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JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION FEBRUARY 6, 2017 5:30 P.M. The purpose of this meeting was to prepare the agenda for the February meeting. It was held at the Jefferson County 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 meeting to order, asked if there were any veterans, he then requested the veterans in attendance lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner Wayne Davis gave the invocation, remembering the police officer in Richmond County who perished in the line of duty the day before. Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to amend and adopt the agenda. The amendment to the agenda was to add Arty Thrift (Mr. Thrift was initially item a on Scheduled Public Comments) to New Business as item a, and Louisville First Baptist Church Property Tax as item g. Commissioner Wayne “Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. OLD BUSINESS ROW Shoulder Maintenance County Administrator, Adam Mestres, presented the following quotes on a tiller for the public works department to maintain the shoulders of the roads located in unincorporated Jefferson County. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to table the item for right now. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner New said the road department just finished working on D. Ponder Road…if this piece of equipment could level it back down without going out there with the big piece of equipment. He also stated if they use the front end loader to shovel dirt, they will make a mess out there. Commissioner Wayne Davis said every place he’s seen clipped, it’s clipped toward the road, then scoop the top soil off and haul it away for a storage area. Commissioner New said on D. Ponder Road, all the dirt was knocked back toward the ditch, not toward the road. He said he understood what Commissioner Wayne Davis was saying regarding clipping toward the road…Commissioner Johnny Davis said he understood what Commissioner Wayne Davis and Commissioner New were saying and that he didn’t know much about the process, but he has seen GDOT and/or private contractors doing the same work on state highways and they place the leaves/dirt in the middle of the road, pick it up and take it away; it may take more personnel, but he has seen them do it. The chairman asked Mr. Thomas (Public Works Director) if the tiller was what he needed to perform his job with. Mr. Thomas stated they were going to use this piece of equipment as a leveler after clipping because sometimes you have large piles and it goes a lot faster. Commissioner New asked what could be used if the tiller were not purchased. Mr. Thomas stated they would have to get it up and they would perhaps use a pan. Commissioner Gonice Davis said he had not had an opportunity to see the tiller or the work it’s capable of and he could not vote on it until he has had an opportunity to see it. The motion passed with a vote of four to one. Chairman McGraw, Commissioners Gonice Davis, Johnny Davis, and Wayne Davis voted yes. Commissioner New voted no. Football Scoreboard Replacement County Administrator, Adam Mestres, presented quotes for football and baseball scoreboards for the county’s recreation department. The item was discussed in the previous month’s meeting, but tabled until this month ---PAGE BREAK--- thereby allowing the county administrator an opportunity to obtain quotes on the cost of a scoreboard and/or scoreboards. The quotes reflect prices with Coca-Cola as the sponsor on the football scoreboard and prices with the county purchasing the scoreboard without Coca-Cola. Having Coca-Cola donate a portion of the funds for the scoreboard would entail the recreation department selling Coke products exclusively, which is the current practice, as Coca-Cola sponsored the scoreboard for basketball. The prices for the scoreboards are reflected in the “Recreation Fields Scoreboard Quote Summary” shown on the next page. Mr. Mestres explained the cost of the scoreboards will be absorbed by funds from SPLOST. After much discussion, Commissioner New made a motion to purchase the LX1241 Baseball Scoreboard, which has a timer, with Coca-Cola as the sponsor and the LX3150 Football Scoreboard with Coca-Cola as the participating sponsor. Commissioner Wayne Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Chairman McGraw stated if Coca-Cola is the sponsor the recreation department would have to sell coke products exclusively. If another vendor wanted to be included as sponsor, they would not be allowed to…it would be Coca-Cola exclusively. He said the one scoreboard purchased previously from a local company already had a sponsor and that sponsor’s name needs to be back on the scoreboard. Commissioner New stated Coca-Cola donated all the coolers currently at the recreation department. Commissioner Wayne Davis said coke Coca-Cola would only have their signage on the scoreboard and other sponsors could have signs on the field. Chairman McGraw stated if Coca-Cola is allowed as a sponsor for scoreboards, the recreation department would have to purchase coke products directly from Coca-Cola and the drinks could be purchased locally when they are on sale for half of what Coke sells them for. He also stated it has been his experience, you’re better off not being tied to them. Commissioner New asked if they were going to go through the hassle of purchasing new coolers, because if we stopped using Coca-Cola as a vendor they were going to come get their coolers. The county administrator stated the coolers we have, binds us to carry Coke products; if we were to call them and tell them we wanted to sell other products, they would come and get their coolers. They could purchase what they want and would not have to purchase from a Coke distributor at their rates. If we allow the Coca-Cola signage on the scoreboard, it binds us to Coke for three or five years; there is a commitment there because they are paying for half of the board. He also stated, Coca-Cola would only sponsor one maybe two scoreboards and we have a sponsor we still have to place on the football scoreboard. Commissioner Johnny Davis agreed with the chairman as far as the county not allowing Coca- Cola to sponsor the scoreboard(s). Commissioner Wayne Davis suggested amending the motion because it did not matter to him. Commissioner New stated he was not amending his motion…they could vote it up or down. The motion passed with a vote of three to two. Commissioners New, Gonice Davis, and Wayne Davis voted yes. Chairman McGraw and Commissioner Johnny Davis voted no. NEW BUSINESS Arty Thrift – City of Wrens Airport Wrens City Administrator, Arty Thrift, shared with the board notification the City of Wrens received from GDOT regarding a safety issue with their airport’s runway. The Georgia Department of Transportation gave the city three options to correct the issue. The three options were as follows: lower Old Lucky Bridge Road fifteen ft.; shorten the runway; and close Old Lucky Bridge Road. Commissioner Wayne Davis ---PAGE BREAK--- made a motion to not close Old Lucky Bridge Road. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. County Purchasing Policy Commissioner New asked that Section 2-247 of the county’s personnel policy which references the awarding of contracts to vendors who have presented a bid, be revised. The aforementioned section of the purchasing policy is as follows: Section 2-247 – Vendor Vendors will be selected on a competitive basis. Bids, quotations, and proposals will be solicited by newspaper advertising, direct mail, requests of prospective suppliers and by telephone, as appropriate. Purchase orders or contracts will be awarded to the lowest and best responsible vendor. (Exception: When a local qualified vendor submits a bid that is up to three percent greater than a vendor from outside the county, the bid will be awarded to the local vendor). All bids may be rejected if it is in the public interest to do so. In determining the “lowest and best responsible vendor” or “qualified vendor” in addition to price, the following will be considered: Commissioner New made a motion for contracts to be awarded to local qualified vendors if their presented bid was five percent greater than, versus three percent greater than, a vendor from outside the county. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Thomas Street Debris Trap The county administrator brought up for discussion, Thomas Street debris trap. The administrator explained there was discussion on the aforementioned issue in 1999, 2008, and 2009. Bids were received from Moreland Altobelli at one time for a debris trap. There were permits that had to be obtained but were not. There complaints made with EPD out of Augusta, Georgia regarding oil spilling into the pond adjacent to Thomas Street. EPD made contact with the administration, went out reviewed what had been done and was satisfied with the cleaning of the area and the fact that it was free from debris and not creating any issues on private property out there; EPD closed out their case in 2011. There was an understanding from EPD that upon closing the case the county was going to move forward with the project. Because EPD, thought the project had been done they had no reason to come back to check. They were advised the project had not been done. While there is no mandate from EPD to do the project, but there is a mandate for the county to make sure the private property is free from debris. Property owners in the area were also in attendance and spoke regarding the debris in the pond/area. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to allow G. Ben Turnipseed engineers to look at the area and figure out how best to proceed with the project. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Public Works Trailer Purchase The county administrator brought before the board a quote on a trailer for the public works department. The Public Works Director, Ken Thomas, stated his department needed the trailer to haul pipe, hay, etc.; right now the department has to utilize a dump truck with dirt to haul the pipe. The code enforcement officer expressed a concern for safety with this practice. The quote for the aforementioned trailer is shown below. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to allow the purchase of the trailer for safety reasons. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded the motion. The motion was approved with a vote of four to one. Chairman McGraw, Commissioners New, Gonice Davis, and Wayne Davis voted for. Commissioner Johnny Davis voted against. 5311 DHS 2018 Contract The county administrator presented the board with the 5311 DHS (Department of Human Services) 2018 contract. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to approve the 5311 DHS 2018 Contract for the Transit Department. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. ---PAGE BREAK--- District Two County Roads Commissioner Johnny Davis enquired about the status of the paving of the roads in District 2. The county administrator explained the contract was approved last year with Epps Brothers for the aforementioned roads. Louisville First Baptist Property Tax The county administrator presented the board with a request from Tax Commissioner, Nancy McGraw for an abatement on taxes on property now owned by First Baptist Church in Louisville. The documents presented are as follows: Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to approve the requested abatement. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Scheduled Public Comments There were no scheduled public comments. Public Comments on Agenda Items There were no comments on the agenda items. Adjournment ---PAGE BREAK--- Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously approved. 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 FEBRUARY 14, 2017 7:00 P.M. This was the regular scheduled meeting for the month of February. It was held at the Jefferson County 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 meeting to order, asked the veterans to stand and lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner New gave the invocation. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to add under New Business as item h, Surplus Property; and forgo the reading of all reports. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to adopt the agenda. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Commissioner Gonice Davis made a motion to adopt the minutes. Commissioner Wayne Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Reports No reports were given. Consent Agenda Chairman McGraw read the following Consent Agenda items. Motion to not alter or close any portion of Old Lucky Bridge Rd Motion to proceed with the amendment of the county's purchasing policy Motion to allow Turnipseed Engineers to create a preliminary engineering concept and cost estimate for Thomas Street Debris Trap Motion to approve 5311 DHS 2018 Contract Motion to approve tax abatement for Louisville First Baptist Church ---PAGE BREAK--- Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to adopt the Consent Agenda items as read by Chairman McGraw. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved OLD BUSINESS Football Scoreboard Replacement The county administrator brought before the board quotes on a football scoreboard at the recreation department. As discussed at the previous work session, the last football scoreboard was purchased from a now defunct local company and the board has to make a decision as to whether or not they will purchase the scoreboard with Coca-Cola as the sponsor and continue to sell Coca-Cola products or if they county wants to purchase the scoreboard without Coca-Cola as a sponsor and not sell products exclusively from Coca-Cola. The summary below reflects baseball scoreboards and football scoreboards. The county administrator said the recommendation from the staff at the recreation department was to purchase the LX1241 Baseball Scoreboard (the prices are listed above) which includes a timer and the LX3150 Football Scoreboard (the prices for this is also listed above). After much discussion Commissioner New made a motion to purchase the recommended scoreboard with Coca-Cola as a sponsor. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded the motion. The motion did not pass. Commissioners New and Gonice Davis voted for. Chairman McGraw and Commissioner Johnny Davis voted against. Commissioner Wayne Davis abstained with voting, stating he would like to hear what the recreation department staff had to say. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to place the football scoreboard on the agenda for the March meeting allowing an opportunity to hear what the recreation department staff had to say. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Commissioner new made a motion to not sell Coca-Cola products. The motion dies for lack of a second. ROW Shoulder Maintenance The public works director made a request to purchase a cultivator. The bids for the cultivator are listed below; ---PAGE BREAK--- Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to not purchase the cultivator. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Gonice Davis asked that the public works director comment on the need for the piece of equipment. Mr. Thomas stated the cultivator would be used at the landfill and the recreation department as well as the road department. He also stated the department sometimes, leased, a cultivator. Commissioner Johnny Davis asked what was the price for leasing the equipment. Mr. Thomas stated they usually leased it for a day or two and the cost was usually $300 to $400. Commissioner Gonice Davis clarified the departments were the cultivator would be used. Commissioner Johnny Davis wanted to know how often the cultivator would be used at the recreation department. The motion did not pass with Commissioners Johnny Davis and Wayne Davis voting for; and Chairman McGraw, Commissioners New and Gonice Davis voting against. Commissioner Gonice Davis made a motion to purchase the cultivator from J & B Tractor for $7,548. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The motion did not pass with Chairman McGraw and Commissioner Gonice Davis voting for; Commissioners New, Johnny Davis, and Wayne Davis voted against. Public Works Trailer Purchase The county administrator presented information on the previously discussed purchase of a trailer for public works department; the quote is listed below: The public works director expressed an interest in purchasing a trailer to haul grass cutters around the county and to move driveway pipe around the county. Commissioner New made a motion to purchase the trailer from Custom Trailer Works, Inc. for $8,966.82. Commissioner Gonice Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Johnny Davis said he had no objection to purchasing the trailer, but if they were going to spend that kind of money, were they only going to haul pipe. The public works director stated the trailer would be used to haul different things. Commissioner Johnny Davis said if the trailer is purchased you would still have to have the dump truck with the gravel and you have to get the lowboy out there, and you would have three pieces of equipment at the job site. He wanted to know if the trailer could be modified enough where the pipe can be mounted on the side and can it be modified to carry the backhoe. He wants it where you can have a couple of pieces of equipment on the job versus three or four pieces. He wants to make sure they have a piece of equipment that can be utilized for multiple things. Commissioner Johnny Davis also wanted to know if anything else could be placed on the bed of the truck or would the trailer hitch consume all the space in the bed of the truck. The public works director stated there would not be enough room for anything large. Commissioner Wayne Davis asked if the trailer had a pin tail hook, because if it does they can carry the tractor and pipe. The motion passed with a vote of three for; one against; and one abstaining. Chairman McGraw, Commissioners Gonice Davis, Tommy New voted for. Commissioner Johnny Davis voted against; and Commissioner Wayne Davis did not vote. NEW BUSINESS Economic Development Update Economic Development Director, Greg Sellars, presented the board, for informational purposes, with the following synopsis on the progress at the economic development. ---PAGE BREAK--- FY16 Audit Report Jones, Jones, Davis & Associates, CPA’s representative, Mark Davis presented the auditor’s report by sharing with the board the following summary on the annual financial assessment they performed on the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners’ offices. After the summary, Commissioner Johnny Davis commended County Administrator, Adam Mestres, on doing a great job. Stapleton Mill Pond Road Ken Thomas, Public Works Director, and Commissioner Wayne Davis shared with the board several pictures of and issues at Stapleton Mill Pond Road; the pond has dried up and the pipe there has some corrosion. There was no action, this item, at this time, was for informational purposes. The pictures can be seen below: Commissioner Wayne Davis said if the road becomes impassable, they would need to close it until they could figure out what they need to do with it and the road needs to be monitored. Hospital Board Appointment Commissioner Wayne Davis had to render a second appointment to the hospital board; of the names he submitted in November 2016, which were Tommy Shepherd, Burton Dye, and Walter Jones; the hospital authority chose Walter Jones. However it was deemed to be a possible conflict of interest as Mr. Jones is an auditor at Jones, Jones, Davis, the firm which conducts the audit for the county. Commissioner Wayne Davis ---PAGE BREAK--- made a motion for the following people to be considered for appointment to the Hospital Board. Those names are as follows: Tommy Shepherd, Burton Dye, and Michael Chance. Commissioner New seconded the motion. The vote was unanimously passed. Hospital IGA County Attorney, Dalton Dowdy, presented information on an IGA between the board of commissioners and the hospital board which states the board would issue payments the hospital authority in the amount of $100,000 until the March 21, 2017 referendum. The IGA is shown in its entirety below. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to approve the aforementioned IGA (Intergovernmental Agreement). Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. City of Stapleton IGA for Municipal Elections The county administrator reviewed the City of Stapleton’s request for the county to conduct their 2017 municipal election as shown in the IGA below. ---PAGE BREAK--- Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to approve the IGA allowing the county to conduct the City of Stapleton’s municipal election. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Multi-Purpose Building Use Request Chairman McGraw expressed a request from a local non-profit organization to utilize the Multi-Purpose Building (Old Armory) free of charge. Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to allow the Charlie Brown Kidney Foundation an opportunity to utilize the multi-purpose building free of charge in an effort to raise funds. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. Discussion: Commissioner Wayne Davis cautioned the board about allowing non-profit organizations to utilize the county’s resources without compensation. The motion was unanimously approved. Surplus Property The county administrator requested several pieces of equipment be considered for sale as surplus on GovDeals. The pieces of equipment are two International 1066 Model tractors and two farm type trailers at the correctional institute, and a tar distributor. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to allow two International Model 1066 tractors, two farm type trailers; and a tar distributor to be placed on GovDeals.com for sale. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Chairman McGraw thanked Nancy Bobbitt from Senator Johnny Isakson’s office for attending the meeting. Scheduled Public Comments There were no scheduled public comments. Public Comments on Agenda Items There were no comments on agenda items. 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 CALLED MEETING FEBRUARY 20, 2017 9:00 A.M. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss personnel. It was held at the Jefferson County Commissioner’s Office. ---PAGE BREAK--- 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 led the Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioner Wayne Davis gave the invocation. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to adopt the agenda. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Commissioner Wayne Davis made a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss personnel. Commissioner Johnny Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Commissioner New made a motion to come out of Executive Session. Commissioner Wayne Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Personnel County Administrator, Adam Mestres, tendered his resignation with Jefferson County to accept a position with Morgan County as County Manager. His last day with Jefferson County will be April 7, 2017. He thanked the board for allowing him the opportunity to serve as county administrator. Mr. Mestres recommended Chris Hutchings serve as Interim Administrator for Jefferson County until such time as the position is permanently filled. Commissioner Johnny Davis made a motion to hire Chris Hutchings as Interim Administrator for Jefferson County on a temporary basis, allowing the current administrator, the chairman, and the county attorney to work out a contract outlining the hours and the rate of pay with this individual. Also post the job advertisement in the local paper, with the ACCG, and any other site necessary for finding a new county administrator. Commissioner Wayne Davis seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Adjournment Commissioner New made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Wayne 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