[0:00] All right, ladies and gentlemen, it is 4

[0:02] o'clock, so we'll go ahead and get the

[0:03] meeting called to order for the August

[0:05] meeting. I want to thank everybody for

[0:06] being here. I know we've uh just got two

[0:08] of us sitting here in person. We got

[0:10] Commissioner Tiffens connected by phone.

[0:12] He had a last minute work trip that he

[0:14] had to had to take off and go out of

[0:15] town for. So, he's connected by phone.

[0:18] You can also see that because there's

[0:20] two presentations during the work

[0:22] session that are going to be done, he's

[0:24] going to be able to to see the uh the

[0:27] screens as they're going. So, um he

[0:32] um but we'll we'll get things kicked off

[0:34] here at 4:00. Um and as we get ready to kick off the meeting, one one quick

[0:41] thing. I know that there was a weather

[0:42] alert that came through just a few

[0:44] minutes ago where we got put into a

[0:46] severe uh weather watch for this

[0:48] evening. So, hopefully it'll be a little

[0:50] bit later, but they're popping up in

[0:52] North Georgia from time to time. So, a

[0:54] little bit later in the evening. I know

[0:56] our our EMA director is already

[0:58] scheduled kind of activating a couple of

[1:00] people at the EOCC to monitor just in

[1:03] case uh later this evening, but

[1:04] hopefully hopefully this is one of those

[1:06] that that just messes over all of us

[1:09] completely. Um but with that, since I've

[1:12] already talked about our EMA director,

[1:13] Dr. Robbie Westbrook, I'm going to have

[1:15] Dr. Westbrook do our invocation and

[1:17] prayer and then beyond that, Mega

[1:18] Weathers will lead us in.

[1:21] >> Y'all will pray with me. Father God, we

[1:23] thank you so much for the honor to serve

[1:25] this county, Lord. God, we just ask you

[1:27] to be with us as we make decisions and

[1:29] do the things for the good people of

[1:31] this county, Lord. God, we ask you to be

[1:33] with the people that we know and love

[1:35] that have lost loved ones or friends

[1:38] over the last few weeks, Lord. We know

[1:40] so many of them, and we just ask you to

[1:43] keep their hearts full of uh peace and

[1:46] love, Lord, as they navigate these

[1:48] waters. God, go with us. Keep us all

[1:50] safe. In the name of your son Jesus

[1:52] Christ. Amen.

[1:54] >> Amen.

[1:57] >> To the flag of the United States of

[1:59] America and to the republic for which it

[2:02] stands. One nation under God,

[2:05] [clears throat] indivisible, with

[2:07] liberty [groaning] and justice for all.

[2:10] >> Thank you.

[2:12] I always want to make a joke when I ask

[2:13] somebody to lead the pledge is let's all

[2:15] get turned around first because I miss I

[2:17] pledge allegiance card each each month

[2:19] when we start. I do it each each month.

[2:21] Uh as we go through that um if you can

[2:24] look at the agenda uh that there were

[2:26] copies before for those that came in. I

[2:28] know that at least it sent one to each

[2:29] of the commissioners. So as we review

[2:31] those for the approval for the agenda uh

[2:34] I will entertain a motion for approval

[2:37] of the agenda.

[2:38] >> Motion to approve.

[2:40] >> Second motion.

[2:41] >> Motion and a second. Do you have any

[2:43] discussion or questions related to it?

[2:45] >> No.

[2:46] >> With none. All in favor? I none

[2:48] >> opposed then we'll move forward with the

[2:50] agenda as it's been prepared to present

[2:53] it. Uh the first item on there is the

[2:55] director of internal operations report.

[2:58] Uh it's kind of humorous that I asked

[3:00] the director of internal operations to

[3:02] be in another meeting at 4:00. So

[3:04] because of that she's not in here. U the

[3:06] development authority has a meeting that

[3:08] got called at 4:00. So she's there uh on

[3:10] behalf of the county. So, I'm going to

[3:12] go through and attempt to do what Miss

[3:14] McDow would would do for you just on an

[3:17] update to a couple of the items uh

[3:19] projects that are going on. One that's

[3:21] not on here, but it's uh relevant when

[3:24] we approved uh the the moving forward

[3:27] with the purchase of property for the

[3:28] public safety center that that property

[3:30] closed on Friday. So, we now have the land that's there. We'll start

[3:36] working through the process of of

[3:38] getting all the final steps in place for

[3:40] construction and getting those out the

[3:42] bid like we did with the other two

[3:44] projects plus projects uh at our last

[3:46] meeting two weeks ago. Um so if you

[3:49] notice when if you came in the front

[3:51] door the the awnings are finally back

[3:53] up. We had some wind damage to the

[3:55] canvas awnings that were there before.

[3:56] They've been replaced with metal. Uh

[3:59] they finalized a little bit of of

[4:01] caulking today and I think that we're finally finished with that one. Uh

[4:06] airport FBO building construction is

[4:08] still moving along. Uh they have an

[4:10] anticipated furniture delivery to move

[4:12] things in on September the 10th. So

[4:15] we've kind of set the clock and I've let

[4:17] the contractor know we're going to evict

[4:19] him as soon as we can close to that date

[4:21] to get him out and get us in. Um, I know

[4:24] Stacy's looking forward to to being back

[4:27] in in in space to where she has some

[4:29] room to move. So, she's got that fire

[4:32] station, Talking Rock, uh, station

[4:34] number seven. Uh, work's continuing

[4:36] [snorts] to be finished with the curb

[4:39] installation, the power and fiber

[4:40] connections, radio tower preparation,

[4:42] water service signage, uh, and the low

[4:45] voltage infrastructure. It is also on

[4:47] target for midepptember as well for

[4:50] being able to to take that building. Uh

[4:53] the state has been working on some

[4:55] renovations to the health department.

[4:57] They they put out the bid to do some

[4:59] interior redesign and they've just

[5:01] awarded that to a contractor. So we're

[5:04] hoping to see them finalize those steps

[5:06] and get that up and going soon. Um

[5:09] working on camera systems for the Cove

[5:11] Road Recycling Center to get that all

[5:13] taken care of. the conduit and outdoor

[5:15] cabling has been installed. They're now

[5:17] working on trying to finalize getting

[5:18] those cameras in place and up and

[5:20] running a little bit more more beefed up

[5:23] than what we currently have. And uh

[5:26] we're continuing to to work and that's

[5:27] all on the property management side of

[5:29] things. The finance side, we're

[5:32] continuing to work through the 2027

[5:34] budget process. I know that the tax

[5:35] assessor's office completed the 45day

[5:38] appeal window uh last week. They're

[5:40] working through trying to enter all that

[5:42] information in to try to get that digest

[5:44] created over to the tax commissioner who

[5:45] will then send it to us. So, we're we're

[5:47] still working on getting that date

[5:48] scheduled for millage conversation. And

[5:51] that's that's a big key component on the budget process as we're going, but

[5:55] we are working through each step with

[5:58] the department heads and elected

[5:59] officials that have provided those as

[6:01] well. So, that is [clears throat] what's

[6:04] going on on the internal operation side

[6:06] of things. Um, [clears throat] I I'll

[6:09] open it up for questions for the

[6:10] director of internal operations and I'll

[6:12] do my best because I meet with her

[6:13] regularly to answer them. But, uh, if

[6:16] you got any questions of any other

[6:17] items.

[6:18] >> I'm good.

[6:21] >> All right. Well, we'll move from that on

[6:23] into our public safety operations

[6:25] report. We got Director Lrod here, so he

[6:27] can kind of give us an update on what's

[6:28] going on in the public safety world.

[6:30] >> I know you're not going to believe this,

[6:32] but 911 is still busy.

[6:35] and honor blue. Um still still high call volume. Um on

[6:42] the EMA side, we had a

[6:45] multi-jurisdictional full scale exercise

[6:47] on uh July the 30th at Harmony School.

[6:51] We had a active shooter trainer uh that

[6:54] entailed the county, the city and state

[6:57] resources. Um a full action afteraction

[7:01] report should be submitted in 45 days.

[7:04] We need to do full scale operations

[7:07] every few years. They have to turn in

[7:09] the state. So um the wildat community

[7:14] evacuation plan is near completion. Um,

[7:17] emergency management county fire and the

[7:20] wildcat community association has been

[7:22] working for several months

[7:24] um to not only develop the plan uh to

[7:29] provide training to residents when

[7:30] completed.

[7:32] Um

[7:35] plan to bring the community volunteer

[7:37] agencies together during disaster

[7:39] recovery has been completed. Uh the

[7:42] Pickkins family connection led by Leslie

[7:45] Long has agreed to be the primary agency

[7:47] working uh with emergency management to

[7:50] prepare

[7:52] for the coordination of shelters,

[7:54] donated goods, other unaffiliated

[7:58] volunteers

[8:00] and filling

[8:02] the gap for other unmet human needs.

[8:06] Um

[8:07] other major contributors been pickings

[8:10] collected and sheriff's office

[8:12] authentic.

[8:14] Uh pick skelly fire. I know that's hard

[8:16] to believe. They're also been busy. Um

[8:19] but they did do a lot of training last

[8:21] month. They done 670 hours of training.

[8:24] U

[8:26] between vehicle extrication.

[8:29] We've also started a paramedic class

[8:32] with nine students in it running through

[8:34] faithful guardian which will be a a big

[8:37] asset for the county and surrounding

[8:39] counties. There's a few in also

[8:43] involved. Um

[8:46] a EMT class is they're wrapping up

[8:57] wood right now. We got all our engines

[8:59] and stuff and running good. So,

[9:03] y'all got the real wood up there.

[9:06] >> Made the statement.

[9:07] >> I did. I did. Well, that's why I set my

[9:14] » Any questions for

[9:19] the Wildcat community? Being at the high

[9:21] elevation, the evacuation plan, you

[9:23] almost want to say just go downhill and

[9:25] you're going to work your way out

[9:26] somehow.

[9:28] Is Clayton is here. I shouldn't make that a joke because it is

[9:32] a serious matter. But uh it's it's

[9:35] always a challenge when you get into

[9:37] some of those higher valuation areas and

[9:39] how to set those evacuation plans

[9:41] depending on where an incident occurs.

[9:43] >> We're worried about the fire coming up.

[9:45] >> Yeah.

[9:45] >> Not going down.

[9:46] >> Yeah, I know. That's why I regretted my

[9:49] joke as I said it, but I it was too

[9:51] late. I already let the words come out.

[9:53] >> Um

[9:55] >> so we actually have uh a guest here with

[9:57] us today. We've been working closely

[9:59] with DCCM uh engineering firm that's

[10:02] been working with us on a variety of

[10:04] projects, but one of the projects we

[10:05] kind of tasked them with is to bring in

[10:07] somebody that was outside independent

[10:09] from either the county's water system or

[10:11] the city's water system. We could go

[10:13] back a few months where the city had

[10:15] requested to kick off service delivery

[10:16] negotiations

[10:18] and made a request during that time for

[10:20] us to consider or to look into the

[10:23] consideration of acquisition of portions

[10:26] of their territory that were outside the

[10:27] city limits. Uh in an effort to to do

[10:30] due diligence, we have requested DCCM to kind of help us with identifying what

[10:36] that process should look like, could

[10:38] look like, what the challenges were,

[10:40] what the opportunities were. Um they

[10:42] have got one of the one of the most

[10:45] recognized individuals in the state of

[10:46] Georgia that's working with them, Mr.

[10:48] Chris Quickley in the water system. Uh

[10:50] highly highly regarded as as one of the

[10:53] best. And we've got the honor tonight of

[10:55] having Mr. Quickley here with us. So uh

[10:58] Chris, I'm going to turn the floor over

[10:59] to you and allow you to give an update

[11:00] as to what's going on with the process

[11:02] and steps forward.

[11:04] >> Thank you. Thank you, sir. So I'm a

[11:06] water engineer. I've done this for 40

[11:08] years. This is all I've ever done. So,

[11:11] um, you have the accumulation of a lot

[11:14] of mistakes and errors and and a bent

[11:17] nose and some gray hair. Um, our role,

[11:21] just to be clear, is to give good

[11:23] advice.

[11:25] They have a much harder job is you all

[11:28] have to make a decision. In my mind's

[11:30] eye, there are two you could go either

[11:34] way decisions and they're both hard. Um,

[11:38] I it reminds me of my grandmother's old

[11:41] house right before she died and and you

[11:44] go in and you look at the house, you go,

[11:46] "Oh my god, what what are we going to do

[11:48] with this thing?" And and this what

[11:50] we're about to do reminds me of of that

[11:53] experience. Um th this is the story.

[11:56] This is Pickkins County.

[11:59] Uh the blue lines on the perimeter are

[12:02] the county's water lanes. The red lines

[12:05] in in the center and towards the bottom

[12:07] are the city's water manes. The pink is

[12:11] the service area

[12:14] of the city.

[12:16] So in the service delivery strategy,

[12:19] that's their area. The the green is the

[12:23] city limits. Uh I just want to say

[12:26] there's draft on every one of these.

[12:28] This is a snapshot of our work in time.

[12:32] It's based on information come coming

[12:34] from a lot of different people. We try

[12:37] to be as accurate as possible. And after

[12:41] all these years, I'm pretty good, but

[12:42] we're not perfect. So, if you see

[12:45] something that is not 100% right, please

[12:48] let us know and we'll we'll correct it.

[12:52] This this graph freaks me out a little

[12:55] bit. I love it. is we put monthly bill

[12:59] on the left side and we put water usage

[13:02] on the bottom and all we did was graph

[13:05] who sells water in the county and how

[13:07] much is it. We put a rectangle around

[13:10] 5,000 gallons. That's about average. And

[13:15] if we go from lowest to highest, Jasper

[13:18] inside the city and then it's up to

[13:20] Pickkins County and then there's J

[13:23] Jasper outside. I always put what does a

[13:27] cell service your cell phone? How much

[13:30] does that cost in Georgia? It's about

[13:32] $90 for an individual.

[13:35] Uh, and the reason why I put that on

[13:37] there, your cell phone's real important,

[13:40] but water is the number one important

[13:43] thing in your life.

[13:45] 7 days, you're done. So, I I put that on

[13:49] there just to give reference to it. Look

[13:52] at the two private water systems, Bent

[13:54] Tree and Big Canoe.

[13:58] Those are some that's some some big

[14:00] breaks. Uh, what does that mean in

[14:03] dollar amounts? So Jasper inside the

[14:05] city is about 50. Pickings County is

[14:08] about 60. Jasper outside 70. The cell

[14:12] phone's at 90. But look at Bentry 122.

[14:15] And Big Cano is about 160. Those are

[14:19] significant uh those are significant

[14:22] bills. I show you the money because

[14:25] there's rumors that the city is going to

[14:27] privatize their water system. Privatize

[14:31] means profit. Somebody gets a profit. I

[14:34] am all for privatization

[14:37] if the municipality is dysfunctional

[14:40] because we're talking about water and

[14:42] what you pay for it. My preference

[14:44] though is to fix the municipality and

[14:48] get it to run locally because there's no

[14:51] shareholders getting money. They just

[14:55] plow them the excess funds back into the

[14:58] system and make it as good as it can be.

[15:01] So that's that graph shows all. I'm

[15:04] sorry for how wordy it is, but it's that

[15:07] was that's a neat graph to do. When I

[15:10] started, just so you know, it was about

[15:13] a dollar a,000 gallons and a $10

[15:17] initiation fee. So you were talking

[15:19] about $15 and now we're talking what?

[15:23] 160.

[15:27] Um, this I'm sorry for all the words,

[15:29] but I put a rectangle around the the

[15:31] most important thing. This is the

[15:34] Jasper's water audit highlights. And

[15:38] what it shows is they're losing about

[15:41] 50% of their water. So, they'll make 100

[15:44] gallons and they'll lose 50 of them,

[15:48] which is absolutely crazy. In the state

[15:51] of Georgia, a normal water system will

[15:54] lose 10 to 12%.

[15:57] They say if it's less than 10%, they're

[15:59] not really telling the truth. And a lot

[16:03] of systems are are at the 15%.

[16:06] So that's when we walk around into a

[16:08] system and say, "Hey, are we in good

[16:10] shape?" This would be alarm.

[16:14] Something needs to be done right quick.

[16:16] And look, it's been going on. I don't

[16:18] have any data before 2019, but this has

[16:21] been going on a long time. Ouch.

[16:26] So, we got with uh our understanding is

[16:29] the city wants to get rid of the areas

[16:32] outside the city limits. We put uh areas

[16:36] that made sense and we we we number

[16:40] them. And then what we did is we just

[16:43] looked at area two. Let's keep life

[16:45] simple and let's see what area two says.

[16:49] This is the Cove Road area. You can see

[16:52] the limits of the county water in blue

[16:55] and then the city is in red.

[16:58] And what does that look like? Well,

[17:00] there's a master meter with Pickkins

[17:02] County which is in the bottom right hand

[17:04] corner. There's only 47 customers.

[17:09] That that blew my mind. [clears throat]

[17:11] There's two pump stations, booster pump

[17:14] stations. So, what happens? Water's at

[17:16] this level and when you go up a hill and

[17:19] you go too far, you got to pump up to

[17:21] it. And then this area goes so much

[17:23] higher, you got to pump up to that one.

[17:25] So, you're double pumping.

[17:28] Um, water manes, there's about 51,000

[17:31] linear feet. There's 34 hydrants, and

[17:34] [clears throat] there's about 40 valves.

[17:36] That's what we could find. We did a

[17:39] quick inventory.

[17:41] On the left hand side is the master

[17:42] meter with Pickkins County. And then

[17:45] these are just water meters that we ran

[17:48] by and took a picture.

[17:50] I always thought what your water meter

[17:52] looks like, what folks can see generally

[17:55] says, hm, how am I how am I maintaining

[17:57] my system?

[18:02] Pump stations. So there's two pump

[18:05] stations. There's the bigger one on the

[18:07] left. in the point where it is and it

[18:09] pumps up to the upper system and then

[18:11] the little ones on the right and then

[18:13] there's a bladder tank somewhere in the

[18:15] upper system that that's used to store a

[18:18] little bit of water.

[18:21] These facilities are not the greatest. I would not want to go around and show

[18:28] everybody my great pump stations. Th

[18:31] this stuff needs some work to be brought

[18:32] up to date.

[18:35] Oh, I always tell people stuff like this

[18:37] is like a giraffe taking a drink of

[18:39] water. You know how vulnerable they are?

[18:42] This is a giraffe taking a drink of

[18:44] water. This is going to happen at 2:00

[18:47] in the morning, Christmas Eve. The

[18:49] superintendent's going to get a call

[18:50] from folks. We have no water.

[18:53] Um the pipe, the 51,000 ft. I got 1,000

[18:58] ft of galvanized. Don't want it. Um

[19:01] polyethylene 2,000. I got 3,000 ft of 2

[19:04] inch. I don't even know what it is. I

[19:07] have 6 in some C900 PVC and 8 inch C900

[19:13] PVC. That is great pipe if it's

[19:16] installed correctly. It'll last a long

[19:19] time. It's a good product. Um I I don't

[19:24] like galvanized in my mind. Where's 50%

[19:28] of the water going? You know what I

[19:30] mean? So, alarm alarm. That that's that

[19:33] 2-in pipe is is where I would focus on.

[19:38] And then we got 34 hydrants. Hydrants to

[19:41] me are like like the meter boxes. What

[19:44] do they look like? Uh the left one is a

[19:46] little messed up. The middle one's

[19:48] tilted back. The fire chief probably

[19:50] wouldn't even connect to that. That's a

[19:52] little dangerous having one so so out of

[19:55] whack.

[19:57] Um, and then the right one I got the

[20:00] valve in front is popped up off the

[20:02] ground.

[20:04] Uh, the 40 valves on the one we got

[20:07] valves hanging up. I got a just a PVC

[20:10] pipe and I got ones surrounded by cones.

[20:14] Um,

[20:16] what what are some concerns we see? I

[20:18] got low customer count. There's only

[20:21] five per mile.

[20:23] There's a lot of issues with that. is a

[20:26] is could this thing pay for itself at

[20:29] five people per mile?

[20:31] >> And then when you treat water at the

[20:33] water plant, you put chlorine in it and

[20:36] the chlorine you want to get to the tap

[20:41] cuz chlorine means there's disinfection.

[20:44] Do I really think five customers per

[20:47] mile is going to be? So just alarm bells

[20:51] are going off of, hey, that's a little

[20:53] bit concerning. There's definitely

[20:55] limited fire protection, especially on

[20:57] those small lines. And to me,

[21:00] significant improvements are needed to

[21:02] this infrastructure to keep it in good

[21:04] working order. [snorts]

[21:06] And what does that mean? I would install

[21:09] a new master meter at the Jasper city

[21:11] limit. So, I would keep this one here,

[21:15] but I would put a new one way over here

[21:18] if I was going to take over this system.

[21:21] I would I would put a master meter in

[21:23] there and then I could still sell water

[21:25] to the city as they needed it. The

[21:28] customer meters, I would replace their

[21:30] meters and make sure they're on ours. I

[21:33] would fix the meter boxes. I would make

[21:35] sure they look good and everybody's

[21:37] reassured. The booster pump stations,

[21:40] obviously, they need to be renovated. U

[21:43] water main replacement, I'd go right

[21:45] after the galvanized and the unknown.

[21:49] Um, hydrants. I would put some hydrants

[21:52] in on the dead end line so I could flush

[21:54] them. Remember we talked about that

[21:56] chlorine issue. Um, I would do valve

[22:00] maintenance. I would uncover. There's, I

[22:02] think, a lot out there. They're just

[22:04] paved over. And I would put some valve

[22:07] markers so our operations folks could

[22:10] find them easily. And then I would put

[22:12] in valves so that I could isolate little

[22:16] areas. So if I had a water man break

[22:18] here,

[22:20] say here, I could have a valve here and

[22:22] just close that line and just those

[22:25] folks get uh impacted.

[22:31] All right. So I'm like an animal

[22:35] on four big things.

[22:38] I love good funding. I love grants and

[22:42] really, really low interest loans.

[22:45] I like to grow the customer base because

[22:49] the more folks we have on it, it's

[22:51] cheaper to run it per customer.

[22:55] I like to make improvements that reduce

[22:57] operating costs.

[23:00] So, what are things that we can do to

[23:02] make the operations easier

[23:05] um and and and lower those costs and

[23:09] focus focus focus. How do I reduce water

[23:12] loss and improve the efficiency of the

[23:15] system? So everything I talk about, I

[23:17] want to do those four things as much as

[23:19] possible.

[23:21] Um, this is an interim report, but I'm a

[23:25] funding animal.

[23:27] And the way the grants work, I tell

[23:30] people it's like going to the senior

[23:32] prom in high school. I had to ask for

[23:36] girls, but I finally got one to say yes.

[23:39] Grants are like that too. You have to

[23:42] ask and ask and ask and you might get a

[23:45] no, but eventually you'll get you'll get

[23:48] a yes. Last year our company hit the

[23:52] mother boat of grants like like once in

[23:56] a generation. My advice to all our

[24:00] clients is submit submit submit ask ask.

[24:05] Why am I bringing that up? There's a

[24:07] deadline for a planning grant

[24:12] and the first thing the grant people

[24:14] want to know is

[24:16] what's wrong and what are you going to

[24:18] do about it and what's it cost?

[24:21] Well, to put that planning document

[24:24] together, they just come out with a

[24:27] grant that they'll cover 90% of the

[24:29] cost. So if the commissioners are going

[24:32] to take any action, I think you should

[24:34] authorize the grant submitt for the

[24:37] planning document. Let me keep going.

[24:41] The other thing on number two, I love a

[24:43] water service petition. So what we do is

[24:47] we send a note to everybody in that

[24:49] number two area and say, "Hey, the

[24:51] countyy's thinking about working with

[24:53] the city, taking over this area. would

[24:56] you be interested in tying on to the

[24:58] water system? And the county wants to

[25:01] make improvements so the system's more

[25:04] reliable and more efficient. Are you on

[25:07] board?

[25:08] What that tells us is, hey, maybe we can

[25:11] double how many people we serve and

[25:14] reduce the cost for everybody. I need to

[25:17] complete the project planning documents.

[25:20] I need to finalize cost estimates to do

[25:23] that work.

[25:25] That planning document gets submitted to

[25:28] I think it's seven agencies

[25:32] and they they do this and what they do

[25:35] is they give you a coupon that says you

[25:37] have environmental clearance to do all

[25:39] that work and you can do it in the next

[25:41] five years. Why do I want that? When we

[25:45] go to submit for grants to do the work,

[25:48] they give you points for having your

[25:50] environmental clearance. So, I want to

[25:53] play the game as fast as I can and get

[25:55] that in my back pocket ready to go. And

[25:58] then what we do is we submit for the

[26:00] grant application for the work that

[26:03] needs to be done. Can we do everything

[26:06] at once? The funding people want you to

[26:09] do everything at once. They hate me

[26:13] because I don't want to do everything at

[26:15] once. I want to do the most critical

[26:18] things now and get the biggest grant I

[26:21] can.

[26:23] Then I come back later

[26:26] and then I do the most important things

[26:28] and I get the biggest grant I can. They

[26:32] only want to give you a one grant and

[26:34] have you do a giant project and I want

[26:37] to do projects in increments of the

[26:40] grant a maximum grant amount. Does that

[26:43] make sense? So it takes a little bit of

[26:46] time but we get pointed in a good

[26:49] direction and we just take steps and

[26:51] move forward.

[26:53] Um, number three, the number one thing I

[26:57] think is the hardest thing we're going

[27:00] to talk about is we need to negotiate

[27:02] system operation ownership with the

[27:05] city. Are they going to just give it to

[27:08] us and say you take it over? Are they

[27:10] going to try to charge us an arm and a

[27:12] leg for it? I have helped people

[27:15] purchase water systems before. Um, you

[27:19] know, I told the the chairman before,

[27:21] you know, when uh Sandy Springs became a

[27:24] city, Fulton County tried to charge them

[27:27] for the police stations and the fire

[27:30] stations and the parks. And people said,

[27:33] "Does that make any sense?

[27:36] The people who lived in those areas

[27:38] already paid for those facilities."

[27:41] And and I would argue the same thing

[27:44] here. the people in area 2 have already

[27:48] paid for those improvements. So, whoever

[27:51] operates it really should take over

[27:54] ownership. That's my opinion. If I was

[27:56] on the city side, I might argue

[27:58] differently, but I'm on this side, so I

[28:00] want to be honest. And then implement

[28:03] prior

[28:04] priority improvements as favorable

[28:07] funding becomes available. Remember,

[28:09] that's the prom date. It might not

[28:12] happen today.

[28:14] It might happen next year, but we just

[28:18] have to be ready and we have to ask.

[28:25] That's all I have. This is just a

[28:27] snapshot in time of where we are and the

[28:30] only action I ask the county to take is

[28:33] authorize us to submit for that planning

[28:35] grant and let's be keep focused and try

[28:39] to proceed with with all of this as

[28:42] quickly as possible. Awesome. Any

[28:44] questions there?

[28:45] >> So, I'll open it up to to you and Josh.

[28:48] >> I don't think so at the moment. I

[28:50] probably will come up with some as I

[28:51] look

[28:52] >> as we're as we're sitting. Well, since I

[28:53] went out of order in the agenda and I've

[28:55] got to call Bill up afterwards because

[28:57] he thought he got out of it.

[28:58] >> He can blame Ashley for pointing out

[29:00] that I had bypass him. So, if he gets

[29:02] upset,

[29:06] do you have any any questions? Mr.

[29:10] >> I don't think so right now. I'm taking

[29:12] them. I will probably have some as I

[29:14] think [laughter] on this

[29:15] >> as you go. Uh I know with that deadline

[29:18] being on the 31st that will require us

[29:21] making an amendment to the agenda that

[29:22] if we were going to get into the voting

[29:24] portion of the meeting that we would

[29:25] need to amend the agenda to authorize

[29:28] the submittal of that grant application

[29:31] for a planning grant through GE I

[29:33] believe it was.

[29:34] >> Yes sir.

[29:35] >> Okay. Um so that that could be met by

[29:37] the deadline. that would be the only

[29:39] thing that I I can see that we would

[29:41] need to to take action to be able to do

[29:43] would be an amendment to the agenda. Um,

[29:46] as we move forward, um,

[29:49] and I know Mr. Quigley kind of

[29:51] introduced and and stated and even had

[29:54] this is draft in the format. We've we've

[29:56] been in discussions back and forth.

[29:57] They've been they've had a couple of

[29:59] different meetings with the city to try

[30:00] to pull some information over. It is

[30:03] preliminary, but at the same time, we

[30:04] wanted everybody to understand and

[30:06] especially for you too as the the two

[30:08] post commissioners to understand each

[30:10] step that's been working through so that

[30:12] as we kind of get closer to the next

[30:14] meetings and the next steps as as this

[30:17] progresses or as the news continues to

[30:18] go, then it it shows these steps are

[30:22] being taken. Um, I do think that that

[30:24] getting that funding grant would give

[30:25] the ability to to truly have a game plan

[30:29] together cuz if anybody we go to to

[30:32] request funding uh from a grant is going

[30:34] to going to want to see a solid plan in

[30:37] place and not just any help

[30:40] statement. So,

[30:43] >> anything further?

[30:45] >> Thank you. We really appreciate you

[30:47] coming and making that presentation. Um,

[30:50] as I mentioned just a moment ago, I did

[30:53] uh skip over our director of external

[30:56] operations report and uh just

[30:58] inadvertently as I was doing the final.

[31:00] So, I'm going to have Bill give the the

[31:02] report from the director of external

[31:04] operations before we we move to the

[31:06] public hearing. That's better.

[31:11] » Um, [clears throat] all right. So, last

[31:12] month because we were in paving season,

[31:14] we focused on public works.

[31:17] All those are complete. the Haven's

[31:19] complete, the strike is complete. So

[31:22] what we thought we would do today is

[31:24] talk a little bit about sort of quasi

[31:27] growth oriented things and then also

[31:29] compliance enforcement. So first from

[31:34] quasi growth looking at some things that

[31:36] are going on in planning and development

[31:39] uh for so far in August uh we have 25

[31:43] building permits that have been issued,

[31:45] one commercial. Uh that's behind the

[31:49] July pace which ended the month with 61

[31:53] building permits and 40 commercial

[31:56] business licenses in August. So far

[31:58] there have been 11 that have been

[32:00] issued. That's on on pace with July

[32:03] where 22 were issued for the entire

[32:06] month in the Pickkins County water

[32:10] service areas that are serviced by the

[32:14] county water department. And so far in

[32:17] August, there have been five meters that

[32:19] have that that have been installed. July

[32:22] there were [clears throat] seven. So

[32:22] it's ahead of pace on that. So that's

[32:25] sort of what's going on from the

[32:27] standpoint of what's happening with

[32:29] regard to new things that that that are

[32:32] going up uh and being done from a

[32:35] compliance and enforcement standpoint.

[32:38] So far uh as of about 1:00 today, uh

[32:42] we've had 25 formal written complaints

[32:45] this month. that have been formally

[32:47] filed. U some of those have been

[32:51] cleared, some of those have been um are

[32:54] still in process and some are simple,

[32:58] some are fairly complex. Uh but but

[33:02] everyone is working together on this uh

[33:04] led led by uh by Brandy, our um

[33:08] enforcement uh chief enforcement

[33:10] officers, really really really doing a

[33:12] good job on this. Um they're they're of

[33:16] different types. Some involve animals,

[33:19] not dogs and cats, but other kinds of

[33:21] animals. Um a lot involve involve

[33:26] soil erosion uh and sedimentation. And

[33:31] we've gotten a couple that have tried to

[33:33] get the county to enforce neighborhood

[33:36] covenants inside subdivisions. We can't

[33:39] do that. As a matter of fact, we've got

[33:41] an ordinance that prevents us from doing

[33:43] it. But uh but nonetheless they they do

[33:45] come up. Sometimes you may get calls

[33:47] from people that say why can't why can't

[33:49] the staff do this? So basically we we uh

[33:54] we can't. And then lastly on the

[33:55] enforcement standpoint we do have a lot

[33:58] of soil erosion and sedimentation items

[34:01] that comes up frequently probably in

[34:04] addition to

[34:06] illegal camping and accumulation. This

[34:09] is what we get the most of and some of

[34:12] it some of it's min or some of it's

[34:14] serious but uh Emily Grant Brandley just

[34:19] received their red cards from Georgia

[34:22] soil and water erosion. Um and that

[34:26] brings our red card total inside to

[34:29] eight. That's a lot for a government

[34:32] this size. And what a red card does is allow people to go and formally

[34:38] inspect situations like this and take

[34:41] whatever action is is provided for to to

[34:44] correct the situation.

[34:49] » Sorry, but I I passed you earlier.

[34:53] >> The reason it made it humorous, his

[34:55] internet went out in his office earlier

[34:57] today. He kept telling me that meant he

[34:58] couldn't provide a report, but then we

[35:00] got the internet back up. same work. I'm

[35:02] preparing the report and I still

[35:03] skipped. So, uh that that was why I was

[35:07] trying to get back to it.

[35:08] >> The assistant director of external

[35:11] services will be providing the report.

[35:14] [laughter]

[35:17] » Do I have any questions for external?

[35:20] >> I've got

[35:23] a great job as always.

[35:26] >> Thank you. Uh, next item on our agenda

[35:30] is to open up a public hearing. One of

[35:32] the things within our ordinance, anytime

[35:34] there's a down zone that's going to a

[35:36] lower density, it gives a faster process

[35:39] to be able to come before the board

[35:40] finishes straight for that public

[35:43] hearing and not having to go and wait

[35:45] the extra month for a planning

[35:46] commission. So, I'm going to turn the

[35:48] floor over to Charles and let Charles

[35:51] take on the down zone.

[35:54] see if he wants me to be as quick or if

[35:56] he wants a quick

[36:00] » I'll turn the floor over to you to

[36:02] introduce and then we open up for any

[36:04] comments that anyone may have.

[36:07] [clears throat]

[36:10] » Good afternoon or good evening

[36:12] commissioners. Uh the case before you is

[36:16] referenced as BDZ-191196

[36:21] Tom Lake Trestle Farm and Ranch LLC. Uh

[36:24] the location of the property is 7864

[36:28] mile Church Road. Uh the applicant is

[36:30] requesting a down zone uh from rural

[36:33] residential to uh agricultural. Uh the

[36:36] approximate acreage is 6.12 acres. Uh

[36:40] the parcel is identified as uh 068071

[36:46] and the applicant uh is requesting to

[36:50] combine uh that particular track into

[36:53] two neighboring tracks.

[36:56] You find the location map

[37:01] and that is the aerial u of the uh

[37:04] subject property. Uh this property is

[37:08] located within uh the crossroad

[37:10] community uh Marble Hill character area.

[37:18] If I may read uh our staff analysis.

[37:23] Uh the purpose of the resoning is uh to

[37:26] allow the parcel to be combined with

[37:28] adjoining agricultural parcels creating

[37:30] one larger farming tract uh for

[37:33] continued residential or I'm sorry

[37:36] continued agricultural use. Uh the the

[37:40] request qualifies as a lower density

[37:44] amendment under section 67-691

[37:47] of the Pickkins County Code of

[37:49] Ordinances uh which encourages reszoning

[37:52] to lower density land use

[37:53] classifications. Uh the proposed

[37:56] downzoning reduces future residential

[37:58] development potential while preserving

[38:01] farmland and open space thereby

[38:03] promoting the public health, safety and

[38:06] general welfare. uh staff finds that the

[38:10] proposed resoning is compatible with the

[38:13] surrounding area which is primar

[38:15] primarily agricultural rural residential

[38:17] and open space. Uh the request also

[38:20] supports the crossroads community Marble

[38:23] Hill character area by preserving

[38:24] farmland, maintaining rural uh character

[38:28] and encouraging lower density land use.

[38:31] In addition, the zoning request is

[38:33] encouraged uh as I said earlier under

[38:36] section 67-691

[38:39] of the Pickkins co uh county code of

[38:40] ordinances uh because uh the request

[38:43] reduces potential residential

[38:46] development intensity. Uh no additional

[38:49] impacts to roads, utilities, schools, uh

[38:52] emergency services, or other uh public

[38:55] facilities are anticipated. Uh therefore

[38:59] staff's recommendation is approval of

[39:01] the resoning request uh from rural

[39:04] residential to agricultural.

[39:08] >> Thank you Mr. Reese.

[39:09] >> Any questions for ME before we open up

[39:11] the sounds.

[39:18] » So with that I'll uh I'll ask if Mr.

[39:22] swimming. I don't know if you've got

[39:24] something you'd like to add or say. Do

[39:25] you need the opportunity to speak first?

[39:28] >> Uh, no sir. I'm his oldest son, so I'm

[39:31] just here on behalf of him.

[39:33] >> Okay. All right. Uh, any other uh

[39:36] individuals that would like to speak for

[39:38] or against? We'll open up the public

[39:40] hearing portion for any any public

[39:41] comments for anyone for or against.

[39:46] Since none of you said that you had any,

[39:48] I don't have to explain the rules of the

[39:49] public comments. So we uh we can move

[39:52] forward. Yes sir.

[39:54] >> Yeah. If pending approval or or assuming

[39:57] this is approved that is that contingent

[39:59] upon that parcel being adjoined with the

[40:02] u the neighboring a tract.

[40:05] >> No it is not. It would just move it to a

[40:08] so that it makes it possible for the two

[40:10] to to be joined together.

[40:13] >> Okay. But that would be a nonconforming

[40:14] act if it's not joined after we approve

[40:17] it. Correct.

[40:18] >> Correct.

[40:18] So I guess my question is is is

[40:21] that part of the recommendation from the

[40:22] planning office or is that the

[40:24] stipulation we need to include if we

[40:25] make that motion?

[40:27] >> You can include that as a stipulation.

[40:29] Uh but the intent was to combine that

[40:32] track to the uh two neighborhood tracks.

[40:36] >> Okay. Thank you.

[40:40] » Does that change your thoughts as to any

[40:43] comments?

[40:44] >> Okay. I just want to double check. Uh

[40:47] with that then I'll entertain a motion

[40:49] to close the public hearing.

[40:50] >> I'll make so move the motion.

[40:54] >> Move in a second. All in favor?

[40:58] >> None oppose. We'll close the public

[41:00] hearing at this time. U as is indicated

[41:03] on the agenda. What we're going to do is

[41:05] go into a recess until 5:30 so that we

[41:08] can move into the voting meeting portion

[41:10] that'll get the development authority

[41:12] time for their meeting to be finalized

[41:13] and we can then move into our 5:30

[41:16] meeting and go through the agenda. So if

[41:19] you're hungry, go grab a bite if you got

[41:21] time and we'll meet you back here at

[41:23] 5:30. Thank you.

[41:25] >> All right, ladies and gentlemen, it is

[41:26] 5:30. So we'll go get the meeting called

[41:28] back to order. Coming out of recess. So,

[41:31] thank you everybody for being here with

[41:32] us. Again, if you weren't here for the

[41:34] work session portion of me, thank you

[41:36] for coming. Um, we're going to go

[41:39] straight into our agenda. Before we do

[41:41] so, I know that one of the discussion

[41:43] topics is we had a presentation during

[41:45] the work session was the consideration

[41:48] of adding an item to our agenda. Um, so

[41:53] I would like to make a motion that we

[41:55] amend our agenda. Under new business,

[41:59] add item E. And item E would be to

[42:04] authorize the chairman to work with our

[42:09] engineers to submit a grant application

[42:12] for a planning grant through GEA on

[42:14] water acquisition

[42:16] uh to working with PCCM to authorizing

[42:19] that approval to be able to move forward

[42:21] with sending the application. There's a

[42:23] deadline at the end of August for that.

[42:25] Um, so if if you got so I'd like to add

[42:28] that item as item B [snorts]

[42:31] on the agenda as we move forward.

[42:36] » I'll make a motion that we do that. Do I

[42:38] have

[42:38] >> I'll second motion. Any discussion or

[42:41] questions related to that?

[42:44] All in favor?

[42:47] >> None. [clears throat] That motion

[42:49] carries.

[42:50] We will have item E on the agenda. It

[42:52] will not be on the screen. So, I will

[42:54] apologize in advance as we go through.

[42:57] That will be one I will call out and

[42:59] Lisa will probably have to correct me

[43:01] where I miss it and she will make sure

[43:03] that I stop and come back. Uh, one of

[43:05] the favorite parts of our meetings is to

[43:07] get to get through and do our employee

[43:09] recognitions. Um, we do have a couple of

[43:12] very valuable employee recognitions

[43:15] today.

[43:16] The first is is uh one that we want to

[43:18] make sure she understands that she's an

[43:20] incredible employee of our water

[43:22] department because unfortunately she's

[43:24] an incredible baker as well and makes

[43:26] cakes and pies and cupcakes and we want

[43:28] her to understand the need for staying a

[43:31] government employee [clears throat] and

[43:32] not trying to venture out on her own uh

[43:35] to be successful at that. But Miss

[43:38] Crystal Schutz has got 10 years of

[43:40] service with the county. So, I'd like to

[43:42] ask Crystal and Philip if y'all come up.

[43:49] [laughter]

[43:53] [applause]

[44:00] If anybody's never had any of the sweets

[44:03] that she makes, that is diabetes.

[44:06] [laughter]

[44:08] Sorry. No, you're good. You're good.

[44:11] [laughter]

[44:16] » Where do I go to get water?

[44:23] » Yeah. [laughter]

[44:29] » Okay. Now, here

[44:33] » I don't EITHER.

[44:37] >> [applause]

[44:40] » SO, THE next we actually have employee

[44:42] recognition that we make is is one that

[44:45] we we don't get to make very often. Um,

[44:48] and fortunately, sometimes people get

[44:50] hired on when they're very very young

[44:52] and they stay with the county for a long

[44:54] time and and unfortunately for him, even

[44:56] though he gets to celebrate his 30

[44:57] years, he's still too young to retire.

[44:59] So, we do have Captain Shane Patrick

[45:02] with the sheriff's office here. Pete has

[45:04] now been with the county for 30 years

[45:07] serving uh and serving in a law

[45:09] enforcement capacity. Has done an

[45:10] incredible job. We have the opportunity

[45:12] now to to have Shane over here with us a

[45:14] lot helping with some of the code

[45:16] enforcement issues and and things on

[45:18] behalf of the sheriff's office. Uh I've

[45:21] worked with him for many many years.

[45:22] Probably the most dangerous thing you

[45:24] will ever see me do in a board meeting

[45:26] is about to occur, but I'm going to ask

[45:28] Chief Deputy Jeff Hall

[45:31] to speak and say a couple words. uh

[45:33] about it and have you come up.

[45:38] [cheering]

[45:39] [applause]

[45:41] » We're here to talk about water.

[45:45] [laughter]

[45:48] » Let me tell everyone here and anybody

[45:50] that's going to watch here, every

[45:53] employer should strive to have number

[45:55] one, someone as great as Shane Padet to

[45:57] work for him. Number two, stay. Because

[46:00] when you have employees who stay, they

[46:03] become vested in the community, vested

[46:05] in the agency, vested in whatever it is.

[46:07] And when you have that, you have a

[46:09] well-rounded employee like we did with

[46:11] Shane. I was there when he was hired in

[46:12] 1996.

[46:14] He has stayed here consecutively. I did

[46:16] not. I left and came back. He's probably

[46:19] the longest running employee ever for

[46:21] the sheriff's office. 30 years that

[46:23] wasn't an elected official.

[46:25] >> And for that is a lot. And for us, we

[46:27] are proud, very proud to have him. And

[46:31] he's been a pleasure and a friend. And I

[46:34] thank you. [applause]

[46:44] » [cheering]

[46:46] » All right.

[46:49] >> Got to get a little closer. [laughter]

[46:53] » Don't get that side. It doesn't look

[46:54] good. [laughter]

[46:59] » Way to go, Sham.

[47:05] » Awesome.

[47:05] >> So, thank y'all so much. Thank you. So,

[47:07] we have one more that's not necessarily

[47:09] an employee recognition. It's actually a

[47:11] recognition of the county. We referenced

[47:13] it two weeks ago uh right after the

[47:16] award was presented. Now Stacy had

[47:18] attended a [snorts] a meeting with

[47:21] Georgia Department of Transportation

[47:22] where two different u individuals with

[47:26] DOT had actually submitted Pickkins

[47:28] County as an outstanding sponsors for

[47:30] the airport. Uh Stacy was recognized

[47:32] there. She was not with us when we had

[47:34] our meeting two weeks ago. So we didn't

[47:36] have the plaque to be able to present

[47:37] her show. So, because she didn't show up

[47:40] two weeks ago, I'm going to make her

[47:41] stand up front in a second.

[47:44] [laughter]

[47:45] And she's so excited to do this that

[47:47] she's uh she's never going to talk to me

[47:49] again. [laughter]

[47:51] Please come up. You get to get this

[47:53] presented to you one more time.

[47:58] [applause]

[48:07] around

[48:09] [laughter]

[48:17] [applause]

[48:19] [laughter]

[48:23] gives me a hard time, but in all

[48:25] reality, she's one of my favorite

[48:27] people. So, you have to correct me out

[48:29] here. one of your favorite pictures.

[48:32] >> That's true. But she would worry if I

[48:34] >> That's exactly right.

[48:37] >> But no, it's it's an honor to get a

[48:39] chance to to recognize employees for

[48:41] their outstanding work for all that they

[48:42] do. We're extremely excited to get a

[48:45] chance to do that at each of our

[48:47] meetings. I know I have one more

[48:49] elected. I'm just making sure he didn't

[48:50] have an employee who's here to recognize

[48:52] before, but he's not paying attention.

[48:54] So, I'm ass.

[48:56] >> Daniel, do you have anybody for this

[48:58] month? Okay. All right. So, I didn't

[48:59] want to move past that if there was

[49:01] anybody else. Uh, next item is our

[49:03] consent agenda. We did have one

[49:05] proclamation since we met last, and that

[49:07] was a proclamation for National Health

[49:09] Center Week. Uh, the week of October 2nd

[49:12] through the 8th. Uh, was was proclaimed

[49:15] as National Health Center Week here in

[49:16] Dickens County. And that was signed on

[49:18] July the 23rd, 2026. I want to make sure

[49:21] to get that on the record in the

[49:22] minutes. So, we'll move on to our new

[49:26] business with no old business. Um, new

[49:28] business. The first item on the agenda

[49:30] is the consideration or to consider the

[49:33] adoption of a resolution authorizing the

[49:35] execution of various documents related

[49:37] to the issuance of the Pickkins County

[49:39] Development Authorities taxable revenue

[49:41] refunding bonds for airport project

[49:43] series 2026,

[49:45] including a bond purchase agreement and

[49:47] intergovernmental contract with the

[49:50] authority with the development

[49:51] authority. Uh, we do have uh bond

[49:54] council that's here with us tonight, Mr.

[49:55] Tommy Ratchford. So I'm going to have

[49:57] Tommy go through just a brief

[49:58] explanation of the documents fully u

[50:09] wherever you flex

[50:12] my papers so that uh thank you for the

[50:15] introduction

[50:17] with Murray Barnes Minister

[50:19] Council on this transaction. Um and the

[50:22] caption is read Mr. gentlemen is is a

[50:24] fair summary of the resolution that's

[50:26] before you, but I thought it'd be

[50:27] helpful maybe to give a little bit of

[50:28] context and background on how we got

[50:31] here and what it means. Um so while this resolution authorizes execution of

[50:36] the documents related to the development

[50:38] authorities uh bond issue uh for the

[50:41] airport project series 2026

[50:44] um and so what those bonds are being

[50:46] issued for um is to refund bonds that

[50:48] were issued in 2018 and 2021 by the

[50:51] development authority and the reason

[50:53] that refunding is being pursued um is

[50:57] steel um the county's investment banker

[50:59] has been monitoring uh rates and

[51:02] potential savings savings um related to

[51:04] those bonds given they were issued at

[51:06] relatively high rates and while interest

[51:08] rates have been rising there still

[51:10] significant savings um refunding those

[51:13] previously issued bonds um to put some

[51:16] sort of numbers behind those statements

[51:18] um the bonds we're refunding are the

[51:21] series 2018 bond and the series 2021

[51:24] bond um they bore interest or they bear

[51:26] interest at six and 7 and a half%

[51:29] respectively

[51:30] um and the development authority um and

[51:34] the county's investment banker sold

[51:35] bonds this morning in the market they

[51:37] carried a blended yield of 5.36%.

[51:40] So um there were savings in each and

[51:42] every year and what that means net to

[51:45] the county is the debt service payments

[51:48] in aggregate of $575,000

[51:51] lower than they would have been um if

[51:54] you were to leave those bonds

[51:55] outstanding. Um so a little bit earlier

[51:58] this evening, the development authority

[52:00] um adopted a resolution um supplementing

[52:03] the resolution from July 6th that

[52:06] provided for the terms that the the

[52:08] bonds would carry name interest rates,

[52:10] the yields and the principal amounts.

[52:12] And the resolution before you tonight um

[52:15] acknowledges receipt of that resolution

[52:17] and the terms of said resolution and

[52:19] authorizes execution of the collateral

[52:21] documents necessary to complete the bond

[52:23] or the bond transaction. Um and most

[52:26] importantly those are the

[52:26] intergovernmental contract pursuant to

[52:28] which the county agrees to make the

[52:30] payments on those bonds and the bond

[52:32] purchase agreement which authorizes the

[52:34] sale of the bonds to people who then in

[52:36] turn sells them to the public. Um so

[52:39] with that I'm happy to answer any

[52:40] questions um at this time.

[52:44] >> So just to clarify the one in 18 the

[52:47] rate was 6%.

[52:48] >> Yes sir.

[52:49] >> And the one in 21 the rate was 7.5.

[52:52] >> That is correct. And then you're

[52:53] thinking the rate will get will be

[52:55] around 5.36.

[52:57] Is that what you said?

[52:58] >> So

[53:00] you're not a math guy, but um the way

[53:02] the numbers work is essentially there's

[53:04] a fixed um coupon and yield for each

[53:06] maturity. So that there are maturities

[53:09] from 2027 through 2041. The coupons

[53:12] range from 4.25% to 5.75%.

[53:17] So when you blend those all together,

[53:18] it's 5.36% is the blended yield on those

[53:22] bonds. So in any event, each one is

[53:24] lower than the corresponding coupon.

[53:26] >> And given on that one, the 6%, it would

[53:28] still save us money to do it versus just

[53:30] paying it off. Correct. That still the

[53:32] better choice with that.

[53:33] >> Yes, sir. You are saving money in each

[53:35] of those years.

[53:36] >> I had thought that that document was in

[53:38] ours, but that was actually in the

[53:39] development authorities approval.

[53:41] >> Would you like my copy? I'd say so if

[53:46] so you can see

[53:49] it [clears throat] shows the interest

[53:50] rates per year on there.

[53:51] >> Remind me of what the bonds were used

[53:52] for originally.

[53:54] >> So the construction of the hangers that

[53:57] were there and then also for the the

[54:00] terminal and for other improvements

[54:01] throughout the airport property. So the construction of the county own

[54:04] hangers is the primary purpose and then

[54:06] the terminal construction is the

[54:08] remaining.

[54:10] >> That's exactly right.

[54:15] Mr. Tippets, any questions for Mr.

[54:19] >> I have none. Thank you.

[54:21] >> Thank you very much for your assistance.

[54:23] >> There aren't any further questions. I

[54:25] ask that I'll entertain a motion to

[54:27] adopt the resolution presented.

[54:28] >> All right. So we'll open that up for the

[54:30] floor for a motion for the approval of

[54:33] the resolution to authorize the

[54:36] governmental agreement with the develop

[54:38] authority and the signature of all

[54:39] documents necessary to do so.

[54:42] >> I make a motion to approve second

[54:44] motion.

[54:45] >> Motion and a second. Any discussion or

[54:47] questions

[54:50] with none? All in favor?

[54:51] >> I

[54:53] none opposed. That motion carries.

[54:58] We'll pass this to the clerk as a

[55:01] clerk's signature portion on there as

[55:03] well. Uh, next item on the agenda is the

[55:07] consideration and approval of a sub

[55:09] lease for hanger B1 at Pickles County

[55:12] Airport. We do have an application. Uh,

[55:15] Mr. Spencer Langford is the tenant of B1

[55:19] and he has provided the application and

[55:22] all necessary information for a sub

[55:24] lease to Mr. Gregory Phelps. all uh of

[55:28] the the research the work that was

[55:29] necessary from staff has been completed

[55:31] and they've recommended the approval of

[55:33] the subleas. So at this time I'll make a

[55:36] motion to approve the sub lease of

[55:39] hanger B1 Mors. Do I have a second?

[55:43] >> Second

[55:45] motion and a second. Any discussion or

[55:47] questions?

[55:49] >> All in favor?

[55:52] >> None. The motion carries.

[55:56] Next item on the agenda is consideration

[55:58] and approval of HO2 land lease at the

[56:02] Pickkins County Airport. We do have um

[56:05] Joel and Sherry Little submitting their

[56:08] application for the lease of HO2. This

[56:12] was a previously owned

[56:14] private hanger uh that is now being sold

[56:18] to the littles.

[56:23] This would have been good if I would

[56:24] have like highlighted each one of those

[56:26] pages. Um the uh Lessor is Living to Fly

[56:30] LLC is the um name of the LLC and it's

[56:35] going to be one of the hangers at 22

[56:37] cents per square foot which would

[56:39] generate $236.72

[56:42] annually for the land use of that

[56:45] hanger.

[56:46] With that, I'll entertain a motion for

[56:48] approval based on the staff's

[56:50] recommendation to approve.

[56:51] >> Motion to approve.

[56:53] >> Second the motion.

[56:54] >> Motion and a second. Any discussion or

[56:56] questions

[56:59] with none? All in favor?

[57:01] >> I [clears throat] none

[57:02] >> opposed.

[57:06] Next item on the agenda is consideration

[57:08] and approval of an application for

[57:10] approval of site for use changes at 8:16

[57:14] at the Pikman County Airport. We have uh

[57:16] the Titan group has reached out

[57:18] regarding putting the fence along the

[57:20] front of their leased space uh where

[57:24] their hanger is. So that with that

[57:25] improvement, they've submitted an

[57:27] application. It will be a

[57:31] >> [snorts]

[57:31] >> um a four black

[57:36] slack

[57:38] a [laughter] a traditional fence like

[57:40] you would see it. It's got four four

[57:42] rows that go through there. of looking

[57:44] at the language there uh that would

[57:46] connect to the gate where you access and

[57:48] enter into the hanger space is there. Uh

[57:51] with that I'll entertain a motion for

[57:53] the approval for the allowance of the

[57:55] site improvements at uh H16.

[57:58] >> Motion to approve second motion.

[58:01] >> Motion and a second. Any discussion or

[58:03] questions

[58:04] with none? All in favor?

[58:08] >> None opposed. That motion carries.

[58:12] All right. Then our amended item that

[58:14] we've put on the agenda E which somehow

[58:17] I actually talked before I advanced the

[58:19] slide to go forward and that is uh as we

[58:22] discussed during the the work session

[58:24] earlier the authorization of the

[58:27] chairman to work with DCCM and sign all

[58:29] necessary documents to submit a grant

[58:32] application with JIFA for a planning

[58:35] grant to work on water acquisition.

[58:39] With that, do I have a motion for

[58:40] approval? Motion to approve.

[58:43] >> A second. Motion.

[58:44] >> Motion and a second. Any discussion or

[58:46] questions?

[58:48] >> All in favor?

[58:50] >> None opposed. That motion carries.

[58:55] Next item on the agenda is the approval

[58:56] of our minutes. We do have a handful of

[58:59] minutes u because we did have a regular meeting on July the 20th that

[59:05] had an executive session, work session,

[59:07] and regular meeting. Then we had a call

[59:10] meeting on August the 4th. I know that

[59:12] our clerk has submitted these minutes to

[59:15] each of you guys for review prior to

[59:17] coming in today so you have a chance to

[59:19] read through those. I will do them by

[59:21] date for the July 20th. So all three of

[59:24] the different um items on the July 20th

[59:27] meeting date. I'll entertain a motion

[59:29] for approval for those three sets of

[59:31] minutes.

[59:32] >> Motion to approve. Second motion.

[59:36] >> Motion. Second. Discussion or questions?

[59:39] All in favor? I.

[59:41] >> None opposed. The motion carries. And

[59:43] then the next would be our call meeting

[59:44] on August the 4th, 2026. I'll entertain

[59:48] a motion for approval of those minutes

[59:49] as well.

[59:50] >> Motion to [clears throat] approve.

[59:51] Second motion. A motion and a second.

[59:55] Any discussion or questions?

[59:57] >> All in favor?

[1:00:08] Next item on our agenda is to go through

[1:00:10] our reszones. We do have a handful of

[1:00:12] reszones that we will go through.

[1:00:14] [clears throat]

[1:00:14] Uh we'll start with RZ191163

[1:00:19] being a J heater. It's a 86 highway 136

[1:00:23] connector. A request to move a 13.32

[1:00:26] acre track from a to highway business.

[1:00:30] The application was received for the

[1:00:32] intended purpose of the resome request.

[1:00:35] It was to allow it for commercial use.

[1:00:37] Public hearing was conducted on July the

[1:00:39] 13th before the planning commission.

[1:00:42] After receiving the application and the

[1:00:44] staff recommendation for approval, the

[1:00:47] planning commission voted three yes, one

[1:00:49] no uh to recommend approval to the board

[1:00:52] of commissioners. With that, I'll

[1:00:54] entertain a motion uh from either of you

[1:00:58] on which way you proceed.

[1:00:59] >> I make a motion to approve with the

[1:01:01] following condition. Um if the property

[1:01:03] is used for a gas station or other

[1:01:05] retail store, it must be a minimum of

[1:01:07] six 3-in trees planted around the

[1:01:09] parking lot. If property is used for a

[1:01:11] storage facility, it must be surrounded

[1:01:13] all sides by plenty of large evergreen

[1:01:15] shrubs, 6' tall planting on 10t centers,

[1:01:18] and all lighting must be downward

[1:01:19] facing.

[1:01:21] I'm hoping you have that in writing so

[1:01:24] make sure you have that motion correctly

[1:01:25] identified. Uh there is a motion on the

[1:01:28] floor. Do I have a second as presented?

[1:01:31] >> I'll second the motion.

[1:01:33] >> Motion and a second. Any discussion or

[1:01:36] questions?

[1:01:38] None. All in favor?

[1:01:42] I guess I'll ask Commissioner.

[1:01:44] You spoke with the property owner and

[1:01:46] they were agreeable to those.

[1:01:48] >> Yes, I did.

[1:01:50] Thank you. This afternoon,

[1:01:53] >> any other discussion, questions?

[1:01:56] None. All in favor?

[1:01:59] >> None oppose. That motion carries.

[1:02:01] Approval [snorts] with conditions as

[1:02:03] presented. Next item on the agenda is a

[1:02:07] reason request 91179

[1:02:10] from Landmark Property Services LLC on

[1:02:13] Highway 53 East. to request to move an

[1:02:16] 8.1 acre track from a to rural

[1:02:19] residential. The intended purpose in the

[1:02:21] application received for the reszone if

[1:02:23] approved was to create buildable lots.

[1:02:26] Public hearing was held on July the 13th

[1:02:28] where staff recommended approval and the

[1:02:30] planning commission voted for yes a zero

[1:02:32] no uh to recommend approval before the

[1:02:35] board as well. I would like to make a

[1:02:38] motion that would follow the staff and

[1:02:40] the pling commission's recommendation

[1:02:41] for approval.

[1:02:43] Do I have a second?

[1:02:44] >> Motion.

[1:02:45] >> Have a motion. Second and we'll bring it

[1:02:47] to the floor for discussion, questions.

[1:02:51] All in favor?

[1:02:54] >> All oppose?

[1:02:55] >> No.

[1:02:56] >> In the event of the tie, it brings me to

[1:02:58] the top rate. So, I will vote in favor

[1:03:00] as well. So, that will be a two to one

[1:03:02] in favor for approval following that

[1:03:05] recommendation.

[1:03:09] Next item on the agenda is RZ191180.

[1:03:15] Uh it's an application from Ricky and

[1:03:17] Tammy Jared. That's uh at 1057 Highway

[1:03:21] 108. Uh request to move a 10acre track

[1:03:24] from a to rural residential. The

[1:03:27] intended purpose of the reszone request

[1:03:29] was to create a buildable lot. The

[1:03:31] public hearing was conducted on July the

[1:03:33] 13th [clears throat] uh where staff

[1:03:36] recommended approval. Planning

[1:03:38] commission voted four yes zero no to

[1:03:40] recommend approval as well. With that,

[1:03:43] do I have a motion from the floor?

[1:03:45] >> Motion to approve.

[1:03:46] >> Second the motion.

[1:03:48] >> Motion and a second. Any discussion or

[1:03:50] questions?

[1:03:52] >> All in favor?

[1:03:55] >> None. The motion carries.

[1:03:59] Next is the one that we had during our

[1:04:02] um

[1:04:05] during the earlier part of our meeting

[1:04:07] when we had the public hearing is the

[1:04:08] word I'm trying to think of. Uh for the

[1:04:10] down request from Tunnel Trussell Farm

[1:04:13] and Ranch. Uh there was an application

[1:04:16] received at 786 for Mile Church Road to

[1:04:18] move a 6.12 [clears throat] acre track

[1:04:20] from rural residential to agriculture.

[1:04:23] Um the [clears throat] intended purpose

[1:04:25] is to combine it with the other

[1:04:28] agricultural track that was present on

[1:04:30] the property as well. Um with that I

[1:04:34] will entertain a motion from the floor.

[1:04:36] >> A motion to approve.

[1:04:38] >> Second motion.

[1:04:40] >> A motion and a second. Any discussion or

[1:04:42] questions?

[1:04:43] >> Do we need to make a condition of the

[1:04:44] motion that they do combine it or do we

[1:04:48] not need to do that?

[1:04:50] >> It's their plan too, but making it as

[1:04:53] part of the motion.

[1:04:56] >> I think we should. So, it's so I need to

[1:04:58] motion.

[1:04:59] >> All right. So, Commissioner Tatum has

[1:05:01] now amended his motion to a motion to

[1:05:03] approve with the condition that it does

[1:05:06] get combined with the neighboring

[1:05:07] agricultural property to form that lot.

[1:05:11] I have a second on the motion as it's

[1:05:14] been amended.

[1:05:15] >> I'll second the motion.

[1:05:18] >> All right. So, I have a motion and a

[1:05:19] second. Discussion or questions?

[1:05:23] With all in favor I

[1:05:27] >> we'll make a note to make sure that that

[1:05:29] gets updated on there with the correct

[1:05:31] language that likes.

[1:05:35] Okay.

[1:05:40] Next item on the agenda is a resolution

[1:05:42] to reappoint Mr. Kim Fowler and Pat

[1:05:44] Holmes to serve on the planning

[1:05:46] commission. Uh they continue to serve.

[1:05:49] This would put their expiration for

[1:05:51] their terms to December the 31st, 2029.

[1:05:56] Um, do I have a motion for reappointing

[1:05:58] of Mr. Fowler and Miss Holmes?

[1:06:00] >> Motion to approve.

[1:06:02] >> Second motion.

[1:06:03] >> Motion and a second. Any discussion or

[1:06:05] questions?

[1:06:07] With none, all in favor?

[1:06:12] » Let's put it close. Next item on the

[1:06:15] agenda is uh for the appointment of Miss

[1:06:19] Denise Owen to serve on the board of

[1:06:21] elections. We had one member from the

[1:06:23] Republican party who had stepped down

[1:06:25] from his service on the um board of

[1:06:29] elections. That was Mr. Ed Greyhouse. I

[1:06:31] think Ed did a a fantastic job and has

[1:06:33] been an asset to to serve in that that

[1:06:36] difficult role. Um but he has decided

[1:06:38] that he was going to step down. As part

[1:06:41] of um the the procedure, we received uh

[1:06:44] recommendations from the Republican

[1:06:46] party with names to choose from and Miss

[1:06:49] Denise Owen has been selected to be that

[1:06:52] uh candidate to put forward before the

[1:06:54] board. That would be for a term that

[1:06:56] would be appointed this date through

[1:06:58] January the 1st, 2028.

[1:07:01] With that, do I have a motion to appoint

[1:07:04] Miss Owens to the board of elections?

[1:07:06] Second.

[1:07:07] motion motion and a second. Any

[1:07:10] discussion or questions?

[1:07:13] If none, all in favor

[1:07:16] [clears throat]

[1:07:20] that taken care of. All right. So, that

[1:07:22] brings us to the portion of our meeting

[1:07:24] for public comments. Uh, I know I

[1:07:26] sometimes sound like a broken record,

[1:07:28] but I'll go through and make the same

[1:07:29] explanations again. Uh, each citizen

[1:07:32] that would like to speak has two minutes

[1:07:34] to speak. today had an opportunity to

[1:07:36] introduce themselves prior to the time

[1:07:38] started. So after you made your

[1:07:39] introduction as to who you are and where

[1:07:40] you are so that it can be recorded, then

[1:07:43] we will start the timer. Uh all comments

[1:07:46] are to be directed to the board of

[1:07:47] commissioners. So we'll keep those aimed

[1:07:49] in our direction and be respectful in

[1:07:52] the way in which they're presented. Um

[1:07:54] and we'll do our best to try to get

[1:07:57] through any and all that you like to

[1:07:58] speak. So if you raise your hand and

[1:08:00] that way once you get called on then

[1:08:02] we'll give you an opportunity. Yes, sir.

[1:08:03] in the back.

[1:08:07] » First of all, I was short. The chairs

[1:08:09] were too short. [laughter]

[1:08:11] >> You're just super tall.

[1:08:14] I'm an average tall guy. [laughter]

[1:08:18] But, uh, my name is Bill Scurry. Um, I

[1:08:22] own a business in Jasper and I live in

[1:08:24] Jasper. Uh, one day business were doing

[1:08:28] good and traffic was coming in the door.

[1:08:30] People were spending money. Then all of

[1:08:32] a sudden it stopped.

[1:08:33] And usually when it stops is there's an

[1:08:36] accident out there at Mark Whitfield and

[1:08:39] in Church Street because people trying

[1:08:41] to turn left in a right hand turn home.

[1:08:44] So I walked out there and that wasn't

[1:08:46] the case. There were a couple of guys

[1:08:48] drilling holes in the street to set up

[1:08:51] posts to block off my street at any time

[1:08:54] they want to. I asked them, I said,

[1:08:56] "Well, who approved this?" They said,

[1:08:58] "Well, you need to call and give me the

[1:09:00] phone number of individual." I won't say

[1:09:03] his name and um you need to call him and

[1:09:06] I called him. He says you need to go to

[1:09:08] DDA. I went to the DDA. DDA said it was

[1:09:12] the county's responsibility.

[1:09:15] Um

[1:09:17] finally I went back to the DDA, did some

[1:09:21] homework, found on their um charter

[1:09:26] online. It said every business

[1:09:30] uh well the city will give every

[1:09:32] business

[1:09:34] uh a 30-day notice

[1:09:37] and um

[1:09:41] uh a a set time to when they're open to

[1:09:44] close the street and when they're open.

[1:09:47] Now you could tell from the DDA board

[1:09:49] they didn't had never knew that. Um, so

[1:09:53] a couple week

[1:09:55] while long, I went to another meeting

[1:09:57] and the mayor was in there. I said,

[1:09:59] "Mayor," I said, "I hope y'all follow

[1:10:00] along with these rules that you had in

[1:10:02] your charter." He says, "Oh, we've

[1:10:05] changed those, but don't worry, Bill.

[1:10:08] We'll give you plenty of time

[1:10:11] notice." That's like saying my check

[1:10:13] checks in there. But um you know it's

[1:10:17] just unfortunate from all the back and

[1:10:20] forth in going around and other things

[1:10:22] I've run into. I kind of feel like

[1:10:25] pickings Cherokee not Cherokee Pickkins

[1:10:29] Jasper. I mean there needs to be a

[1:10:31] change up of whoever's in charge cuz

[1:10:34] it's not doing well. For example, the

[1:10:37] army is being shut down on their own.

[1:10:39] >> 20 seconds to wrap up after the two

[1:10:41] minutes is complete. I'll let you kind

[1:10:42] of wrap your thought up if you left to

[1:10:44] finish.

[1:10:45] >> No, I just was throwing in the army's

[1:10:48] being shut down on opening day.

[1:10:52] >> But

[1:10:52] >> I understand. Thank you. Thank you FOR

[1:10:58] [applause]

[1:11:00] next comment.

[1:11:07] I see a hand in the back. I don't see a

[1:11:09] head. [laughter]

[1:11:10] I don't think you suffer from the same

[1:11:12] thing he suffered.

[1:11:12] >> No, I do not.

[1:11:14] >> I do not. If

[1:11:15] >> you'll introduce yourself, I'll start at

[1:11:16] the time after you.

[1:11:18] >> My name is Denise Owen and I am a

[1:11:21] resident here at Pigis County. Y'all

[1:11:22] just heard my name a few minutes ago.

[1:11:25] First, I want to thank you guys for the

[1:11:26] opportunity to work with the election

[1:11:28] board and that's quite an honor. But

[1:11:30] that's not why I'm here tonight. So, I

[1:11:32] came bearing a different hat this time.

[1:11:35] This is the chair of the uh Republican

[1:11:37] party here in Dickens County. So once a

[1:11:40] year we do a fundraiser. It's normally

[1:11:41] the tomato sandwich picnic. This year

[1:11:44] we're doing something a little

[1:11:45] different. We up our game just a little

[1:11:47] bit. So we're doing a barbecue supper

[1:11:50] where you can buy plates. You can um go

[1:11:53] through the drive-thru if you want. If

[1:11:54] you can't stay or you can eat there with

[1:11:56] us, you can order plates ahead of time

[1:11:57] through our website. We're also going to

[1:12:00] have bingo and uh have prizes with that.

[1:12:03] But the one thing I'm looking the most

[1:12:05] forward to is our pie for purpose. So,

[1:12:08] some of y'all may have seen a little bit

[1:12:09] about that on the Facebook today. So,

[1:12:12] we've issued a challenge out there for

[1:12:15] all of our elected officials, anybody

[1:12:16] that's um serves in a civic capacity

[1:12:20] that would like to get on our

[1:12:21] leaderboard to raise money for the kids

[1:12:25] uh that are seniors at Piggins High

[1:12:27] School. So, the way this pie for purpose

[1:12:29] works is if you decide you want to get

[1:12:32] out there and raise some money, whoever

[1:12:34] raises the most money, we'll get a pie

[1:12:37] in the face.

[1:12:39] So, we have plenty of room on our

[1:12:42] leaderboard for anybody else, fellas.

[1:12:44] So, uh, Mr. Josh Tibons has already

[1:12:47] taken us up on this offer.

[1:12:48] >> Thank you, Josh.

[1:12:49] >> So, we appreciate that. glad we help him

[1:12:52] break. [laughter]

[1:13:00] >> So, here's the beauty of this. Here's

[1:13:02] the beauty of this thing. So, there's

[1:13:05] lots of people that want on this board.

[1:13:07] So, there's QR codes on Facebook where

[1:13:10] you can go. Everybody's got an

[1:13:11] individual QR code you can donate to

[1:13:14] their cause. So, whoever gets it and

[1:13:17] whoever raises the most is up for

[1:13:22] pie king or pie queen cuz we do have a

[1:13:25] chick on the board, too. So, already

[1:13:27] [laughter]

[1:13:28] got a second.

[1:13:29] >> So, who whoever the winner is, it

[1:13:32] doesn't mean that you get a pie in the

[1:13:34] face because we're going to give you an

[1:13:36] out.

[1:13:37] >> Well, if you decide to take it, if you

[1:13:39] decide to take the pie in the face,

[1:13:41] we're going to let whoever you choose do

[1:13:43] the pine. So, it could be your wife, it

[1:13:45] could be your kids, it could be your

[1:13:47] grandkids. Um, or if you really don't

[1:13:51] want Cool Whip to get in your hair,

[1:13:54] >> we're going to give you an out.

[1:13:56] So, however much money was raised to get

[1:13:58] you in the hot seat, you can pay your

[1:14:01] way out.

[1:14:02] [laughter]

[1:14:04] The fun part of that is, all right, you match that, but you got to pay a

[1:14:08] little more. So, you got to go over what

[1:14:10] was collected for you then.

[1:14:14] You get to choose the next one.

[1:14:18] >> So, you can choose somebody else to be

[1:14:21] in the hot seat. So, because we're

[1:14:23] reasonable people.

[1:14:25] >> All right. Your top got cut off.

[1:14:27] [laughter]

[1:14:30] Call the timer.

[1:14:32] >> All right. Yes,

[1:14:35] >> when you made the hair comment

[1:14:36] [laughter]

[1:14:37] be a victim right off the bat.

[1:14:40] >> And that's August the 29th, by the way,

[1:14:43] at Hensley Plaza.

[1:14:44] >> August 29th,

[1:14:45] >> 11th a.m. to 300 p.m. We'll have the

[1:14:48] band out there playing. 260 students

[1:14:51] from the high school will be out there

[1:14:52] playing and we'll have a lot of stuff

[1:14:54] going on. So, y'all should come out.

[1:14:56] >> Perfect.

[1:14:56] >> Any other comments?

[1:15:01] » Do I have a motion to adjurnn? motion to

[1:15:05] motion.

[1:15:08] >> No,

[1:15:10] you actually can. Sorry.

[1:15:12] >> Totally unrelated, but I do want to

[1:15:13] thank Jim, Pat

[1:15:16] will serve. Those are both very

[1:15:18] difficult boards to serve on with a lot

[1:15:20] of attention and appreciate their

[1:15:22] willingness to get involved.

[1:15:23] >> Absolutely.

[1:15:25] >> I'll take the money and then I'll get

[1:15:27] the [laughter]

[1:15:30] » knew where that was going. So, A motion

[1:15:33] and a second to adjurnn. All in favor?

[1:15:37] >> I'll say I on that.

[1:15:40] >> Meetings. Thank you all very much.

Pickens County Board of Commissioners | August 17, 2026

Agenda

Transcript