Jones County Commissioners had a busy meeting night that concluded with the selection of a new public works director. The March 18 meetings included two back-to-back work sessions preceding their monthly business meeting.
The announcement that Jerry Arnold was selected as Jones County public works director followed a closed session held at the conclusion of the meeting.
Chairman Chris Weidner called the 6 p.m. business meeting to order, and the prayer and pledge were led by 8-year-old Eli Altamirano.
The meeting included a visit from the new chairman of the Jones County Board of Tax Assessors who, backed by the newly appointed chief appraiser, who laid out the need for additional funds.
JCBTA Chairman Leigh Stanford presented New Business items four and five. She started with an update of the work being done by the board of tax assessors and acting chief appraiser Jim Davis.
Stanford said they have been looking into all aspects of the department.
“A great deal of work is being done by a few people,” she said.
The speaker said the office will be back together next week, but more help is needed. She said they are struggling to be ready to have the tax digest ready May 1, and there is also a need to follow up on permits.
Stanford noted that the most recent aerial photos of Jones County were done in 2021. She said the training of the three new JCBTA members ate up 47 percent of the training budget, and more training is needed for the appraisers and employees.
“We have a retiree willing to help part time, and the staff needs overtime pay,” she said. “We also need another appraiser and one appraiser assistant.”
Stanford’s request was to amend this year’s budget by $75,000.
Commissioner Sam Kitchens told Stanford he appreciated the report and did not flinch at the amount requested. He reiterated the fact that the $75,000 was to get through this budget year.
Weidner asked if one appraiser was enough, and Stanford explained the appraiser assistant could do the data entry work to free up the appraisers.
Davis said what the county needed was an appraiser who specialized in personal property. He said that was a real need.
Weidner said the board was aware that money was going to have to be spent to correct property values and issues in the department.
Davis said it was a new day with the new board.
“We are doing the right things to get this corrected. It is not going back to the way it was,” he said.
Kitchens thanked Stanford, Davis and the other board members and staff for the hours they are putting in.
“We know this is going to take money,” he said.
Kitchens made the motion to amend the budget by $75,000, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
New Business
Commissioners heard an audit presentation from David Irwin of Mauldin and Jenkins. He said the county received the highest level of assurance for the 2024 audit, a clean unmodified opinion.
Irwin said the county staff does a great job getting the information to the auditors.
“It was a good year for the county with a 12 percent increase in its net position,” he said.
The auditor said the county had a slight decrease in this year’s general fund but a 55 percent increase over the past five years. He said the county consistently stays within its budget, and its general fund balance equals six months of operating expenses, which is very strong.
Kitchens stated the board’s appreciation to CFO Lavita Crutchfield, the finance department staff and department heads.
Shana Backus presented the county with a plaque of appreciation for its support of Toys for Tots for the past eight years. Backus said 3,270 children were served last year. She was joined by Jones County Family Connection Coordinator Joy Carr, who spoke about the 988 Crisis Line and the Jones County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
Carr gave and overview of the work of the coalition and requested the county’s help in getting out the information. She asked for the 988 information to be placed on the county’s water bills and anywhere else to be seen by someone needing help.
Commissioner Daylon Martin made the motion to put the information on water bills, the website and social media. The motion was approved unanimously.
Public Works Assistant Director Laurinda Mason gave board members details about options for the purchase of a Cat 930 wheel loader. Kitchens made the motion to purchase the loader through ACCG conventional financing. The motion was approved unanimously.
Rizner spoke about the need to issue RFPs for debris management and monitoring before a disaster hits the county. Martin made the motion to follow the recommendation, and it was approved unanimously.
Following a closed session by the board, Kitchens made the motion to select Arnold as the public works director and keep Mason as the assistant director. The vote to approve was unanimous.
Work sessions
Board members listened to financing options for large scale water and sewer projects in the county. Rizner talked about the possibility of a fee levied to property owners that was previously proposed. He said he found out that was not an option.
The administrator his research showed it was not legal to assess a fee to properties that did not receive a county service, such as water and sewer. He said some counties had a fire fee, but it had to be voluntary.
Rizner said the projects being considered had a $50 million price tag. He said borrowing the money from GEFA was a possibility, but there had to be a repayment plan.
Kitchens asked about the potential to generate revenue from commercial verses residential projects. He said the Gray Highway corridor needed to be developed.
“There are potential customers out there. The commercial customers could help pay and then we could go to residential,” he said.
Board members listened to project information from Consulting Engineer Tim Ingram. He said the Gray Highway corridor was unique because the county could build as much or as little as wanted.
Ingram said sewer would be a necessity for development because septic tanks were not an option for the area.
The engineer was asked to compile numbers and bring the information back.
Weidner said there were already customers in the area.
“We need to take control of our destiny,” the chairman said.
The final work session was also a public hearing about the county’s update of its Pre-disaster Mitigation Plan.
Greg Boike, director of planning & public administration for the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, presented information about the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan update and went through the process and funding.
He said the next meeting date for the plan is April 3 at 3 p.m. at the Government Center. Plan objectives, scope and overview will be presented at that meeting. The PDMP update is required every five years and is necessary to be eligible for Federal disaster funds for local governments and residents.
Boike said the plan must be ready for submission by Jan. 18, 2026. He said the MGRC drafts the plan, and it is funded by FEMA.
The next meeting of the Board of Commissioners is scheduled April 1.
