JONES COUNTY
Jones County Commissioners honored law enforcement officers and discussed a possibility of an open container ordinance at their recent business meeting.
The May 16 meeting was called to order by Chairman Chris Weidner, and the opening prayer and pledge were led by Commissioner Sam Kitchens.
The proclamation honoring local law enforcement during law enforcement week was the first item of new business. Weidner asked the law enforcement representatives to come forward for the reading of the proclamation and a picture with the commissioners.
Jones County Sheriff Office Lt. Wesley Ransom was accompanied by jail officer Corp. Hannah Goodson and dispatcher Haley Reynolds.
County Attorney Ashley Brodie spoke about the possibility of an open container ordinance for the county, similar to the ordinance recently passed by the City of Gray. She said the open containers would only be allowed for county-sponsored events, and each of those events would have to be approved by the commissioners.
Brodie said it could be a fundraiser.
Kitchens said he was fine with the concept as long as the board approved each event.
He noted that he did not feel the open containers would be appropriate at family-friendly events, such as the Fourth of July fireworks.
Commissioner Daylon Martin said he felt like the ordinance was way overdue.
Commissioner Wendy Vaughn agreed the open containers should not be allowed at family-oriented events and made a motion to postpone the vote until the ordinance was created. The motion was unanimously approved.
Kitchens brought up the need for an ordinance to allow Jones County to issue vehicle tags for low-speed vehicles, namely street-legal golf carts. He explained that the vehicles could only be used on streets with speed limits of 25 mph or less, and that did not include any county roads.
Kitchens said the reason for the ordinance would be to allow the carts to be used in other areas in the state.
“We are not advocating them to be on county roads,” he stated.
The commissioner said there are people in the county who like to vacation in places the carts are allowed, but they have to be licensed in the county they are owned.
Brodie said she had spoken to City Attorney John Newberry about the possibility of the tag ordinance because there are roads in the city that the carts could be driven if they met the street-legal criteria.
She said Newberry was going to take the question to city council members, and he in fact did that at the city’s May 15 committee meeting.
Ransom said the biggest area where the golf carts are driven now are at the Morris Bank Recreation Complex.
Brodie said the city and county should have the same ordinance to make sure what is allowed is consistent.
Kitchens said he does not what to create an issue about the carts, and board members agreed where they could be driven was up to law enforcement.
He made the motion to allow the low-speed vehicles that fit the street legal criteria to be licensed and titled in Jones County. The motion was approved unanimously.
The final item of new business was a beer and wine license for the Gray Food Mart. Vaughn made the motion to approve, and the vote was unanimous.
Comments
Gray Mayor Pro Tem James Collins gave the commissioners an update on Mayor Ed Barbee, who has been hospitalized since May 4 due to complications from an outpatient procedure. He said Barbee was still in ICU but was improving.
Collins requested prayers for Barbee and his family.
Evelyn Hill, who spoke as a resident of Haddock, talked about concerns with the lack of playground equipment at Haddock Park. She said she feels the park has been slighted compared to the equipment at other county parks.
Commissioner John Wood said swings at the park were being repaired, but he agreed more playground equipment was needed. Wood also asked that the restrooms be open during the day and not just at special events.
The next scheduled meeting of the Board of Commissioners is June 6.
