Commission Sets Tax Levy
The Jasper County Commission last Thursday voted unanimously to adopt the rollback millage rate of 15.904 mills for Jasper Countywide Maintenance and Operation budget.
They also adopted the solid waste curbside fee of $150 for the year for all households in the unincorporated areas of the county and Shady Dale, and approved the rollback millage rate of 0.884 for the countywide Jasper Memorial Hospital millage rate.
Commissioners also adopted the annual Fire Protection Special District Fee of $28.63. That applies to households served by the Jasper County Water & Sewer Authority that are within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant.
The action at Thursday’s meeting came after a meeting on Monday, June 25 where the commissioners adopted the budget of $10,429,900.
Monday, July 2
The commissioners met again on Monday, July 2, for their regular monthly meeting. After handling the consent agenda, commissioners were polled about items not on the agenda.
District 3 commissioner Don Jernigan said that work had begun on The Peninsula at Lake Jackson, a new development off Jackson Lake Road, and he thanked residents for helping monitor the situation. He said county staff couldn’t always be there so he appreciates residents alerting the county if something is being done inappropriately.
District 2 commissioner Bruce Henry said he serves on the Comprehensive Plan Committee, of which the Short Term Work Program is a part. He sent an e-mail to all the commissioners outlining the changes taking place, and asked them to give him their input as soon as possible.
District 4 Commissioner Craig Salmon, said he had had residents thank him for work on Holloway Hollow, and also said a look needs to be taken at Pace Road. He also asked the county manager to follow up on a complaint on King Plow Road. In addition, he asked the attorney if he had researched putting a straw poll on the November ballot concerning consolidation of city and county services.
Commission 5 Commissioner Doug Luke questioned the progress of speed bumps on Lakeshore Drive, and also asked if the county had run the ad about mandated increases in the budget. County manager Mike Benton assured him the ad had run, and said they are finishing up the speed bumps on Lakeshore this week. In addition, he said chip sealing of the road is being done throughout the Lakeshore Drive area.
Commission 1 Commissioner and Commission Chairman Carl Pennamon asked the county manger to look at the condition of Goolsby and McMichael Roads, saying he is getting calls about both.
Mr. Pennamon also announced that the Joint Development Authority will be refunding some $2.5 million to the four counties involved in the authority, and Jasper will get abut $250,000. In addition, other monies for land purchase will be returned to the counties. It is paying off, he said.
Otis Clark, commander of the American Legion Post 110 in Monticello, presented Purple Heart signs to the county. He had approached the county previously about erecting the signs at the county lines, and had gotten approval. The American Legion paid one-half for the signs, and the county paid one-half.
Mr. Benton said he had talked to a representative of the Department of Transportation that day, and that they are considering new rules for signs, and possibly another way other than putting them on the county boundary line signs. Mr. Benton is to get back with him, as Piedmont Academy has requested to install signs saying “Home of the Piedmont Academy Cougars/GISA AA State Baseball Champions/2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. (The slashes represent line breaks.)
Commissioners agreed to do it if they complied with the new GDOT regulations, and if the school is willing to split the cost with the county. The sign they were asking is a 30×24 reflective sign at a cost of $36 each for a total cost of $288.
Commissioners also accepted the low bid for the current year Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) road paving project. Some 2.52 miles of Post Road will be resurfaced at a cost of $776,653. Commissioner Salmon lamented that it cost so much to do paving projects, but they all agreed to go with the low bidder of Pittman Construction.
In other action at Monday’s meeting, commissioners:
•Agreed for the chairman to sign a support letter for the Joint Development Authority to receive a One Georgia grant.
•Agreed to open a bank account for the 2018 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds.
•Agreed to have an upcoming work session to discuss a master plan for improvements to the recreation department and tie them in with the Senior Center, jail, and public works projects.
•Agreed to tour the cannery as part of an upcoming work session with the intention of possibly declaring it surplus and putting it up for sale. During discussion, commissioners agreed that all county department should be contacted about surplus items, then the county will determine how to move forward, be it an auction or a closed bid sale.
•Agreed they did not currently need the services of Peachtree Recovery Services, a company who came last month and indicated it could recover county money. County Attorney David Ozburn said the proposed contract had a lot of problems, and he wasn’t sure the county wanted to enter into it.
After some discussion, including the sheriff, the commissioners agreed the service is not needed at this time.
•Learned the speed limit has been changed on a portion of Jackson Lake Road from 45 to 35 miles per hour.
•Learned the county plans to use the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission to write a grant requested fro a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the health department.
•Learned that the county auditor Mark Hardison had visited on Monday and met with Finance Director Dennis Pater about end of year accounting.
