MINUTES REGULAR MEETING Tuesday, August 20, 2013, 6:00 P.M. Commissioners Meeting Room, 500 West Lamar Street

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1 MINUTES REGULAR MEETING Tuesday, August 20, 2013, 6:00 P.M. Commissioners Meeting Room, 500 West Lamar Street I. Call to Order Randy Howard, 6:00 PM. II. III. IV. Invocation Commissioner Waddell Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call Commissioners Present: Randy Howard, Thomas Jordan, Mark Waddell, Clay Jones, Absent: George Torbert Staff Present: County Administrator Bill Twomey, County Attorney Bill NeSmith, County Clerk Rayetta Floyd V. Adopt the Agenda A motion to adopt the agenda was made by Commissioner Jordan and seconded by Commissioner Waddell with the change of moving Item XV further up on the agenda for discussion to be discussed before Item XVI so that both items can be discussed jointly. 2 nd : VI. Citizen Comments Brad Bennett, National Park Service, discussed the National POW/ MIA recognition day. Shonna Johnson will be the speaker for the upcoming POW event. He invites the Board, staff, and all citizens to come to the event at the Rylander Theatre on Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 7:00 PM. This is an economic opportunity. The National Park Service in Atlanta awarded Andersonville National Historic Site as the top educational outreach program for Javaris Terry put together a tribute for the soldiers that served our country and those who have been wounded. He is doing an event with the proceeds to go to the wounded warriors foundation. He is working with the local JROTC. He is involved in making individuals better citizens for the community. Chairman Howard presented Mr. Terry with a proclamation honoring his event for the soldiers. Stan Steiner shared with the Board copies of tax exempt status from other counties that implementing this exemption. The General Assembly will decide on the exemption after the information is sent by the Board. There was discussion about the school board and their taxes being controlled by the county. The county can t control the school board taxes. The Board will review the information. VII. Public Hearing A. Alcoholic Beverage License Request from Sandipkvmar V. Patel d/b/a Sam s Country Store for consumption of beer and wine OFF premises located at 227 Jenkins Road; Americus, GA (Tab 12) Individuals speaking in favor of the request were Mr. Patel. He stated that he has been in town for five years. He has one store and wants to open another one in the county. No one spoke in opposition of the request. Mr. Craig Walker, 271

2 Buttercup Lane, made a comment. He stated that he wanted people to be mindful of what alcoholic drinking does to the community especially the poor areas including the disturbances that happen when people over consume. In his opinion, there are quite a few establishments that sale alcohol and he is aware of the things that happen due to people over consuming alcohol. When is enough enough. This would be a convenience store. Mr. Patel stated he would follow all state laws and county ordinances. A decision will not be made at this time. Mr. Sudduth stated that all codes had been met for this establishment. The public hearing was closed at 6:18 PM. VIII. Appearances A. Department of Family and Children Services Loida Waters she wants to give the Board an update on what s going in the DFCS office. In October, the Board members will be attending a meeting in Augusta. DFCS has a state wide pilot safety response system. Next month they will start with foster care and family endangerment. Juvenile code rewrite will be done. Georgia one initiative is coming out; which allows greater access to clients. They have remodeled their lobby. Mrs. Waters discussed the juvenile code rewrite requirements. The Board inquired about other agencies that DFCS collaborates with to possibly look at putting those offices in the building. IX. Consent Agenda Motion: Commissioner Waddell 2 nd : Commissioner Jordan A. Approval to allow Mr. Bill Twomey and Mr. John Ekaitis to sign the contract for surplus governmental equipment from the Georgia Forestry Department (Tab 5) B. Approval of Section 30 - Limited English Proficiency Policy in the Personnel Policy (Tab 8) Leah Watson C. Approval of the request to fill a vacant position of part time front desk clerk in the parks and recreation department. The hourly rate for this position is $7.25 (Tab 9) D. Approval of the purchase of commercial coin and laundry equipment from the Commercial and Coin Laundry Equipment Company in the amount of $84,853. The Board was polled and this ratifies the approval of the purchase (Tab 11) X. Discussion of aerial photography for Sumter County (Tab 4) Monica Horne Monica reviewed the images from current and future use with the Board. Other counties may join in which will lower the cost of the service. 50% will be paid in this year budget and the remainder will be paid in next year s budget. The Board inquired about the city paying their part of the bill. This photography covers the entire county. The city is willing to pay their portion based on population. A motion was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jones to approve entering into a contract with Sewall Company in an amount up to $61,329 for aerial photography service for Sumter County. For discussion, the Board would like a report that shows what items have been picked up by the photography. This new photography will replace the current photography on the qpublic site.

3 XI. Discussion of the rental agreement with juvenile justice Bill Twomey The contract is in the preliminary state. Recommended to be tabled until next month at the work session. XII. Discussion of Memorandum of Understanding with Georgia State Properties for Veterans Services Office Bill Twomey Mr. Twomey has discussed the possibility of payment for utilities and the reduction of the lease from 5 years to 3 years with the State Properties Division. He is awaiting a response from the State Properties Division. This item was recommended to be tabled until the next month at the work session. XIII. Discussion of Public Works Equipment and Bids (Tab 2) Frank Whitaker He recommended contracting with Ingram and Associates for the creation of the bid documents for the 2013 paving program. A motion was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jones to award the bid for the 2013 LMIG and TSPLOST engineering services for the paving program to the lowest bidder, Ingram & Associates in the amount of $3500. A motion was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jones to approve for Mr. Whitaker and Mr. Twomey to proceed with the process for purchasing of equipment for the public works department including obtaining the specifications for bidding out the listed equipment and for any changes to the list to be presented to the Board. The Board inquired about the creation of some ditches for water drainage. Mr. Whitaker stated that they are working on the ditches. The grass is also being cut in the county. XIV. Discussion of the County taking possession of Crisp Drive from Payroll Development Authority (PDA) (Tab 7) Bill Twomey A motion was made by Commissioner Jordan and seconded by Commissioner Waddell to take possession of Crisp Drive from the Payroll Development Authority based on the provisions that are outlined: 1. PDA s attorney will check to see if the Plat is on file in the Clerk s office defining a 40 ft. right-of-way. If no plat exists, PDA will have a survey done and a plat filed. 2. During the transition period, the PDA will commission all necessary legal work to prove clear title exits up to the point of the proposed transition to Sumter County s ownership. XV. Discussion of a definitive policy on control of county funds by Administration Bill Twomey XVI. Discussion of the amendment to the alcoholic beverage ordinance to include payment arrangements for taxes/fees, etc. James Bowman Wiley spoke to the Board and stated that he understood the fact about paying taxes, but sometimes you may fall behind. He has been a citizen of Sumter County and he has always paid he has always paid his taxes. He may have been a little behind, but he has always paid his taxes. He is trying to get an alcoholic beverage license. He has worked out a payment plan with the tax commissioner. He is trying to get a license. He has had a license from including beer, wine, and liquor. He knows the license can be taken if the tax arrangements are not met. He stated he would

4 not take the decision of the Board lightly. If he was granted a license, and he did not meet the payment arrangements, then the license would not have to be pulled, he would bring the license to the Board. The Board discussed the possibility of licenses being taken for not paying taxes obligations. This item was tabled for discussion until the next meeting. XVII. Approval of the resolution of the Board of Commissioners of Sumter County, Georgia, to amend the Sumter County Financial Policy, Section 9 (B) and for other lawful purposes (Tab 14) Mr. NeSmith has defined the accounts in the county. There is also a proper separation of duties listed in the resolution. An essential depository system will be established. This gives the county administrator and finance director the authority to investigate any accounts. The current policy doesn t allow anyone to open accounts. A motion was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jordan to approve the resolution. Mr. Twomey gave the Board a recap of the changes in the finance department. He informed the Board of the following information: In checking records in the absence of the Finance Director, we have been able to pick-up on some things that had gone lacking: We ve filed for $49, in eligible GEMA Grant Reimbursement. There s another $5, that goes back to paperwork Lynn Taylor signed which was never filed. We re building the documentation to file for that amount as well. On Bank Account Reconciliation we ve identified the following amounts as being received into our accounts but not accounted for in our accounting books through our CSI software: $11,264 came in during 11/2012 which was a reimbursement for Jail Fees from the State $13, came in from the Dept. of Justice as some type of reimbursement. We are looking. $ 1, came in in September of 2012 as Reimbursement for Inmate Dismissal expense $10, was received in December of 2012 as Housing Reimbursement, Fed Inmates $ 2, received April, 2013, Rent on Juvenile Justice Building $39,075 is the sub-total of this category Also, there were amounts that should have been posted to the month of June, 2013, that were not: $ 2,442 Juvenile Justice Rent $ 2,532 FSA Rent $51,750 U S Marshall Inmate Housing Reimbursement $ 330 C.I. Reimbursement of Inmate Dismissal Expenses $57,034 is the sub-total of this category

5 Those two categories together total $ 96,109. It s not that there was anything amiss it s just sloppy accounting. At my insistence, Jane Osborne has researched back claims outstanding for inmate medical expenses due to us from other entities. City of Americus, Stewart County Schley County and others. We re now seeing action by the Sheriff Office in collecting these funds. Some go back as far as five (5) years. I am aware that a figure of better than $75,000 has been quoted in the newspaper as due from the City of Americus, but we believe it is closer to $80,000. I am aware of another $30,000 due from other sources. Chairman Howard thanked Mrs. Jane and others for the work they have completed.

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8 XVIII. Discussion Items: 1. Sale of excess County Real Estate (Tab 13) The Board inquired about a no sale price for property if any expenses would occur from the two companies being considered. The Board reviewed the results of the sealed bids for the pieces of property that were less than an acre and were not buildable lots. There were no back taxes on the property. A motion was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded Commissioner Jordan to accept the highest bid of all the submitted parcels. The parcels are as follows: Stan Steiner - Parcel # A58 in the amount of $ Susie Johnson - Parcel # 5136 in the amount of $ Janis Griffin & John G. Griffin Parcel # A19 in the amount of $ Angela Gilyard Parcel # in the amount of $1, Magnolia Packing Parcel # in the amount of $ Albert Rigsby Parcel # in the amount of $1, Delia West Parcel # A25 in the amount of $ CL Jones c/o Gary and Faith Houston Parcel # A34 in the amount of $ CL Jones c/o Randall Chapman Parcel # A75 in the amount of $ A motion was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jordan to authorize Attorney NeSmith to prepare the deeds for the pieces of property that the bids were accepted by the Board. The funds can be collected and held in a trust account. Mr. Twomey has been speaking with South Auction Realty Company regarding the surplus property online auction sales. The company is located in Statesboro, Georgia. Most parcels do not have structures on them. If we do a structural listing, the company will take the picture for us. The county can take their own pictures and submit the pictures. The company has their own website. His contact is Rusty Lane. A motion was made by Commissioner Jordan and seconded by Commissioner Waddell to enter into a contractual agreement to list the county s surplus property with South Auction Realty, of Statesboro, GA subject to review by the county attorney reviewing the contract. The buyers fee would be on the premium. The Board inquired about the length of time the ad would run and this would be negotiated between the county and the company. A minimum bid can be placed on the pieces of property. Information would be posted on the website and published once in the paper. 2. TSPLOST projects 3. Sign Ordinance (Tab 6) 4. Business License Ordinance 5. Inventory for Each Department inquiry was set to each department to establish thresholds. Some departments have equipment that belongs to the state. The funds used to pay for some of the equipment is reviewed. A line will be added to the inventory list that reflects who owns the property (county, state, etc.). NEOs has complete inventory of electronic devices. 6. SPLOST some departments have returned Mr. Twomey s inquiry on their desires for certain funds. Timing is of essence. If an item can be funded by SPLOST it does not have to be funded by property taxes. The county has to

9 identify eligible and necessary projects. Wages cannot be paid with SPLOST funds. SPLOST is for infrastructure. The timetable is more restrictive than in the past. There are two election dates. One is in November and the other one is in March. August 30 th is the drop dead date for November of this year. Mr. Twomey states that this is missed opportunity at this point and he doesn t feel we would be able to do this at this time. We would need to have projects and the 3 rd week of January would be the cut-off date. Discussions would need to be done by the end of the year. Mr. Twomey has spoken with the city manager and he has proposed a meeting with her tomorrow at 11:00 AM. The Board inquired about having a joint meeting with the municipalities. XIX. Executive Session - A motion to go into executive session to discuss a personnel and legal matter was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jordan. The Board went into executive session at 8:03 PM. The roll call for executive session was the same as the beginning of the meeting. A motion to come out of executive session was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jordan. The Board came out of executive session at 8:33 PM. After executive session, a motion was made by Commissioner Waddell and seconded by Commissioner Jordan to accept the executive session minutes as read in executive session. XX. Reports: A. Fire Department (Tab 37) John Ekaitis no comments at this time. B. Parks and Recreation (Tab 38) Tim Estes C. NEOS IT Report (Tab 39) D. C.I. Report (Tab 40) Warden Jimmie Colson E. Code Enforcement Report (Tab 41) Mike Sudduth no comments at this time. F. Human Resources Reports (Tab 42) Leah Watson no comments at this time. 1. Health Insurance Status 2. Status of Vacant Positions in the County G. Public Works (Tab 43) Frank Whitaker H. Sumter County Extension Service Reports (Tab 44) Bill Starr I. FINANCIAL REPORTS 1. LOST/SPLOST Revenues Report (Tab 45) 2. SPLOST 2004 Expenditures (Tab 46) 3. SPLOST 2007 Expenditures (Tab 47) 4. Capital Projects Expenditures (Tab 48)

10 5. Fire Department - Monthly Expenditures (Tab 49) 6. General Fund Monthly Expenditures (Tab 50) XXI. Other Business A. Commissioners: 1. Jones Nothing at this time. 2. Waddell He thanked Chief Ekaitis and Mr. Twomey for a good meeting with the citizen group. He also thanked Randy for talking to the group. 3. Torbert - Absent. 4. Howard Citizens want to talk to elected officials and depart heads in a forum. The forum will be set up for September 26, 2013 at 6:00 PM. The location will be determined at a later date. 5. Jordan We need to get more involved with the city on economic development. B. County Attorney Nothing at this time. C. County Administrator There was a discussion of the board appointments for the tourism council. D. County Clerk Nothing at this time. Mr. Twomey discussed with the Board the quotes received from NEOs for the purchasing of IPADS. There are choices including the purchasing of printers for each IPAD. The total cost is $10,875. The Board recommended tabling this item until next month and to place this item on the work session agenda. The information will be forwarded to Commissioner Torbert. Chairman Howard distributed the recommendations from Archway for 2009 ideas for the fairgrounds. All findings in the finance department have helped the county in a positive manner. XXII. 8:36 PM. Motion by Commissioner Waddell.

11 Information 1. ACCG A Legislative Leadership Conference September 29, 2013 October 1, 2013 in Athens-Clarke County 2. Planning and Zoning Board Member Training A. August 21, 2013 LaGrange, GA B. August 22, 2013 Moultrie, GA C. September 12, 2013 Athens, GA 3. Proclamation honoring Reverend Hosie Waters 4. United States Department of Agriculture Promise Zones 5. DFCS office is implementing Georgia One beginning on 08/19/13. Reminder Section 1. Thursday, August 17, 2013 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Personal Care Home 5:00 PM 2. August 23 24, 2013 Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee, Inc. 50 th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement ( Bi-Annual Celebration) 3. Monday, September 2, 2013 Labor Day Holiday 4. Wednesday, September 11, rd Annual Senior Fall Festival from 10:00 AM 2:00 PM. Boards and Authorities Minutes 1. Minutes of the Lake Blackshear Regional Library Board of Trustees Meeting held on May 16, 2013 and minutes of the Sumter County Library Board of Trustees Meeting held on April 2, 2013.