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Tuesday, September 24, 2013 – 6:30 p.m.
Courthouse Annex, 79 Jackson Street, Zebulon, Georgia
County Manager (CM) John Hanson was at the front table with all five commissioners, County Clerk Jo Ann Wrye, and County Attorneys Rob and Tom Morton last night. He participated in discussion with commissioners though Mr. Rob Morton conducted most of the business during the meeting. [Note from the Editor: Many thanks to Rob and Tom Morton for their work as acting county managers during this time of transition for the county. You have done a fantastic job for our county and hopefully we will never have to go there again!]
County Attorney Rob Morton asked to make a few changes to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting. He advised that Amber Pike from AT&T is here to speak on 9d and asked to move 9d to Invited Guest so she can get on the road back to Macon. He also asked that Public Works Personnel and Pending and Potential Litigation with Magistrate Court and the Fire Department be added to the Executive Session.
1. CALL TO ORDER....................................................................................Chairman J. Briar Johnson
2. INVOCATION……………………………………………………………………………Ben Maxedon
We had a moment of silence instead of invocation last night.
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))
Minutes of the September 11, 2013 Regular Monthly Meeting.
6. INVITED GUESTS (moved from 9d per Mr. Morton's request)
d. Consider phone system/DSL proposals.
Amber Pike is here on behalf of AT&T. There was an audit of our phones to see if there could be some savings to the county. Two providers did an onsite inspection and gave the county their proposals. A third company wanted us to pay them to do an audit when the other two were doing this for free. AT&T is the low bidder. There is a difference in pricing for 1, 2, and 3 year contracts but all three are still lower than the other bid. They basically figured out how to repackage some of the DSL and bringing in some newer technology. There is no cost in this. We are currently paying $5700 per month. The new proposal is $4900 per month for a 3 year contract with a substantial savings of $26,000 over a 3 year period. We currently have 81 business lines. This proposal will also come in with T-1 lines in some locations which will not cost the county anything. All of the offices and all of the lines have been accounted for. Commissioner Bass said that she had asked for records on phone last year and was told that $82,547 was what we paid for phones last year with $43,000 backed out for 911. Mr. Morton said that he wants to follow up on this because he is not sure that this has all of the final amounts from last year. There is a 30 day cancellation clause on this agreement with AT&T. Motion to go with this proposal contingent upon Mr. Morton checking into the numbers that Commissioner Bass provided. [Note from the Editor: There was also discussion about whether or not to go with AT&T on cell phones. Ms. Pike said that she would want to send some cell phones with some people before there was a switch to ensure coverage. I don't know of anyone with AT&T coverage in Pike County and have heard numerous complaints from those who could not use their phones in various areas in Pike.]
Commissioner Jarrett asked about security. She was advised that T-1 lines will be better secured than it was before with a regular DSL line that is shared with the public. Approved 5-0.
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 October. Revenue/Expenditure Statement and Detail Check Register is included.
b. County Manager Report
▫ Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund - $568,349.41
Jury Account - $0
Cash Reserve Account - $176,455.42
Jail Fund - $31,041.06
E-911 Fund – $239,530.12
DATE Fund - $21,836.55
Juvenile Court Fund - $21,749.86
Residential Impact Fees - $288,911.13
Commercial Impact Fees - $18,254.93
General Obligation SPLOST Tax Bond Sinking Fund, 2011 - $313,635.57
PC L.M.I. Grant – $323,144.92 (for resurfacing of 4 roads)
c. County Manager Comments.
Mr. Morton introduced County Manager (CM) John Hanson who will begin working on Monday.
Mr. Morton provided commissioners with a request from the Sheriff for 2 cars at the last meeting. There were 4 that have had issues because of mileage and condition of the cars. He wants replacement for 2 cars but has agreed to replace transmissions in two cars. He has asked that contingency funds of $13,000 be used for purchase of these 2 cars. There are 27 cars listed total in the reports as well as a complete inventory of cars including maintenance, mileage, etc. [Note from the Editor: This is what the Capital Assets Program (CAP program) is for and that was discussed in the meeting. Click here and read about it from a June budget meeting where vehicles for the Sheriff's Office are specifically mentioned. (4th paragraph from the top.) My opinion is the same as it has always been. The Sheriff's Office provides public safety for our county and multiple cars with high mileage are not good for the county. There needs to be a regular replacement policy on these cars. Click here and scroll down to April 19, 2013, Sheriff’s Office – Department 33 to read about these cars that were asked for during the budget discussion and discussed in the previous meeting even if the final numbers were not placed in commissioner's hands until just before this meeting.]
Commissioner Tommy Powers made the motion to approve the purchase of the 2 vehicles with monthly payments for the 2 vehicles for the rest of the year coming out of contingency. No second.
Commissioner Carol Bass suggested a motion to look through all of the information that was provided. Commissioner Jarrett made a motion to postpone this matter until the next meeting. 5-0. [Note from the Editor: This will be mentioned twice more in the meeting. Chairman Johnson was not happy that there was no second on this. As Chairman, he cannot make a motion as the Chairman so he couldn't vote. Commissioner Jenkins says later in the meeting that he supports the board's decision to wait.]
Mr. Morton brought up this topic because he will not be present at the next meeting and wanted commissioners to be familiar with it. EMA Director Jimmy Totten was also present at the meeting to discuss this and answer questions. The contract expires in November for our tornado/emergency call system. The county has asked for bids on this because it is not happy with the service being provided through Code Red that acquired the company which originally was chosen to provide this tornado/emergency call service to the county. First Call Network is the low bid on the emergency call network. It automatically calls people if there is a tornado or emergency alert. This is used only for true emergencies in Pike County. This program was implemented through a grant but will need to be funded from here on out by the county. For First Call Network, it would cost $5500 per year plus $750 set up fee for the first year. There are some differences in the service that Director Totten recommended and that of our current service with Code Red. First call will have a 567 number again for when an emergency call goes out. Code Red had a 1-866 number and people had complained about that. Code Red is also more expensive for their service with $8,100 than the $6,300 for First Call. He said that Spalding and Fayette Counties both use First Call and are satisfied with the service.
Commissioner Bass if this could be found in the Fire Department Budget rather than in Contingency. Mr. Morton said that their budget was reduced to begin with and then the Fire Department had to offset some Impact Fees. This will be discussed at the October 9th meeting. EMA Director Jimmy Totten said this would have been really nice to have a few years ago when the tornado came through but said that it has been used since then. He also said that there will be an EMA tent at the Concord Jubilee and people can sign up there. [Note from the Editor: At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am going to protest using any funds from the Fire Department to pay for this unless the commissioners are going to put the extra money from Contingency into the Fire Department budget to specifically cover this. I sat through a budget hearing in April that laid out the needs of our Volunteer Fire Department which didn't get the over $500,000 that it requested and has already been hit with a $5,000 payment to the City of Meansville and having to replace radios as well as providing and replacing old equipment for our volunteers. There are 7 county fire stations in Pike County that provide for our safety in this county with the best volunteers that a county could ask for. They have uniform training and train on a regular basis. Taking another $6,300 from them is going to take away from other needs. This needs to be placed in the budget next year as an over and above expense in the Fire Department. Click here and scroll down to April 18, 2013, Departments 80-89 to read about the needs of our Fire Department. I know that the money for these needs has to come from somewhere, and I appreciate commissioners trying to be creative with funding needs in the county. However, I have watched the Fire Department get kicked around for the past several years including funds from fire fees that were supposed to be used to support future needs being taken and put into the General Fund to pay off county debts instead of being used to buy equipment. It was all done legally, but the bad taste remains in my mouth. We do not have a paid fire department--and the county couldn't afford one if it was a requirement. We need to ensure that they have the equipment that they need to operate.]
The building from the City of Zebulon has been moved to the Animal Control site. He praised those who graded the ground and set this up. However, he said that the former commission allowed a sign to be out there but it is somewhat misleading to the efforts that are going on now because this is not going to be an adoption center at this time and will only be used to detain vicious and dangerous dogs. He asked that the sign be changed to indicate that this will be for dangerous and vicious dogs. Motion to change the sign. 5-0.
Personnel policies need some revision. Financial policies such as credit card use need to be revised as well. Look for some drafts in the future. Mr. Morton said that they are watching the money in the county. Projecting that will be just over $200,000 to the good with the insurance premiums and LOST funds that are coming in.
He said that it has been a pleasure for Morton and Morton working with the staff here in Pike County as the Mortons provided service as the Interim County Manager.
d. Commissioner Reports.
Commissioner Bass said thank you to Rob and Tom Morton for working with the county during this transition and said that hopefully they will never have to do this again. She said that she is excited with Mr. Hanson coming in to work for the county. She asked about LOST and SPLOST numbers that are dropping. Promote purchasing in Pike County. She also suggested having a retreat for commissioners and Mr. Hanson as used to be done yearly.
Commissioner Jarrett also said thank you to Rob and Tom and welcomed John Hanson. What drives the revenue in Pike County? She got some education that our fuel buying helps fund the county. She also attended an IDA meeting and gave a report on this meeting. Our former CM Mike Phillips promised the IDA (when he was on that board) that the county would keep up the entrance to the business park in Zebulon and asked if this is still going on. Chairman Johnson said that the IDA is very important and that he enjoyed being on it but that the time makes it difficult to attend. The status on the custodian position: there are 4 people who are being interviewed. Public Works Director is going to do interview and make a recommendation on this.
Commission Powers said thank you for a job well done as county manger and welcomed John Hanson.
Commissioner Jenkins also thanked the Mortons and welcomed John Hanson.
Chairman Johnson said that Jessica woke up last week and is being moved to the Sheperd Spinal Center and that her husband was out of the hospital last week. He also said that he is disappointed that we (the commission) couldn’t get a second on the patrol cars. He noted the mileage on these cars and said that the commission has often made a decision with last minute information on other items and thought that the same should have been done for this.
e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners.
Mr. Tom Morton commended the county for their decision to hire John Hanson. He said that they appreciated the board’s comments of appreciation to them.
He advised that there were 42 appeals to the Board of Equalization. One has already been resolved and one was continued. 40 will be taken care of on Friday. It will probably take all day and could roll over to Monday. He has personally reviewed these cases. The law provides that the Tax Assessors Office has the burden of proof to show that the values given are needed.
8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
a. Consider the exempt position in the County Extension Office.
Mr. Morton advised from the August 14th meeting that this concept was approved. This has been advertised and the interview process is ongoing. More information will be provided at a later meeting including the money that remains from this year’s budget. He advised that the county is staying within the budgetary constraints.
b. How to dispose of surplus items for Magistrate/Sheriff’s Department.
Mr. Rob Morton said that www.GovDeals.com is a possibility for the county with no upfront fees. They take a percentage of the final sales. One concept will allow an auction here in the county before it goes on this website. Commissioner Jarrett really wants citizens to have an opportunity to bid on this through sealed bids because citizens paid for this to begin with. Commissioner Bass agreed though she was not sure that sealed bid would be the best way to do this. She suggested possibly bringing in an auctioneer. Commissioner Jarrett said that she is open to this too. CM Hanson said that he wants citizens to have a chance to buy these too and that citizens would have an opportunity over people from Kentucky because citizens can go visit the items. He said that he has seen a desk go for $500 on a web auction like this versus $20 at a local auction. He said that we need to look at both options before we decide. Discussion at the vehicles, items, etc. that will be on this surplus list. It was also discussed that there are some cars are pool vehicles and used for backup vehicles at the Sheriff's Office so that is why these cars are the only ones that are on the surplus list.
Commissioner Jenkins went back to Chairman Johnson's earlier comment (where he said he was disappointed that there wasn't a second on the motion to go ahead and take the $13,000 from contingency to pay for the two cars out of this year's budget) said that a 2nd was not needed because commissioners need to know what cars are surplus, what is needed, and that the county needs to know where the funds are coming from. He also said that no one is against the Sheriff's Office having new cars and that no one wants the Sheriff's Office with unsafe cars, but that commissioners are accountable for this money. Chairman Johnson agreed that the commissioners are accountable for the money for agreed to disagree about the second on the motion. [Note from the Editor: Kudos to Commissioner Jenkins and Chairman Johnson for keeping this cordial even though they disagreed.]
Mr. Hanson said that we want to maximize what we are selling because that will be a benefit to the county. He said that there will be some cost to a live auction and that a sealed auction may not bring in as much money as GovDeals.com. Discussion of putting a reserve on items if we have a live auction. He said that we can put a reserve on GovDeals.com too. He said that the county can set the parameters on this. He emphasized that citizens will have an advantage because it is close and that the county can advertise this locally.
Motion to allow a citizen to speak. 5-0. Robert Adams asked about how the reserve process will work and depreciation. Mr. Morton advised that the auditors will track the depreciation and said that someone could review the items to ensure that the county gets the most bang for its buck with reserve amounts. Motion to go with GovDeals.com and advertise to the citizens of the county and we set a minimum for the reserve. (Right now there are 6 cars and 1 printer.) 5-0.
9. NEW BUSINESS
a. PUBLIC HEARING - REZ-13-02 – To receive public input from Alma L. Williams, property owner, and Howard Johnson, applicant, requesting to rezone the front 2 acres of a property, located at 2582 Chapel Hill Road, from A-R (Agricultural-Residential) to R-15 (Single Family Residential) in order to subdivide off the back portion of the property. The 4.84 acre site, with approximately 405 feet of frontage along the southern side of Chapel Hill Road, is located in Land Lot 59 of the 2nd Land District of Pike County, Georgia and is further identified as Tax Map Parcel Number 075 001.
Action: Approve/deny rezoning request.
Planning and Development Director David Allen addressed this. It went before the Planning Commission and they recommended approval. He wants to acquire as much of this lot possible in order to add to his farm. The lines will change on the plat, but there are no plans to develop this property. Commissioner Powers said that he knows them both and that he has no problem with approving this because he knows the situation. There is a life estate on this property. Mr. Johnson has spoken with the heirs and they are in agreement on this at this time even if this could change next week. Commissioner Bass said that she has no problem with this either though the ownership has muddied the waters some with the applicant not owning the property. And the applicant is not present at this meeting. The applicant is going to need to be present according to our Protocol Ordinance which means that this should be on the night meeting.
b. PUBLIC HEARING - REZ-13-03 – To receive public input on request from Marvin T. Powers, property owner, and applicant, requesting to rezone approximately 0.78 acres of a property, located at 941 Pitts Road, from C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) to A-R (Agricultural-Residential). The site has 13.2 total acres, with approximately 590 feet of frontage along the southern side of Pitts Road and approximately 942 feet of frontage along the eastern side of Hagan’s Mountain Road, and is located in Land Lot 4 of the 9th Land District of Pike County, Georgia and is further identified as Tax Map Parcel Number 072 001 N.
Action: Approve/deny rezoning request.
This is the Seven Oaks restaurant. Commissioner Powers wants to convert this to a residence again. No one spoke for or against this. Commissioner Powers recused himself. Motion to follow the staff and Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve this. 4-0-1 with Commissioner Powers not voting.
c. PUBLIC HEARING – Receive public input regarding the 1st Reading - Text amendment to the Pike County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 157, Development Impact Fee Ordinance, Sections 157.04 and 157.06.
Action: Approve/deny 1st Reading of text amendment.The August 8th meeting discussed some of this. There are some changes for guest quarters to be exempted and provides for a hardship application for residential Impact Fees. Commissioner Bass was concerned with Open Records and HIPPA regulations with sensitive documents. Mr. Morton advised that these rules will be followed. No one spoke in favor or against. Motion to approve for 1st Reading. 5-0.
d. Consider phone system/DSL proposals.
This was moved to invited guest.
e. Consider Employee of the Quarter policy.
Mr. Rob Morton advised that a volunteer fire fighter was nominated for this program at the last meeting and that he technically did not qualify for this according to this policy. The volunteer was deserving, but he is technically not an employee. Discussion that there are a lot of volunteers for the county including the members of boards, etc. Motion to let the new County Manager ponder this policy and come back with a recommendation. 5-0.
10. PUBLIC COMMENT- (Limited to 5 minutes per person)
a. Patricia Beckham to address the Board regarding petition to resurface Roberts Quarters Road.
She submitted a copy of the petition where 129 people have asked for help on this road. There have been several fixes and patches but said that there are safety concerns with potholes, etc. She said that she has been contacted about at least 2 instances where car rims were bent because of the road. She asked that funds be made available to fix this road which is a cut through. The petition is a part of the record and the minutes. Mr. Morton advised that Public Works Director Todd Goolsby is preparing a list for SPLOST. He also advised that the county can only do so much because it needs proper materials and equipment to do this right. There will be a presentation by Director Goolsby at a later time about the roads in the county and expenditure of SPLOST funds from the past SPLOST.
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION: 8:10 p.m.
a. Interim County Manager requests Executive Session for discussion or deliberation on the appointment, employment, compensation, hiring, disciplinary action or dismissal, or periodic evaluation or rating of a county officer or employee as provided in O.C.G.A. § 50-14-3(6); germane to Administrate Personnel. Also added: Public Works Personnel, Pending and Potential Litigation with Magistrate Court and the Fire Department.
Back into session at 8:57 p.m.
Mr. Morton asked for a memorandum of understanding with the new county manager. This will be items that will be in a formal contract at a later date. Motion to execute the memorandum of understanding. 5-0. Click here to read a detailed article about this memorandum of understanding.
Motion to execute a verification for responses, etc. needed in the court case Cogburn v. Michael and Pike County BOC. 5-0.
12. ADJOURNMENT: 9 p.m.
Agenda subject to revision.
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