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Editor Becky Watts: Phone # 770-468-7583 editor(@)pikecountytimes.com
 
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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.

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REGULAR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MONTHLY MEETING
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 – 9:00 a.m.
Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street, Zebulon, Georgia
Town Hall Meeting at 8:45 a.m.

Click here to see the documents that have been uploaded with the agenda on the Pike County government page.


BREAKING NEWS: Pike County Commission Votes to Acquire Property and Names Proposed Members of Appeals Board (Dated 4.12.23 by Editor Becky Watts)

ZEBULON - After meeting in Executive Session for an hour, the Board of Commissioners exited and voted on two items that had been discussed behind closed doors.

The first was acquisition of real estate. Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with the purchase of approximately 238 acres in Zebulon for the amount of 3 million dollars.

Pike County Times asked after the meeting, “Three million dollars. Where is it coming from and what is it for?” County Attorney Rob Morton advised, “It is for future growth and the financing component is being researched.”

[Note from the Editor: Morton advised that this is the old King Farm between Hwy 18 and County Farm Road behind the City Sewer Pond and the Bus Barn. This is for parcel numbers 067008, 66005, and 06605ZZ if anyone wants to look it up.]

Commissioners also identified and unanimously voted for proposed members to serve on the Appeals Committee to hear a grievance in the county. Teri Totten, Rufus Clemmons, and Rob Weaver were named for the 3 person committee with Michael Smith and Keith Ford being named as alternatives if necessary.

[Note from the Editor: The employee and person that the grievance was placed against was not said on the record in the meeting. However, Pike County Times has obtained documentation through open records and is able to say that this is the grievance placed against County Manager Brandon Rogers by Pike County Department Head and Library Manager Rosemary Bunn of the J. Joel Edwards Library. (Pike County Times is not covering the information obtained through open records regarding the incidents that led up to this grievance being filed other than what has been previously reported in order to ensure that Appeals Board hears the information for the first time as it is presented to them in this hearing.) Library Board Chairman Anthony Vinson spoke in the Town Hall Session prior to the beginning the Commission meeting and did not mention the grievance specifically. However, he did say, "We (members of the Library Board) are committed to supporting our library manager who we also believe to be under attack by the county manager." He handed out "Save Our Library" buttons to library supporters that went along with his plea for the commissioners to help save the library from the overreach of County Manager Brandon Rogers who Vinson said does not value the library. Pike County Times will be including his comments verbatim along with the write up of today's meeting.]

Thank you to First Bank of Pike for sponsoring Pike County Times’ Breaking News Alerts! First Bank of Pike has been serving customers in Pike County and the surrounding area since 1901 and offers Personal and Business banking with a personal touch. Services include checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRA’s. Mobile Banking and Bill Payment services are also available! please let First Bank of Pike know that you appreciate their sponsorship of Breaking News Alerts on Pike County's only FREE online newspaper! If you want to find out about how you can get Breaking News Alerts, click here. Thanks for reading and supporting Pike County Times.com!


Town Hall Meeting

[Note from the Editor: This is held 15 minutes prior to every meeting where anyone can speak to commissioners without getting permission to be on the agenda; however, these comments are not part of the official record because this is prior to the start of the official county commission meeting.]

Chairman of the J. Joel Edwards Library Board Anthony Vinson handed out "Save Our Library" buttons to library supporters that went along with his plea for the commissioners to help save the library from the overreach of County Manager Brandon Rogers who Vinson said does not value the library. These are his words from the Town Hall.

When I was appointed to the library board five years ago things were in turmoil. The board was divided into factions and the fighting was fierce. At my first meeting, I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. But things settled down. A couple of members walked out, a new chairperson was elected – Gillian Appleton was her name – and under her leadership and the advisement of the county attorney we began operating under a Memorandum of Understanding, an MOU, signed by the three parties involved: the library board, the board of commissioners, and the FRRLS. For four years now we have operated seamlessly and smoothly with no end of calm seas in sight. Until the arrival of the good ship Brandon Rogers.

When Brandon first raised the idea of taking greater control of the library budget about a year ago, I asked him why. Are there improprieties? I asked. No, he replied. Are there discrepancies? No. Are there irregularities? No. Are there concerns? No. Then why do you want to violate the letter and spirit of the MOU and take greater control of the library budget? Because we can help, he said. Help? Reminded me of Ronald Reagan when he said, “The top 9 most terrifying words in the English Language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.”

Turns out the only person Brandon was helping was himself. You see, Brandon does not value the library. How do I know this? Because he told me. Well, to be honest, he didn’t tell me directly. You see, on two occasions I’ve asked Brandon if he values the library and both times he equivocated, refusing to say either yes or no and instead dancing around the question.

Brandon has suggested that we sever our relationship with FRRLS. He has also suggested that the board of commissioners directly run the library, even to the point of determining which materials are considered proper for shelving and circulation. He says that he wants us to, and I quote, “Expand our minds.” He insists that we can – and again I quote - “be more” if we operate independently, to which we reply, no we cannot. We cannot do any better than partnering with FRRLS, which gives us access to a veritable smorgasbord of goods and services that far exceed the yearly investment we make.

I repeatedly asked Brandon not to violate the MOU, pointing out that there was no valid reason. He replied that perhaps it was time to rewrite the MOU and almost immediately petitioned the commissioners to do just that. Rewrite the MOU giving him greater control of library operations. When he appeared at our March meeting, Brandon was cautioned by the library board not to violate the MOU without cause, but he didn’t listen and did so anyway.

Some might argue that this is his prerogative as county manager, but we would argue otherwise. We would argue that since the MOU is a tripartite agreement that only the board of commissioners, the FRRLS, and the library board can agree to rewrite it, and even then the three parties must agree to and sign it. And please note that the county manager is not one of the signatories. Also allow me to point out that should we sever our relationship with FRRLS, we would be the only county in the state without a proper, state-supported, fully functional full-service library. Surely that is not a distinction to which we aspire.

Gentlemen, Brandon has an agenda. He clearly wishes to take greater control of the library. To what end we cannot say, but he has consistently demonstrated this desire in word and deed, and his decision to violate the current MOU against the advice of the library board is submitted as evidence.

Gentlemen, please help us Save Our Library. We believe it to be under attack. The county manager knows nothing about the proper operation of a public library. We do. The board, six members of which were appointed by you and serve at your pleasure, are committed to maintaining the integrity of our library and its operation and ensuring that it remains open and its full range of services available to the hundreds of patrons we serve each month. We are committed to supporting our library manager who we also believe to be under attack by the county manager.

I have gone to the trouble of commissioning buttons bearing the phrase Save Our Library. It is my intention to distribute them around the county advising anyone wishing to know more to call the county manager, their county commissioner, or both.

All five commissioners were present along with County Clerk Angela Blount, County Manager (CM) Brandon Rogers, and County Attorney Rob Morton.

[Note from the Editor: I will continue adding to this meeting until it is complete.]

1. CALL TO ORDER....... Chairman J. Briar Johnson

2. INVOCATION ....... Jonah Thompson

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ....... Chairman J. Briar Johnson

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

5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e) (2))

a. Minutes of the March 28, 2023, Regular Monthly Meeting.

b. Minutes of the March 28, 2023, Executive Session.

6. INVITED GUEST - NONE

7. 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.
Discuss/Approve/Deny

b. County Manager Report
Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund ....... $5,240,687.37
Fire Dept. Donations ....... $7,721.24
Cash Reserve Account ....... $467,582.54
Jail Fund ....... $29,825.12
E-911 Fund ....... $534,234.62
DATE Fund ....... $39,165.82
Juvenile Court Fund ....... $13,901.41
Residential Impact Fee ....... $1,034,618.09
Commercial Impact Fees ....... $166,248.03
C.A.I.P FUND ....... ($12,524.54)
General Obligation SPLOST 2022-2028 ....... $806,334.67
L.M.I.G. Grant (DOT) ....... $721,815.85

c. County Manager Comment

d. Commissioner Reports

e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners

8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

a. Discussion of Animal Shelter.

b. Discussion of Impact Fee Credits.

9. NEW BUSINESS

a. Discussion of Employee Appreciation Day.

b. Open sealed bids for Lawn Maintenance.

c. Open sealed bids for Transfer Station.

d. Open sealed bids for Information Technology Services.

e. County Manager to present the FY 2023-2024 Budget to the Board of Commissioners.

The links to the proposed 2023-24 budget (87 pages) can be found by clicking here and the proposed budget summary sheet can be found by clicking clicking here.

10. PUBLIC COMMENT - NONE

11. EXECUTIVE SESSION

a. County Manager Brandon Rogers requests an Executive Session to discuss the possible acquisition of real property pursuant to O.C.G.A. 50-14-3 (b)(1).

b. County Attorney Rob Morton request Executive Session for consultation with the county attorney, or other legal counsel, to discuss pending or potential litigation, settlement, claims, administrative proceedings, or other judicial actions brought or to be brought by or against the county or any officer or employee or in which the county or any officer or employee may be directly involved as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-2(1).

[Note from the Editor: On March 15, 2023, a written Grievance was placed against CM Rogers for a hostile work environment with the county by a department head (not elected) in our county. I am hoping that this discussion is getting the Grievance Committee process started. I also hope the county protects itself by ensuring that CM Brandon Rogers is not involved in ANY part of this process.]

12. ADJOURNMENT

Agenda subject to change.

[Note from the Editor: If you appreciate being able to read information from county meetings for free on Pike County Times, please make a donation to Pike County Times through the PayPal link at the bottom of the page or by check to Pike County Times at PO Box 843, Zebulon so I can justify the amount of time that I am spending away from family. It may not seem like much but sitting in a meeting and then typing it up takes a lot more time than you might imagine! Thanks for reading Pike County's only FREE newspaper.]

Submitted 4.11.23
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