Jones County Commissioners began their first February meeting with special recognition for the 2025 Little Miss Royal USA.
Board Chairman Chris Weidner called the Feb. 4 meeting to order, and the opening prayer and pledge were led by Tim Ingram. All commissioners were in attendance at the meeting.
Fisher Ann Reynolds was recognized for her most recent title as winner of Little Miss Royal USA. Commissioner Wendy Vaughn read a list of Fisher’s six other titles won in 2024 and then talked about her academic achievements, including that she is in the Gifted program at Turner Woods Elementary. Vaughn said Fisher is the first All-Star reader (300,000 words) in second grade and that she has now read almost 500,000 words. The student is also in Cub Chorus.
The Sunset Neighborhood Club was listed as visitors on the agenda. The group was represented by Carol Johnson. She said they were at the Jan. 7 meeting asking the commissioners for help with lighting concerns in their neighborhood.
“I’m here to thank you because progress has been made,” Johnson said.
She thanked Commissioner Sam Kitchens for his help, even though they were not in his district.
Johnson said, due to Kitchens’ help, a supervisor came to the neighborhood the next day. Johnson said the problem is not fixed but is being worked out.
“Thank you, Mr. Kitchens. We appreciate that you listened to us.”
New business
Board members listened to representatives of the North Central Health District and the Jones County Health Department. Jones County’s Nursing Director Sherry Bryant was the first to speak.
Bryant pointed out to the commissioners that all the county’s health department employees were at the meeting to support the speakers. The director gave a brief history of the Jones County Health Department that was formed in 1937 and spoke about its services to the community.
“We work daily to keep Jones County safe. People have better lives because of public health,” Bryant said.
She gave the example of Narcan that is needed by the Jones County Sheriff Office. Bryant said the health department was able to help them get part of what they needed and provide an avenue to obtain more.
NCHD Deputy Director of Environmental Health Operations Neal Modi was the next to speak. He said the health department helps stop the spread of disease, and Jones County’s environmental specialists recently helped a local nursing home curb a recent outbreak.
Modi said another important oversight is for rabies, which is 95 percent fatal.
“Without more funding, we are facing cuts,” Modi said.
District Financial Coordinator Sylvia Woodford talked about the budget and the impact the cuts for the county have made. She said monthly expenses for the Jones County Health Department are $76,000.
Woodford said prices keep going up, and unfunded mandates have cut into department reserves. She said they like to have four to five months in reserve funds but now they have an estimated month and a half.
NCHD Director Dr. Thomas Craft talked about the impact the freezing of federal funds was having on health departments. He also pointed out that the renovation of the building had reduced reserve funds.
Kitchens said the discussion of the budget should be done at budget time, and the freezing of federal funding had nothing to do with the county.
“We recognize that costs are going up, and we’ll be glad to look at it when we consider our budget,” he said.
Jones County Coroner Matt Jarrett had a request for additional payment for mileage for his deputy coroner and/or a county vehicle for death calls. Jarrett said the office lost a deputy coroner, and calls are being covered by himself and one deputy.
Kitchens made a motion to postpone the item to allow time to research the difference in the cost of paying mileage verses furnishing a vehicle. The motion was approved unanimously.
Consulting Engineer Tim Ingram presented the bid for the Union Hill Bridge project. He said four bids were received, and he recommended the contract be awarded to the low bidder, Gregory Bridge Company, in the amount of $721,870.
Ingram said the Georgia Department of Transportation would pay 70 percent of the project cost. Commissioner John Wood made the motion to award the bid to the low bidder, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
Commissioner Daylon Martin talked about working with the Middle Georgia Regional Commission to find grants for revitalization in District 4. Kitchens made the motion to approve the assistance from MGRC, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
County Administrator Jason Rizner presented a request from Tax Commissioner Brian Jackson to continue current procedures for routine matters of tax collection. Kitchens made the motion to approve the request, and the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Wood made a motion to approve funding for a countywide revaluation of properties, and the motion was approved unanimously. The request for the revaluation is the responsibility of the Jones County Board of Tax Assessors.
Rizner also spoke to the commissioners about paying county employees who worked over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday due to the severe winter weather. Kitchens made the motion to postpone a decision because more information was needed.
“It’s our intent to do right by the staff that worked to take care of our roads when no one else was working. The question is whether it will be a bonus or overtime for the hours worked,” the commissioner said.
Old business
Clerk of the Board Shannon Wagner asked to be allowed to correct an error in the minutes of the Nov. 5 meeting. Kitchens made a motion to correct the minutes, and it was approved unanimously.
The final agenda item was a discussion about the Jones County Board of Tax Assessors Peer Review. Kitchens said the document was extensive and thorough.
“It was long, but for me, it validated the issues that have been brought up,” he said.
Vaughn gave an explanation of the document for members of the audience who had not seen the review and who prepared it.
“It was not something that was nit-picking. It was very thorough, well documented and clear about the issues that were found,” she said.
Wood stated that the field staff went out into the county.
“It was a thorough, unbiased review,” he said.
Martin’s comment was he was ready to move on.
Jones County Chief Appraiser Tony George said he did a deep dive into the report. He said most of the recommendations had now been corrected.
“2023 was challenging year. We lost 50 percent of our staff but still got the digest approved,” he said.
George noted that there were only 151 appeals to property values.
Department head reports
Laurinda Mason reported for public works. She thanked the commissioners for paying the employees who worked hard to keep the county’s roads open during the winter storm.
Mason also thanked EMA for help with cots for employees during the weather event and 4-H for lending their van so public works employees could attend their conference.
She announced that Jerry Arnold and Chuck Humphries graduated from the Certified Public Works Professional Management course that consisted of 90 hours and took three years to complete. The course is presented by the American Public Works Association and the University of Georgia.
Jones County Emergency Management Director Karen McMichael gave an update about the snowstorm and thanked public works, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office and Jones County Fire Department their help.
The director also said the process was being started to update Jones County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan that is due in January of 2026.
Parks and Recreation Director Bert Rosenberger said it had been an exciting week, seeing people take advantage of the county’s facilities.
“It was nice to see the sunshine,” he said.
The director said work at Liberty Park and the pickleball courts was underway, and he thanked the public works department for its help.
“It’s a demanding time for staff, but they are doing a great job,” he said.
