The possibility of a data center in Jones County was the topic of most of the citizens’ comments portion of last week’s meeting of the Jones County Board of Commissioners.
The Oct. 7 meeting was called to order by Chairman Chris Weidner, and the prayer and pledge led by Commissioner Wendy Vaughn.
Zoning Officer Tim Pitrowski presented two requests to board members. The first was a request to rezone a property on Gray Highway from commercial to residential to allow a dwelling. A neighbor of the property spoke in opposition to the request.
After hearing from both sides, Vaughn made the motion to deny the request. The vote to deny was approved unanimously among commissioners in attendance.
Commissioner Daylon Martin was not at the meeting.
The second petition was the creation of four lots and a common area for a property located off of Luke Smith Road. The request required the approval of a variance.
There was no opposition, and Vaughn made the motion to approve. The motion was approved unanimously.
New business
Jones County Emergency Management Director Jessica Tyler brought commissioners a request for a facilities agreement between the county and the American Red Cross. The facilities to be used by the Red Cross in the case emergency are the Government Center gym and the Mattie Wells Community Center.
Tyler said there is an existing agreement, but it had not been renewed in a long time. Commissioner Sam Kitchens made the motion to approve the agreement, and the vote in favor was unanimous.
Weidner asked if veterinarian services for Jones County needed to be put out for bid. Kitchens said there is already a vet in place, and he felt it would be appropriate to wait until a new director is hired if a change was made.
Commissioner John Wood agreed.
“We’ve gotten no complaints, and the current vet is providing the services. I think its best that we stay in a holding pattern,” he said.
The board agreed by consensus to wait for a new director to be hired before addressing the issue.
Old business
Weidner stated that he wanted to let animal services employees know that the commissioners appreciated those who have stepped up when needed.
“We want to show our appreciation,” he said. “This is a praise. There have been a lot of changes in there.”
He also talked about help from rescue organizations that continue to work with the county.
“We are proud of the those of you who work with us. The success we have is because of you,” the chairman said.
Weidner said he has always supported animal services, but he admitted being a little disappointed with comments on social media. He said Jones County always steps up and shows out when needed.
“Rescues give of their time and money to make sure your animals are taken care of,” he said. “I appreciate everyone in the county who helps.”
Kitchens talked about a decision that was made in a previous closed session pertaining to two employees of the tax assessors office who continue to go above and beyond to get the job done.
He said asked for a vote to approve a retention bonus for those employees and made it in a form of a motion. The motion was approved unanimously.
Weidner then talked about the purpose of closed sessions, also known as executive sessions.
He said after a recent closed session, information from that meeting was made public the next day.
“This has to be addressed and addressed now,” the chairman stated.
County Attorney Ashley Brodie explained that the sessions are intended to discuss topics such as property purchase and personnel issues. She said private sessions allow the topics to remain private until it is time for a vote.
“Confidentiality is important but votes on any actions must be done in public,” she said.
With the business on the agenda completed, the chairman opened the meeting to citizens comments.
Comments
Kristine Simpson, Blanche Lamb and Alexandra Lefholz all expressed their concerns about the possibility of a data center. Their concerns included the use of water, power, manner of discarding waste and anticipated reduction in property values.
Lamb suggested making it less desirable for companies to apply to bring a data center to Jones County. Lefholz read a statement that she said would be on a petition that is being circulated among citizens.
Jerry Rowland asked Weidner to come forward to be presented with the trophy for the Sept. 27 Fall Cleanup. The actual presentation of the trophy was done by past champions Vaughn and Kitchens.
Weidner said for two cleanups in a row, he collected 150 tires.
“It’s important to keep our county clean and be proud of our community,” he said.
Jones County GOP Chairman Sherry Gordon invited commissioners to Pizza and Politics Oct. 15, 6:30 p.m., at Ranchers. She said Kitchens would be speaking about the upcoming SPLOST renewal.
During commissioners’ comments, Wood reported the bridge on Unionville Church Road was almost finished. He said the effort to replace the bridge has been going on since it washed out Oct. 28, 2021.
“I look forward to being able to drive over that creek again. It’s a peaceful and beautiful part of our county,” he said.
