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Wednesday, February 13, 2013 – 9:00 a.m.
Courthouse Annex, 79 Jackson Street, Zebulon, Georgia
This meeting began at 9 with all five commissioners, County Clerk Jo Ann Wrye to take the minutes, County Manager (CM) Mike Phillips, County Attorney Rob Morton and an almost full house. It ran until almost 12 noon. The agenda with amended by Commissioner James Jenkins to move Joy Walker's comments on animal control from 9.a. Public Comment to 7.b. just prior to the commission's discussion of animal control which was moved from 7.b. to 7.c. and everything behind it moved down. Commissioner Tam by one slot. Commissioner Tamra Jarrett asked to add a discussion of the IDA seat as 8.i. Both were approved by a 5-0 vote.
1. CALL TO ORDER....................................................................................Chairman J. Briar Johnson
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE...................................................................Chairman J. Briar Johnson
3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))
4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A.§ 50-14-1(e) (2))
Minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 and the Special Called Meeting on Monday, February 4, 2013.
5. INVITED GUESTS
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.
b. County Manager Report
▫ Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund - $3,021,402.73
Jury Account - $0
Cash Reserve Account - $176,395.48
Jail Fund - $20,634.35
E-911 Fund - $152,462.24
DATE Fund - $16,718.09
LMI Grant - $315,299.91 (State grant for roads, bridges, etc.)
Juvenile Court Fund - $24,642.90
Residential Impact Fees - $281,151.64
Commercial Impact Fees - $7,775.47
General Obligation SPLOST Tax Bond Sinking Fund, 2011 - $480,156.11
Discussion that the Board of Commissioners is still getting some reports from departments and committees but not from everyone. CM Phillips said that he would send out a memo to remind everyone to get them turned in on time so commissioners can review them before meetings. Commissioner Bass said that the financials are incorrect and that she cannot vote for them. [Note from the Editor: This comes up later in the meeting under section 8.h. during discussion of a part-time position in the Commission office.] Motion to approve monthly reports exclusive of the financials until concerns are resolved. Approved 5-0.
c. County Manager Comments
- Courthouse renovation update: The court house is almost complete. CM Phillips advised that they are working on the final items on the punch list now. He asked commissioners to consider what kind of a grand opening that they would like to have for the public. Planning and Development Director David Allen advised that court may resume as soon as March 1. "By and large, it's done," he said. Commissioner Bass asked if it would be appropriate to dedicate the courthouse to the citizens of the county. She was advised yes it is and County Attorney Rob Morton pointed out that this was paid for by SPLOST and that needs to be mentioned as well. They will decide on a Open House/ dedication ceremony date after the night meeting.
- Update on any pertinent departmental issues - None.
d. Commissioner Reports.
Commissioner Carol Bass said that she got a letter from a citizen praising Public Works Director Todd Goolsby and his department for responding to a complaint about a very bad pothole and a dead tree. She said that their work is greatly appreciated. She also asked about whether the ordinances had been provided on a flash drive to the new commissioners. Planning and Development Director David Allen said that the county will be updating the code book in March. An updated flash drive will be available at that time.
Commissioner Tamra Jarrett said that she attended the Post 197 "4 Chaplains" program. Read about it here. She said that it was excellent and she enjoyed it. She said that she asked in November about getting financials up to date on the website and said that they are still on July of 2012 today. She asked when will it be up to date. CM Phillips apologized and said that he would see that they're taken care of immediately. She also asked what kind of training the county manager would be attending. She was advised that his next class will be in May since the current class is full.
Commissioner Tommy Powers said that he has gotten a couple of calls on roads and said that all of the rain is messing up our roads. He urged citizens to call in problems and give Public Works some time to take care of the problems.
Commissioner James Jenkins said that he has received 2 compliments on roads for Public Works. One was on the scraping on 2nd District Road and the other was taking care of potholes on Patton Road that had been taken care of in less than one week.
Chairman Briar Johnson said that there will be an Industrial Development Authority (IDA) workshop on February 19th at 2 p.m. in the Strickland Building in Concord to discuss county broadband. Reps from AT&T, etc. will be there. [Note from the Editor: The public is invited to attend this meeting.] He also asked about the employee of the quarter program but was informed that it had been placed on hold due to budget concerns.
e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners.
County Attorney Rob Morton asked the commissioners to make a motion to allow the Chairman to sign the deed for finalizing the transaction that will return the old Williamson firehouse back to the City of Williamson. Motion approved. 5-0.
He said that there had been a meeting with a citizen and her attorney about some property near Concord that had been conveyed in 1949 and there was some type of conflict (that was not specifically named in the meeting) that had made its way to the tax maps. Commissioner Jarrett said that the citizen was very complimentary on the way that this was handled.
He gave information to commissioners about a request for a road improvement for a small dirt road off of New Hope Road called Hopkins Road. It has been maintained by the county in the past and plats from 61,64, 84 and 94 reference the road though maintenance hasn't been done on it in a long time. The property would be landlocked without some action by the county. The 1/2 mile road looks like a dirt driveway and goes past this house to access three total parcels. He recommended placing on the next meeting for commissioners to make a decision whether to maintain or abandon. Motion to postpone until the next meeting. 5-0.
7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Discuss and/or approve/deny first reading of the Vehicle Use Policy, carried over from the January 29, 2013 meeting.
There was much discussion on this topic with several commissioners stating that they do not want family members and children in county vehicles. It was stated that there was a problem with transporting children back and forth to school and a request for the board to reconsider on this in case of an emergency so it was placed on the table for discussion one last time before the final document is drawn up. 4H also asked for reconsideration because they have limited personnel and parent volunteers with proper documentation and credentials sometimes drive a van. Commissioner Jarrett said that this is a different situation and Commissioner Bass and said that the purpose of the van purchase was for a community purpose. Chairman Johnson asked what if there was an emergency and someone needed to pick up a sick child in a county vehicle. Commissioner Bass said that they are trying to show compassion but need to have a policy in place and hope that never happens. If there is a true emergency, an employee could ask forgiveness for a specific situation. Mr. Morton said that those with concerns can bring those concerns to members before the next meeting. During the course of the discussion, the county manager was asked to find out whether the vehicle log was being used by all departments in the county. Click here for more info about the past BOC meeting.
b. Joy Walker to discuss animal control. Moved up from Public Comment.
Ms. Walker suggested that the commissioners hold a public workshop and invited all of the cities, volunteer organizations like Friends of Pike County Animals, etc., adjacent counties who have dealt with their animal control problems and the public. She said that it is a waste of time to continue discussing the matter at every meeting without a final solution. She said that they needed to vote for a workshop or vote against animal control to settle this once and for all. Commissioner Jarrett said that this is a point well-taken. They transitioned from this discussion to their own discussion of animal control that was already on the agenda. [Note from the Editor: Kudos to the commissioners for hearing what Joy had to say before their discussion and not waiting til the end of the meeting.]
c. Discuss animal control, carried over from the January 29, 2013 meeting.
CM Phillips said that there is a wide range of alternatives and that a workshop would help narrow down what we want to have here for animal control in Pike County. Commissioner Jarrett said that she visited Meriwether County and that they have an excellent program with a lot of volunteers who help get animals to out of state homes. Motion to hold a workshop. Approved 5-0. County Attorney Rob Morton said that he will invite volunteer agencies and cities specifically as well as the public. Commissioner Bass said that she would like to see this meeting as soon as possible. Click here for more info about the past BOC meeting.
d. Discuss paint on Courthouse, carried over from the January 29, 2013 meeting.
Mike Cartner from JW Spratlin and Associates was present at the meeting to answer questions. There was a question that had been raised about the amount of paint on the courthouse and whether the county had "gotten its monies worth" from the $92,000 that was paid for the painting of the outside of the courthouse. Click here and go to 8.c. to read this discussion from the past meeting.
County Attorney Rob Morton, Planning and Development Director David Allen and CM Mike Phillips investigated this matter for commissioners and advised the following: Mr. Buffington said that the painter contractor did not apply the number of coats of paint according to the contract and that the paint was not done in accordance to the manufacturer's recommendations. According to the contract, there was supposed to be 2 coats of latex primer and then 2 coats of latex paint. The contractor advised that the paint contractor performed adhesion testing on both the old and new brick and determined that 3 coats of latex paint was better than the amount in the contract. It was pointed out that the contractor applied more than the number of primer coats specified in the contract on the courtroom ceiling "because the paint contractor determined that was necessary for the desired results." It was also noted in the investigation that Mr. Carter confirmed that former county manager Bill Sawyer who was the project manager on the courthouse before he resigned his position as county manager "agreed to and approved the number and type of coats The Contractor and his Painting Sub-Contractor recommended." Mr. Cartner recommended that the exterior wall paint warranty be extended to 5 years against fading, cracking, chalking, and peeling. (This would begin on February 1, 2013.) They also noted that the type of paint that was used on the exterior brick has a 15 year manufacturer's warranty.
County Attorney Rob Morton said that an expert had been found who could test the paint but that it would cost $4,000 to $5,000. Commissioner Jarrett said that she had looked over their packet and was satisfied with the offer of a 5 year warranty. She said that this is not typical and that she was willing to accept this. Commissioner Powers said that he also reviewed it. He said that he had found a place that could test the paint but that they cannot tell exactly how many coats of paint is on the old part of the courthouse because of the unknown coats of paint that have been put on it over the years. Planning and Development Director David Allen said that this would be inconclusive and County Attorney Rob Morton said that it would not tell the number of coats put on the building. Director Allen said that he estimated the paint coverage by square footage and that this the use of 83 gallons of paint suggests 2 to 3 coats of paint and definitely more than one coat of paint as the complaint had been brought to a commissioner. Mr. Cartner said that they would do whatever was needed to satisfy the board. He also said that he had never seen a 5 year warranty on paint. Director Allen said that he spoke with an individual expert on this matter and that expert had never heard of a 5 year warranty either.
Motion to let citizen Jimmy Bass speak. 5-0. He asked if the commissioners knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the amount of paint discussed was actually what was put on the building.
Motion to accept the paint on the exterior of the courthouse with the 5 year warranty that has been provided to the county. Approved 5-0. CM Phillips said that they still need to discuss furniture, etc.
Update 2.19.13:
e. Discuss and/or approve/deny surplus vehicle list, carried over from the January 29, 2013 meeting.
Motion to surplus vehicles and let the county manager move forward to get rid of them including opportunity for citizens and the public. Approved 5-0.
Discussion went back to the furniture and equipment for the courthouse. County Attorney Rob Morton said that there is no dispute that equipment and furniture can be bought with SPLOST funds but said that the debt to pay off the obligation debt on the courthouse must be paid first. CM Phillips said that the needed items can be bought through the upcoming budget and repaid with SPLOST funds as well. Commissioner Bass said that she was concerned about items being bought in one year and repaid in another. Mr. Morton reiterated that the Tier I Project (the courthouse renovation) must be repaid first and that SPLOST can be used to reimburse. CM Phillips advised that the county is currently receiving excess SPLOST funds over the amount needed to repay the monthly debt requirements ever month so this money could be used to repay the debt more quickly. Commissioner Powers said that he wanted money to go towards road first. Mr. Morton advised commissioners that furniture and fixtures have to be paid after the courthouse debt is paid and before the roads and bridges part of the SPLOST. The county had up front funding only for the courthouse because it wasn't worded to include furniture and fixtures. Commissioner Bass asked for clarification that it is ok to pay for furniture and fixtures with SPLOST money and was advised yes.
Motion to allow head of the SPLOST Committee Joy Walker to speak. 5-0. She told commissioners that the prior Board of Commissioners promised the voters that this would be a walk-in project including moving costs and furniture and said that it is a disservice to do any less than finish it completely. Project Manager David Allen said that he would be happy to walk through the courthouse with commissioners. Motion to allow Robert Adams to speak. Approved 5-0. He asked why furniture and fixtures were not considered in the beginning. CM Phillips advised that with the add on addition to the courthouse, the equipment in the orginal building might not be enough for what is necessary to operate and is needed for the functionality of the courthouse. Suggested again to buy items from the budget and reimburse from SPLOST. [Note from the Editor: Whether members of the board or the community voted for this project, the community as a whole voted it through and it deserves to be finished through to completion including any furniture and fixtures that are needed. If it is put off until later, it won't get done. And then, after the courthouse is done well, we can work on roads and bridges and do that well too. Future SPLOST projects depend on doing this to the best of our ability.]
At this point in the meeting Mr. Morton advised that he had to be at another meeting at 11 a.m. and asked if he could bring information forward on Item 8b. Motion to amend the agenda to hear 8b before item 8a.
8. NEW BUSINESS
b. Discuss investigation of redistricting. County Attorney Rob Morton said that a draft map based on current population numbers was sent to past CM Bill Sawyer on March 2012 for his consideration but that it had not been forwarded to commissioners. This item needs to go through legislation and it needs to be done expeditiously. Discussion included the fact that there was a presentation made to commissioners last year on redistricting by Three Rivers and that the commissioners had decided that it was not necessary. Voter Registrar Sandi Chamblin explained that this will have to go through the legislature and a letter from the Department of Justice be received by her office before she can do anything with changing the commission districts. She also said that the map will have to go with the legislation to be ok'ed by the legislature. Commissioner Jenkins' distict has 23% more people in it than the other county commission districts and the law says it has to be done when there is a 10% deviation in population. It was noted that this has to be done prior to the July 2014 election next year. Commissioner Bass praised Registrar Chamblin's work in the office. She also said that she is extremely disturbed to find out that the county hasn't done this but that it may not get done this year either. She repeatedly said that Voter Registrar Chambliss tried to get this done last year. County Attorney Rob Morton said that the county attorney's office will draft a resolution for the next meeting and contact our Senator to see about passing it through the legislature. Motion to move post haste to get this done this year along with reapportionment maps needed based on population. Approved 5-0. [Note from the Editor: Commissioner Bass brought this up last year. The ball has been dropped but needs to be picked up and hopefully we can get this done in this year's legislative year. Crossover Day is the 30th day of the Legislature which began on January 14, 2013. Crossover Day is the final day that a bill can be passed through from the House to the Senate and visa versa. There shouldn't be any problem getting this voted through if we can get it to our representative in time. We really don't need to do this next year and be waiting on a letter from the Department of Justice ok'ing our districts that has the possibility of coming during the election year hustle and bustle as we had to deal with this past year with the redistricting of the Board of Education districts.]
County Attorney Rob Morton left the meeting at this point, there was a 10 minute break, and the meeting continued at 11:12 a.m.
Update 2.20.13:
a. Approve/deny lease of copier for Commissioner’s office.
This was discussed during the past meeting. CM Phillips said that there are lines on everything that is printed and it jams on a regular basis. Currently paying $140 for maintenance agreement where we replace everything that breaks including expensive drum and other pieces. $190 to lease including toner. Motion to lease machine. Approved 5-0. Also a discussion about which commissioners like everything on paper and which ones will print out what they receive by email in an effort to be responsible with paper usage. Click here for more info about the past BOC meeting.
c. Appoint new members to PATC.
Motion to appoint the CM Phillips and Chairman Johnson to this board. Approved 5-0.
d. Request from the Pike County Board of Tax Assessors to approve/deny budget adjustment for a part time Field Appraiser Assistant position.
Robbert Marriott, Chair of the Board of Assessors, addressed the board and advised that the Tax Assessor's Office is using the services of a non-certified person to take pictures and gather information about property in the county. Certified people in the office then use this information to make the final decision. The person who was doing this job was removed from their budget some time back. He said that the Board is 100% satisfied and commends those in the office for working a thankless job. He said it was the consensus of the board that this person is needed and that the person in this position has reinvigorated the office with his work in the field. Asking for a part-time position at $8.89 per hour which would come to about $4,000 including FICA and is in their budget for the current year. Commissioner Bass said that she was impressed with this person's job performance. It was said that until everyone's property is evaluated correctly with uniformity and fair market value and seen in person by someone from that offcie, the system is not a fair one. Commissioner Bass asked if the Tax Assessor's Office could compile information into a monthly report so commissioners can justify the cost of an extra worker. Motion to approve the part-time position at $8.89 per hour which would come to about $4,000 including FICA for 20 weeks. This money will be moved from within another line item in their budget for right now to cover this expense. Approved 5-0.
d. Consider one (1) appointment to the Pike Area Transportation Committee for an unexpired two-year term set to expire February 28, 2015.
There have been no applications; this item will carry forward to the next meeting.
This was postponed because the only person who has applied is already on another board. Motion to readvertise this position and hold onto current application in case that other board position did not disqualify them from holding another. Approved 5-0.
e. Consider request of Ben Maxedon from Prayer Power of Georgia for the use of the Courthouse grounds and porch for National Day of Prayer.
This event has been held on the courthouse square for the past 14 years on the first Thursday in May. This year's event will be held on May 1st at noon. Chaplain Maxedon said that it is a spiritual, patriotic, and community community celebration. Motion to approve. 5-0.
f. David Allen would like to inform the Board about a power rebate for the Courthouse renovation.
The project qualifies for a $2,712 rebate from Georgia Power. Money will be presented to the Board at the end of April and will go into the General Fund when it is received.
g. Approval/denial of Revised Fee Schedule for Planning and Development, concerning pre-fabricated accessory structures.
This was discussed at the past meeting and Director of Planning and Development David Allen brought forward a new fee schedule for commissioners to approve which only concerned accessory buildings. Info packets are available to the public in his office. Motion to approve. 5-0. Click here for more info about the past BOC meeting.
h. Discuss and/or approve/deny part time position in the Board of Commissioners office.
CM Phillips said that this would be a 20 hour per week position to help with the phones, copies, and assist those in the office. Commissioner Bass said that the financials for the BOC office are incorrect because they show the insurance for all vehicles of other departments instead of in the separate departments where they are currently budgeted and not being subtracted corrected. She said that this shows the office being $32,130 over budget. She said that she wouldn't consider this until the financials were correct and made a motion for the Commission office to correct the financials so the Board can make a decision on this matter. CM Phillips said that there is no problem delaying this to correct the financials. The Chairman said that the office is always busy when he comes in there. CM Phillips agreed and even said that some things are having to be set aside to work on immediate needs. Commissioners were concerned with this and agreed to discuss this position at the next meeting. Motion approved 5-0.
i. Discussion on IDA appointment. Commissioner Jarrett said that she was the one who contacted about this and said that the county manager is the current representative but has a lot on his plate as he said in the last topic. She said that she would like to see this seat return to the Chairman of the Board as it has been in the past because it is a fixed, 4 year position. She also said that this would give the county manager more time to deal with the items that are stacking up in his office (per discussion in the last topic). Motion to have the Chairman serve as the IDA representative. Approved 5-0.
9. PUBLIC COMMENT- (Limited to 5 minutes per person)
a. Joy Walker to discuss animal control. [Item moved up to 8.b.]
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None.
11. ADJOURNMENT: 11:56 a.m.
Agenda subject to revision.