Pike County Times
The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. Click here to donate through PayPal. Becky Watts: Phone # 770-468-7583 editor@pikecountytimes.com
 
Online
Welcome to Pike County Times.com

This online news website is owned and operated by Becky Watts. The Editor can be reached at 770-468-7583 or at editor(at)PikeCountyTimes(dot)com. Pike County Times is a website for citizens to keep up with local events and stay informed about Pike County government. It began on November 13, 2006 as a watchdog on county government and has turned into an online newspaper.

If you enjoy reading Pike County Times, consider buying an advertisement for your business or sending a donation to support the only free online newspaper in Pike County. Donations can be sent to: The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. Click here to donate through PayPal. Thanks for supporting Pike County Times.com!

 
REGULAR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MONTHLY MEETING
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 – 9:00 a.m.
Courthouse Annex, 79 Jackson Street, Zebulon, Georgia

This meeting was attended by all five commissioners, County Clerk Jo Ann Wrye, County Manager (CM) Mike Phillips, County Attorneys Rob and Tom Morton, and Financial Officer Kay Landers. It was almost a full house at this meeting. CARE Inc. was added to the agenda at the request of Commissioner Collins to discuss whether or not to give a 30 day extension on the closing of this facility as requested by Ms. Ramos from the Town Hall Meeting prior to the regularly called meeting.

1. CALL TO ORDER.....................................................................................Chairman Doug Mangham

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE....................................................................Chairman Doug Mangham

3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))

Commissioner Don Collins made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss CARE Inc. The motion passed in a 3-2 vote with Commissioner Tommy Powers and Chairman Doug Mangham voting against it.

4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A.§ 50-14-1(e) (2))
Minutes of the November 27, 2012 Regular Monthly Meeting and the Special Call Meeting on December 4, 2012.

5. INVITED GUESTS

a. David Ison desires to address the Board about the CUVA tax penalty.

Mr. Ison spoke about a breach of CUVA on his parents' property. He said that a house was rented to a family member without his knowledge and that his dad even came to a meeting that doesn't remember it. He brought a letter from a doctor to the Board regarding his father's loss of memory, etc. He said that if that his Dad cannot pay this penalty and asked the commissioners for help on this. County Attorney Tom Morton talked commissioners during this entire situation from the notices about Advalorem taxes sent out by the Board of Assessors beginning in January of 2011 with a second and third notice that received no response to a final ruling made in December of 2011 on this property. Mr. Ison addressed the Board of Assessors in November 2012 on the situation, but Mr. Morton advised that the board is bound by law as well as a statute of limitations and said it was too late to appeal this matter because the statute of limitations had already passed. The Tax Commissioner also did not believe that a negotiation could be made without permission from the Board of Commissioners. There is a tax and that is due on this property plus a penalty at this time. Mr. Morton advised that the requirement for a Power of Attorney has been waived so Mr. Ison could speak on the behalf of his father and that the situation is heart-wrenching, but the law has to apply and they have worked according to the law.

Mr. Tom Morton advised that there are two options for the Board of Commissioners: they can authorize the Tax Commissioner to negotiate a payment plan and they can take action with the penalty on this matter. The property involved has already been removed from CUVA so it will not be a problem in the future. Mr. Rob Morton advised that this could be placed on the next agenda in order to get the amounts of penalty and interest needed for commissioners to make a decision as well as inviting the Tax Commissioner to the next meeting to discuss the situation. Motion to ask the Tax Commissioner to bring a suggestion for monthly payments and to waive penalties and interest on this property at the next meeting. Approved 5-0.

Update 1.8.12:

b. Mark Hardison, a principal with the accounting firm of Clifton, Lipford, Hardison & Parker, LLC, will present the annual audit of the financial statements of Pike County for the year ending June 30, 2012.

This presentation included a slide show for the commissioners and the public to see which detailed the financial situation in Pike County over the past year. His firm gave a clear opinion on the audit this year. Click here to review the annual audit, the budget report and the asset forfeiture reports for Pike County. (Scroll down to Pike County and click on the link that you would like to download.) HB 122 requires that all county, city, and board of education information be placed on the Carl Vinson Institute website for easy access. The presentation showed that property taxes make up the largest component of our budget revenue at 61%. In General Fund expenditures, Public Safety makes up about 34% and general government makes up about 21%. Our fund balance grew by $510,000 this year. Mr. Hardison said that the county has a fund balance that is not excessive but is adequate with about 2 months of operating expenses in our fund balance. He said that pretty much the only debt that we have in Pike County is on the courthouse that is being renovated through SPLOST.

c. Mark Pryor desires to address the Board for discussion and/or approval/denial of repair to the boat launch on Flat Shoals Rd.

Mr. Pryor had a conflict with a doctor appointment and asked the BOC to consider his letter dated December 4, 2012 that asks the county to fix and repair the boat launch so it can be used since it is the only boat ramp in Pike County on the Flint River. Discussion included that riprap (big rocks) had been removed there at one point so it could be used but that there is no public parking. Consensus to look at this at the January meeting.

6. REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONS, DEPARTMENTS, COMMITTEES, AUTHORITIES
a. Monthly Reports submitted from County Departments and County Authorities, including a Revenue/Expenditure Statement for all departments, and a summary check register. There are no reports as they will be provided during the first Board meeting of November.

A couple of questions were asked about expenditures that the County Manager said he would follow up on for the commissioners.

b. County Manager Report

▫ Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund - $790,607.64
Jury Account - $0.00
Cash Reserve Account - $176,380.98
Jail Fund - $20,889.14
E-911 Fund - $106,876.09
DATE Fund - $16,154.46
Juvenile Court Fund - $24,890.76
Residential Impact Fees - $278,723.85
Commercial Impact Fees - $17,823.95
General Obligation SPLOST Tax Bond Sinking Fund, 2011 - $566,117.92

c. County Manager Comments

- Courthouse renovation update.
Most of the work on the outside of the Courthouse is complete. He is under the impression that this could be finished up by the end of the year.

- Update on any pertinent departmental issues.
Not aware of any.

- Update on criteria for renaming bridges, roads and building.
Criteria for naming roads and bridges is being reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Director and the County Attorney and will hopefully be ready to present in the January meeting.

- Present plaques for appreciation to Chairman Mangham and Commissioner Collins.
Outgoing County Commission Chairman Doug Mangham and Commissioner Don Collins were honored with plaques for their service to the county on the commission.

d. Commissioner Reports.

District 1 Carol Bass commended the County Manager for offering computers that were not being used in the Commission Office to the library. CM Phillips is checking to see if the computers meet today's standards and can be used but there is an opportunity to save $4,500. She asked about the intergovernmental agreement between the county and the Parks & Recreation Authority and was advised that a meeting is being scheduled to discuss this. Discussion about the use of the Borrow Pit versus the Chipper Site for county animal control. It was stated that there are advantages to using the Borrow Pit because of access to water, sewer, and its location next to the West Central Integrated Treatment Facility. She was concerned that if the Chipper Site was not going to be used, the sign needed to be placed on the property designated for the animal control facility in our county after the site was cleaned up so the county can move forward in meeting state requirements. Consensus to discuss this at the next meeting. She thanked Commissioners Mangham and Collins for their service to the county.

More soon.

e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners.

7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

a. Approval/denial of the second reading of a Text Amendment to the Pike County Code of Ordinances, Title XV, Chapter 155, Subdivisions, Sections 155.01 through 155.87.

b. Approval/denial of the second reading of a Text Amendment to the Pike County code of Ordinances, Title XV, Chapter 158, Sign Ordinance, Sections 158.01 through 158.16.

c. Discuss Securus Contract negotiations, carried over from the November 27, 2012 meeting.

d. Discuss Vehicle Use Policy, carried over from the November 27, 2012 meeting.

e. George Ingram to present to the Board a monthly lease option for the Molena Fire Station, carried over from the November 27, 2012 meeting.

f. Discuss salary v. hourly employees in the Board of Commissioners office, carried over from the November 27, 2012 meeting.

Update 12.12.12:

h. Discussion of CARE Inc. that was added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.

[Note from the Editor: Lisa Ramos from CARE Inc. spoke during the Town Hall Meeting and asked for a 30 day extension on getting all of the rescue dogs out of the CARE facility and into good homes. There is a Town Hall Meeting scheduled 15 minutes before both the morning and night meeting at this time, but the Town Hall Meeting is not part of the permanent record like the events of a regular meeting are. I did not attend the Town Hall Meeting so I cannot give an account of what Ms. Ramos said except what was said in the meeting by commissioners.]

County Attorney Rob Morton told commissioners but since it had not been advertised on the agenda as a zoning decision meeting, they could discuss this but needed to advertise it if they want to make a decision on it. Click here to read from that public hearing from people in favor and against the facility were allowed to speak. Commissioners voted in this meeting for the facility to immediately cease acquiring any new rescue dogs and any existing rescue dogs be removed from the property and all operations cease by December 31, 2012. Commissioner Collins said that CARE has done an excellent job at reducing the number of animals from 70 or more down to 18 and that it would make sense to him to give them a 30 day extension to keep placing dogs in homes rather than cutting them off at the end of December as commissioners voted to do in the August 28, 2012 meeting.

Planning and Zoning Director David Allen spoke for commissioners and recommended no extension. He said that he is not anti-C.A.R.E. Inc., but he is consistently pro-Molena Farms and pro-citizen and supported their quality of life. He said that the state inspector came out there yesterday and he asked the inspector to give him some idea of what was out there. He was advised that there are about 30 rescue dogs out there now which is reduced from 70 or 80 but they are probably not going to make the December 31 deadline. Director Allen said that there are 19 personal pets now (8 personal pets running loose and 11 in pens) when he thought there was only 5 earlier this year, and that the inspector said that she had accumulated other pets and put them in foster homes too. He questioned why this energy wasn't expended making sure that there were home for the dogs already on the property. Director Allen suggested limiting her to 10 dogs out there period. He said that the citizens have suffered a lot with bites and noise, etc. and that she still hasn't complied. He said this is a gray line with no distinction between the bark of a rescue dog or a pet and said that the solution is not to give an extension because the whole thing has gotten out of line.

Commissioners were advised again that the only action on this matter that can take place would be to place this on the January 9 meeting agenda with a public hearing. It would give her nine additional days to place dogs in homes. However, according to the past decision, she can be fined each day past December 31. Attorney Rob Morton stressed that he was uncomfortable with commissioners taking any action on this today because it was not advertised to the public on the agenda.

Commissioner Tamra Jarrett made a motion to advertise this matter for consideration in the January 9 meeting. This motion died for lack of a second. Discussion followed which reiterated that Ms. Ramos will be cited every day past December 31 if she does not follow the direction already given in the prior meeting. There were no further motions so the previous decision stands that any new rescue dogs and any existing rescue dogs be removed from the property and all operations cease by December 31, 2012.

There was a 10 minute break at 12:07 p.m. with the meeting resuming a little bit quicker than that to roll on through the remainder of the agenda.

8. NEW BUSINESS

a. Consider reappointment of Fred Roney as a non-public member to the Council of the Three Rivers Regional Commission for a one (1) year term, set to expire 12-31-2012.

Motion to accept. Approved 5-0.

b. Consider reappointment of Tom Lacey and George Norris to Two Rivers RC & D Council for a one (1) year term, set to expire 12-31-12.

Motion to accept. Discussion about the wording and the fact that these appointments will begin on 12.31.12 because the current terms expire on that day. Approved 5-0.

c. Consider reappointment of Tommy Burnsed to the Pike County Water & Sewer Authority for a new five-year term, set to expire 12-31-2012.

Motion to accept. Approved 5-0.

d. Consider reappointment of John Morrison and Trisha Dabbs to the Pike County Environment Review Board for a new three (3) year term, set to expire 12-31-12.

Motion to accept. Approved 5-0.

e. Approval/denial of cancellation of the December 25, 2012 meeting due to the holiday schedule.

Motion to approve the cancellation of the December 25, 2012 meeting. Approved 5-0.

f. Approval/denial of renewal for Alcohol License (Retail Sales) for Beer for Jack Park, et al, d/b/a The Cedars Golf Course, 13080 Hwy. 18, Zebulon.
County Manager recommends approval; applicant has met all criteria.

Motion to accept. Approved 5-0.

g. Approval/denial of renewal for Alcohol License (Retail Sales) for Beer for Jack Park, et al, d/b/a The Pines Golf Course, 3094 Reidsboro Rd., Williamson.
County Manager recommends approval; applicant has met all criteria.

Motion to accept. Approved 5-0.

9. PUBLIC COMMENT- (Limited to 5 minutes per person)

10. EXECUTIVE SESSION

11. ADJOURNMENT: 12:14 p.m.

Agenda subject to revision.

12.12.12
Top