Gray City Council members considered the repercussions of HB 581 and looked at new retirement benefits for employees at their November All Committees meeting.
Mayor Ed Barbee called the Nov. 18 meeting to order, and the first report was from the finance committee.
Committee chairman, Councilman Terrell Fulford, said the city had collected $187,889 in 2024 property taxes, which represented 14.35 percent. City property tax bills were sent out last month.
Mayor Pro Tem James Collins said he had spoken to Jones County Commissioners and Board of Education members about the newly approved HB 581. The house bill was on the November ballot.
Collins said, if it took effect, it would basically lock in the amount of taxes. He said the county and Board of Education plan to take the opportunity to opt out of the floating exemption.
The mayor pro tem said the city needs to make its own decision.
City Attorney John Newberry said, if the city decides to opt out, there will have to be public hearings in January and a vote to opt out in February.
Collins said the author of the bill is recommending everyone opt out.
Newberry said the bill would create a floating exemption that would be limited to the rate of inflation. He said it can add an exemption for taxpayers, but it locks in the rate of increase and shifts the burden of taxes to other properties.
Collins asked for a vote at the December council meeting to opt out of the bill.
City Superintendent Cheyenne Morgan presented the 2025 budget for the water department. The budget has a total increase of $292,100, most of which is in anticipated revenues of an additional $190,000.
Morgan said he was hoping for news of the capacity of the new test well, but the rain had held up the completion of the well.
The superintendent had good news about the city’s service line inventory that showed 1,732 service lines with none of them containing lead. He said 360 service lines were galvanized pipes, and the customers served by those lines would be notified.
Morgan said those customers would be encouraged to replace those lines, but he believes there will be funding available to help with that.
“The good news is there was no lead,” he emphasized.
Plan and personnel
Collins reported for the Plan committee. He asked for assistance from Main Street Director Ashley Roberson, who said the terms of three members of the design review committee were up for renewal. She said David Tufts had agreed to serve for another term. The other two are rolling off, but Sherri Rollins and Vicki Ethridge will be taking their places.
Roberson went on to report that the estimate to repair the building on the corner had been received. She said the estimate is $60,000, and the repairs are mostly cosmetic.
Roberson proposed the idea of using the building to house her office, the office of the executive director of the Jones County Development Authority and Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce.
She said those offices need to work together, and having those offices in one building would create an economic development hub for the community.
The director said it would also make possible the sharing of a receptionist/ assistant for those offices, which would help all of them to better serve the community.
Roberson said there would still be two office spaces that could be rented to generate income. She said the longterm goal will still be to demolish the building to create a City Hall complex in the future.
Fulford said they need to go ahead and repair the roof of the building and get the electrical service checked as soon as possible.
Collins, who serves as Personnel Committee chairman, proposed the city consider additional retirement benefits, which would be another tool for recruitment. He proposed the 75 Rule Retirement that would allow city employees who retire with 20 years of service to keep their medical and dental insurance at a cost of 50 percent of the premium with the city paying the remaining 50 percent.
Employees would have to decide whether to use the benefit when they retire, and if they decline, it cannot be started at a later date.
The mayor pro tem also proposed the city pay 50 percent of dental insurance for family members.
“The long-term cost will be minimal,” he said. “It’s only for career employees.”
Collins asked that the proposals be added to the city’s Dec. 2 agenda.
City Clerk Cindy Yancey said the city’s employee manual needs to be reworked.
Streets and Sanitation
Morgan said the deadline for the city’s LMIG requests was approaching. He asked if council members were still in agreement to concentrate on repairs and the repaving of East and West Clinton Streets.
He then talked about the number of complaints that are being received about waste collection.
The superintendent said he had been looking into the possibility of the city purchasing a truck and the necessary equipment to do its own waste collection.
“We could create our own sanitation department,” he said. Yancey said the problem now is there is no control over collections, and they cannot reach anyone at Ryland Environmental.
Newberry said there were steps to take to terminate the contract.
“We need to send them a letter that we are not satisfied,” he said.
Morgan said he understands the city is in the first year of the contract, and it may not be feasible to get out of it.
“But its food for thought,” he said.
Favors asked if anything was happening with the problem of the increased number of 18-wheelers in downtown Gray.
Newberry said he was still working on the ordinance.
Barbee said he had spoken with State Sen. Rick Williams about the mess in the intersection of Bill Conn Parkway and West Clinton Street.
“The plastic is gone, but there is still a rock pile,” he said. “I hope to get this mess cleaned up.”
