County Promotes Mike Benton to County Manager
In a meeting that became contentious at times, the Jasper County Commissioners promoted Mike Benton to county manager, tabled action on purchasing a new fire pumper, and agreed to move forward on finishing the expansion of Station 3.
Mr. Benton was named interim county manager after Karen Degges was fired from the county, and has served in that position two months. The action came after a closed session, and commissioners voted unanimously to promote Mr. Benton to county manager and pay him $75,000 annually. Commissioners then authorized Mr. Benton to seek someone to fill his spot as finance director or manager as he saw fit.
Discussion on the purchase of a new fire pumper became heated at times. Fire Chief Jarrett Slocumb recommended the high bid from E-One Fireline, as it was the only truck that met the specs. A representative from Deep South, which was the in-between bidder was on hand and said that the specs were written to fit Fireline. Mr. Slocumb liked the Fireline bid as the truck is larger and the engine is bigger than the other trucks bid. The Deep South rep said they could build a bigger truck for the same price as they bid, but said they did not submit a new bid because the specs were written to fit a Fireline truck.
Commissioners finally agreed to have the county attorney compare the bid specs and the three bids, and determine if it was a fair bidding process and what he perceives to be the best bid. Commissioners are scheduled to meet again on October 5, and they will discuss it then.
Another item for the fire department that caused much discussion was the completion of the expansion of the building at Station 3, Monticello fire district. The shell was completed last year for about $40,000, but the inside has not been completed. The Department of Corrections is ready to move forward on doing the work, with the only labor cost to the county being for a guard. The estimated cost of materials is about $30,000.
After much discussion, commissioners agreed to allow the DOC to move forward at a cost not to exceed $34,000. That motion passed 3-1, with Commission Carl Pennamon voting against. He wanted to table action until price comparisons could be gotten, and questioned the DOC being ready to move. Chief Slocumb indicated if they can’t start, they would move on to the next project, and there is no guess as to when they would be back in Jasper County. (Commissioner Doug Luke was unable to attend the meeting because of a last-minute work commitment.)
At the request of Sheriff Donnie Pope, commissioners voted to reduce the speed limit on the north end of County Line Road from 45 miles per hour to 35. This only affects the part of the road running from Henderson Mill Road to the Newton County line.
Commissioners discussed the McElheney Crossroads resurfacing project that was done in house, and the concensus was that the public works department (PWD) did a good job, and it might be something to look at for a lot of the county roads. Commissioner Pennamon asked the county manager to ask the county’s engineer to look at it and see what he thinks, and then they can determine if it is a good way to move forward.
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Commissioners heard from Rayford Layson who wants signs marking Hwy. 212 in honor of his father. Commissioners voted to ask state Rep. Susan Holmes to introduce the proper legislation to get the renaming done.
Commissioners heard from Tax Commissioner Angela Walsh about negating some back taxes to get rid of some unsightly properties in the county. After some discussion, Mrs. Walsh agreed to work with the county attorney on an appropriate policy.
Commissioners heard from Charles Forsythe who asked if the county had put safeguards in place to prevent the theft of money from county offices.
Mary Patrick complained about a junkyard down Hwy. 83 that was not permitted, saying it is violating state law as well as local zoning ordinances. She also questioned the cost of the expansion of the emergency services building, and pointed out a perceived omission in the August 3 minutes.
Commissioners heard from Van Cowan who was complaining about the noise from the new rumble strips on Hwy. 212 and Bethel Church Road.
They heard from Adam McGinnis about the impact hunting has on the state’s economy, and he suggested the county do what it can to help celebrate the whitetail deer in the Deer Capital of Georgia. Commissioner Pennamon suggested Mr. McGinnis spearhead a committee of city and county officials and interested others to be sure the 50th anniversary of the whitetail deer, and the annual Deer Festival, are something to be proud of,.
In other action at Monday’s meeting, commissioners:
•Appointed Mike McCombie to the Planning & Zoning Board.
•Learned from the county manager that Shane Sealy has been hired as Planning & Zoning director.
•Approved a proclamation in honor of Mary Emily Thomason Ingram who will celebrate her 90th birthday next Thursday, Oct. 1.
•Approved seeking requests for qualifications (RFQs) for architectural firms to design a multi-purpose building that will be used for recreation and the Older Americans Council
