JONES COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Jones County Commissioners heard concerns of residents for more than an hour during their first meeting in February following a meeting agenda that contained two topics that brought out a crowd that filled the room and the hallway.
Chairman Chris Weidner called the Feb. 6 meeting to order, and UGA Extension Agent Brennan Jackson led the opening prayer and pledge. The chairman took a moment to recognize former Clerk of the Board Charlotte Wilson in the audience, for whom the Charlotte Wilson Conference Room was named.
The board also recognized county employee Jerry Rowland and his daughter Sara, who is assisting the county with the design of a new logo.
The lone Planning and Zoning item on the agenda was the reason for many of the meeting’s attendees. Mena Teijeiro requested a conditional use for her property on Otis Redding Road to allow a venue for events.
The property consists of 153 acres. The recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Board was approval.
Board members listened to the petitioner and those speaking for and against the request. At the conclusion of the public comments, Commissioner John Wood made a motion to deny the request. That motion did not receive a second.
Commissioner Daylon Martin then made a motion to approve the request. His motion was amended to include restrictions for lighting, noise and new expansions. The amended motion was approved with a vote of 4-1 with Wood opposed.
Under the heading of Board Appointments, Commissioner Sam Kitchens made the motion to appoint Stephen Hoyt to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals and Adjustments for a five-year term. The motion was approved unanimously.
Gladys Jordan was next on the agenda, listed as a visitor. She addressed commissioners about an issue concerning State Place Cemetery. Jordan stated that the cemetery was donated to the county by Walter Pitts to be used as a Black cemetery.
County Administrator Jason Rizner said the cemetery was owned by the county and was used for indigent burials. He explained that, 20 years ago, the county changed from burying indigents in the cemetery to cremations.
The county’s issue with the cemetery appeared to be that unauthorized burials are taking place, many with slabs and headstones that do not appear to be indigent. Weidner stated that some of the new graves are not even on cemetery property but are buried on landfill property, violating EPD regulations.
Jordan said the property has been used as a Black cemetery all her life, and her husband is buried there. She demanded to know who made the decision to close the cemetery to burials.
Weidner said it appeared funeral homes were making a profit burying people on county property, and he reiterated the issue with the burials on landfill property.
County Attorney Ashley Brodie stated several times that the property belonged to the county, and the purpose of the cemetery was for indigent burials. She said any other burials were not allowed.
At the conclusion of the lengthy discussion, it did not appear any progress was being made. Weidner said the commissioners would schedule a work session to attempt to find a resolution for the issue.
New business
Board members considered a request from a property owner for a refund of late fees. The letter requesting the refund was presented by Rizner. Following a discussion about the request, Martin made a motion to deny the request. The vote to approve the motion was unanimous.
Brodie presented commissioners with a resolution calling for a referendum for package sales of alcohol in Jones County to be placed on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Martin made the motion to approve the resolution, and the vote to approve was unanimous.
The county attorney also presented the next agenda item, which was a change to the Jones County Board of Elections. She explained that state law requires three members on the board, and there was interest in expanding the board to five members.
Brodie added, however, that the board had not been meeting, and the term limits of the current members are unknown. She said Elections Superintendent Marion Hatton, who has served as chairman, has requested being removed from the board.
Martin made a motion to proceed with the changes to the Board of Elections and re-establishment of term limits.
Rizner presented commissioners a letter from the Georgia Department of Transportation with a request for a letter from the county to authorize the conversion of the intersection of Gray Highway and Homer Roberts Road to an RCUT intersection.
The request referenced a crash pattern at the intersection that included three fatalities since 2019 and 17 accidents with injuries.
Weidner said he felt the RCUT intersection would be more dangerous, and Kitchens agreed the RCUT was not the solution. Kitchens added that a stop light was not the solution, either. Martin said he was not a fan of right turn only intersections and agreed its location would make it a hard place for traffic to stop.
Commissioner Wendy Vaughn suggested yellow flashing lights, and the consensus appeared to be the lights and larger signs to bring attention to the intersection.
Kitchens made the motion to deny the GDOT’s proposal, and the motion was approved unanimously.
Citizens Comments
At the conclusion of agenda items, Weidner invited citizen comments. The commissioners listened to concerns of a dozen citizens that included the conditions of Mountain Springs Road, Slocumb Road, Stallings Road, lighting at the intersection of Gray Highway and Highway 18 near the Gray Bypass, shipping containers in neighborhoods, and fishing at Jonesco Golf Course.
The meeting that began at 6 p.m. was adjourned at 9 p.m. to enter into closed session to discuss real estate and personnel.
