Brantley County Commission May 2012 Regular Meeting

The Commission opened the meeting with public participation. Melissa Ballard came forward asking about the plans for Raybon East. She owns property near the rail crossing between there and Highway 82. The County Manager had met with her and discussed preliminary plans. He explained at the meeting that the County is still waiting for the County surveyor to provide the survey results and preliminary design. Once those are available, the discussions can continue.

Next Regina Hunter of the Mothers Against Meth came forward. She gave an overview of their program. She explained how the program had allowed 8 individuals to be moved by a judge from the Brantley County Jail to a probation program through their facility during last year. Removing these people from the jail saved the County over $35,000 if you used the per day cost for an inmate. She asked the Commission to consider helping them find a facility or keep the one they have. It has been foreclosed on by the bank as their landlord could no longer make the payments. The bank has been kind enough to allow them to continue paying rent. The Commission explained that there would have to be a service that could be directly attributed to the County in order for the County to get involved. Based on the information provided, more research should be done to see if there are grant funds or other programs that the County could point the MAMA group toward. The County Manager will review it with Mrs. Hunter.

In the last meeting another group’s request had been brought before the Commission. They were requesting a furnished office at the Satilla Office Complex. The same conversation about the direct connection to County public service was held and the Commission wasn’t able to nail down that service.

On the Consent Agenda the following items were approved unanimously:
 • Reappointed Terry Steedley to the Recreation Advisory Board,
• Approved the off-premise beer and wine license for Mrs. Hemaliben G. Patel at the Raybon convenience store
• Approved the waiver of interest and penalties on the Delinquent Tax Contracts as provided by the Tax Commissioner, Pat Tompkins
• Approved the lease purchase supplement with Southeastern Bank for the 2011 Ford Crown Victoria for the Sheriff’s Department

On the Regular Agenda, the Commission was visited by many of the Brantley County EMS department. Department head Tim Crews, recently awarded the Paramedic of the Year for 2012, who presented a resolution to the Commission nationally recognizing May 20-26 as “Emergency Medical Services Week”. The Commission gave the EMS team a photo op, a round of applause and then unanimously approved the resolution. The Brantley County EMS does an outstanding job and is constantly recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty. The Commission next appointed Mile Cursey to replace Shawn Courson.

The discussions continued with the vacancy at the Development Authority brought on by Jill Tornabene’s departure. The Commission offered up the name of Mrs. Linda Marion. She had contacted the Chairman and expressed an interest. The Commission voted and approved unanimously to appoint Mrs. Linda to the position. As a point of order the Commission asked the attorney if there could be any potential conflict of interest with Mrs. Linda Marion serving as a Board of Education Member and serving on the Development Authority. No definite link could be made.

The Commission next discussed the proposed closing of part of Ferry Road in Hoboken. The Commission reiterated the concerns of the land owners, the late night problems at the remote location with drugs and parties and the extreme cost the County had paid over the year to maintain 2 miles of river bottoms. There was also the issue of the dirt that the County hauls in being washed into the river with the heavy rains. The Commission voted unanimously to start the process of closing the road. The County Clerk defined that process for the crowd.

The Commission next discussed the Airport Apron Extension to facilitate a patron’s construction of a new hanger that the patron will invest some $40,000 of his own money to build. He would also make a lease payment to the Airport Authority, which would be the first opportunity to drive some semblance of revenue from the Airport. The County had last discussed having the road crew move the dirt and then merely paying for the base and paving. After a few minutes of calculation and a phone call, the Commission had calculated a number of about $35,000 which is just over ½ of the lowest bid received by the Airport Authority. As the Commission is working to bring the airport expansion to a close, they have decided to postpone new improvements for a period of 30-60 days while they process all of the paperwork and receive all of the reimbursements that are being processed.

On this same topic the Commission discussed the power line relocation project that is being defined by the FAA and Georgia Department of Transportation (GaDOT). The project scope and estimated costs are in and total about $692,000. The County’s portion of this expense is $19,333. The Commission supports the airport project but as before opted to table this until some outstanding invoices and reimbursements can be tallied.

Next the Commission voted unanimously to wave the interest, penalties and balances on three tax bills for parcels purchased by the county. When the property was purchased for the Atkinson Ava Lightsey Public Park & Boat Ramp, the seller’s portion of the taxes were excluded from his proceeds and the County’s portion was left to be paid. The paperwork was never processed to zero out those bills and to move the parcels to the County’s name. This will take care of that.

Next the Commission discussed the practice of mileage reimbursement when traveling to and from local meetings of the Board of Commissioners. The general consensus of the Board was that there was no need to incur the legal expense from Nahunta to Atlanta. But through practice this should be managed to ensure that only the distance from the Commissioner’s permanent residence inside the County be used for such calculation. This can be managed through practice and practical application. The Chairman again reiterated his sincere apology and intent to repay the mileage and to hopefully put the issue behind the Board of Commissioners.

The OshKosh lease for the Nahunta Volunteer Fire Department was reviewed. There was an issue with the previous lease language that has been corrected. This lease is for fire proof turn out gear. The Commission unanimously approved the expense.

The Chairman next discussed some items that came up the ACCG Legislative Update that he had attended in Savannah last Sunday. At the meeting the various policy groups within the ACCG provided updates on bills that were passed that could affect County government most significantly. One was the elimination of sales tax on energy used in the manufacture process. The 7% sales tax currently collected will no longer be collected as of January 1st. The ACCG suggested that each community look at enacting a local excise tax for the SPLOST, and LOST in order to make sure local revenues do not fall off substantially because if this change. The 4% State sales tax will not be collected, giving manufacturing a break helping to attract business to Georgia. The Commission asked the County Attorney to review this and bring some recommendations back to the Commission in the June Meeting.

A discussion about the “Birthday Tax” also took place. Effective January 1st, anyone buying a new car will pay a 6.5% title fee which will go to the County where the car is titled. This fee has a new disbursement plan that has three parts which favors the local school system, then has a balance mechanism to make sure there is no dramatic shift in revenue to the County and then there is a division based on LOST division. Anyone who does NOT buy a new car will pay the ad valorem taxes as they always have on their birthday until they do buy a new car. The real thing to remember is that on all PRIVATE sales of vehicles the 6.5% title fee will also be paid. So if you buy a truck from John and then go to get your title and tag processed, you will have to pay the Tag Agent 6.5% of the blue book value of that vehicle. It doesn’t matter what you paid John. There is an appeal mechanism and there are exclusions for certain family members.

After the discussion the Commission went into executive session for litigation and took no action when they returned.

County Commission meetings will be held at the County Commission office at 33 Allen Street across from the Huddle House and behind the Dairy Queen.

Ronald E. “Ron” Ham Chairman – Brantley County Commission

Brantley County Commission May 2012 Work Session Meeting

The Commission opened the meeting by recognizing the 8 and under, 10 and under and 12 and under girls basketball teams from the County Recreation League. All three of these teams made it to the State playoffs, traveling out of town to compete. The new Commission facilities were packed with Moms, Dads and Grandparents. Individual certificates were awarded to each of the young athletes and a group photo was taken with the coaches and Commissioners.

During public participation, Mrs. Lynn Morris came to ask for help with Dixon Road. They are having trouble with dry conditions and the edges growing up around a low area. The Commission asked the County Manager to look into this.

Mrs. Dorothy Boland came representing the senior citizens of Brantley County and explained that they were upset at the County Commission Chairman's receiving mileage to drive to the meetings from his place of work outside of the County. She said that she agreed with others that the money should be repaid and that the practice should be abolished. She would hold off other comments awaiting the outcome of the meeting. Mr. Aycock spoke in opposition to the same issue. Raymond Russell and other in the audience expressed similar objections.

With public participation ended, the Chairman took the opportunity to speak to the issue. As has been widely reported he explained that once his local job dissolved last year, he was forced to look outside the County for employment. The good Lord blessed him with an opportunity to feed his family and the job is some 132 miles from Nahunta. At the end of every year, for the last several decades, the County Clerk has totaled the number of miles Commissioners drive to and from the meetings and a single check is paid in December after the last meeting of the year. The original calculations for the Chairman were 264 miles per trip from about May to December. The Chair refused and asked that this be cut in half, as he would not agree to be paid mileage to return to work from Brantley County. He explained that looking back this didn’t go far enough. He should have refused entirely and should have questioned the age old practice. The Chairman vowed to repay the $1,054 and added the item to the agenda for discussion.

The Chairman did go on explain that in 2009 and most of 2010 when the County was in grave financial condition, he asked for NO reimbursement for travel out of town. During the initial training phase over a dozen classes had to be attended, most in Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Tifton or Savannah. Just one trip to Atlanta yields over $240 in mileage reimbursement. Where this did not excuse the situation, he wanted the public to know that at a time when others were making sacrifices, he too was trying to do his part. The Chairman was asked how much his salary was and he replied $9,200 per year. This is about the same money that the County budgets to deliver meals Monday through Friday to those that qualify for home delivered meals. He reiterated his vow to repay the money and to place an item on the agenda to discuss the practice. And with that he added that item to the agenda as the last item for the evening.

On the first item on the Agenda Mrs. Hemaliben G. Patel requested the transfer of the Off-Premise Beer and Wine License to Operate the Satilla Quick Stop at the intersection of Highway 301 North and Raybon East. The Commission asked the County manager if he and the Clerk had reviewed the request and if it was in line with the county ordinance. They explained that it was. The approval of this request was placed on the consent agenda for Thursday night.

The Commission next discussed appointments to expiring terms on the Recreation Board. Terry Steedley had been contacted and he would much like to be re-appointed to the Recreation Board. The Recreation Director had been unsuccessful in reaching board member Shane Courson to see if he desires to continue to serve. The Commission asked the County Manager and the recreation director to attempt to contact him and provide some alternatives for the Commission’s consideration should Mr. Courson be unavailable or uninterested in continuing to serve. The re-appointment of Terry Steedley was placed on the consent agenda and the decision around Mr. Courson was placed on the regular agenda.

The vacant position on the Development Authority was discussed next. The Chairman explained that he had asked a few people about serving on the DA and none felt they had the time or expertise. Others expressed the same. A couple of names were mentioned. Contact will be made with individuals in hopes of having a good candidate to fill the vacant slot. Ms. Mittie Vaughn expressed an interest in serving but since she is a resident of Pierce County, this would be inconsistent with the founding documents of the Development authority based on a conversation the Chairman had with the current DA Chairman. The item was placed on the regular agenda.

The Clerk had provided the Commission a list of recent Delinquent Tax Contracts in the packet and Tax Commissioner Pat Tompkins hand delivered a supplemental package prior to the meeting. All appeared to be in line with the resolution passed by the Commission. Thus an item was placed on the consent agenda to approve a consolidated list that would be presented to the board in the Thursday meeting.

County Manager Parrish Barwick gave his update next. The work at the recreation park is going well. The team is using local labor and saving significant dollars and that is working well. If the County had used a contractor to turnkey this project it would have cost 4 or 5 times what the County will have in it. The bleachers, bathrooms and practice fields are coming together and will be ready this fall. The irrigation is in place on the practice fields, the foundations are in place for the bathroom / concession / storage building and the foundation for the bleachers is being poured. The bleachers have been ordered and will be assembled and installed once they arrive. The football / soccer area is really starting to take shape. Additional parking will also be available for this area.

Commissioner Mike Edgy provided some pictures of damage that some Pierce Timber Logging crews had done to Buster Walker Road. Commissioner Edgy had already talked to the owners of the company and they have vowed to make repairs at their own costs. Commissioner Edgy also proposed that the Commission consider closing Ferry Road in Hoboken. Commissioner Chris Harris and others had been approached by the land owners, Varns Timber about the destruction that was taking place along the road. When the river comes up or it rains even lightly, the river bottom causes the road to become impassable. Those traveling the 2.5 mile stretch of low land road had driven around what had become a play pen for large 4 wheel drives. In doing this they straddled two rows of timber destroying hundreds of yards of timber. Numerous places have been made into turn around and parking spots near the old concrete slabs that are loosely referred to as a boat ramp. The Chairman explained that in a conversation with some of the Deputies, they explained that it is not uncommon to get called to the end of Ferry Road many times in a weekend when folks partying start fighting or causing problems otherwise. Commissioner Brian Hendrix explained that there would be some that will be upset if the County was to start the process of closing the road. The item was placed on the regular agenda.

Billy Lee was on hand to discuss the latest events at the airport. The hanger project was the topic of discussion. There is a patron of the airport who has contracted with the airport to build a hanger with estimated value of $40,000 at the facility. This is the first opportunity to drive revenue at the airport. In order to accommodate the hanger the apron has to be extended. The bids were opened last week and the low bid for this work was just over $62,000. The Commission asked Mr. Lee if there were State and or Federal funds to assist or reimburse the County for this construction. Mr. Lee explained that there was not any in this year’s budget but there were funds in next year’s budget. The Commission had asked Mr. Lee to get with the County Manager and see if there was any way that the County surveyor could provide the grade stakes so that the County could haul the dirt and prepare the site for paving. If the scope of outside work was reduced to just paving, that would eliminate 75%-80% of the cost. The County Manager brought this before the Commission for this reason. The Commission asked that the actual cost of paving be researched and provided for the Thursday meeting. A decision on whether to move forward would be made at that time.

The next item was the purchase of the new Law Enforcement Vehicle to replace the wrecked 2009 Ford Crown Victoria. The Commission discussed concerns over the many wrecks that had taken place in recent weeks and were proud that there had been no injuries of employees or civilians. Commissioner Edgy asked how much insurance money the County would receive for the old car. The County Clerk explained that this would total about $9,000. The cost of the new car was quoted at approximately $25,000. This would leave the County owing about $16,000 on the new police cruiser. This item was placed on the consent agenda.

Finally the Commission discussed the topic of mileage reimbursement for commissioners driving to local meetings. The general consensus among those in attendance, those who had weighed in on the issue prior to the meeting and the Commission itself was that there was no issue with Commissioners receiving reimbursement for travel from Brantley County to meetings outside Brantley County. And many had no issue with the Commissioners being paid mileage from their homes inside Brantley County to the local meetings and back. These annual reimbursements were in the $40 to $75 range. But the issue of the Chairman being paid to drive from work to the meetings was unanimously considered inappropriate. All recognized that he had asked that the number be cut in ½ so that he wasn’t paid to return to work. But that was still inappropriate. Commissioner O’Quinn explained that he had serious concerns over what had taken place and that he had very strong feelings about it. But he was confident that the issue was being dealt with and that the Commission could put it behind them. The County Clerk read the law and explained the practice that had taken place for some 30 years with Commissioners being paid for mileage to attend local meetings as allowed in the law. Where no rules were broken and only half was paid of what could legally have been paid, the Chairman expressed that in retrospect this was still unacceptable, he apologized again and vowed to repay the money and not accept any mileage for traveling to local meetings in the future. He told of his first trip as a Commissioner in January of 2009 while in Macon. There he tried to use the County credit card for his room in Macon and it was declined. He paid for that room which was over $100 and from that point until the end of 2010 never filed for any mileage reimbursement or meals when traveling outside of Brantley County. Where this doesn’t make up for the current issue, it was his desire to tell the whole story.

If the Commission chooses to change the law, it will require local legislation to be entered in the 2013 General Assembly Session changing that language in the Brantley County Local Act which is the defining papers for how the County operates. The legal fees associated with those changes would most likely cost more than many years of what was the normal fee for all Commissioners prior to this year’s issue. Commissioner Hendrix expressed his desire to not spend that money on legal fees and to leave the local act as is. He suggested that the County just calculate the mileage so that it is only paid from the home in Brantley to the meeting and back. The item was placed on the regular agenda for Thursday night’s meeting.

County Commission meetings will be held at the County Commission office at 33 Allen Street across from the Huddle House and behind the Dairy Queen.

Ronald E. “Ron” Ham Chairman – Brantley County Commission

Brantley County Commission April 2012 Work Regular Meeting

The Commission opened the meeting with public participation. Mr. Raymond Smith came forward and asked to speak on the airport. He expressed concerns over the relocating of the power line, the way the his property assessment and ROW access was approached by the FAA and Georgia DOT and finally concerns over after hours activity at the airport. The Commission will discuss his concerns with the Airport Authority. On the consent agenda the commission approved on a 4-0 vote to: 1. Appoint Greg Lee to the Brantley County Development Authority 2. Approve the amendment to the stand alone Manufactured Home / Mobile Home Ordinance requiring that all taxes be paid and proof provided prior to the issue of a permit 3. Approve the Proclamation-National Donate Life Month in Brantley County 4. Declare 0.51 acre of land located in Raybon at the old dumpster site 5. Approve bleachers, concrete pads / walkways, metal building for bathroom, concessions and storage and the parking area at Satilla Fields 6. Approve Delinquent Tax Contracts as submitted by the Tax Commissioner with 24 months or less for payment of the property taxes Next, the Commission discussed the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP) for Road Grading services throughout the County. The Commissioners made it clear that these requests were being made so that information could be gathered to see if the County can save substantial tax dollars by farming out the services. If there are no savings or if the County doesn’t see qualified participants, this process will be aborted. The Commissioners agreed that the RFP should state that the contractor must use the County’s road graders. This lessens the risk for the County and saves money, as the County already has better than average financing on new road graders. The Commission approved the County Manager putting out the RFQ / RFP with the modifications discussed. The Right of Way (ROW) mowing was also discussed. The Commissioners felt that ROW mowing should be bid separately. Unlike the road grading proposals, contractors will be expected to provide their own equipment and fuel. This item was approved as modified. The Commission discussed the other vacancy on the Development Authority. No alternatives were provided by the DA or Commissioners. This will be tabled until candidates can be located. Finally, the Commission reviewed the qualifying fees for the County surveyor. Based on the standard qualifying fee set by the Commission previously, candidates for County Surveyor would have to pay $2,157.60. After reviewing the law more closely and gaining advice from surrounding counties and the State, the Commission decided to make an adjustment to the County Surveyor’s qualifying fees. The law allows for the County to set a qualifying fee “at a reasonable amount and up to 3%”. After much discussion, a motion was made and passed on a 2 to 3 vote to modify the resolution setting qualifying fees such that the qualifying fee for the County surveyor is 1%. An executive session was held for a legal matter, after which no action was taken. County Commission meetings will be held at the County Commission office at 33 Allen Street across from the Huddle House. Ronald E. “Ron” Ham Chairman – Brantley County Commission

Brantley County Commission April 2012 Work Session

The Commission’s first agenda item in the April Work Session dealt with the discussion around potentially contracting out the road grading and right of way mowing. The Commission had asked for additional information and wanted to study the process after last month’s discussion. The goal of the alternative was to save tax payer dollars and to possibly improve the workmanship.

The team discussed whether the County should “sub-lease” existing equipment to the successful contractor. This would make it easier to unwind the contract if the contractor’s performance does not meet the County’s expectation as outlined in the agreement. In preliminary conversations with many different contractors and agencies, they were willing to sub-lease the County equipment.

The County manager has taken the previous document that the Commission discussed and a draft contract from another municipal group and is preparing both a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and a request for Proposal (RFP). Those interested in bidding would submit two sealed document sets. The RFQ outlines their experience, previous customers, active contracts and general qualifications with no talk of price. The RFP will define the scope of work as understood by the applicant and their detailed and standardized proposal sheet(s). This item was placed on the regular agenda for Thursday’s meeting.

The Right of Way (ROW) mowing was also discussed. Originally the County was concerned that there were not sufficient bidders to be interested in this. There was also concerns that managing the level of insurance that would be required by the County could cause issues. Now the County understands there are sufficient companies out there who are likely to bid. So the ROW mowing will be bid separately. This item was placed on the regular agenda for Thursday’s meeting.

The vacancy on the Development Authority was discussed next. There are two vacancies and the Chairman met today with the Executive Director and Chairman of the DA. They are proposing that the ex-officio position held by the County Commissioner appointed to that position be promoted to a member with complete voting rights. The Commission discussed it and the County attorney gave the opinion that this could present a conflict of interest. The Commissioner would have both “funding” and “disbursement” control over funding. He/She would vote to set the funding for the DA and then have a vote in how those funds are disbursed at the DA level. After discussing it, the Commission placed an item on the Consent agenda to appoint Greg Lee to the Development Authority and took no action on the ex-officio position.

The manufacturing home/mobile home was discussed next. The County Manager delivered a request by the Tax office to have the County ordinance modified to make it clearer that the “proof of taxes paid” is required prior to permitting. The language is in the ordinance but the placement presents interpretation issues. The intent is clear. With this change, there can be no misinterpretation. The item was placed on Consent Agenda.

The Commission also discussed the ever growing number of wooden storage buildings that are being set up and connected to old mobile home, barn or shelter electrical services. Some are connecting power and septic and living in these substandard facilities. They do not meet the southern building code and cannot be used as permanent building structures unless they are modified to be brought up to code. The building inspectors will be working with owners of these structures to communicate the improvements that are required to bring them up to standard and placing the facilities out of service if they do not.

The Commission approved a Proclamation making April 2012 as DONATE LIFE MONTH. The LifeLink organization is asking counties all over the state to recognize April to bring about recognition for those donating organs and tissue for those in need.
The County next discussed the abandoned dumpster site at Oak Grove and Raybon West. The family that owns the land around the site has asked if the County can sell them the property. There was no reversion clause in the original deed. The County will declare the property surplus and hold a sale allowing the interested family to purchase the property. This was placed on the consent agenda.

The County manager gave his update on road and recreation projects. The Raybon East road paving project is under way. Thirty Two pieces of ROW are needed and about eleven have been signed and another ½ dozen are lined up to come in and sign. Meetings with the timber companies are being scheduled. Commissioner Mike Edgy reported a couple of bald spots on Buster Walker Road. The County manager has forwarded pictures to the Ricketson Construction Company and is scheduling a time to meet with them to discuss repairs.

In the area of road department items, the Commission discussed the mosquito spraying. The mosquitoes are very bad this year and many areas are calling for assistance. The Commission discussed purchasing a second mosquito sprayer in order to be able to cover more ground during the bad time.

He then updated the Commission on the Recreation Projects. Things are shaping up at Satilla Fields. To get the fields ready for football later this year the County Manager presented the Commission with a list of potential improvements. The primary needs are bleachers, handicap access and bathrooms at the football fields. The scoreboards will be donated by Coca-Cola. The goal posts and grassing needed for the parking area can be handled internally with the existing Recreation Budget. The approval for the county manager to move forward with the Bleachers (15 row x 33’ long seating 274), the handicap access sidewalks and parking and the bathroom / concession / storage block or metal building was placed on the consent agenda.
The Waynesville Park was also discussed. Allen Rigdon has completed the wetlands survey and that has been submitted to the Corps of Engineers. The County is awaiting approval to move forward. Once this takes place, the County will be able to move forward on the joint $50,000 grant for this project which was done in association with the Waynesville School.

The Tax Commissioner presented 14 contracts to be considered by the Commission for waiver of interest and penalties. Since all were less than or equal to the 24 month limit as set forth by the Commission in the modified resolution last month, an item was placed on the consent agenda to approve these contracts.

An executive session was held for a legal matter, after which no action was taken.

County Commission meetings will be held at the County Commission office at 33 Allen Street across from the Huddle House.


Ronald E. “Ron” Ham
Chairman – Brantley County Commission

Continued Focus on Back Taxes, Budgets & Road Construction

The County continues working with the Tax Commissioner’s and Tax Assessor’s office to lower the amount of back taxes owed to the County.

In recent weeks, many have come forth to take advantage of the County’s recent ordinance to forgive interest and penalties if taxpayers will enter into and complete agreements with Tax Commissioner Pat Tompkins on the payment of their taxes. Mrs. Pat continues to do a wonderful job and Brantley County is blessed to have her and her team. The money that has not been collected in the past is being collected.

The Commission’s most recent mechanism has empowered the Tax Commissioner to sell parcels that have been seriously delinquent for multiple years, sell them in blocks and to also bid for the County the total amount of outstanding taxes if no acceptable bids are received. With the declining real estate market, the threat of sale is sometimes a limited deterrent. With the County being willing, as a last resort, to bid on the property and take possession, it adds a new level to the process. In the rare event the County did bid, it could hold the property for the amount of time required, return the property if the owners come back to pay the taxes.

If the owners do not come back, the County can declare it as surplus for sale. The County would be putting the property in people’s hands that could keep the taxes current and perhaps do something with the property.

In recent weeks, all of these actions have equipped the Tax Commissioner to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes. Tax sales are scheduled this summer to continue the process. The Board of Equalization has been filled by this commission and is now managed by the Clerk of Superior Court due to a change in the state law. They are meeting regularly and managing the backlog of appeals.

The Commission is currently working on the 2013 budget. With the $3.2 million in operating debt paid off, and the more significant changes already under control, the County will have to consider some fundamental changes in operations to make the next “step reduction” in the County’s side of the millage rate, which is currently 20.34. The conversation around contracting out some services is one way. The County has to also look at ways to manage benefit costs. Working with neighboring counties, Brantley cities and the Brantley BOE to review common services that could be reviewed for consolidation could bring an economy of scale and also reduce costs. There can’t be any sacred cows.

In order for the County to lower the millage rate by 1 mill, the Local Effort has to be reduced about $256,000. The Local Effort = Total Budgeted Expenses – Total Budgeted Revenues (without property tax revenue). The Local Effort divided by the value of a mill gives you the millage rate.

With the local County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) approved by Brantley Voters and scheduled to begin collections in January 2013, the County can at that time continue road construction projects, work at the Satilla Fields Recreation Park and continue making jail payments of $648,000 per year. In preparation for the road construction, County Manager, Parrish Barwick and County staff members are working with the County attorney, County surveyor and citizens to secure the right of way (ROW) needed for the upcoming road projects. The Commission’s commitment to continue paving roads throughout the County is as strong as ever! In the immortal words of Karen Carpenter, “We’ve only just begun”.

Over the coming months, the drafts of the 2013 budget will be made available for review at the meetings and on this website.

Ronald E. Ham
Chairman – Brantley County Commission

Brantley County and TSPLOST

There are a lot of myths, rumors and misinformation being spread about the Regional Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) that will soon be on the ballot. The intent here is simply to provide Brantley County voters with the FACTS. You will make your own minds up as to whether you support this approach to transportation funding. But you need the whole and accurate picture.

First, let’s talk about “why” there is a need for a change in approach to transportation funding. The tax on gasoline is per gallon and not a percent so fewer gallons means less transportation funding support. The lower revenues are no longer able to keep up with the increasing cost of building and maintaining Georgia’s Transportation network. Think about it. As a child, the average miles per gallon for cars in my household were probably 15-18 mpg. Today as an adult, every car my family drives will average 28 mpg and my Chevy Sonic peaks at 35 mpg.

Now let’s talk about the process. The State House of Representatives and Senators that we all elected defined House Bill 277 (HB277) in 2010. They hammered out the language that became the law which defined the process for the TSPLOST referendum. So the statement that “special interest groups” or someone other than our elected officials defined the process is inaccurate. Whether we agree with the language or not, it was defined by our elected officials.

Next let’s talk about that “project list”. The Regional Round Table (RRT) was comprised of County Commission Chairmen and Mayors from the city with the greatest population from each of the 18 counties in our region. Again your elected officials and those from surrounding counties brought their lists of what they deemed as transportation projects with regional significance to the table. These were screened against the legal criteria in the law and voted on by the RRT. This whittled down the list of projects with estimates that would fit within the estimated funding for the region’s 75% TSPLOST bucket. This list is now fixed and will not change! These projects will be funded by the 75% regional bucket of money exclusively. It will be put before the voters for approval across the Southern Georgia Region district of 18 counties in the TSPLOST referendum.

Now let’s talk about the money. Brantley County has historically collected about $950,000 per year in SPLOST. There are some exemptions for the TSPLOST that will affect the collections. The TSPLOST will not be collected on gasoline (on-road, off-road, trains, jet fuel, mass transit, etc.), on sale or use of energy used in the manufacturing and on only the first $5,000 of the sale or lease of a motor vehicle. All TSPLOST money collected will go into the regional TSPLSOT fund. 75% will be allocated to the fixed list of projects as assembled by your elected officials. 25% will be allocated back to the 18 counties individually based on population and miles of road. See the table “Region 11 Southern Georgia Regional Commission”. This is a direct excerpt from the Georgia DOT (GaDOT) documentation from the meetings that your County Commission Chairman attended.

From Brantley County Photos

Click to Enlarge

The estimates are that of the $950,000 that Brantley County will collect we will get $730,945 back. This is shared with the Cities and the County. That is about 77% of the money coming back to Brantley directly. Plus there are three projects specifically for Brantley County that will be funded from the Regional 75% bucket. Those total $1.7 million over the 10 years. See the figure with the project list below.

From Brantley County Photos

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Now those who oppose the regional approach or the bill in general will magnify annual numbers by 10 for dramatic effect and say that “Brantley County is losing 23% or $2.1 million over 10 years”. They are forgetting or intentionally leaving out the projects funded from the 75% regional bucket. The flip side of that is to say that over that same 10 years Brantley County will receive $7.3 million to spend however it wants to build, pave and or maintain county roads. In order for Brantley to be “losing” anything there would have to be an option on the ballot that allowed Brantley to keep ALL of the 1% TSPLOST collected. There is no such option on the ballot and there is not going to be.

What they also may forget to tell you is that there is a penalty for voting no. If the Region votes no on the TSPLOST all future GaDOT funds used by Brantley County will dictate a 30% local match instead of the current 10% local match. So the county’s GaDOT matching funds required to pave or resurface a road would triple for 10 years if you VOTE NO to TSPLOST. This is not a scare tactic. It is a fact outlined in the legislation.

So your choice is clear when you go to vote on the TSPLSOT.

Vote Yes, Increase some purchases by 1%, bring $7 million back directly to Brantley, get another three major road projects completed for another $1.7 million and keep matching GaDOT projects at 10% local match. OR

Vote No, save 1% on some purchases, lose the $7 million over 10 years and lose hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover the 300% increase on all GADOT matching local funds from 10% to 30% on LMIG and other projects.

Don’t let the nay-sayers talk you into cutting your nose off to spite your face. TSPLOST is a good thing for Brantley County. I’m not just your Chairman. I’m a 5th generation Brantley County resident and tax payer. Would I rather have 100% of our 1%? Sure I would. But that option is not on the table and it is not going to be. The best deal for Brantley is to VOTE YES on TSPLOST!

Ronald E. “Ron” Ham
Chairman – Brantley County Commission

From Brantley County Photos

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Brantley County Commission March 2012 Regular Meeting

The Commission discussed 4 items on the consent agenda in this regular meeting and another half dozen on the regular agenda. The meeting was the first Regular Meeting at the new facilities located at the County Commission offices at 33 Allen Street in Nahunta, across from the Huddle House.

The consent agenda was approved by unanimous vote of the Commission. These items included:
• Reappointing Mr. Billy Lee to the Airport Authority,
• Appointing Ms. Jackson to the Airport Authority,
• Authorizing the County manager to work with the accounting coordinator to perform budget amendments, transferring funds from the contingency fund to the Tax Commissioner’s budget line item “tax sales expense” on an as needed basis for the amount equal to the invoices,
• Approving the lease supplement agreement with the Southeastern Bank to purchase a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria for the Sheriff’s Department to replace the one damaged by the deer.

On the regular agenda, the Commission discussed a proposal to limit the consideration of waiver for interest and penalties to those contracts that were less than 24 months in length with all taxes paid during that time. The Tax Commissioner still possesses the authority to enter into any contract she feels appropriate. But contracts in excess of 24 months will not be submitted to the Commission for consideration for waiver of interest and penalty. This may entice the taxpayer to come in and renegotiate the very few longer somewhat unending contracts. The Commission approved the change in language on the resolution limiting the length of contracts to 24 months.

The Commission then voted to unanimously approve the waiver of interest and penalties on all contracts submitted which were 24 months or less with all taxes collected when the contracts were complete.

The Commission next discussed the RFP for grading of dirt roads and right of way mowing services for paved roads. As requested by the Commissioners, more information was provided. The Commissioners discussed the potential expense of turning in the 5 John Deere Road graders. The County manager also reported that during 2011 the County graded 10,070 miles of roads with 7 graders in service most of the time. The new numbers showed the County spending approximately $96 per mile for grading. More work was requested by the Commission to understand the number of hours on the tractors for the calendar year 2011 so that the miles per hour could be calculated and cost per hour could be calculated. The County manager also met with a professional services company that would use the County's graders and provide manpower and maintenance services for public works such as road grading. They provide these services for other counties in the area. Two other construction companies that were consulted felt confident that they could grade the same miles of road with five graders. Both of these manage hundreds of miles of roads for timber companies today. Eliminating the cost of two complete graders represents potentially significant savings for the County. The County attorney presented a copy of the Ware County Right of Way (ROW) mowing contract that they have been using for years. This gave the Commission an outline for the contract services. The item was tabled until the April Work Session.

The Commission tabled an appointment to the Economic Development Authority.

The Commission then approved a request by Planning Commission Chairman Paul Bowers to appoint G. David Butler.

The DFCS annual maintenance agreement was discussed next. The Commission voted to adopt the annual agreement which is funded through the State grant so this expense is canceled with that grant income.

The County manager provided an update on roads and recreation. Work is ongoing at the Satilla Fields to get practice fields ready for the upcoming seasons. In order to prepare the practice fields and multipurpose fields, the County Commission approved $18,000 for irrigation that needs to be installed prior to grass planting next month. The County manager then discussed the needs to prepare for the upcoming football season. The biggest need is American with Disability Act (ADA) compliant bleachers, some restrooms and sidewalks in the center section between the two football fields. With no SPLOST funds coming in until January for Recreation, the Commission asked the County manager to put together a list of the items with budgetary pricing for the next work session. The Commission can look at prioritizing the work at that time and discuss alternatives and in the meantime review capital outlay accounts and ways to leverage existing budget funds.

Commission meetings will be held at the County Commission office at 33 Allen Street across from the Huddle House.

Ronald E. “Ron” Ham
Chairman – Brantley County Commission