[8:47] Well, >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

[8:49] Welcome to the Make Bib County Board of Commission's pre-commission meeting.

[8:52] Today is Tuesday, September the 1st, and the time is now approximately 4:30. Like

[8:56] to welcome everyone here today, and we'll start this meeting off with a call

[9:00] to order followed by the approval of the minutes. Item 2, 2A is approval of the

[9:04] minutes from August the 4th, 2026 pre-commission meeting. Can I get a

[9:08] motion to approve? Motion by Commissioner Stewart, second

[9:11] by Mayor Pro Tim W. We have a motion and second. All those in favor of the

[9:14] motion, please say I. >> Oppose. Nay. That motion carries and be

[9:19] sent consent agenda tonight. Item 3A is a resolution to make Bib

[9:24] County Commission to reappoint Lewis Frank Topkins to the McBib County

[9:28] Transit Authority. Mr. Tomkins has served that authority well and they do

[9:32] recommend that he continue to uh serve them in that capacity. So, at this time,

[9:35] we entertain a motion to approve. Motion by Commissioner Howell, second by

[9:41] Commissioner W. Mayor Pro. We have a motion and second. I hear you all, Mr.

[9:45] Bronson on there as well. So, got a motion and second. All those in favor of

[9:48] the motion, please say I. >> Opposed? Nay. That motion carries

[9:52] unanimous to be sent consent agenda. We're going to move on to items four,

[9:56] which we have several alcohol licenses A through E. Uh, each one of those has a

[10:01] recommendation. So, we'll begin with item 4 A. This is GH Express located at

[10:06] 2900 Riverside Drive, Mon Georgia. Legal does recommend approval of this

[10:11] particular uh Texico station there. They meet all the legal and statutory

[10:15] requirements to get one. And um at this time, we enter intend a motion to

[10:20] approve.

[10:24] » Sure. Go ahead.

[10:28] » I'm no longer involved with it. >> Okay.

[10:30] » I'll make a motion to approve. >> All right. I would make a motion to

[10:33] approve by Commissioner How. Do we have a second?

[10:36] Second. Uh, was that I hear some over here? Okay. Mayor Per got a motion and

[10:41] second. Any questions? You know questions? All those in favor

[10:45] of the motion, please say I. >> Opposed? Nay.

[10:48] » That motion carries and be sent consent agenda. Item B is a Shell Martell Food

[10:52] Mart located at 4338 Hartley Bridge Road. Uh, you can see a photograph of

[10:57] that on your screen. Uh same recommendation legal legal recommends

[11:01] approval. They met our legal and statutory requirements to get a license

[11:05] and they have submitted a good faith uh standing good standing letter meaning

[11:10] they paid all their taxes. So at this time we entertain a motion to approve.

[11:13] Motion by commissioner how do we have a second?

[11:16] » Second by mayor pro Tim win. Have a motion and second. All those in favor of

[11:19] the motion please say I oppose. Nay. That motion carries to be sent to

[11:24] consent agenda. Item 4 C is a Marathon Prime located at 513 Harrison Road. You

[11:31] see a copy of that there. Um that is uh legal does recommend approval of that

[11:36] particular place. It's a renewal of an alcohol license or um been there for

[11:41] quite a while that gas station right across from McDonald's there. So at this

[11:44] time uh legal recommends approval. They met all legal statutory requirements to

[11:47] do so including a certificate of good standing. I got a motion to approve.

[11:52] » Motion by Commissioner Bailey. Have a second.

[11:56] » Second by Commissioner How. We have a motion and second. All those in favor of

[11:59] the motion, please say I. Opposed? Nay. >> That motion carries will be sent consent

[12:04] agenda. Item D is USA Grocery located at 2590 Rocky Creek Road. It's 2590 Rocky

[12:11] Creek Road. Legal has recommended approval of this. They've researched all

[12:15] the paperwork including the certificate good standing and they meet all the

[12:19] legal and statutory requirements to have an alcohol license. So, at this time,

[12:22] we'd entertain a motion to approve. Motion by Commissioner Bay, will you

[12:25] have a second? Second by Commissioner Howell. Commissioner Ko, you have a

[12:30] question. >> Um, did they change ownerships because

[12:34] they >> in the past they had a

[12:37] » That's correct. >> Call. So, same

[12:40] » anytime it goes before us, they they change ownerships uh or there's a new

[12:43] tenant there in order for it to come before this this body.

[12:46] » So, same company, different ownership. Um I don't know about you mean by same

[12:51] company. It's different. Um you have a different tenant there. Sometimes you

[12:55] have the same owner. Yeah. Same building.

[12:57] » Same location. >> That's correct.

[12:59] » Different ownership. >> That's correct.

[13:02] » Okay. Any other questions? >> Got it. We have a motion and second. All

[13:07] those in favor of motion, please say I. Oppose? Nay. That motion carries will be

[13:11] sent to consent agenda. Our final item is the gold bar located at 518 Cherry

[13:17] Street. Uh this is a restaurant bar location there. They do meet all the

[13:21] legal statutory requirements. This is new uh ownership there and they've um

[13:25] the sheriff has approved them and uh legal does recommend approval. So this

[13:29] time we entertain a motion to approve. A motion by Commissioner Howell, second

[13:35] by Commissioner Bronson. Any other questions? Hear no questions.

[13:39] All those in favor of the motion, please say I. Opposed? Nay. That motion carries

[13:44] and we sent the consent agenda. We have several agreements, contracts, and

[13:48] purchase orders. Uh 5 A through E. Item A is a resolution of making county

[13:54] commission authorizing mayor to ex execute a professional services

[13:57] agreement with local Q in amount of $55,000 for the provision of digital

[14:02] marketing services for air service at the middle Georgia regional airport

[14:07] payable from the airport fund airport middle Georgia regional professional

[14:11] services and other line items. This is for marketing at the airport. It comes

[14:14] directly out of their funds. It's not out of our general fund for us and we'll

[14:18] be approving that uh with your motion. So at this time we entertain a motion to

[14:21] approve. Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hear no discussion.

[14:27] All those in favor of the motion please say I. Oppose. Nay. That motion carries

[14:32] and be sent to consent agenda. Going to move on to a resolution making Bip

[14:35] County Commission authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with inspiring

[14:39] healthy lives LLC for the provision of counseling service inabout inabout

[14:45] amount of up to $37,688 to be paid from the family treatment

[14:50] court grant funds. We have someone here going to speak on that. If you don't

[14:52] mind come up to the microphone, I'll turn that on if you don't mind

[14:55] identifying yourself and just give us a little bit more information about this

[14:58] um 37,688. And I understand this uh company has

[15:02] been doing business with making Bib County for the last three years. If you

[15:04] can let us know how they've been doing, we'd appreciate it.

[15:07] » Well, good afternoon. My name is Tamara EPS. I am the coordinator of the making

[15:10] judicial circuit family treatment court. Um yes, Inspiring Healthy Lives has been

[15:15] actually doing business with our court for the last three years. Prior to that,

[15:19] they also have been doing uh business with defects for the past 10 years. They

[15:23] handle a lot of the assessments for us. They handle the therapy. So every person

[15:28] who comes into family treatment quarters are required to have therapy once a

[15:32] week. She is who will be handling that in addition to some other services

[15:36] including anger management, uh nurturing parenting and moral recognition therapy.

[15:41] » Thank you for that information. At this time we entertain a motion to approve.

[15:45] » Motion by Commissioner Cook, second by Commissioner Bronson. Any further

[15:49] questions? Hear no questions. All those in favor of the motion, please say I.

[15:53] » Opposed? Nay. That motion carries unanimously. be sent to consent agenda.

[15:57] Item C is an ordinance of the Mon Bib County Commission to authorize a mayor

[16:00] to enter into a memorandum understanding with Miami Dade Innovation Authority,

[16:04] Inc. to participate in a catalyst challenge with a required local match of

[16:08] $50,000 for the pilot demonstration appropriating 50,000 from general fund

[16:13] fund balance to be required local match. U you can see the information containing

[16:18] your packet but just a little bit uh information additional to that. We have

[16:22] a lot of um rightway in making Bip County and certainly like many of you I

[16:27] get calls all the time about uh did we cut the grass? Did we remove the trees?

[16:31] Do we have these types of problems or issues on there? Is that a state

[16:34] highway, a local highway, public highway? Uh so we we teamed up with our

[16:38] our partners as part of the night foundation. Uh similar to what we did, I

[16:43] I would assume with the um the paving the way program where we had all the

[16:47] streets looked at and had the sidewalks recently looked at. uh this we're trying

[16:51] to come up with a better way of of um uh fulfilling the services on rightaways.

[16:57] Uh everybody knows that they may cut their

[17:01] yard once a week. We can't afford to do that as a county with the you know

[17:03] current taxes that are being paid by our citizens once a week. But we do need to

[17:07] have a systemically systemic way of um figuring out uh where we've been, where

[17:13] we need to go, some type of schedule, whether there's a program to cut or

[17:16] whether we we have a um need to uh do some other types of alternative

[17:21] treatments to those those lands usually. So, this is a way that we can have to

[17:26] kind of look over all the areas in making Bib County uh and come up our

[17:29] public works and and our other programs, they do a good job with what they have

[17:33] to work with. But as you can imagine, uh, back in 2014 when the city and

[17:38] county consolidated, you had a city and you had a county, each responsible for

[17:42] cutting certain parts, rightways and parts of the town. But we really need a

[17:46] a better way to map out, uh, how often a particular area gets cut, um, and who's

[17:52] supposed to be doing the cutting, how often it's going to be cut, uh, and who

[17:55] we go to in case there's an issue. That way, if we have a situation where it's

[17:59] not getting cut enough and we need to increase that amount of coverage and we

[18:02] don't have sufficient staff to do that, it may be a place where we can use some

[18:06] contractual services for that. So, this is the reason that I asked for this to

[18:09] be done. and we've been working together with a foundation to try to target some

[18:12] issues that we're having in our community and this is one of those ways

[18:15] we're looking at charging that uh so they can come back with a particular

[18:19] program for us uh that place the entire map out the entire city uh and county

[18:25] and try to be more efficient on being able to handle the rideways. So, a lot

[18:29] of information to say that. Uh Commissioner Kat, you have a question.

[18:32] » Can you explain what the catalyst challenge is? I know we just went

[18:37] through >> the catalyst challenges. They're putting

[18:40] up $50,000 for challenges that local cities like oursel have uh and

[18:45] identifying some issues that we have and this is one of the issues that I

[18:48] identified on behalf of making Bib County that I thought we need to help

[18:51] with. So that's that's pretty much the challenge. They're doing this in several

[18:54] of their um night communities and uh across the United States. They're giving

[18:59] their funds and hoping that we're going to match that uh to come up with more

[19:02] efficient ways to help local governments. So that's the challenge.

[19:06] So at this time I'd entertain a motion to approve. Motion by Commissioner Cook.

[19:11] We have a second. Second by Commissioner Bailey. We have a motion and second. All

[19:15] those in favor of the motion, please say I. Oppose. Nay. That motion carries. And

[19:19] we sent the consent agenda. Item D is a resolution making Bib County

[19:22] Commissioner authorizing the mayor to enter into a lease agreement with Sander

[19:26] Curry for the lease of office space at 203 West White Road in Byron, Georgia

[19:31] for up to three years with an initial rental rate of $8,18,600

[19:36] per year to be paid from the public defenders budget. Uh this is in their

[19:40] budget. Uh as you looked at the contract or the paperwork attached to it, you'll

[19:43] see there's a $100 increase per month per year. Uh and there's a three-year

[19:48] contract. Uh this is a place that they operate since we're a

[19:52] multi-jurisdictional circuit with minib county peace county and Crawford County.

[19:57] Uh public defender has an office there. So this is in their budget and they're

[20:00] asking for continued use of that space. So at this time we entertain a motion to

[20:04] approve. And do we have a second? Got a motion

[20:08] and second. All those in favor of the motion please say I oppose. Nay. That

[20:13] motion carries unanimously be sent to consent agenda. Going to move on to item

[20:17] E. This is a resolution of making county commission authorizing the mayor to

[20:21] enter into an independent contract agreement with Play South LLC doing

[20:25] business as Play South playground creators in amount of 98,29520

[20:32] for the purchase and installation of a composite play structure at Lindmore

[20:36] Estates to be paid from the community block development grant CDBG funds. Um,

[20:42] everybody familiar with that area? I'm not sure if there's a picture that came

[20:45] up while we were talking, but everybody's familiar with Limmore

[20:47] States. And this is uh basically CDBG plan of grant funds that'll be used to

[20:51] purchase this playground. So, this time we entertain a motion to approve.

[20:57] » Got a motion. Got a second. Commissioner Bronson has a question. Yes, sir.

[21:00] Commissioner Bronson.

[21:06] questions

[21:12] or any ideas

[21:16] for this

[21:21] ramp and whatnot for those

[21:26] play. >> Yeah, I don't think this is a legally

[21:28] inclusive program in in this sense that we've did. There are other programs uh

[21:32] playgrounds that we've done in the community, but this is also CDBG funds

[21:36] making the determination they're limited in budget to that. As you recall that

[21:39] when we did the inclusive programs, they were more like 400 $600,000. This is

[21:43] about a 92,000 composite playground structure.

[21:47] » Yes, sir.

[21:56] » Certainly, we'll be happy to talk with them, but they they control that. We're

[21:59] just passing through the funds. >> Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.

[22:02] » Thank you. We do have a motion and second. All those in favor of the

[22:04] motion, please say I. Oppose. Nay. That motion carries. We'll be sent to consent

[22:09] agenda. Going to move on to a few grants that we have. I believe we have three of

[22:13] those tonight. The first is a resolution of the making county commission

[22:16] authorizing the acceptance of a BJA fiscical year 25 Edward Burn Memorial

[22:22] Justice Assistance Grant from the Department of Justice Office of Justice

[22:26] Programs in the amount of $170,541

[22:32] and that is to be used uh for the sheriff's department with no match to

[22:36] make big county. Um and it will be also coming from the technology equipment and

[22:40] for training purposes. When I reached out to sheriff to discuss this issue

[22:43] with him, he says for in criminal investigation and forensics, some

[22:47] equipment and training for firearms examination in particular in equipments

[22:50] for analyzing surfaces for explosive or drug residue. So, uh just in case

[22:55] someone thought you we're using it for flot cameras or something like that,

[22:58] that would be entirely incorrect. So, I want to make sure uh that we were

[23:01] dealing with this equipment for training for firearms and for drugs and the

[23:04] sheriff certainly needs this $170,000 and ask for us to accept the grants. So,

[23:09] at this time, I'd uh entertain any questions. If there not any questions,

[23:13] I'll ask for a motion to approve. >> Got a motion to approve by everybody.

[23:17] You got a second. Second by everybody else. Uh so, we got a motion and second.

[23:21] All those in favor of the motion, please say I.

[23:24] » Opposed? Nay. That motion carries and be sent to consent agenda. Item B is an

[23:29] ordinance of the making Bib County Commission authorizing mayor to accept

[23:31] Federal Highway Administration 2024 safe streets and roads for all implementation

[23:37] grant funds an amount of 5,630,440 to fund the development of a multi-use

[23:43] trail and sidewalk loop around Grey Highway

[23:47] appropriation up to 1,400 thou $47,610 from the 2018 splice fund roads other

[23:54] line item to be used as required local match funds. Uh Mr. This time I asked

[23:58] Mr. Weston Straoud to come forward. Uh you can identify yourself even though I

[24:01] already did. Let the people at home know what your title is here and what you're

[24:05] doing and a little bit more about this grant uh application that we've had and

[24:09] been awarded. Just need to appropriate the funds.

[24:11] » Okay. My name is Weston Straoud. I'm the traffic safety manager for making bib

[24:15] county. Uh this grant is for the East Min Loop. So essentially it adds three

[24:20] and a half or three miles of multi-use trail. Um it will go down Clinton Road.

[24:27] um down Boulevard. Um so it'll tie into North Highland Park as well as the

[24:33] Chameleia Gardens and then eventually terminate at the Okamoki Heritage Trail.

[24:37] It will also add lighting every 90 ft um as well as sidewalks um along Grey

[24:44] Highway from Sherling Drive all the way to uh the intersection of Clinton Wood

[24:50] Valley and O Clinton Road. Um, min has one of the highest um pedestrian

[24:58] fatality rates uh in in the state um and roughly five times

[25:04] the national average. And on Grey Highway alone, there's been 15

[25:07] pedestrian fatalities since uh 2006. And so this has been a part of our high

[25:12] injury network um in a roadway that we know that we've needed to address. And

[25:18] through the work that we've done, the support of uh complete streets, um under

[25:23] this administration, we're able to actually be eligible to receive these

[25:27] funds. Um we received a planning grant as well, and so um we're able to

[25:32] actually receive this implementation grant. Um we've done some public

[25:37] outreach in 2024. We had a public survey where we had 84 um responses. All of

[25:44] them um and most of them uh asking for these types of interventions. Um 64 60%

[25:51] wanted crosswalks, 50% 56% wanted more lighting. Um and 43% wanted a center

[25:57] meeting uh which we currently have uh due to the uh the work that GOT has

[26:02] already done on a portion of Grey Highway. Um so the responses have been

[26:07] positive for this. Um, and I think it'll be something that'll be truly impactful

[26:12] for our county. >> Thank you, Mr. Strad. We do have at

[26:15] least three questions right now. Uh, so the first one will be Mayor Pro Tim Win.

[26:19] » Hello, Mr. Strad. Thank you very much for being here. I appreciate that. I

[26:23] just had a small question. This sidewalk loop along Gray Highway, tell me where

[26:28] that is again. >> So, if you if you're going down Grey

[26:32] Highway, especially if you turn off of Sherling Drive onto Grey Highway, you'll

[26:36] see where there are desired trails. And so those are essentially paths way

[26:41] pathways where people and pedestrians have been walking along and you can see

[26:44] that the grass is beat down. Um and currently there are no sidewalks in that

[26:48] area. And so for most people in East Mon that need to get to grow get groceries

[26:54] um there's no way that they can walk there. You have to have a car. Uh and so

[26:58] this would go along those pathways. And you know when we submit the grant we uh

[27:04] we submit with the idea in mind. Now, this won't be able to fund two

[27:07] sidewalks. It'll be either on the right hand side going outbound or the uh

[27:12] left-hand side going outbound. Um, but you know, once we hire a consultant,

[27:17] they'll be able to give us a better understanding, do a survey to determine

[27:21] what's most feasible. >> But these are on Grey Highway either

[27:25] side of Grey Highway from where you come off on Shirling, you said to go down

[27:30] there. So you see paths of people walking in the grass and stuff down

[27:34] there already quite often. >> Yeah. This this is a this is a roadway

[27:37] that needs sidewalks if we don't already have it. But um

[27:41] » does it go the other way? Does it go towards Walmart?

[27:45] » No. Uh yes, ma'am. It will go towards Walmart because that's

[27:48] » But are there sidewalks already there? >> There's there's not going towards

[27:52] Walmart. Now, when you go in town, there are sidewalks along there, like where

[27:56] McAfee Tower, um along that side of Grey Highway, there are sidewalks, but they

[28:01] terminate um once you get to Sherling Drive.

[28:04] » Okay. >> Yes, ma'am.

[28:06] » Thank you. >> Yes,

[28:07] » Mr. Bailey. >> Yes. Um thank you, Mayor. I just want to

[28:10] recognize our engineers. Our engineers have been with us, some of them well

[28:15] over 25 years, and say what a tremendous job that you do for the city of Mon

[28:21] County. And um for the benefit of those that are in our listening area um that

[28:28] have cried out for these sidewalks for quite some time, this will also link

[28:33] some of the sidewalks as well. And these are some of those that we reviewed a

[28:37] couple of weeks ago where it had partial sidewalks, but it needed to be linked so

[28:42] that this could be a continuous biking and walking event.

[28:47] » Exactly. Exactly. >> Great. And I did have the opportunity to

[28:50] go on that ride as we went through many of the neighborhoods and determine, you

[28:56] know, what it would actually take to link those particular areas. So those of

[29:01] you that have been crying out for us to go out and take a look at those areas,

[29:06] it has been done and thank you so much Western Stride and also thank you to all

[29:10] of the other engineers that also helped to make this possible. Yes,

[29:14] » ma'am. Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Bailey,

[29:16] Commissioner Stewart. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate Mr. I

[29:18] just want to say thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to you and uh thank

[29:22] you to the administration as well because uh that's an area that uh that

[29:26] really needs some help. Um, you know, if you if you think about our good friend

[29:30] LJ Malone, he lost his father in that very spot uh up near near Walmart. Um,

[29:36] that's a gentleman now who is an old man. He has one of these high boy

[29:39] walkers and you see him. He uses the crosswalk. He's coming from McAfee

[29:42] Towers, but he uses it every day to go to the convenience store, go to CVS. And

[29:47] uh, so if we can get those sidewalks going up to Walmart, uh, that'll be a

[29:51] great win for everybody. And I'll even say myself for the 11 years I took care

[29:55] of my mother, when a car would go down, I would walk from my home out in Bowen

[29:59] Golf Course all the way down to Walmart because it was quicker than to catch the

[30:03] two buses, the East Mon bus and the North Highland bus to get there. Uh so I

[30:07] I can't thank you enough for that. Appreciate

[30:10] » Thank you, Mr. Stewart. Mr. W, you have a followup.

[30:12] » Can I have a followup real quick? You said the sidewalk will not go to

[30:15] Walmart, right? Oh, it it will it'll in fact go to Walmart and then go past it

[30:20] » where it uh hooks up >> on that side where Walmart is.

[30:23] » Yes, ma'am. Okay, that's the intent. Um there is a steep drop off. So,

[30:29] » we'll have to uh we'll have to do a a a survey to determine the feasibility of

[30:33] that. Um there's some guard rail there as well. So, um you know, once we get

[30:38] that contracted out, that'll be a part of um the review process. And they some

[30:43] come to the intersection where Sherlington Sherling is and they cross

[30:46] they can cross over to McAfee Towers and walk down there.

[30:50] » Exactly. >> Okay. All right.

[30:54] » Thank you for

[30:59] » Bronson on the phone of course as beneficial to district two and district

[31:02] three. Right. >> So we appreciate that. Yes sir.

[31:05] » Commissioner Bronson. >> Hey thank you Director for all that you

[31:10] do man. you have been really really really leading the pack on this and I

[31:13] just want to say thank you to you and your team especially uh our crews that's

[31:18] working out there. Quick question for you in regards to I know you mentioned

[31:22] Hollings uh Nottingham that runs along the leftand side of Kroger. Has that

[31:29] been identified as a connecting route because of the river crossing that we

[31:33] have on the back end for Shirley Hills? So the uh

[31:38] » the intended route will cross over Nodtingham. Uh it'll go down Curry and

[31:44] uh and cross Nodingham. And so we'll improve that intersection, but at the

[31:49] current time it is it's not intended to follow the entirety of Nottingham, just

[31:55] the cross of of uh Curry and Noddingham. >> Okay, sounds good. that that that was

[32:01] one of the the primary areas that that was been brought up from the Shirley

[32:04] Hills area including uh citizens from East Mon during our first first go

[32:09] around with this. So uh I do want to say thank you for for identifying this piece

[32:12] of it man and whatever we can do to support your need uh let us know. But

[32:16] thank you again. >> Yes sir. Thank you.

[32:19] » Thank you. Uh if there's no more questions we'll call um we'll take a

[32:22] motion to approve. >> Got a motion. Can you get a second?

[32:27] » Got a motion second. All those in favor of the motion, please say I.

[32:30] » Oppose. Nay. That motion carries. Thank you.

[32:41] » Okay, we got a item C which is a resolution making Bib County Commission

[32:44] authorizing the acceptance of a Georgia relief grant relief grant from the

[32:50] Georgia Tree Council in amount of $13,50 with no local match required to plant

[32:55] trees, oak trees and specifically at Freedom Park. Uh we had some uh bad

[33:00] weather not too long ago and knocked some trees down over there and so

[33:03] luckily we're going to be able to replace those trees uh with with new oak

[33:06] trees there at no additional cost to make Bib County. So we need to accept

[33:09] those. Can I get a motion to approve? >> Motion to approve. Got a second.

[33:14] » Got a motion second. All those in favor of the motion please say I

[33:17] » oppose. Nay. That motion carries unanimously to be sent to consent

[33:21] agenda. Uh commissioners I remind you this morning we will not be setting the

[33:24] miller rate tonight. We have got another hearing set and a vote that we set for

[33:29] uh next Wednesday, September the 9th at 9:00 and we'll take care of those. Item

[33:34] eight are dedications. The first dedication is going to be uh some Cotton

[33:37] Avenue and uh we have another one um item 8B. Commissioner Brunson, you want

[33:42] to do that while you're on the phone or you want to wait till you get back, sir?

[33:47] » Thank you, sir. >> You want to do item B when you get back

[33:49] or you want to do it tonight?

[33:53] » That's the way. Greater Little Rock Baptist Church.

[33:58] » Yeah, if we can if we can do that one tonight, that that'd be awesome.

[34:01] » Okay, we'll go ahead and do a >> They are waiting on they are waiting on

[34:03] on word from from us to get it approved. Um, but I think they should be there

[34:08] tonight. >> Okay. I'm not familiar with anybody here

[34:12] tonight on that particular, but we'll get to it in just a moment. Uh so the

[34:15] first item is a ordinance the making bib county commission to dedicate that

[34:19] portion of Cotton Avenue running between first street and Malberry Street lane

[34:23] and that portion of Mberry Street lane running between Cotton Avenue and Second

[34:27] Street in honor of Otis Reading in recognition of his achievements in music

[34:31] and significant contributions to the Minimum Bib County community.

[34:34] Appropriation of not amount not to receive $500 from the general fund

[34:37] balance in the facilities management department for the purchase of materials

[34:41] and signage and for all other lawful purposes. Uh you can see the dedication

[34:45] there on your screen and I'm not sure if anybody uh Commissioner Stewart you have

[34:49] a question or you want to make comments sir.

[34:51] » Okay. We add a sponsor. So at this time we entertain a motion to approve

[34:55] » and we'll take a second on that. Got a motion and second. All those in favor of

[34:59] the motion please say I >> oppose. Nay. That motion carries

[35:03] unanimously be sent to consent agenda. We're going to move on to item B that

[35:07] we're just talking to Commissioner Bronson about. This is an ordinance that

[35:09] he requested on making Bib County Commission to dedicate uh Emery Avenue

[35:13] in honor of Pastor H. Larry Een in recognition of his leadership and

[35:18] service to the greater Little Rock Baptist Church appropriation of amount

[35:22] not to exceed $500 from the general fund fund balance to facility management

[35:26] department of the purchase of materials and signage. I'll let Commissioner

[35:29] Bronson make that motion. Do we have a second? We have a motion and second. Uh

[35:34] anything further, Commissioner Bronson? >> No, sir. No, sir. Okay, we have a motion

[35:38] and a second. All those in favor of the motion, please say I. Opposed? Nay. That

[35:43] motion carries unanimously be sent to consent agenda. Uh ladies and gentlemen,

[35:47] that does conclude uh all the information that we have on this

[35:50] particular agenda. We did get here a little early tonight because we had

[35:54] initially in anticipated some discussion on the millage rate. Uh we do have a

[35:58] brief need to go into executive session tonight. So at this time we entertain a

[36:01] motion to go in executive session for purposes of consultation with county

[36:05] attorneys or other legal services to discuss pending or potential litigation,

[36:08] settlement claims, administrative proceedings, and all other judicial

[36:11] actions allowed by law. At this time we take a motion to go in executive

[36:14] session. And can I get a second? We got a motion and second. All those in favor

[36:18] of the motion, please say I. Opposed? Nay. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be back

[36:22] after executive session. And uh we also have a uh we'll readjourn for sure by 6

[36:27] o'clock. And at 601 we have a uh a public hearing on Londors. Right. Thank

[36:31] you.

[1:07:54] We got a motion come out of his ex session. We have a motion. Give me a

[1:07:58] second. Got a motion, a second. All those in favor of the motion, please say

[1:08:00] I. Opposed? Nay. We're going to go back uh into our regular pre-commission

[1:08:05] meeting. Just one thing I want to add. We took up an item earlier concerning

[1:08:08] Lindmore estates and a playground. Uh, Commissioner Bronson had asked a

[1:08:12] question there. So, during the break, we were able to find out an answer as well.

[1:08:15] Uh, the playground there will have a slide that allows for uh, a person in a

[1:08:21] wheelchair to slide as well as a u a separate feature there that was

[1:08:25] contained in materials that allows for a swing while you're in a wheelchair. So,

[1:08:28] it it is an inclusive playground. It's not a totally inclusive like we had at a

[1:08:32] couple of the other places, but it is an inclusive uh, in that respect. So,

[1:08:36] there's no other items on the agenda tonight. We'll be back at 6:00 uh to

[1:08:39] reconvene and at 601 we'll have our uh next public hearing concerning the

[1:08:43] military

[1:23:02] If any if anyone's here to address the commission on the millage rate for the

[1:23:07] public hearing, we have a signup book up here in front where this gentleman is.

[1:23:10] Um if you can come and sign up and uh we'll give you time to address the

[1:23:14] commission. The public hearing is going to start at 601. Thanks.

[1:29:33] If anyone's here to address the commission on the millage rate, we have

[1:29:36] a signup book up front. The millage rate uh public hearing is the book with the

[1:29:41] green um cover sheet. If you're here to address the commission about anything

[1:29:45] else uh for the regular agenda, we have the book with the orange cover sheet.

[1:29:49] Um, so if you want to talk to the commission, come on and sign up and uh

[1:29:53] we'll start our public hearing in a few minutes. Thanks.

[1:39:14] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome. Welcome to Make Bib County uh

[1:39:17] City Hall. Uh today is Tuesday, September the 1st, uh 2026, and the time

[1:39:22] is now 6:01. Uh we're having a public hearing tonight at 601. So, I want to

[1:39:26] make sure we're clear on the record. Uh this is our third public hearing

[1:39:29] regarding the millage rate and we'll have one more hearing uh our fourth will

[1:39:33] be on September the 9th uh prior to voting for uh on the military. So this

[1:39:39] time I'd like to welcome everyone here tonight. We do have one person that has

[1:39:42] signed up to speak and I will call on them in just a moment. I'll say a few

[1:39:46] words and make a brief presentation uh and then we'll have uh the gentleman

[1:39:50] come forth that like to speak on the public hearing. Uh as you recall from

[1:39:54] perhaps watching some of our other um public hearings we have uh making bib

[1:39:59] county is required by law to have public hearings if we're going to set the

[1:40:03] millage rate at the level that it was last year. Uh therefore making bib

[1:40:07] county has uh passed a budget a couple months ago uh which would call into

[1:40:12] effect the millage rate of 9.575 mills which is what we indicated then that is

[1:40:16] the same exact millage rate uh that we'll be proposing for a vote on

[1:40:21] September the 9th. Um, as a reminder, uh, the state of Georgia sets the rules

[1:40:26] and guidelines on how property taxes are, um, issued and how houses or homes

[1:40:32] are evaluated. Uh, and each department, each taxing authority has their own

[1:40:36] responsibilities. Making Bib County is a taxing authority and also the Bip County

[1:40:42] Public School System is a taxing authority. So, both of us each represent

[1:40:45] a one half taxing authority um, in making Bib County and we carry our own

[1:40:50] millage rate. Uh I understand that the school system earlier had voted or at

[1:40:54] least preliminary uh voted on their millage rate not to increase their taxes

[1:40:58] or their millage rate. Making Bib County is also not going to increase the

[1:41:02] millage rate and leave the millage rate the same. Uh the tax assessor is in

[1:41:07] charge with evaluating your home to see what the value of that home is and they

[1:41:12] are um they have to rely on what the state of Georgia issues them for

[1:41:15] regulations to determine how to value the property that you have. Like many of

[1:41:20] you, I own property in Mon Bip County and certainly uh I'm not totally pleased

[1:41:25] with the the process that the state of Georgia uses to evaluate um properties

[1:41:30] and how they determine what taxes are to be paid by individuals. Uh but I do know

[1:41:36] that we have to fund necessary services for our government. Uh and this is the

[1:41:41] process we have. So we must follow that legal process. The tax commissioner is

[1:41:45] in charge of mailing the bills out and collecting that tax. uh and you'll

[1:41:49] receive those after the mill rates are improved. Uh you will get those by mail

[1:41:53] to your homes uh for for payment. As mentioned earlier, I I'll mention it

[1:41:58] again today, is that Monip County has collected less property taxes in 2025,

[1:42:08] which is the last year before this year, uh, than we we previously collected in

[1:42:12] the previous years, uh, going back to 20 roughly

[1:42:17] um, 2020 21 when we passed the OLAS, which is the one penny additional sales

[1:42:22] tax, uh, we were somewhere over $90 million of total collections for

[1:42:26] property taxes in Bib County. Uh this millage rate assumes uh the total taxes

[1:42:31] collected for totally for making Bib County um only is $67 million. Of that

[1:42:38] $67 million, only $16 million comes from property owners that have a homestead

[1:42:43] exemption. Uh that represents only 7% uh 007% of our entire budget, which I

[1:42:52] think is important to uh to note. Uh recently someone asked uh what we plan

[1:42:57] to do with additional money that we collect and um there are no new spending

[1:43:01] priorities outside of public safety. Public safety last year received budgets

[1:43:06] uh for certain amounts and each of those budgets for the police and fire went

[1:43:10] substantially over their budgeted amount. Therefore, this money will be to

[1:43:13] maintain our public safety which our citizens have told us is one of their

[1:43:18] top priorities. It also represents 57% of our budget. So at this time we're

[1:43:23] going to start our presentation and I'll start with some historical background.

[1:43:27] On your screen you should be able to determine that in fiscal year 2021

[1:43:32] uh which I believe outside of uh commissioner mayor pro win was

[1:43:36] everyone's at least first year here or subsequent after that in 2021 the miller

[1:43:41] rate in making bib county which is the tax rate. The only thing this this board

[1:43:45] of commissioners and mayor do is set your tax rate based on the value of the

[1:43:49] property was 20.331. In 2022, that amount was reduced to

[1:43:55] 19.901. In 2023, that rate was reduced to 17.9.

[1:44:01] 2024 10.723. 2025 9.9. And in 2026, 9.575.

[1:44:10] As you can see in that last uh column there in 2027, the proposal is to keep

[1:44:14] that miller rate exactly the same. That would not result in a 9% tax increase

[1:44:19] across the homeowners in making Bib County because one half of our digest uh

[1:44:22] is commercial. In fact, if your home value last year was the same, then you

[1:44:27] you receive the same exact bill that you did this year. Uh if your home has

[1:44:30] decreased in value, your bill will go down. And if your your home has

[1:44:34] increased in value, then your bill may go up depending on your exemptions. Uh

[1:44:37] next slide, please. This tells you where the most of our

[1:44:41] money is being spent and we want to give that to you. But also note a couple of

[1:44:44] things. Uh 2021 you can see the total amount for our our public safety. These

[1:44:49] are the the departments we consider public safety in making Bib County. You

[1:44:53] can look at department by department if you like to. The total amount in 2021

[1:44:57] was $94 million approximately. In 2027, you see the total amount is $125

[1:45:03] million. uh plus that is a six-year change of $31

[1:45:09] million. So when you talk about increased uh payments and where the

[1:45:14] money goes, you can see an increase of $31 million being spent for public

[1:45:19] safety in these departments here uh without a tax increase and while keeping

[1:45:24] the millage rate roll back each and every year up until this year keeping it

[1:45:28] the same. Next slide. These are some other departments that we

[1:45:32] talked to you about during our budget time that we felt like was important uh

[1:45:35] that needed to highlight. One of those is information technology. Information

[1:45:38] technology or it uh has climbed from 5.2 uh 5.2 million per year uh up till last

[1:45:46] year fiscally 27 this year of 9.1. Quite honestly in today's environment we

[1:45:51] all realize uh how many people are out there can get your accounts and the

[1:45:56] security nature that we have to worry about including many government that

[1:45:59] have gotten cyber attacks including making Bip County have had other issues

[1:46:03] as well. Recreation is something that's always important to give something for

[1:46:07] our people to do uh especially our children our seniors and we've increased

[1:46:12] our our recreation spending from 2021 to 4.6 6 million to a high in 2027 this

[1:46:18] budget $8 million. Our beautifification efforts also because this is what people

[1:46:23] are telling us in Bacon and Biff County is $2.4 million back in 2021

[1:46:28] increased in 2026 to 4.6 million and we scaled back a little bit this year of

[1:46:33] about $391,000 but a net six-year change of $1.88 million.

[1:46:40] Next slide. This is our timeline for the proposed

[1:46:44] Milliey's timeline. Uh we had our first uh hearing on August 28th. On September

[1:46:49] the 1st, 2026 was this morning at 9:00. We had our second hearing. Uh today

[1:46:53] we're having a third hearing, September the 1st at 60:01. And then September the

[1:46:57] 9th, 2026, which is next Wednesday at 9:00. We'll have our final hearing and

[1:47:03] then we set for a vote for September 9th, 2026 at 9:05. Uh if you signed up

[1:47:09] to speak tonight regarding an item that has millage rate on the agenda, there is

[1:47:13] no millage rate on the agenda tonight. So that is not an agenda item. Uh that's

[1:47:17] all the presentation that we have right now. We have one person uh that signed

[1:47:21] up to speak regarding the millage rate and I'll ask him count if you don't mind

[1:47:26] coming forward now.

[1:47:32] you're speaking to that microphone and and please state your name and identify

[1:47:36] yourself. >> Cavage,

[1:47:40] this is a bag of Clancy's wavy potato chips that I

[1:47:46] bought at Aldi's in Mon for approximately half the cost of a

[1:47:51] nationally advertised wavy potato chip. I had it for lunch when I was going

[1:47:58] through my business feeds and finance and tax feeds after I was at your

[1:48:04] hearing this morning and I noticed it's manufactured in Canada.

[1:48:09] I said this morning, I support your program because it's fiscally

[1:48:13] responsible and you're not increasing the burden on the citizens through the

[1:48:19] cost of government, which you're very careful to manage in a very conservative

[1:48:23] way, not wasting money like they do in Fort Lauderdale.

[1:48:29] The increase, no matter at what rate the federal government decides,

[1:48:35] will increase the cost of this potato chip from four to 20 times the increase

[1:48:43] of any possible effect of anybody on any of the increased collections of tax

[1:48:50] monies. I want people to understand that this government, the county government

[1:48:56] of making bib is not part of the problem of impoverishing and making things more

[1:49:03] expensive. You're trying to keep costs low. When you see what's gone on in the

[1:49:09] last six years, you can see a fiscally responsible government. People should

[1:49:14] understand that the mayor and the mayor prom and the commissioners are doing an

[1:49:18] excellent four-star job. And if anybody complains about the cost of living

[1:49:24] because of such things as doubling the cost of my potato chips, it's because of

[1:49:29] the federal government and not because of our county government and the elected

[1:49:34] officials here today.

[1:49:40] » Thank you, sir. We appreciate your comments. Uh that concludes our public

[1:49:44] hearing and we're going to begin with our board of commissioners meeting. I'll

[1:49:47] give our comm communications department time to set up for that.

[1:50:03] » Well, good evening again ladies and gentlemen. Again, this is uh our making

[1:50:06] BIP County Board of Commission's regular meeting. This is our schedule meeting

[1:50:09] for the month. Uh today is Tuesday, September the 1st, and the time is

[1:50:12] approximately uh 6:12. Like to welcome everyone here uh to the uh meeting

[1:50:17] tonight. We'll begin our meeting like we always do with a prayer. Our prayer

[1:50:21] tonight is by Miss Kathy Branzel, the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Thank

[1:50:25] you for being here tonight. Those of you that can and will, please stand up and

[1:50:28] bow your head while she leads us in the prayer and then we'll be followed by the

[1:50:31] pledge of allegiance. Thank you.

[1:50:35] » Thank you. Heavenly everlasting father, we come

[1:50:39] before you tonight with hearts filled with gratitude. We thank you for these

[1:50:44] extraordinary people before us who have poured their life out in service to you

[1:50:49] and service to make babe County to love their neighbor

[1:50:54] and to listen. Lord, I pray tonight that they would hear your voice whispered in

[1:51:00] their ear of your wisdom. I pray that their heads, their thoughts would be

[1:51:04] filled with your understanding. I pray their hearts would be filled with the

[1:51:08] knowledge of you and your word so that we could move together. We could move

[1:51:13] forward together in loving our neighbor where you've

[1:51:18] established us and called us to live. I thank you that uh they come as

[1:51:24] servants. I thank you that uh we are here to cheer them on in prayer and not

[1:51:29] to be their critics. And so I ask that your peace that surpasses all

[1:51:36] understanding would rest in this place and your power would compel us to go out

[1:51:41] loving one another and moving forward together. In the mighty name of Jesus we

[1:51:46] pray. Amen. >> Amen.

[1:51:50] I allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for it

[1:51:56] stands one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for all

[1:52:04] may be seated.

[1:52:10] At this time, I'll ask our mayor promis Valerie Wyn to step down to the podium

[1:52:13] for a presentation to Barbara Higgby, a cancer survivor, a proclamation

[1:52:17] recognizing September as ovarian cancer awareness month. And after she does that

[1:52:22] and presents that uh to Miss Higgby, we'll hear a few remarks from her as

[1:52:26] well. >> Hate to have my back to the audience,

[1:52:30] but we'll do that. Miss Higgby, >> I'll ask our comms director to come down

[1:52:35] there and turn that around for you at least sideways.

[1:52:51] You're good. I'm fine.

[1:53:01] » May begin. >> That was a wonderful prayer. Um I have a

[1:53:06] proclamation tonight from the office of mayor Monib County Georgia. Whereas on

[1:53:12] behalf of the citizens of Monib County, I am pleased to join atrium health

[1:53:17] navigent in celebrating the month of September 2026 as ovarian cancer

[1:53:23] awareness month in Mon Bib County. And whereas the aim of ovarian cancer

[1:53:29] awareness month is to inform Americans about the risk factors and symptoms of

[1:53:35] ovarian cancer. And whereas ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of

[1:53:41] cancer deaths of women in the United States and causes more deaths than any

[1:53:46] other gyneic cancer. And whereas in the United States, a woman's lifetime risk

[1:53:52] of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer is about 1 in 78.

[1:53:58] Whereas the American Cancer Society estimates 21,10

[1:54:02] cases of ovarian cancer will be newly diagnosed in 2022 and 12,450

[1:54:10] individuals will die from the disease nationwide, including an estimated 650

[1:54:16] new cases and 300 deaths in Georgia. And whereas the five-year survival rate for

[1:54:23] ovarian cancer is 50% and survival rates vary greatly

[1:54:28] depending on the stage of the diagnosis. And whereas there is currently no

[1:54:35] reliable screening test for the early detection of ovarian cancer. And I have

[1:54:39] to stop and say I did not know that. It's amazing. Making awareness of the

[1:54:45] signs and symptoms especially important. And whereas symptoms of ovarian cancer

[1:54:51] may include persistent bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or

[1:54:58] feeling full quickly and urinary symptoms. And whereas September is

[1:55:03] nationally recognized as ovarian cancer awareness month, providing an

[1:55:08] opportunity to increase education and awareness, honor survivors, remember

[1:55:13] those who have lost their lives to the disease, and support those currently

[1:55:18] facing an ovarian cancer diagnosis. And therefore, in the I'm doing this for

[1:55:24] Lester Miller. Lester and Miller do hereby proclaim September 2026

[1:55:29] as ovarian cancer awareness month in Mon Bib County. I urge all central Georgians

[1:55:36] to familiarize themselves with the warning signs, symptoms, and risk

[1:55:40] factors associated with ovarian cancer so that we might begin to reduce the

[1:55:46] devastating effects cancer imposes on our state. and witness thereof, I have

[1:55:51] here to set my hand and cause the seal of the consolidated government to be

[1:55:56] affixed this first day of September 2026. Lester M mayor Miller mayor and I

[1:56:02] wanted to present this to you and I know would you like to say a few words?

[1:56:06] » Yes.

[1:56:10] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. >> You're welcome.

[1:56:12] » Members of the committee, I appreciate you. Um, I just want to add I've got

[1:56:18] cards, symptom cards. I was diagnosed in March of 2017.

[1:56:24] Um, and I was 59 years old. I was blindsided. Knew nothing

[1:56:32] about cancer. I just, you know, people go and get treated and then they're

[1:56:36] okay. Well, unfortunately, I've got the reoccurring

[1:56:41] kind and I in 2018 when it came back, I was given two years.

[1:56:50] I cried all the way home. I'm like, he doesn't know me. And then overall for

[1:56:57] stage 3C diagnosis, your average is five years. So, I'm here to tell you that it

[1:57:03] can be done. You can stand up here and fight. I've got two daughters and one

[1:57:09] granddaughter. I I really fight for them foremost.

[1:57:16] I know a 16-year-old that is a fiveyear survivor.

[1:57:24] » It's not just older women. It's all ages. And cancer, unfortunately, is just

[1:57:31] thriving. You know, we all have to do something about it.

[1:57:36] So, you know, I I meet people, I tell them,

[1:57:40] if a doctor looks at you like crazy in the head, don't be afraid to go

[1:57:45] somewhere else because we all got to know our bodies. Everybody's got a mom,

[1:57:52] a sister, a wife, a girlfriend, a daughter, and it can affect any age.

[1:58:01] Not just the patient, but the caregivers, you know, the ones that call

[1:58:07] and ask you, "Well, mom, how was this CAT scan?"

[1:58:14] my uh a dear friend, a little sister who lost her wings,

[1:58:21] you know her, she said cancer ain't for punks.

[1:58:27] » So, I just want to be here and let y'all know that I try to spread awareness and

[1:58:35] please take these cards and Yeah. No, a pepstor does not detect

[1:58:43] ovarian cancer or the other, you know, cervical endometrial, vaginal, vulvver.

[1:58:51] There's so much. I also have another group. It's called below the waist, you

[1:58:58] know. Um, there's a lot of things that you can do. September, we wear teal. We

[1:59:04] wear teal because like ovarian cancer, it's a hard

[1:59:09] diagnosis. Teal is a hard color. You look in a pack of crayons, there's not a

[1:59:14] teal color. You have to either make it or keep looking. It's a hard color to

[1:59:19] find sometimes. So that's why we wear teal.

[1:59:23] And you know, the butterfly is

[1:59:29] kind of our symbol, you know, how the ovaries are.

[1:59:33] And I just absolutely love butterfly releases.

[1:59:39] » Um I've already picked a grave site where once a year at the cemetery they

[1:59:43] do a butterfly release. So anyway, I'm

[1:59:50] just a girl from a a small town originally in Michigan.

[1:59:55] I lived in Georgia back in the late 80s for five years. I'm back here now. I

[2:00:02] knew I still had love in my life and I love anybody who can spread the

[2:00:08] news. Thank you for your time.

[2:00:13] [applause]

[2:00:19] » Yes. Thank you. >> She's gonna be here for any of these.

[2:00:46] Thank you for being here tonight, Barbara, and thank you for sharing your

[2:00:48] testimony. I know it's very heartfelt and I think everybody in this room uh

[2:00:53] can agree that we know someone uh that cancer has touched their lives. So, we

[2:00:58] appreciate what you do. Continue to advocate for that and thank you for

[2:01:01] being here tonight. Mayor Prom, thank you for presenting that uh to her as

[2:01:05] well. Uh we do have a few items um on the agenda that people want to talk

[2:01:10] about and a couple of those are now. So, Miss Kaylee Puit, Miss Puit, good to see

[2:01:14] you again. Where did she go? I see you there. She's been here waiting

[2:01:17] patiently. If you don't mind, you can go over there to the podium over there or

[2:01:21] be fine. And she wanted to speak in regarding the funding for the SS4A

[2:01:26] approval that we voted on at pre-commission uh tonight. Right. Oh,

[2:01:32] good evening, Mayor Miller and commissioners. Um, thank you for the

[2:01:35] opportunity to speak today. I'm Kaylee Puit. Uh many of you know me through my

[2:01:40] work with bikewalk min but I also serve on the pedestrian safety review board

[2:01:44] min bib county transit authority and the citizens advisory and complete street

[2:01:49] committees. Uh bikewalk makin's work has also expanded into advocating for the

[2:01:53] continued growth of the mmogi heritage trail. Um tonight I simply wanted to

[2:01:57] thank you for approving the local match for the safe streets and roads for all

[2:02:01] implementation grant and for recognizing the incredible opportunity this

[2:02:05] represents for East Mon. This grant brings more than 5.6 million in federal

[2:02:10] funding to make bib county. Combined with the local match, this represents a

[2:02:14] more than 7 million investment in safer infrastructure and connectivity for our

[2:02:19] community and it helps us fulfill our complete streets and vision zero

[2:02:24] obligations. While the local match will be spread over 5 years, the impact of

[2:02:28] these improvements will last for generations. This funding allows us to

[2:02:32] address one of our most dangerous roadways, Grey Highway. According to GOT

[2:02:37] crash data from the last 10 years, there were 27 pedestrian related crashes along

[2:02:42] this corridor, resulting in nine fatalities. And unfortunately, this is

[2:02:47] simply not a problem from the past. Pedestrian pedestrian crashes continue

[2:02:52] to occur along Grey Highway, including a pedestrian fatality earlier this summer.

[2:02:57] Thousands of East Min residents live within walking distance of Grey Highway.

[2:03:01] Yet much of the corridor lacks safe infrastructure for people biking and

[2:03:05] walking. For many residents, these options are not a recreation choice.

[2:03:10] It's how they access groceries, work, services, and everyday needs. But too

[2:03:14] often, they are forced to navigate a high conflict roadway with

[2:03:18] infrastructure without the infrastructure needed to keep them safe.

[2:03:21] This investment helps change that. This project will create approximately three

[2:03:26] miles of safer pedestrian and multimmoal infrastructure, including new sidewalks

[2:03:30] along Grey Highway from Sherling Drive to Woodlon Drive and improvements along

[2:03:34] Boulevard's ride ofway that will create a connection to the Altmogi Heritage

[2:03:38] Trail Riverwalk. Together, these improvements will strengthen safety and

[2:03:42] access throughout the area. Most importantly, they will create separation

[2:03:45] between people walking, biking, and a roadway carrying approximately 40,000

[2:03:50] vehicles per day. Safe crossings and connected infrastructure will give

[2:03:55] residents an alternative to walking along the shoulder of one of our busiest

[2:03:58] roadways. These improvements will save lives. And this the support for this

[2:04:03] work is clear. Approximately a hundred neighbors expressed support for safer

[2:04:06] infrastructure along Grey Highway and in the North Highlands neighborhood. The

[2:04:10] project also received support from senators OAF and Waro, demonstrating

[2:04:14] broad recognition for the importance of investing in this corridor. What makes

[2:04:18] this especially exciting is it goes beyond Grey Highway. The improvements

[2:04:22] along Boulevard will connect Grey Highway and the North Highlands

[2:04:25] neighborhood to the northern end of the Riverwalk. That connection is about more

[2:04:30] than addressing a dangerous roadway. It's an opportunity for us to build a

[2:04:33] more connected, multimodal transportation network, and give Monites

[2:04:37] another way to move between neighborhoods, access destinations, and

[2:04:41] connect to one of our community's greatest recreational assets without

[2:04:44] having to interact with high-speed traffic. for $7 million. This represents

[2:04:49] an incredible investment for our city. It's an investment in safety. It's an

[2:04:53] investment in access. And it's an investment in expanding and connecting

[2:04:57] our trail system. I know the local match represents a very significant commitment

[2:05:01] on our city's behalf. But spread over 5 years, I truly believe it's worth the

[2:05:06] investment for safe improvements, infrastructure, and opportunities that

[2:05:09] it will bring to East Mon and our trail system. Thank you for recognizing the

[2:05:13] value and for making this investment possible. and thank you for your

[2:05:16] leadership and for continuing to move these projects like this forward.

[2:05:22] » Thank you, >> Miss Brewer. We appreciate you being

[2:05:25] here tonight. Mr. Cam Otter,

[2:05:29] » Mr. Otter want to speak on similar items, items KM and uh N as well.

[2:05:36] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the commission. I I will proceed directly

[2:05:40] into those agenda items without repeating uh Miss Kaylee Puit's fine

[2:05:45] remarks which I admire and applaud in their entirety. Um I would just like

[2:05:50] just a personal moment just quite briefly to be back in this room again

[2:05:53] and given a chance to speak in memory of Mayor George Israel. I know that Mayor

[2:05:57] Israel from this city hall had an impact throughout the city and throughout the

[2:06:01] state of Georgia. I had the occasion to meet Mayor Israel when he was quite

[2:06:06] early in his term and I was graduating over at Georgia College. He was being

[2:06:11] honored and was on the platform with the school officers. It was hot. People were

[2:06:17] moving slow and I had an opportunity carrying my shiny new diploma to just

[2:06:22] lean in and ask if the city of Mon was hiring. His smiling, chuckling response

[2:06:29] to that was a very nice commendation of his good humor about government uh

[2:06:34] saluting the memory of Mayor George Israel. Thank you. Thank you for that

[2:06:38] moment. I'm here with a little context on uh following up on bikewalk mak's

[2:06:44] representative again, Miss Puit. The UG College of Public Health and Imra

[2:06:50] University are united in identifying the health value of green space uh running

[2:06:58] water and the opportunity taken as much as possible to move throughout the day.

[2:07:04] Uh making providing safe sidewalks, safe access to community services including

[2:07:10] health care, libraries, pickle ball, all the fine things about life. It involves

[2:07:17] do people have a safe way to get there? As well, I'm saluting the vision and the

[2:07:22] expansion of the Oak Mogi Heritage Trail. Saw the mayor and other city

[2:07:27] representatives, city county representatives down there last Thursday

[2:07:31] for a very dramatic expansion of the trail northward along the river. And the

[2:07:36] promise is more to come. Well done. Nicely done in that regard.

[2:07:42] I'll move in and that was item uh praising item M on the agenda. Moving to

[2:07:49] item N on the agenda. I was in contact with Mel Sparrow from the tree program

[2:07:55] today and this Georgia relief grant accepted by Mon Bib County from the

[2:08:01] Georgia Tree Council puts us a good step closer to having a tree canopy of 50% in

[2:08:08] Mon. What I hope will happen with this spark plug in place is to perhaps use

[2:08:14] the street scan software, we use it to survey the sidewalks, investigate the

[2:08:19] opportunities that Georgia Tech has available for counting the tree canopy.

[2:08:25] It's not an exact science, but we're getting a lot closer. The 50% goal comes

[2:08:30] from the city of Atlanta, and unfortunately, they've had some slippage

[2:08:34] in that regard. This is our opportunity for Mon to restore a major city to the

[2:08:39] 50% tree canopy level. I'm I'm eager to serve with a shovel when the opportunity

[2:08:45] comes up. And finally, the acceptance of the community block development grant

[2:08:51] from 2020 for the play structure at Lynmore Estates Park. Item K on your

[2:08:57] agenda. Very much appreciate support for that. Do you see the span of all ages

[2:09:03] there? From the youngest to the oldest, we can all benefit from a physically

[2:09:07] active, wide openen green space community. So, commendation for item K,

[2:09:14] praise for item N, and salute for item M. What gives me confidence going

[2:09:21] forward? As one of our previous speakers spoke, and I'll close on this point, I

[2:09:25] took a close look at the sidewalk project that's coming on Jeffersonville

[2:09:29] Road, a very other very necessary project. And within the public record, I

[2:09:36] found a process of competitive bidding that contacted was it 130 companies,

[2:09:43] potential contractors, saying come to make them. I believe it was seven of

[2:09:47] them who offered responsive and responsible bids to a very detailed set

[2:09:53] of specifications about that project. Then to pave the way there was a Q&A

[2:09:59] with the Mon Bib County Procurement Department further refining those

[2:10:05] specifications to make sure the contractor knew what they were getting

[2:10:08] into. What's my point? Good stewardship of the money. a well necessary project

[2:10:16] with careful management of the fiscal side of the house. So I stand in praise,

[2:10:22] compliment and salute. Thank you for your attention to these uh ordinance and

[2:10:26] resolution items today. >> Thank you, Mr. Otter. Thank you for

[2:10:30] being here tonight. Uh we have a approval of the minutes for August the

[2:10:34] 4th, 2026. Approval of the minutes. I got a motion to approve. Got a motion by

[2:10:39] Commissioner Cook. We have a second. Second by Commissioner Bailey. Have a

[2:10:43] motion and second. All those in favor of the motion, please say I.

[2:10:46] » Oppose. Nay. That motion carries. We do have a consent agenda. The consent

[2:10:50] agenda tonight uh it carries from A through Q with the exception of O. O was

[2:10:55] the item uh that was removed uh from the agenda tonight uh in way of next

[2:11:01] Wednesday's 9926 vote. So, we'll do the consent agenda only on those items. And

[2:11:07] then I'll have after that I'll allow Commissioner Brunson who is uh on the

[2:11:10] telephone tonight uh to speak about the last item item Q uh on the agenda as an

[2:11:16] item that he sponsored for dedication. So at this time I entertain a motion to

[2:11:19] approve the consent agenda items A through Q with the exception of O. Got a

[2:11:25] motion. Can I get a second? Got a motion and second. All those in favor of the

[2:11:28] motion, please say I. Opposed? Nay. That motion carries. I'll go ahead and let

[2:11:33] Mr. Bronson uh say a few words now regarding the dedication. This is the

[2:11:37] dedication uh that we voted on earlier for the greater Little Rock Baptist

[2:11:41] Church and spec specifically uh Emery Avenue in honor of Pastor H. Larry Een.

[2:11:47] Uh Commissioner Bronson. >> Hey T. We're doing a dedication uh for

[2:11:53] for Reverend E and and all the work that he has done for the community and and

[2:11:57] that church and so forth. Um I don't have really a lot to to say on that end

[2:12:02] being that I I don't believe any of the representatives are there from the

[2:12:04] family. Uh but they do send their appreciation to all the commissioners

[2:12:08] and the mayor uh for supporting this initiative uh to bring light to a a

[2:12:13] person that's done amazing things not just for the community but for all

[2:12:17] people of different races and so forth. Uh, and I think this is a great

[2:12:21] opportunity for us to continue that uh, their legacy. And uh, I just encourage

[2:12:25] everyone to take an opportunity to read throughout their bio uh, and just see

[2:12:30] some of the things that have done and and encourage other commissioners to

[2:12:33] continue to move forth with uh, acknowledging our leaders throughout the

[2:12:36] community. >> Thank you, Commissioner Bronson, for

[2:12:39] those remarks and thanks commissioners for uh, supporting that. Uh, we have two

[2:12:44] items on the public comments on non-aggenda item. one of those we

[2:12:46] mentioned earlier that got moved to the non-aggenda item because

September 1, 2026 Pre-Commission Meeting, FY27 Public Hearing #3, & Commission Meeting

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