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JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION MARCH 7, 2016 7:00 P.M. The purpose of the meeting was to prepare the agenda for the March meeting. It was held at the Jefferson County Commissioners Office. Those present were as follows: Mitchell McGraw, Chairman; Gonice C. Davis, Member: Tommy New, Member; Johnny Davis, Member; Wayne Davis, Member; Adam Mestres, County Administrator; Dalton Dowdy, County Attorney; and Bonnie Wells, County Clerk. Chairman McGraw called meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner Johnny Davis gave the invocation. Commissioner New made a motion to adopt the agenda. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. OLD BUSINESS Bank Building Plaque Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to table the bank building plaque until the April meeting. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote passed unanimously. Recreation Department Gym Usage County Administrator, Adam Mestres, presented a request from Clarence & Tawana Jackson to utilize Jefferson County’s recreation gym three days per week (Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday) for AAU basketball practice. The Jackson’s organized the Georgia Wildcats Youth Sports Club, which is an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Basketball Club, this year. The utilization of the gym for the aforementioned times would require the gym be closed, allowing access to only members of the club and perhaps family members as spectators. The county attorney stated there would be a conflict with the hours the club wish to utilize the gym as the recreation department would have its own activities at those times. He also expressed concern for liability issues as well as county personnel being on hand during the utilization of the gym. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to deny the request. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Johnny Davis said it is a great thi8ng, but they could not allow the closing of the gym to the public for a private “event”. The motion passed unanimously. NEW BUSINESS First Reading Land & Use Development Ordinance County Administrator, Adam Mestres, gave the first reading of the Land & Use Ordinance. The county administrator explained this was the same ordinance discussed at the February meeting; the only difference was the clarification of the definition of a stream. The definition, the county attorney stated, was whatever EPD says it is; the default provision for this ordinance for a river or stream is one that is recognized and promulgated and accepted by Georgia EPD. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion that this be offered as the first reading of the Land & Use Development Ordinance. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote passed unanimously. Jefferson Transit/DOT Drug & Alcohol Policy County Administrator, Adam Mestres, presented to the board a drug and alcohol policy specifically for Jefferson Transit via Georgia Department of Transportation. The administrator recommended the board accept Jefferson Transit/DOT Drug & Alcohol Policy as written. Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to accept the Jefferson Transit/DOT Drug & Alcohol Policy as written. Commissioner Wayne Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner New asked if this were for all county employees. The county administrator reiterated the policy was specifically for transit employees. The vote passed unanimously. Transit FY 16 5311 Supplemental Agreement County Administrator, Adam Mestres, presented to the board Transit FY 16 Supplemental Agreement. The board previously passed this agreement as a whole last year. The letter featured here gives an outline and/or breakdown of the funds listed within the supplemental agreement. ---PAGE BREAK--- Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to adopt the FY 16 5311 Supplemental Agreement. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote was passed unanimously. Relocation of Ozier Russell Road Greenbox Site The county administrator brought before the board a proposed site for one of the county’s many greenboxes. The proposed site is located on Ozier Russell Road and is the property of Mark Lynam. County Attorney, Dalton Dowdy, asked the board to allow him and the administrator an opportunity to work with the landowner to work out the terms and conditions of a lease most favorable to the county. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to allow the county attorney and the administrator an opportunity to negotiate with the landowner to work out the terms and conditions of a lease most favorable to the county. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Gonice stated there were greenbox sites all over the south end of the county and there were no contractual agreements; he wanted to know if they were they going to go back and enter into agreements with those people. The county attorney stated he’d rather not do that if they didn’t have to and so far it has been on a case by case basis. The county administrator said he has not been able to find any type of agreement other than “you can place your greenbox here for $500”. Commissioner Gonice Davis said he wanted agreements with the landowners in the south end of the county. The vote was passed unanimously. Southern Health Partners’ Jail Service Agreement The county administrator presented Southern Health Partners’ jail service agreement. The agreement included a 2% increase in cost. The administrator reviewed the agreement and pointed out there had not been an increase in Southern Health Partners rates since September 2010; his recommendation to the board was to accept the agreement with the 2% increase with worked into the July budget accordingly. Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to accept the county administrator’s recommendation by approving the jail service agreement via Southern Health Partners, with the 2% increase pending attorney review. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote passed unanimously. Declare Surplus Equipment The county administrator asked to add two items to the list of surplus vehicles and/or equipment set for sale via GovDeals.com. The two items were a pickup truck with 300,000 plus miles and a backhoe utilized by the now defunct county water department. Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to add the two items, a pickup truck and a backhoe to surplus set for sale via GovDeals.com. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. ---PAGE BREAK--- Sale of Truck to City of Louisville The county administrator brought before the board the sale of a 2007 Chevrolet v8 long bed truck, formally used at the, again, now defunct county water department, to the City of Louisville. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to authorize the sale of the 2007 Chevrolet long bed truck to the city of Louisville at a cost of $5,000. Commissioner New seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Johnny Davis wanted to know if the other departments were okay with their vehicles. The county administrator explained all the departments were okay with vehicles. The vote passed unanimously. Scheduled Public Comments There were no scheduled public comments. Public Comments on Agenda Items No comments on agenda items. Commissioner New made a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss pending litigation and amend the agenda by including personnel policy. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote was passed unanimously. Executive Session No action taken. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to exit executive session. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote was passed unanimously. Adjournment Commissioner New made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. Attest: County Clerk Mitchell McGraw, Chairman Gonice C. Davis, Vice Chairman H. G. Thomas New, Member Johnny A. Davis, Member Charles Wayne Davis, Member JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PUBLIC HEARING MARCH 15, 2016 6:30 P.M. This was a public hearing to garner public input on the Land Use & Development Ordinance. It was held at the Jefferson County Board of Commissioner’s office. Those present were as follows: Mitchell McGraw, Chairman; Gonice C. Davis, Member: Tommy New, Member; Johnny Davis, Member; Wayne Davis, Member; Adam Mestres, County Administrator; Dalton Dowdy, County Attorney; and Bonnie Wells, County Clerk. Chairman McGraw called the hearing to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner New gave the invocation. ---PAGE BREAK--- County Administrator, Adam Mestres, opened the floor for comments and answered questions, with the assistance of County Attorney, Dalton Dowdy, regarding the proposed Land Use Development Ordinance. Chairman McGraw closed the public hearing and called the regular meeting to order. Attest: County Clerk Mitchell McGraw, Chairman Gonice C. Davis, Vice Chairman H. G. Thomas New, Member Johnny A. Davis, Member Charles Wayne Davis, Member JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING MARCH 15, 2016 7:00 P.M. This was the regular scheduled meeting for the month of March. It was held at the Jefferson County Courthouse. Those present were as follows: Mitchell McGraw, Chairman; Gonice C. Davis, Member: Tommy New, Member; Johnny Davis, Member; Wayne Davis, Member; Adam Mestres, County Administrator; Dalton Dowdy, County Attorney; and Bonnie Wells, County Clerk. Chairman McGraw called the meeting to order and Commissioner Gonice Davis gave the invocation. Commissioner New made a motion to amend the agenda by adding Use of Courthouse for Easter Program as item f under New Business. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to adopt the agenda. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. Commissioner New made a motion to adopt the minutes. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. Chairman McGraw gave the chairman’s report; County Administrator, Adam Mestres, gave the county administrator’s report; EMS Director, Carl Wagster, gave the EMS report; and Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer, Jimmy Kitchens, gave the Building Department/Code Enforcement report. Emergency Services Director, Jim Anderson, was absent. The county administrator read a letter a constituent sent in regarding outstanding service received from Sandy Walden at the Building Department. Carl Wagster introduced Chad Parker, as his replacement at Gold Cross; Mr. Parker will replace Mr. Wagster when he retires in October 2016. Consent Agenda Motion to deny use of gym at the recreation department ---PAGE BREAK--- Motion to adopt Jefferson Transit/DOT Drug & Alcohol Policy Motion to adopt Transit FY 16 5311 Supplemental Agreement Motion to approve relocation of Ozier Russell Road Greenbox Site Motion to accept Southern Health Partners Jail Service Agreement pending attorney review Motion to approve placing surplus equipment on GovDeals.com Motion to approve the sale of 2007 Chevrolet V8 long bed truck to the City of Louisville for $5,000 Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to adopt the Consent Agenda items with the exception of the Southern Health Partners Jail Service Agreement upon completion of review with the county attorney and the county administrator. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. OLD BUSINESS There were no Old Business items. NEW BUSINESS Second Reading of Land Use & Development Ordinance The second reading of the Land Use & Development Ordinance was done. The third reading and adoption will take place at the April meeting. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to approve the second reading of the Land Use & Development Ordinance. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous. Tractor Purchase for Public Works The county administrator presented information regarding the purchase of a tractor for public works. The public works director, previously, requested a tractor for his department; it was decided at the July 2015 meeting the purchase would be done after the sale of surplus equipment. The quote below shows the cost of the tractor today. The county administrator informed the board over $800,000 in surplus equipment was sold via GovDeals.com since his tenure with the county. Commissioner Gonice Davis made a motion to purchase the 2015 John Deere 5045 E tractor from Blanchard Equipment for $32,208. Commissioner Wayne Davis seconded the motion but with the following amendment; utilize money from TSPLOST to pay for the tractor and place the monies from the sale of surplus property through GovDeals.com into the general fund budget to help subsidize the shortfall. Discussion: Commissioner New asked the county administrator if he were wrong in thinking the state government was supposed to give the county money from ad valorem taxes. The administrator concurred, the county was/is supposed to receive money from the state for the aforementioned taxes. The legislation passed in 2012 and was supposed to benefit the county, but we were at 42% of collected revenue when we should be at 66%, and they were not ---PAGE BREAK--- going to make us whole on that. They are giving us the part that is supposed to make us whole, but it’s not going to be enough to make us where we were to start with. Commissioner New asked if this would be the first year we could really see what the shortfall really is. The county administrator explained we experienced a little of it last year, but we will certainly see it this year; unless there is some cleanup legislation to address that issue. Commissioner Johnny Davis said he thought they were considering some cleanup legislation for that. The county administrator said over the years the state’s amount of tax received increases. The vote passed unanimously. Creation of a Part-time Position for Public Works Public Works Director, Ken Thomas, made a request, via the county administrator, to hire a part-time employee to drive the new fuel truck. The number of hours and the rate of pay for the prospective part-time employee is shown below: Commissioner New made a motion to allow the hiring of a part-time employee in the public works department. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Wayne Davis asked how the position would be funded. Mr. Thomas stated the money would come from the road department’s budget. Commissioner Davis asked the administrator if there were funds in the road department’s budget for the aforementioned position. The administrator said the funds were not there for the remainder of the fiscal year but that’s why it was being brought to the board, but if it came in under budget, they had the option to shift funds around or utilize any portion of their TIA funds. Mr. Thomas said Mr. Billy Neal’s salary could go toward paying the part-time person’s salary, as Mr. Neal was out for medical reasons and he (Mr. Thomas) did not know if he would be returning. Commissioner Wayne Davis amended the motion to utilize money from the public works budget for the remainder of the year, in the event there is a shortfall and the employee does come back the money will be supplemented under TSPLOST. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded. The vote passed unanimously. Authorization to Allocate Funding for HMGP The county administrator presented the following information regarding the authorization to allocate funding for the Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The county was awarded the grant for two lift stations, but as of December 31, 2015, the county no longer has a water department. The water department is now being operated by the City of Louisville. The question regarding the grant was if the funds could still be utilized for the lift stations if the county no longer had possession of them. GEMA stated the money could still be used for the lift stations even though Jefferson County no longer had possession and they would do a sub grantee agreement with the City of Louisville if the city wanted to do that. The county administrator explained the county would allocate spending up to the grant amount of $15,700. The county will spend the money first and subsequently submit a request for reimbursement of the county’s share. Commissioner Gonice Davis made a motion to allocate spending of the grant money up to the amount of $15,700; with the county submitting a request for reimbursement. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote passed unanimously. ---PAGE BREAK--- Naming of Bridge on Scootch Davis Road Commissioner New made a motion to name the bridge on Scootch Davis Road (county road), “Warden George Smith 1971-1998 Memorial Bridge”. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote passed unanimously. Use of Courthouse for Easter Program Chairman McGraw informed the board of commissioners David Bogg wished to have an Easter Program in front of the courthouse. This item was for informational purposes only. Scheduled Public Comments Mr. Joseph Wheeler had questions regarding the collection and use of TSPLOST. Public Comments on Agenda Items Marion Miller asked questions regarding the non-agenda item, Louisville not having a dry cleaners. Adjournment Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to adjourn the regular meeting. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote was passed unanimously. Attest: County Clerk Mitchell McGraw, Chairman Gonice C. Davis, Vice Chairman H. G. Thomas New, Member Johnny A. Davis, Member Charles Wayne Davis, Member