back taxes, equipment that was falling down around our ears and many other challenges, it has been an uphill battle. Comparing Brantley taxes to Glynn, Wayne and Ware is comparing apples to oranges. These neighboring counties have major factories with hundreds of millions of dollars in Industrial Assets on their tax roles that cause those industries to pay a significant portion of their county's operating expenses. Brantley's Industrial Tax Digest is less than 1% of our total taxable property value in the County. This is exactly why you hear County leaders constantly saying that we need industry in Brantley County to help relieve the burden on the residential tax payers and to put more money in our local economy. That industry is coming, based on a lot of effort and focus put on that this year.

On another note I'd like to say that the Commission is only responsible for setting the County millage rate. The School Board sets their own millage, which was also basically unchanged this year. The Tax Assessors office is responsible for assigning the value to your property. Now, the Board of Commissioners appoints the members of the Tax Assessor's Board, but that board operates independent of the County Commissioners and is responsible for the operation of that office. The value of your property has a direct reflection on what you pay in taxes as well.

The Tax Commissioner and her group are only responsible for billing and taking up the taxes. Where they are too often the face on the process, I'd beg you not to beat these poor ladies up and take your anger out on them. They just mail the bills and take up the money, and Mrs. Pat is doing a great job. For every dollar in Back Taxes she takes up, that is another dollar we can put on the $3.1 million in debt that doesn't have to come from you who have kept your taxes current. Yes, the County waived interest and penalties on back taxes through December 31st. We did this to try and create an incentive for those who owe back taxes to come in and pay. You see, we are paying interest of 2.68% on $3.1 million operating loan. We are waving 1% on the outstanding tax bill to get them to pay their back taxes ASAP. That just makes good business sense. But, rest assured, as soon as the collection cycle is complete, the tax commissioner will start selling property again and, come December 31st, the offer we extended is off the table and won't be back. That was the only way the majority of Commissioners would pass it.

Finally, I want to make it clear that all tax revenue dollars (except fire tax) operate through the "General Fund". Fire tax dollars get designated to the specific fire departments for fire protection. The County has SPLOST accounts where we deposit the 1 cent collected on County purchases and we use it to pay for the jail, work on roads and recreation. Those revenues do not come from residential property tax dollars. So, when you find someone mad about their tax bill and fussing about someone's road getting paved, the new jail or the new recreation park, remind them that the funds for these projects didn't come from residential property tax dollars. They came from SPLOST revenues designated for only those purposes and maybe some grant money.

I know all of this may fall on deaf ears as folks are just plain mad because they have to pay taxes and because the bottom line is that their bill went up. I understand. Mine went up too. The Commission has some ideas on how to help relieve some of the tax burden on tax payers that came to light a little too late in this year's cycle. We'll work on that starting in June. We are also working to get more industry in here to increase that part of our tax digest and offload some of that burden on the residential tax payer. My parents are retired school teachers and we all know they don't make much. I know what their tax burden is and believe me that this is personal motivation for me to try and fix an age old problem. We've often said that we couldn't clean up this mess or turn everything around in one year. We wanted to make progress leveraging SPLOST dollars, hold the millage rate the same or lower it a bit and get the debt paid off over three or four years. That is exactly what we did this year, but the Governor's HRTG curve ball has put a monkey wrench in that plan.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

County Commission Meeting

The County Commission met on Tuesday November 10th in their regular session.

In the public participation, Mr. Wayne Rooks requested that Section VI of the Subdivision ordinance be changed back such that 1976, or 33 year old mobile homes, be allowed into Brantley County.

On the consent agenda the County approved:

* starting the process to abandon Hodge Lane and modifying the road utilizing right of way provided by Mr. Henry Hodge.
* awarding the bid to Southern Geographic of Gray Georgia to perform geo-encoding of 4500 plats in the Tax Assessor's Office.
* the 2008 audit.
* adopting a resolution establishing Brantley County identity theft prevention program.

The County approved minutes for the July 27th, August and October meetings. September's minutes were emailed to Commissioners and will be approved in December. Now that the technical challenges are behind us, the Commission is working harder to get these minutes out in a more timely manner.

In the regular agenda, the County approved the bank assignment for the Airport Lighting and Electrical Contractor. The County attorney worked with the bank to develop an assignment that the County, the DOT and the Airport Authority could live with.

The recent bids for road graders were discussed. The low bidder was the Volvo company. Since the County has no history with Volvo, the County Manager was asked to line up a "try and buy". Volvo has offered a 30-day lease for $1500, during which time Brantley can put the Volvo through the ringer. If the County decides to purchase, the $1500 will be credited to the purchase. If the County decides not to purchase, or purchases the John Deere or Caterpillar, the $1500 is the lease for the tractor, which is in line with what the County pays today.

The County approved the low bidder for the right of way clearing for Waynesville Road East, or $85,895, empowered the County Manager and County Engineer to define the contract as the others have been done and allowed the Chairman to execute that agreement. The bids, bidders and alternatives are still being reviewed for Phase II of the recreation park. A recommendation will be provided in the December meeting to the Commission. This will not jeopardize the time line for the completion of the recreation park. The County Manager and engineer approached Plum Creek about allowing a pipe to be installed in their pond next to the recreation park so that the two ponds could maintain levels and help with irrigation for the ballfields. They were not willing to allow such a device but offered to sell the property surrounding the lake, minus the acreage of the lake, for $2000 per acre. The team priced the size of well and storage tank needed to provided adequate flow for the county irrigation pond in order to keep up with the irrigation systems. It would be cheaper by far to purchase the land and the lake than to buy the well. This requires much less maintenance. The County Manager was empowered to negotiate with Plum Creek and bring back a firm number and acreage so that this could be discussed in December.

The Coastal Incentive Grant was discussed. Commissioners need to bring in their recommendations for the Advisory Committee to the December meeting. This is the group that will define the land use management outline that will be recommended to the Commission for their modification and approval.

The County voted to allow citizens who owe back taxes to have the penalties and interest forgiven if they pay their back taxes IN FULL between now and December 31, 2009. The objective is provide incentive for folks to pay back taxes in order to raise as much money as possible to pay on the debt before the end of the year. This is a one time final offer. The Commission will work with the tax commissioner to notify all citizens who owe back taxes. This only applies to interest and penalty assigned by the County. Any collection fees assigned by third parties caused by the parcel being turned over for collection will still apply.

The County Manager, Parrish Barwick, updated the Board of the following items:

* The County has a total of 90 inmates in the Brantley County jail, with 28 of them hosted for other counties. This will help drive revenues for the County.
* The cash management policy is still being developed, but corrective procedures have been invoked in the Recreation Department to ensure timely deposits, routine reporting and accountability.
* The County Manager has worked with Tim Crews, Nikki Hendrix and AGL (the collection agency) to begin the process of collecting past due EMS fees from January 2006 through current delinquent accounts. Any account nonresponsive after a third notice will be automatically tuned over to collections. This will allow a 90 to 120 day delay between service and collections. The current EMS team is doing exponentially better than the previous team. The vast majority of this debt is old debt, but citizens need to understand that if EMS provides a service, insurance, Medicaid, Medicare or the citizen will have to render payment for services.
* More modifications are being made to the cell phones in the County. More phones are being terminated and text messaging has been eliminated on almost all phones and Verizon has been contacted to offer a plan with fewer minutes.
* 911 operators are being interviewed, with references being checked. One will be hired to fill a current vacancy.

The Chairman reported on the meeting he and Commissioner Edgy had with DOT Commissioner Vance Smith. The meeting was set up by representative Mark Williams. In the meeting, the Commissioners talked about the need for a red light at Atkinson at the 110 - 259 - 82 intersection. This was slated for a March 2012 installation and the Commissioners are working with State officials to see how they might be able to speed up this process. In the same conversation, they discussed extending the current Waynesville Road project across 110 for about 500 feet to pave the road along the new school property. The DOT Commissioners team felt this was doable, but the right of way would have to be secured immediately. There were a number of other intersections and roads discussed. The DOT Commissioner and his staff were impressed with the increased activity in Brantley and stood ready to help any way that they could. This was a productive meeting and more will be known about the results in a few weeks, once some analysis can be completed.

The County attorney responded to some requests for information from the Chairman regarding the allowable vehicle weights on county roads. The code section allows for 56,000 maximum on any County road unless a pickup or delivery is taking place on that road. There have been complaints from one East end subdivision where a log truck parks at home at night loaded and partially in the road. There is another statute that provides that parking must take place no less than 12 foot from the center line on any secondary or tertiary roads, per the County attorney. This information will be turned over to the Sheriff, and the citizens will be asked to notify DOT in the future when these infractions take place.

For more updates stay tuned to this web page or watch BTC highlights video below.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission

BTC Video by Robby Thomas

Work Session

In a called meeting prior to the routine work session, the County Commission discussed only a couple of items and entered into a closed session for litigation and personnel.

The contractor for the lighting portion of the airport needs an assignment document processed for the lending institution that is financing the materials portion of his part of the project. The Commission had no problem with that idea in principal, but the "standard" assignment document sent over by his bank needed some adjustments. The Airport Authority, County Attorney and the Commission itself agreed that the County Attorney should contact the bank and work out some type of agreement that met their needs and was also acceptable to Brantley County. That assignment was made in the form of a motion.

After the closed session, the Commission voted on a 3-2 vote to allow the Sheriff to hire Vince Settles as his attorney in the ongoing litigation currently underway. Since there is a clear conflict of interest, and the County Attorney Tom Lee expresses some issues after a review of the bar association and the completion of his duties were he to attempt to represent the Sheriff, he brought this to the Commission again. Commissioners Herrin and Summerlin opposed the motion. Commissioners Edgy and O'Quinn voted in favor of the motion and the Chairman voted in favor of the motion.
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In the Work Session that followed immediately, the County Clerk gave an update of bids received and opened earlier that day for Right of Way clearing for Waynesville Road and the second phase of the Recreation Park. Precision Paving was the low bidder at $85,895 for the Waynesville Road ROW clearing. EMC had originally given the County an estimate of $166,277 for this portion of the project. So, if the low bid meets the scope of the project and technical merits, this will be yet another blessing where the actual costs is about 1/2 of the previous engineering estimate. William Ross Development was the low bidder on Phase II of the Recreation facility which includes drainage, irrigation, grassing, infield work and such at $172,334. This bid was more in line with the previous estimate, so where there was no substantial savings, the project is still below budget with all of the previous savings. Golden Isles Engineering will review the technical merit of the bids and make a recommendation at next weeks meeting. This item was placed on the regular agenda.

The Chairman and Mike Edgy have a meeting with Georgia Transportation Director Vance in coming weeks. They discussed the items that will be taken up with the Commissioner. The Traffic Lights in Atkinson and Waynesville are on top of the list. The management of matching funds for approved road projects is on the list, as well as extending the center lane on Highway 82 to the County line in Waynesville to accommodate the traffic between businesses on the East end of Waynesville. The Caution Light for the intersection of Caney Bay Road and 301 in Hickox is also among the fairly lengthy list. Representative Mark Williams arranged for this meeting and will be accompanying the Commissioners. This was put on the regular agenda and the Chairman will give an update at the meeting.

A letter was delivered to the County Commissioners from Henry W. Hodge, offering to exchange property of his to reduce the turn radius on a dangerous curve, in exchange for closing the Hodge Lane that cuts through the middle of his property. The Board agreed to put this item on the Consent Agenda and have the County Attorney, Engineer and Surveyor get involved in this process.

The Chairman reported on the Grant workshop that he and the County Manager attended last Monday. There was much useful information that came from that session. While meeting with a grant writer that same day, some projects on the Board's radar screen were discussed. One was the Courthouse renovations. The grant writer has found that the Courthouse is on the National Historic Registry, which opens up some of opportunities for grants and low interest loans to renovate the Courthouse. Similarly, the St Illa Motel, that currently serves as an annex of County agencies, might also qualify. More research is being completed, at no cost to the County.

Billy Lee, of the Tax Assessor's Board, made a solid presentation centered on the geo-coding, or digital plotting, of some 4,500 plats that have piled up in the assessor's office. This represents work from early 2005 to date. The good news is that there are individuals out there anxious to do work, so the bids were attractive. After personally visiting with counties that had used the low bidder and seeing their work first hand, Mr. Billy Lee and others on the Board brought a proposal for the County Commission to approve. More good news came in that the low bidders total bid is within the budgeted amount for this service for 2009 and 2010 budgets. So all of this work can be caught up and the County can remain within budget. Mr. Lee explained that the Assessor's office had also developed a procedure where the office will not get behind on this digital plotting again. This process will also greatly assist with the preparation of a tax digest next June and shave from 2 to 3 weeks off of that process.

The Ryker Carter plat was discussed again. Mr. Carter had requested to record a plat that would consolidate several lots back into one lot. With taxes owed on the property, the County employees and Commission had failed to approve that process. Mr. Carter was told that he would have to pay the taxes on the property or work out some formal arrangements with the Tax Commissioner and sign a formal agreement as that precedence had been established with others by the Tax Commissioner. In this process, parties had come in and made "substantial" payments and signed an agreement to catch up the remaining taxes in a very timely manner. Failure to meet those obligations would cause those properties to be placed on the list to be sold. As soon as Mr. Carter fulfills this request, the Commission will reconsider his request.

The County Manager reported on a number of items, to include:

1. There are currently 28 hosted inmates in the Brantley County Jail from other counties, helping drive revenue for the County and more counties are being solicited, plus Federal inmates. Camden County came up in the conversation. That Sheriff has been contacted and made aware that the fee in Brantley County is $40 per night and that we currently have space that is going fast.
2. Warners Landing Road has been temporarily repaired and final repairs will be made once the milled asphalt is available from the 301 resurfacing project, where Brantley has contracted with that vendor to provide that product as the road is resurfaced.
3. Bids for a new road grader to replace the one that has a blown motor were discussed. All things considered, this is a tough decision. The County has used Caterpillar tractors in the past and gotten good service. Caterpillar's bid was slightly above the others, but they offered a full 5 year parts and labor warranty. Volvo came in with a lower price, but only a 12 month warranty and there were service concerns raised by a neighboring county. John Deere was in the middle of the pack from a price perspective, but only offered a 6 month warranty. Commissioner Herrin asked if we really needed another road grader, or if we could get by with the ones we have working now. This will be discussed in the regular meeting next week.
4. The EMS Ambulance that was being remounted is under construction and will be available in January 2010. The Ambulance that was won on the grant processed by Tim Crews will be in on Monday and the EMS folks will be moving into their new building on November 23rd, if construction can be completed and utilities moved over. The process of turning over old EMS debt to the collection agency is under way.
5. The old Chamber of Commerce building should be complete this weekend, according to the community service agent helping with that project. This would allow the Clerk of the Court to install the records management system and clean out the halls of the courthouse. Commissioner Summerlin mentioned that someone should take a look at the roof, as the electrical service had been partially pulled away from the building and there may be a leak. The County Manager will take a look at that. No other action was taken.
6. A County Policy on cash management is under development, with input from all departments under the County Commission that handle money. More on this in December.
7. The Future Land Use - Technical Advisory Committee was discussed. The grant writer assisting with this process has reached a point where they are requesting names from the County to participate on a technical advisory committee to help mold the Future Land Use policy and make recommendations to the County Commission. Each Commissioner was to make one recommendation and bring it back to the December meeting.
8. The bids for the walking track at Schlatterville were discussed. They came in higher than were expected. There are capital outlay funds designated specifically for the West End Recreation Park and those could be supplemented with SPLOST funds for recreation to complete that project. The total project costs is about $15,000. There is about $9000 in the capital outlay account and the supplement would need to be used from SPLOST funds for recreation. This was placed on the regular agenda.
9. The County Manager asked if the Commission would be willing to put the hiring of the the Road Superintendent on hold until January 1st to give him time to work with the Road Department and understand more about their strengths and weaknesses. This was placed on the consent agenda with those who applied being notified of this postponement.
10. The Brantley County / Ware County canal clean out and road paving project was discussed. The group discussed having the County Manager ask Ware County to give right of way for the paving project and there seems to be no immediate need for the canal to be cleaned out. There is a transmission power line on the Brantley County side making it almost impossible to widen the road on the Brantley side.
11. The canals draining Nahunta were discussed. There are four major canals that drain Nahunta. Many of them are clogged with beaver dams and the City has in fact asked for help with one that is near the County barn. The County Manager will work with the Road Department to put a plan together to clean these out.

The 2008 audit was approved.

In a financial review the Chairman explained that there was about $2.6 million dollars in the general fund prior to this week's Accounts Payable run. There are 4 more payrolls to make, at approximately $140,000 each, for $560,0000 total. There are 2 more Accounts Payable runs at about $400,000 each for $800,0000. This totals about $1.36 million needed to get through the end of the year. Barring any unforeseen emergencies or circumstances, the County should meet its objective to pay down $1 million on the debt so that the County only has to borrow $2 million next year to operate. This has only been possible due to the efforts of all employees, departments, Constitutional Officers and Commission efforts.

A potential "tax amnesty" program was discussed. With something like this, if anyone came in during a defined period, like November and December 09, to pay their regular taxes, tags, etc and paid any "back taxes" perhaps the Commissioners would be willing to agree to waive all penalties and interest on those "back taxes". Where the Tax Commissioner has not had the resources to aggressively pursue back taxes in November and December, with the regular tax billing process underway, perhaps this could serve as incentive for folks to come in and pay their taxes and help out during hard economic times for them and the County. This could also help raise more funds that could be placed toward the debt. The Commission was mixed on the idea and it will be discussed further at the next meeting.

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Ronald E. Ham
Chairman - Brantley County Commission