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Editor Becky Watts: Phone # 770-468-7583 editor(@)pikecountytimes.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.
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Tuesday, June 25, 2024 – 6:30 p.m.
Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street, Zebulon, Georgia
Courthouse Doors on East/South Sides open at 6:00 p.m.
Town Hall Meeting at 6:15 p.m.
ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will meet in the upper courtroom of the courthouse on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 – 6:30 p.m. for a regularly scheduled meeting. There will be a Town Hall Meeting at 6:15 p.m. for anyone who would like to speak to the commissioners about any issues that you may have. [Note from the Editor: Pike County Times has not found anyone who would be willing to Facebook Live this meeting so there may be no broadcast of the meeting since I will be out of state. Please talk to your commissioner if you would like to see them broadcast meetings and keep these recorded meetings on YouTube or on the new county website that is coming so members of the public can easily watch what is being done on our behalf if we can't attend.]
Click here to see the documents that have been uploaded with the agenda on the Pike County government page.
[Note from the Editor: Everything here except items in blue is pulled verbatim/word for word from the unapproved minutes that were posted on the county website on 7.12.24 in preparation for the upcoming county commission meeting. You can listen to the audio of this meeting in an MP3 file by clicking here: pikecountytimes.com/secondary/PikeBOC6.25.2024audio.mp3]
The Pike County Board of Commissioners held its Regular Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Courthouse, Main Courtroom, at 16001 Barnesville Street, Zebulon. Chairman Briar Johnson convened the meeting and Commissioners Tim Daniel, Tim Guy and James Jenkins attended. County Manager Brandon Rogers, County Attorney Rob Morton and County Clerk Angela Blount were also present. (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e) (2)). Due to unforeseen circumstances, Commissioner Jason Proctor was not present.
1. CALL TO ORDER ...... Chairman J. Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION ...... Silent Invocation
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ...... Chairman J. Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. § 50-14-1 (e) (1))
County Manager Bradnon Rogers requested to amend the agenda moving Executive Session c. germane to personnel to after County Attorney Report on the agenda. CM Rogers stated some decisions made in this Executive Session could affect the budget and should be discussed before the adoption of the budget. Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to approve the amended agenda moving Executive Session Item c. germane to personnel to after County Attorney Report on the agenda, motion carried 4-0.
5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e) (2))
a. Minutes of the June 12, 2024, Regular Monthly Meeting.
Motion/second by Commissioners Guy/Daniel to approve the minutes of the June 12, 2024 Regular Monthly Meeting, motion carried 4-0.
6. INVITED GUEST
a. Bryan Richardson of American Legion 197 to address the Board regarding the American Legion Post 197 new home information.
Bryan Richardson addressed the Board stating he wears many hats within the Pike County American Legion Post 197. Today, Mr. Richardson is wearing the Program Manager for a Post New Home Campaign and Post Finance Officer hats. Mr. Richardson thanked the Board for allowing him to address the Board on a critical Post 197, Veteran, County and Community issue. Mr. Richardson noted his mission this evening is not to get any decision from the Board of Commissioners, but only to inform them on future status of Post 197, and lastly to asked for the Board of Commissioners support with help in securing a new home for the post. Some of the background information on the future of the Post, on August 26, 2026, which is in the scheme of things is not that far off, Post 197 will have to vacate its current home on 645 Meansville Street, Zebulon as the current 10-year lease runs out, in which the owner does not want to renew. At this point, the Post could be homeless and essentially are looking for a new home. This could be a once a month rented meeting facility with a separate central storage area for all its activity equipment and supplies, or an annual rental facility as what the Post has now with storage capability, or a Legion owned facility and storage capability. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. The preferred option would be a home that the Post owns. Mr. Richardson stated it is always surprising and amazing that there are only a few people who know who Post 197 is and what they do for Veterans and the Community, despite being in the Pike County Journal Reporter at least once a month if not more and visible at Pike County festivals, patriotic programs, and twice a year fundraising on the square in Zebulon. Mr. Richardson stated Post 197 has been told that there are over 1,500 Veterans in Pike County. Many of the county’s employees and first responders are Veterans and of these several are Post members. The Post has 115 members with over 80% over the age of 60 years with physical limitations and in some form of dementia. Mr. Richardson noted that the late Tom Morton, a heroic WWII Veteran, was a member of Post 197. The Post, located in Zebulon, Georgia, is within a rural area of Georgia. Its Post members and their families live mostly in Pike County, and include Spalding, Upson, and Lamar Counties. Post 197 is available to assist community Veterans and its members with any issues to include job searching, VA claims and disability filing, home handicap modifications, Veterans and Veterans families in need, as well as less fortunate community members. Mr. Richardson noted he wished they could do more. The American Legion provides an organization for Veterans to call their own to socialize with fellow Veterans and to understand and help resolve each other’s physical, mental, emotional, and/or financial problems and issues, and to provide a “Home” to conduct official and leisure activities. For the last three years, the Post has assisted the Angel Ministries with a facility and activities in their support of providing toys for needy children (and parents) during Christmas. The Post, being the only Veteran organization, would represent all Veterans within the County on any Veterans related issue. Only a few organizations educate the community on Americanism, Patriotism, and Flag Protocol and Etiquette; however, Post 197 leads the way. Each of its programs emphasizes an Americanism and patriotic value theme. Post 197 ensures the county has a Memorial Day, Flag Day and Flag Retirement, Patriot Day/9-11, and Veterans Day observance programs with patriotic themes. Post 197 also recognizes and offers educational and historical awareness events such as the spiritual Four Chaplains Program, History of the Purple Heart Medal, and POW/MIA Recognition Day Programs. Post 197 was instrumental in the county’s bicentennial celebration which included the military biography of BG Zebulon Montgomery Pike and the shadow box mounted in the Courthouse. Post 197 does an amazing job honoring its Veterans and those from Pike County who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Post 197 honors its Veterans at Veterans funerals, during Memorial Day, Patriot Day, POW/MIA Day, Veterans Day, special Memorial Hall exhibits during community activities, and during its annual Memorial Service and Post Everlasting Ceremony. Post 197 established the now Pike County Memorial Hall of Heroes Program which includes maintaining an operational and open to the general public Memorial Hall with 41 inducted Pike County native service members who died during our nation’s wars and conflicts, and first responders who died in the line of duty. Inductees are honored with the reading of their biographies and unveiling of their shadow boxes which are mounted on the Memorial Hall walls with the Zebulon City Hall. An estimated 25 Pike County hero candidates are waiting to be inducted. A new future Post home could also potentially be the final home of the Pike County Memorial Hall of Heroes and all its memorial contents. Mr. Richardson stated that our community should be appreciative of our first responders and those who served in the military. The Post hosts the annual Pike County First Responders of the Year Award Ceremony that honors a nominated Law Enforcement Officer, a Firefighter, and an Emergency Medical Technician/Paramedic. The Post just recently took over the annual Pike County Veteran of the Year Award Program. Post 197 maintains the Pike County Veterans Memorial on the Square; and since the Memorial’s flags are the closest to the Pike County Courthouse, the symbol of the county, the Post considers these flags as the most visible and “official” County Flags and this, needs to be constantly looking good, flown properly, and reactive to half-staff notifications. Post 197 promotes and sponsors within the community , the American Legion’s Boys State and Girls State programs. This is a “How the Government Works” educational/leadership program which upon completion is considered highly attractive on college applications. Currently, this year, there was a record number of five attendees, which included Marissa Fry and Libby Pullin, whose fathers are well known in the county. Past graduate, Luke Pullin, was selected from over 250 boys from Georgia to attend Boy’s Nation in Washington, DC. Post 197 provides a Verteran “Home” that includes a meeting and banquet room, a lounge, a kitchen, restrooms, internet and recreational appliances and equipment, and a rental facility for the community. The current facility provides opportunities for Post revenue as it provides options for community individuals or organizations to hold a meeting, party, banquet and reception activities. Post 197 currently sponsors a Scout Troop financially and with a facility to conduct meetings, instruction, and storage. Post 197 also presents the American Legion Good Citizenship Award to those who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The Post provides an Honor Guard Team that not only supports our community patriotic events but is also available to provide patriotic awareness. The Post Honor Guard Team has supported organizational and city events with posting or presenting the Colors, Flag Folding Ceremonies, History of the Purple Heart Medal presentations, POW/MIA Full Tributes, Flag Retirement ceremonies and Veterans 90th and older birthday celebrations. On several occasions, the Honot Guard Team has represented the county and Veterans at higher VA ceremonies in Atlanta. Post 197 provides support to Veteran funerals that include reading of the Veteran’s military biography, casket guard, folding of the Veteran’s casket US Flag and presentation to next of kin at funerals, and providing Veteran presence. Pike County Veterans who pass away since the previous Memorial Day are honored during the Memorial Day program. Deceased Legionnaires and their families are honored with a Memorial Service and Post Everlasting Ceremony. Mr. Richardson stated Post 197 does a great job showing and displaying that it will never be forgotten what our Veterans have done for our country. Due to the American Legion’s involvement in the creation of the United States Flag Code, Post 197 claims to be the community’s proponent for flag protocol and etiquette providing flag education to the community to include schools, adult and youth organizations, and during its patriotic ceremonies. Post 197 maintains a flag drop box for worn out flags that need to be honorably retired. Post 197 recently honorably retired a record of 673 worn out United States flags. Being the only Veteran’s organization in Pike County, Post 197 represents Veterans at community events and festivals, and local government activities. It has been stated from the Pike County Journal-Reporter and Moody-Daniel Funeral Home, that Post 197 is one of the most supportive non-profit organizations within Pike County. Post 197 could someday become a shared county asset similar to the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, representing and officially handling Veterans affairs within and for the county, and working closely with the State and National Veterans affairs agencies/departments in a relationship similar to the FEMA, GEMA, and Pike County Emergency Services. Post 197 does a lot of fundraising to include conducting a Run/Walk with sponsors and participants, Fundraisers on the Square for donations, and occasionally the Post will receive $50.00 to $500.00 donations from the public or Post members. The Post has bounce houses used as fundraisers at local festivals and rents out bounce houses and the Post facilities. Post 197 has raised around $11,000.00 to $15,000.00 a year which helps maintain all the programs previously addressed as well as the operational expenses of maintaining the current facility. In addition to this income, Post 197 has received several grants for facility improvements. The Post does not currently pay rent for the facility except for utilities and maintenance, which has been a blessing for the past eight years. Mr. Richardson stated now that everyone has a better understanding of what all Post 197 does in support of the community; Post 197 needs a home preferably in a central Pike County location such as in the City of Zebulon, where Veteran, Legion, County and Community programs can be planned and supported. Mr. Richardson asked that the Pike County Board of Commissioners consider assisting in whatever way they can to enable or provide any support in obtaining a facility and home for Post 197 as a supportive Veteran, Legion, County and Community asset. Mr. Richardson noted someone asked him why he doesn’t invite those the Post has helped to attend the meeting in support of Post 197. Mr. Richardson stated he did not have the time to locate all those who the Post has affected in the past and if he was to invite all those that Post 197 has assisted, honored, and educated not only would they fill the courtroom; they would fill the entire courthouse. Post 197 does have an impact on this community. Mr. Richardson thanked the Board of Commissioners again for allowing him the opportunity to address them and is open to any questions the Board may have.
Chairman Briar Johnson noted he attends the events that Post 197 organizes and hosts in Pike County and they do a lot. Commissioner Guy thanked Bryan Richardson for all that he and Post 197 does for the county.
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. There are no Department reports as they will be provided during the first Board meeting of July. Revenue/Expenditure Statement and Detail Check Register is included.
Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to accept reports, motion carried 4-0.
Commissioner Jenkins noted for discussion, under Finance Reports in the SPLOST account there was a check written in the amount of $125,000.00 paid to Whitley Engineering, Mark Whitley, for Tanyard Road. Tanyard Road was a CDBG grant funded project handled by Carol Southard the grant writer and Hayes Hofstadter the Engineer out of Macon. Once the grant was approved, it was in their court and the county is out of the picture for the most part. Whitley Engineering was hired to do the Right-of- Way study on Tanyard Road around August or September. Commissioner Jenkins noted he was not aware of when he was hired. Commissioner Jenkins stated he talked to Hayes Hofstadter and Carol Southard and with the CDBG grant, Hofstadter does everything including the Right-of-Way on Tanyard Road. This is state law once a grant is awarded. Commissioner Jenkins stated Chairman Johnson brought this to the Board previously that the county cannot hire someone to do the Right-of- Way study. Hayes Hofstadter was presented with the plans that Whitley Engineering completed on Tanyard Road to see if they could be used, and they could not be used. Commissioner Jenkins noted the check wrote to Whitley Engineering for $125,000.00 out of SPLOST funds for a study that cannot be used was wasted money. County Manager Brandon Rogers replied to Commissioner Jenkins stating the Board of Commissioners voted for that and for Commissioner Jenkins to say he does not know when it was approved, he would have raised his hand and voted for it. Commissioner Jenkins replied he did not find where it was voted for, the Board voted for the SPLOST. CM Rogers stated about six months ago there was a lengthy discussion over multiple meetings about Whitley because he had already started on this project prior to the CDBG grant being awarded and the Board decided to move forward with Tanyard Road as a SPLOST project prior to the CDBG grant. CM Rogers noted that Commissioner Jenkins is giving the citizens a wrong picture of mishandling of funds. CM Rogers stated he does agree that there was some wasted money since Tanyard Road was awarded the CDBG grant, and the State would not allow the CDBG Engineer, Hayes Hofstadter, to use Whitley Engineering’s plans. CM Rogers noted before the CDBG grant was ever introduced to the county for Tanyard Road, the Board agreed to move on with paving and Right-of-Way acquisitions and that is what Mark Whitley was hired to do. Mark Whitley started this project and was almost done with the project, about 85% - 90% complete, when the county found out the CDBG grant was awarded to the county for Tanyard Road. Commissioner Jenkins noted the grant writer, Carol Southard, did extensive research and could not find where Tanyard Road was on an approved SPLOST list and the county paid Whitley Engineering out of SPLOST funds. CM Rogers replied that he provided that to the Board and Carol Southard twice before in an email. Commissioner Guy stated he agreed with CM Rogers that he remembers this was brought to the Board and agreed to it. Commissioner Daniel noted this was not the first time this has been discussed.
[Note from the Editor: Here is the history on this.
From the 3.8.23 Minutes (verbatim):
"h. Discussion of Tanyard Road Engineering.
Carol Southard, CDBG grant writer, addressed the Board stating a grant was written for Tanyard Road last year and was not awarded. Ms. Southard contacted the State to see what could be done to make a stronger application and they provided several ideas, with the biggest one being they need more pictures showing the water. The County Manager provided a video last year of the entire road, but it was turned in after the application was submitted and they would not consider it. It is time to submit the grant application again for Tanyard Road. After talking to the County Mananger, Ms. Southard was made aware that a different engineer was working on the project at this point. Last year when the application was submitted, the Board of Commissioners selected Hofstadter and Associates as the Engineer for Tanyard Road after the procurement process and through a vote. With a change in engineers the CDBG project cannot be done. Department of Community Affairs, DCA, procurement protocol must be followed for Engineering and Administration. Ms. Southard asked for direction by the Board regarding Engineering because the grant application is due the first Friday in June. County Manager Brandon Rogers stated after the county was not awarded the CDBG grant for Tanyard Road last year, Tanyard Road was put in with the county SPLOST projects because there was always a plan to get Tanyard Road done. CM Rogers stated Whitley Engineering got appointed for all the SPLOST projects. Mark Whitley has done a lot of work on Tanyard Road. CM Rogers stated since the CDBG project was not awarded it was his understanding that everything would have to be reapplied for including the Engineering and in that process the county would have a full set of working plans that can be provided to that Engineer and it turns out that is not the case. Ms. Southard stated that when Hofstadter was awarded the Engineering, they will remain the Engineers for the submission of the project. Carol Southard stated in October of 2022 is when DCA announced that Tanyard Road did not receive the CDBG grant. Commissioner Proctor stated to leave it like it is and if the county is awarded the grant this year for Tanyard Road, he is sure Mark Whitley can call Hofstadter and charge a fee to stamp Whitley’s plan. Ms. Southard stated she does not know if Hofstadter will do that. Commissioner Proctor stated he knows they will that he has not talked to Hofstadter, but money talks and he knows for a fee they will put their stamp on there. County Manager Rogers asked if the county could not just reapply and resubmit for Engineers. Ms. Southard replied that the procurement process is a 45-day process and with that Whitley has already started and as far as the State is concerned Whitley has inside knowledge of the project and they would not be eligible to submit for the engineering. CM Rogers stated his confusion is when engineering is talked about for the CDBG, it is the oversight of the project. Carol Southard replied no, it is for Design and Engineering. CM Rogers asked if he had shovel ready project that a CDBG grant cannot be applied for and if he does, he will have to pay for a second Engineer to do the project. Ms. Southard replied that is one thing they have discussed with DCA, she does not agree with it either. DCA says if their funds are involved it must be an open competitive bid for engineering. County Manager Brandon Rogers stated he is not sure if the county will be ready to submit for the CDBG grant for Tanyard Road in June because the county has not obtained the appropriate right-of way needed. Carol Southard stated she put that in the application last year that the county did not have all the right-of-way however the county was working on it and that was not an issue. Commissioner Proctor stated just leave Hofstadter as the Engineer and worst-case scenario the county is awarded the grant; they will have to pay twice to get the road engineered. If the county is awarded the CDBG grant on Tanyard Road, Hofstadter will be paid out of the grant. Carol Southard asked the Board does she needed to tell Hofstadter to move forward putting the preliminary engineering report together for the application to be submitted to the State. The Board of Commissioners said yes. No motion, discussion only." (Underline is Pike County Times emphasis.)
[Note from the Editor: I have a ton of emails on this. (Thank you to County Clerk Angela Blount for her diligence on filling my open records request.) At the past county commission meeting, our county manager tried to convince commissioners to vote for the local engineering firm to work on right of way on Tanyard Road seemed angry about it when Chairman Briar Johnson pushed for a reassurance that the county would not lose the million dollar grant on Tanyard Road if commissioners did what the county manager was asking.
There is a specific email from February 2024 from Kathleen Vaughn, Office Director, Community Development at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs advising that there are federal guidelines that must be followed including Hofstader and Associates being the engineer of record for all engineering work done on Tanyard Road, asking questions, and directing our county manager to ask for assistance from our grant writer, Carol Southard, "in navigating all of the federal and state requirements, rules, and regulations." Even before that, grant writer Carol Southard advised by email that her emails from November 17, 2023 and January 31, 2024 have gone unanswered by the county manager attempting to address the issue of engineering on that road after the CDBG was awarded to the county on August 25, 2023. County Manager Brandon Rogers has tried to smooth this over with the DCA, but the DCA is still asking questions regarding design of the road, etc. which are to the point and sound very concerned with how the county and an engineer that is not the engineer of record on this project has been allowed to do anything at all on this road after April of 2022. Federal rules are not very forgiving and don't care about reasons if something is done against their explicit instructions.
Did Commissioner Proctor and/or the County Manager call and speak to the grant writer, Carol Southard, after the past commission meeting? Will the local engineer continue work on the right of way on Tanyard Road? Or will the county abide by DCA regulations for CDBG as the county manager is being advised by the Department of Community Affairs and the grant writer? I look forward to seeing this is resolved. Grant writer Carol Southard worked very hard with residents of that road to get the documentation that was needed -- including residents' videos of water washing over that road so it is not safe to pass during huge downpourings of rain -- in order to obtain that million dollar grant.
I will be broadcasting the upcoming meeting (and every other county commission meeting if I can) on Facebook Live through Pike County Times' Facebook page in order to bring accountability to our Board of Commissioners and County Manager on this and other issues and hopefully cut unnecessary drama because the past meeting included behavior by the county manager that was not as professional as it should have been. The video can be watched at https://www.facebook.com/pikecountytimes/videos/726513142966020. Pike County Times has bought new, wireless microphones and will have the camera backed up to include everyone at the tables from here on out.]
From the Pike County Times 3.13.24 meeting write up.
e. Approve/deny right-of-way acquisition of Tanyard Road.
A right of way drawing was provided to the commissioners on Tanyard Road. We were minimal in what we tried to do on this as far as changing the center line. We would like to proceed with trying to obtain right of way. Johnson. We are not allowed to do this. Rogers. The grant is for drainage and street repairs. Two separate projects. Johnson. We can’t do this without talking to our administrator. You can guarantee that this will not affect our grant? Rogers. I can’t give a 100% guarantee on that. This is not meant to affect our CDBG grant.
Johnson asked to postpone this to the next meeting because he wants to ensure that we are not putting this grant in jeopardy because that is not what he understands from his source. Rogers asked the source, and Johnson would not tell him. Johnson wants the project administrator and the project engineer to have everyone on the same page. Rogers did not want to wait 2 weeks. Johnson said that he doesn’t see a problem with waiting for 2 weeks.
Guy asked Attorney Morton for insight on this. Can you provide us with some info on this. Two separate projects. You approved the ROW acquisition to approve the design of the road because of how it was used prior. The issue has been clouded in the past. The discussion previously was about design work and whether it can be used. It was his understanding that this had to be done by the design firm.
More discussion. Is the approval of this going to affect the CDBG? We haven’t had a response from the state on this. Johnson. Asked for 2 more weeks. He has not called to project administrator after he has been asked. Motion to delay this for two more weeks. Discussion. Johnson wants no mistakes or misunderstandings. Proctor will speak to Carol himself and get a 100% guarantee that this won’t affect the grant. Rogers. He said that the comment about him not calling Carol is not true. Johnson. The only way to solve this is to get everyone in the same room. I cannot ignore the information that I have been given. Motion to postpone. Approved 5-0.
From the Pike County Times 3.26.24 meeting write up.
a. Approve/deny right-of-way acquisition of Tanyard Road.
There will be no action on this. Hofstadter is the engineer of record, and he will be working on Tanyard Road.
[Note from the Editor: This was quite refreshing to see this after the tantrum that the county manager pitched at the last meeting trying to push commissioners to use another company to obtain right of way and make changes on the road when it could have jeopardized a million dollar grant that is going to fix that road. The feds don’t care how we try to portray our thoughts on how things should be two different projects or not. They have rules that pertain to this million dollar grant, and we have to follow them. Period. I wish that county ordinances and rules were given this much consideration, but I digress. Thankfully this time, someone got through to someone who listened and truly understood the consequences of county manager’s actions since it took us two years to get that grant. On a side note, the grant writer and administrator of the grant, Carol Southard, was in the audience. When Chairman Johnson asked at a later point in the meeting if anyone had questions for her, no one did. (He didn't see her in the beginning of the meeting because it was full of people from McCard Lake and Cook Roads.)
Prior to the meeting, I requested open records of a phone log to show where the county manager had contacted the grant writer and was advised by the county clerk as follows: "No documentation has been provided to your request. I provided all the documents that were provided." When I pushed for further clarification from the county attorney on these open records, I was advised as follows: "It is my understanding that the County Clerk has provided you everything that she has in her possession including what may have been provided to her that would be considered responsive to your request." My thoughts? You and I can go look at every number on our Verizon bill, but aparently the county either doesn't have access to this or is refusing to provide that information. Or... the county manager lied about calling the grant writer. Neither option is good for our county. You can read about the Open Records Act through the State Attorney General's Office https://law.georgia.gov/sites/law.georgia.gov/files/imported/vgn/images/portal/cit_1210/62/51/186385699r1.pdf]
[Note from the Editor on 7.12.24: A vote wasn't taken; a consensus was given in a prior discussion. This entire process has been a mess that never should have been. Yes, the commissioners agreed to move forward with Whitley's work as a SPLOST project, but when the grant was awarded, all outside work should have stopped rather than dragging into this year. I keep hoping that we will learn from our mistakes as a county, but time is going to tell on that one.]
b. County Manager Report
Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund .......... $557,809.75
Fire Dept. Donations .......... $11,347.17
Cash Reserve Account .......... $109,986.99
Jail Fund .......... $30,144.37
E-911 Fund .......... $90,853.81
DATE Fund .......... $31,760.25
Juvenile Court Fund .......... $13,744.51
Residential Impact Fee .......... $373,360.77
Commercial Impact Fees .......... $38,335.04
C.A.I.P FUND .......... $217,341.50
General Obligation SPLOST 2022-2028 .......... $1,680,307.26
L.M.I.G. Grant (DOT) .......... $51,823.38
c. County Manager Comment - No report.
d. Commissioner Reports
District 1 – Commissioner Daniel – No report.
District 2 – Commissioner Guy thanked County Clerk Angela Blount and the Staff for Employee Appreciation Day, everything turned out nice and thanked all the Employees of Pike County for their work.
District 3 – Commissioner Proctor - absent
District 4 - Commissioner Jenkins stated Ms. Pam Blakeney is requesting two “No Thru Trucks” signs on Melville Brown Road, one on the Chappel Hill Road end and one on the Williamson-Zebulon Road end.
Commissioner Jenkins stated the County Manager is in the National Guard. They usually do two weeks a year of training for drill and one weekend a month, usually Saturday and Sunday but some include Friday afternoon. Commissioner Jenkins noted it seems like there is possibly some inconsistencies of reporting to the Board. Commissioner Jenkins would like to see supporting documents from the National Guard to be provided to the Board of the drill time to put in file. CM Rogers replied okay.
From Pike County's Code of Ordinances:
"§ 36.17 MILITARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE (MLOA)
(A ) Any full-time employee of Pike County who is a member of any branch of the United States
armed forces reserve or National Guard shall be granted Military Leave of Absence
(MLOA) to attend required monthly drills, annual training deployments, and other required
training functions associated with their participation in their respective agency up to
eighteen (18) days per calendar year without incurring loss of their seniority or job security
as an employee of Pike County. There will be no pay compensation from Pike County
during any time an employee is on military leave of absence (MLOA). The employee’s
medical benefits will continue to remain in effect during their time on MLOA. The
employee’s sick leave and vacation balances will continue to accumulate as if they were in
continuous full-time employment status.
(B ) In the event of unit or individual activation for military duty, the employee’s job position
will remain available for their return after the required active duty period is complete up to a
maximum of three years duration. The employees medical benefits may be allowed to
continue as allowed by the health care coverage provider if arrangements are agreed upon
for payment of insurance premiums. The employee’s vacation and sick leave time will not
continue to accrue but any existing balances will be maintained during their time on military
duty.
(Ord. Passed 10-30-07)"
[Note from the Editor: There should be a uniform way of letting county commissioners and departments heads know when the county manager is going to be out of the office. That goes for military leave, being sick, or simply letting staff in the office know when he is not going to be in or going to come in late. That is just being respectful to those that one works with. My husband had an annual schedule when he was in the Reserves because it was necessary to let his employer know when he would be away from his regular workplace. Honestly, this should be an easy fix.]
Commissioner Jenkins noted a year ago he suggested in a public meeting that Commissioners be notified when County Manger was doing Department Head interviews. Commissioner Jenkins stated he believes interviews have been conducted over the past several weeks for the Human Resources position. Sometimes it is better to have two people in the interviewing process to ask the questions. CM Rogers stated the Human Resources job is not a Department Head position which does not require the Commissioners to participate in the interviewing process per policy. Commissioner Jenkins asked when the county has a Department Head vacancy, are the vacant positions being posted. CM Rogers replied yes, right now the county has a vacant Library Manager position, and it is posted. At Large Chairman Briar Johnson thanked Angela Blount, Heather Bell, Clint Chastain, the County Manager and the Parks and Recreation Department for the Employee Appreciation Day, it was a good turn out and a great time.
<[Note from the Editor: Jenkins' point about department head positions is a good one. And the county currently does not have a Human Resources employee though that position has been vacant for quite some time. With the issues that we've had, we really need to get this position filled so they can do payroll and handle any HR issues if those arise.]
Chairman Johnson noted Commissioner Jason Proctor has resigned from the Master Plan Committee and would like for the Commissioners to consider appointing Commissioner Tim Guy to the Master Plan Committee.
Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Jenkins to appoint Commissioner Tim Guy to the Master Plan Committee following the resignation of Commissioner Jason Proctor, motion carried 3-1, with Commissioner Guy abstained.
Chairman Johnson recognized Commissioner Elect Ken Pullin in the audience for District 3 and congratulated him.
e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners
County Attorney Rob Morton addressed the Board stating one of the Intergovernmental Agreements that has not been discussed is with the municipalities access for the ability to participate in the County Health Insurance. Mr. Morton is coordinating with the City Attorney of Molena on that, and the Board should see a document on this at their next meeting.
County Attorney Morton stated he was asked to contact and coordinate a meeting with Ray Grizzard who has been to some of the Commissioners meetings and expressed some concerns. Mr. Morton noted he has a meeting scheduled with Ray Grizzard on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
EXECUTIVE SESSION (moved due to agenda amendment)
c. County Manager Brandon Rogers requests an Executive Session for discussion or deliberation on the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a public officer or employee or interviewing applicants for the position of the executive head of an agency, as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(b)(2), germane to personnel. Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to adjourn Regular Session and enter into Executive Session at 7:07 p.m., motion carried 4-0.
CLOSED MEETING AFFIDAVIT
[A copy of the affidavit must be filed with the minutes of the meeting]
STATE OF GEORGIA
COUNTY OF PIKE
AFFIDAVIT OF PIKE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Members of the Pike County Board of Commissioners, being duly sworn, state under oath that the
following is true and accurate to the best of his/her knowledge and belief:
1.
The Pike County Board of Commissioners met in a duly advertised meeting on 6-25-2024.
2.
During such meeting, the Board voted to go into closed session.
3.
The executive session was called to order at 7:07 p.m.
4.
The subject matter of the closed portion of the meeting was devoted to the following matter(s)
within the exceptions provided in the open meetings law:
No 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);
No Discussion of tax matters made confidential by state law as provided by O.C.G.A. § 50-14-2(2) and ______________insert the citation to the legal authority making the tax matter confidential);
No Discussion of the future acquisition of real estate as provided by O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(4);
YesDiscussion or deliberation on the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a public officer or employee or interviewing applicants for the position of the executive head of an agency, as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(b)(2);
No Other – Germane to authorizing negotiations to purchase, dispose of or lease property.
Pike County Board of Commissioners:
J. Briar Johnson, Chairman (L.S.)
Tim Daniel, Commissioner (L.S)
Tim Guy, Commissioner (L.S.)
James Jenkins, Commissioner (L.S.)
This the 25th day of June 2024.
Sworn to and subscribed Before me this 25th day of June 2024.
Robert L. Morton
Morton & Morton Associates
County Attorney and Notary Public
My commission expires: August 10, 2026.
Motion/second by Commissioners Guy/Daniel to adjourn Executive Session and enter into Regular Session at 8:02 p.m., motion carried 4-0.
8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Public Comment related to the FY 2024-2025 Budget. Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to allow up to 20 minutes for public comment, motion carried 4-0.
Cherry Thomas thanked the Board of Commissioners for not approving the FY 2024-2025 Budget at the last meeting. Ms. Thomas noted in a prior Commissioners’ meeting she asked about the shortfall on the Budget. Ms. Thomas stated she can understand one year with a shortfall but not three years. Ms. Thomas noted if she remembered correctly, the County Manager said this budget will have a shortfall. Does the FY 2024-2025 Budget have a shortfall and if so, why? If the FY 2024-2025 budget has a shortfall, then why would the Board of Commissioner approve it? Ms. Thomas noted she has not seen any other time the increase in inflation and the amount of taxes the citizens are having to pay causing them to sacrifice other things. Ms. Thomas asked why the budget could not be cut. Ms. Thomas suggested for this year’s budget that every Department in the county should cut every unnecessary expense. It should be clear to the citizens if a department increases or decreases their budget and a written reason should be provided by the Department if they cannot cut their budget and provided to the taxpayers, the Departments should be accountable to the citizens as the Commissioners are. This will let the taxpayers know who is trying to reduce the budget. Budget money is not free money.
Steve Fry thanked the Board of Commissioners for retaining the Fire Department Budget with the paid positions and adding a night shift so the county will be covered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
David Allen addressed the Board of Commissioners stating he has questions on the budget with the more long-term stuff. The Tax Appeal that the county has a $50,000 penalty for not doing things properly, Mr. Allen understands Pike County is appealing it and there is a chance the county could lose the appeal. There is $50,000 in contingency funds in the FY 2024-2025 budget, if the funds are used to pay to fight the Tax Appeal and pay Mr. Morton legal fees that will leave contingency funds at a zero balance. The county needs to make up their mind about the Tax Assessors situation, will it be done in-house or contracted out. The new Industrial Park that Pike County purchased, multimillions will be spent on it before the county will get one penny back if they get a penny back. Does this budget reflect that, Mr. Allen stated he does not know. Mr. Allen noted the county must not be satisfied for their thirst of land because another Executive Session is on the agenda for possible acquisition of real estate. Mr. Allen asked if this was reflected in this budget?
b. Approve/deny the Final Adoption of the FY 2024-2025 Budget.
1. Authorize Chairman Briar Johnson and County Manager Brandon Rogers to execute the FY 2024-2025 Budget documentation, to include, but not limited to, advertising, pertinent dates, and all incorporated motions made as of this date, June 25, 2024.
Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to postpone the Final Adoption of the FY 2024- 2025 Budget to allow time for the County Manager the opportunity to make necessary revisions to the budget, motion carried 4-0.
[Note from the Editor: Another meeting was held on Thursday, June 27, 2024 to approve the final budget. It was announced to the media prior to the meeting including Pike County Times and the Pike Journal Reporter--which is the official legal organ for the county. You can listen to the audio of this meeting in an MP3 file by clicking here: pikecountytimes.com/secondary/PikeBOC6.27.2024audio.mp3]
9. NEW BUSINESS
a. Consider use of Courthouse Grounds from Kacie Edwards with Pike County Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. for Character Night on the Square. County Manager Brandon Rogers recommendation is to approve the use of Courthouse Grounds.
Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to approve use of Courthouse Grounds, motion carried 4-0.
b. Approve/deny Public Defender’s Office contract for FY 2024-2025.
County Manager Brandon Rogers recommendation is to approve the Public Defender’s Office contract for the FY 2024-2025 budget.
Motion/second by Commissioners Guy/Daniel to approve the Public Defender’s FY 2024-2025 contract, motion carried 4-0.
c. Consider Tax Refund Application from Chad Minter in the amount of $421.39.
Greg Hobbs addressed the Board stating Chad Minter owns property at 3890 Kings Road. The square footage was incorrect on his property. Mr. Minter was being charged for an area over his garage which he does not have. The Tax Assessors do not go inside each individual property, and it is easy to get the square footage wrong. Mr. Hobbs’ recommendation is to approve the tax refund for Mr. Minter.
Motion/second by Commissioners Guy/Daniel to approve the tax refund application from Chad Minter in the amount of $421.39, motion carried 4-0.
d. Consider Tax Refund Application from Brian Park in the amount of $3,404.59.
Greg Hobbs addressed the Board stating Brian Park owns property at 650 Rockbridge Farm Road. The square footage was incorrect on his property. Mr. Park was being charged for a complete second story to his home and he only has a one and a half story house. Mr. Park is eligible for a refund for the years 2023, 2022 and 2021. Mr. Hobbs’ recommendation is to approve the tax refund for Mr. Park.
Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to approve the tax refund application from Brian Park in the amount of $3,404.59, motion carried 4-0.
e. Approve/deny FY 2022-2023 Budget Amendments.
County Manager Brandon Rogers stated he thought the county would have the amendments by the auditors when this agenda was created but they are not finished yet. CM Rogers recommends postponing this agenda item until the next regular monthly meeting. CM Rogers anticipates the audit will be complete for FY 2022-2023 and the auditors will be ready to present it at the next Board of Commissioner regular monthly meeting.
Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Guy to postpone the FY 2022-2023 Budget Amendments until the next Board of Commissioners regular monthly meeting, motion carried 4-0.
10. PUBLIC COMMENT (Limited to 5 minutes per person)
a. David Allen to address the Board regarding the new Industrial Park.
David Allen addressed the Board stating the new industrial park on the western limit of Zebulon is a great example of what is wrong with the Pike County government – lack of transparency, wasteful spending of money they do not have, and indifference to following proper procedures. For those here that do not know, last November, the County committed to buy over 120 acres of land bordered by Highway 18 and County Farm Road, behind closed doors and without asking taxpayers. This land has a floodplain, wetlands, steep slopes, and with the purchase of the land, clearing/grading, surveying, and making a road, the taxpayers will be out many millions of dollars. So, surprise! Hope you like it! Supposedly, the land’s main purpose is for a new jail/ sheriff facility but per Commissioner Proctor’s own words on social media, it does not mention of it.
Mr. Allen quoted Commissioners Proctor’s social media post, “Land Purchase: We are considered a bedroom community. This means 90% of the taxes are paid by homeowners. We need some business to help ease the burden on the citizens. It doesn’t need to be spread out thru the county, so we are trying to provide and plan for a place for them to come while also trying to plan for the future growth of the county services. This land was purchased for less than most property is selling here. The purchase will also prevent another subdivision, or even worse, a multifamily development from going here. The down payment was paid out of impact fees and the debt will be divided as soon as the master plan is complete. Economic Development will sell the lots just like they did in the other two parks. The one on Hwy 41 has been full for years and the one in Zebulon only has a few lots let.”
Mr. Allen asked if you hear the word “jail” or “sheriff” in there? He does not. So, the motive appears to be unclear. And how is the county going to pay for everything with it, when the county was in a 2.5 million shortfall a few short months ago. Does this imply a tax increase without actually saying it. If you will notice, the Board has their eye on even more land tonight in Executive Session, just beyond those doors. This is not going to help the taxes any more than the other two industrial parks did. Pike County has had them for years and is in the worst tax shape the county has ever been in. Commissioner Guy interrupted Mr. Allen and stated the whole world is in the worst tax shape that it has ever been in. Commissioner Guy stated he thinks Commissioner Proctor made a good judgment call. Commissioner Guy continued to make comments at Mr. Allen regarding the things he says about the county as Chairman Johnson was telling Commissioner Guy to stop. When Commissioner Guy would not stop interrupting Mr. Allen, Chairman Johnson had to gavel the situation before standing between Mr. Allen and Commissioner Guy to stop the interruptions. Mr. Allen stated he is a citizen, and that is a commissioner interrupting what is his excuse for acting this way, unbelievable. Mr. Allen continued stating this new land is in a city tax district, not county, so the county citizens will not get the same tax benefit as they would with a piece of county land. Are you going to annex the property into the county. That is an involved legal process. This large piece of land has undergone no rezonings to become an industrial park, like the county did with the land out on Highway 41. This use does not align with the current county or city zoning map, nor with the current joint city/county comprehensive plan, which has the area as residential. The land area is most recognized as a development corridor like Hwy 19 and Hwy 41 are. The Board can tell the citizens how many chickens they can have, but when it comes to 120 plus acres for an industrial park in a bad area, they do not respect their own processes. Mr. Allen stated he spoke with a member of the new Zoning Board, and they were unaware of this situation. It was noted the down payment for the property and the master plan for the entire industrial park are being paid with impact fees, which is illegal. Impact fees can only be used for the designated categories provided. Mr. Allen’s allotted time was up, Chairman Johnson stated he would be allowed another minute or two due to the interruptions during his comment. Mr. Allen continued by stating if the county has a need for lights at the ball fields, then you pay for it with available recreation impact fee funds and do not use it for anything unrelated. Mr. Allen stated he cannot go buy a new patrol car with the recreation funds while he is buying lights. If a portion of the industrial park is for a new jail or sheriff’s office, it does not seem to be the main portion, then you cannot use jail/sheriff’s office impact fees to pay for the portions of the park unrelated to the jail or sheriff’s office. That is misuse of funds. Mr. Allen stated once again, the new industrial park is a great example of what is wrong with the Pike County government. A significant number of citizens said they were tired of the usual crap last week in the election and acted on it. This can serve as a warning for future elections. Lack of transparency and wasteful spending is no longer acceptable.
Chairman Johnson stated normally the Commissioners do not respond to Public Comment, but he would like to say most information that Mr. Allen stated was incorrect. Time will tell. Not all the information was incorrect but most of it.
[Note from the Editor: I was on vacation and could not find someone who was willing to Facebook Live this meeting so all I had was the audio to listen to after I returned home as well as the large number of people who contacted me about the meeting. And none of it was positive. The commissioners are elected by the people of this county, and if people sign up to speak to the commissioners, the commissioners should be willing to listen to what people have to say without interruption because to do otherwise is a tremendous disrespect that is not allowed when the commissioners are speaking in our meetings. Leading by example is hard but necessary. I sincerely hope this behavior will not be seen in future meetings. It makes our commission as a whole look very unprofessional.]
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION (Item c. moved to after County Attorney comment per agenda amendment)
a. County Attorney Rob Morton 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 requests an 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), germane to pending or potential litigation.
c. County Manager Brandon Rogers requests an Executive Session for discussion or deliberation on the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a public officer or employee or interviewing applicants for the position of the executive head of an agency, as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(b)(2), germane to personnel. Motion/second by Commissioners Daniel/Jenkins to adjourn Regular Session and enter into Executive Session at 8:30 p.m., motion carried 4-0.
CLOSED MEETING AFFIDAVIT
[A copy of the affidavit must be filed with the minutes of the meeting]
STATE OF GEORGIA
COUNTY OF PIKE
AFFIDAVIT OF PIKE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Members of the Pike County Board of Commissioners, being duly sworn, state under oath that the following is true and accurate to the best of his/her knowledge and belief:
1.
The Pike County Board of Commissioners met in a duly advertised meeting on 6-25-2024.
2.
During such meeting, the Board voted to go into closed session.
3.
The executive session was called to order at 8:30 p.m.
4.
The subject matter of the closed portion of the meeting was devoted to the following matter(s)
within the exceptions provided in the open meetings law:
Yes
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);No
Discussion of tax matters made confidential by state law as provided by O.C.G.A. § 50-14-2(2) and ______________insert the citation to the legal authority making the tax matter confidential);Yes
Discussion of the future acquisition of real estate as provided by O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(4);No
Discussion or deliberation on the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a public officer or employee or interviewing applicants for the position of the executive head of an agency, as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(b)(2);p>No
Other – Germane to authorizing negotiations to purchase, dispose of or lease property.[Note from the Editor: Read the note above for "authorizing negotiations to purchase, dispose of or lease property." State law requires the agenda to be written one way, but the state allows more than just a discussion of purchasing property. A note for those who, like me, may have never really paid that attention before.]
Pike County Board of Commissioners:
J. Briar Johnson, Chairman (L.S.)
Tim Daniel, Commissioner (L.S)
Tim Guy, Commissioner (L.S.)
James Jenkins, Commissioner (L.S.)
This the 25th day of June 2024.
Sworn to and subscribed Before me this 25th day of June 2024.
Robert L. Morton
Morton & Morton Associates
County Attorney and Notary Public
My commission expires: August 10, 2026.
[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.]