By Ken Gustafson

AMERICUS – The Sumter County Board of Commissioners held their monthly meeting on Tuesday. At the meeting, the board approved the sale of five surplus Ford Crown Victorias that had been owned and operated by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. These vehicles include two 2001 Crown Victorias, one 2005, one 2007, and one 2011 model. These vehicles will be posted on www.govdeals.com for sale to the general public.
According to County Clerk Rayetta Volley, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office submitted vehicle inspection forms for these vehicles. Volley said two of the vehicles have over 200,000 miles on them, one has 96,000 and another has 130,000. said all of the vehicles have holes in the interior from the radio equipment being taken out and the 2005 vehicle’s rear bumper is torn.
A motion to approve the sale of the surplus vehicles, pending the approval of the county clerk, was made by Commissioner George Torbert. Commissioner Mark Waddell seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
The board heard from Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department (SCPRD) Director Tim Estes. Estes reported that the 12u Sumter County All-Star Baseball Team finished third in the state at the GPRA State Tournament, and the final week of Summer Day Camp is this week and that it has gone really well all summer. His only concern was that they started out with 47 people, and then people went on vacation and didn’t pay for the week that they went on vacation. “Some dropped out and we dwindled down to about 35,” Estes said. “For next year, I’d like to look at a way that we can retain what we are getting.”
Estes expressed to the Board his displeasure with the local contractors charged with the construction of the new gymnastics building at The Columns at Boone Park. “I am about as frustrated as I can be with our local contractors. They are six weeks behind,” Estes said. “The building is up, but it’s not attached to the other building. Therefore, we can’t hook the heating and air up. It has just been a mess.”
Estes also reported that fall registration for football, soccer and cheerleading started Monday, July 16 and will go through Aug. 10. “With soccer, football and cheerleading going on, we have more kids participating in the fall than at any other time of the year,” Estes said. Estes mentioned that on Saturday, July 21, the SCPRD is partnering with Phoebe Sumter Medical Center for the second year to host the Children’s Health Fair at the The Columns at Boone Park Community Center. The fair start sat 8 a.m.
Bill Starr, Extension coordinator for the Sumter County Extension Office of the University of Georgia, requested that the board allocate a county contribution of $2,000 to assist local AmeriCorps member Haley Wilson with training, branding materials (t-shirts, name tags, etc.), health insurance and other program-related costs. As an AmeriCorps member, Wilson’s duties include working with youth who are involved in numerous 4-H Club programs. Starr said AmeriCorps has had a member in Sumter County for six years. According to Starr, Wilson, a student at GSW, has served as the local AmeriCorps member for two years. Starr said that AmeriCorps people work for very little money. “She (Wilson) is given a stipend of $600 a month,” Starr said. According to Starr, Wilson is volunteering for AmeriCorps to receive an annual educational grant at the end of her annual service. She has to serve at least 900 hours a year to be eligible for that educational grant. “The grant is half of what a PELL Grant would be,” Starr said. “Wilson served the 900 hours during the 2017-18 year. Now, we’re looking at 2018-19. Hopefully, she’ll serve that 900-hour requirement.”
County Financial Director Janice Jarvis said that Starr made this request when he submitted his budget request and that the funds are budgeted in the Drug Abuse Treatment and Education (DATE) funds for this program. County Attorney Kimberly Reid said that in order to receive DATE funds, the extension office must make sure that drug education is covered and that a letter will need to be received stating that the funds will be used for such. Starr said drug and alcohol education is covered in 4-H Club meetings. A motion to approve the request was made by Commissioner Torbert and seconded by Commissioner Thomas Jordan and passed unanimously.
The board addressed the vacancies in the Sumter County Board of Family and Children Services and the Land Bank Authority. Rayetta Volley said that advertisement for these positions hadn’t begun yet. She suggested to the board that advertisements begin and continue for the next 30 days. Chairman Randy Howard asked if there was a motion to approve Volley’s advertisement for the positions for a period of 30 days. Commissioner Waddell made a motion for approval and Commissioner Torbert seconded it. It passed unanimously.
As far as the Lease Agreement for Criminal Justice was concerned, County Administrator Bill Twomey said that he and Attorney Reid have been negotiating with the state properties people about the agreement. Twomey said Reid made some language modifications in the proposed agreement. Yearly rent increases up to the year 2027 have been included in the agreement. The rent will increase every year up to that point. Reid recommended to the board that they approve the lease agreement so that if the state approves the language modifications, the agreement can be activated. A motion to approve the agreement was made by Jordan and seconded by Torbert, and passed unanimously.
The board approved the proposed Indigent Defense Contract and Addendum between the Office of the Circuit Public Defender of the Southwestern Judicial Circuit and governing authorities of Lee, Macon, Schley, Stewart, Sumter and Webster Counties for the second half of 2018. Waddell made a motion for approval and Torbert seconded. It passed unanimously.
The board briefly discussed the Inmate Telecommunications Service Agreement with Combined Public Communications, LLC. Reid said she has been working on this and that there are revisions that need to be made in the agreement. She also said that there are issues that need to be worked out with the company. There was an inquiry as to whether this was the same company that is used by the jail. It was decided by the board to discuss this further at the August work session.
The board discussed the approval for a change in the wording of the county’s Policies and Procedures statement regarding longevity increases for Sumter County employees. At issue was the changing the wording from an employee receiving an increase the “first pay period” in January or July, following their anniversary date to “the first full pay period” in January or July, following their anniversary date. Sumter County HR Director Susan Merritt said changes need to be made to the salary chart as a result of the pay increases employees are receiving. The board decided that the issue will be discussed at the August work session.
The board approved the ratification of the Health Promotion and Well-Being Grant. Waddell made the motion for approval and Torbert seconded it. It passed unanimously.
The board approved an agreement between Sumter County and the Sumter Humane Society in the amount of $50,000. Additional language was added to the agreement to reflect the 12,000 square-foot building that the county provides for the humane society with a fair market value of $60,000. A motion for approval of the agreement was made by Commissioner Clay Jones and seconded by Waddell, and passed unanimously.
The board discussed the approval of the purchase of the property at 898 Young Mills Road for $5,000 plus fire fees on the structure. The property currently has a fire station located on it. A motion for approval was made by Jordan and seconded by Waddell. It passed unanimously.
The board also discussed the approval of the letter to the Georgia Department of Transportation to confirm the department’s intent to proceed with and fund the Design General Aviation Apron Crack Seal, Apron Overlay, Apron Expansion and the relocation of the fuel facility, as well as land acquisition and donated land (4.9683 acres) at the Jimmy Carter Regional Airport. County Administrator Twomey told the board that he has not been heavily involved in the matter, but has been “on the peripheral” about it. “These types of agreements and transactions are typical at airports,” Twomey said. He said there is no additional transaction happening at this time and that the land was donated from the state several years ago. “The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Aviation allows the airport authority to incrementally use part of that donated land as a matching fund. That’s what the reference to the donated land is referring to,” Twomey said. A motion for approval of the letter was made by Jones, seconded by Torbert, and passed unanimously.
The board approved a work detail agreement with the Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe. Twomey told the board that this agreement is done every year and it is a reciprocal agreement. He also said that the agreement was in place long before he became the county administrator. Attorney Reid told the board that it is up to them to go ahead and approve the agreement, or they could have her look at the agreement to see if changes need to be made. A motion for approving the agreement, pending Reid’s approval, was made by Jones and seconded by Waddell. It passed unanimously.
The board discussed a meeting date for a public hearing and a special called meeting for the millage rate. The board decided to have a public hearing at 6 p.m. Aug. 1, with the special called meeting to follow immediately after.
In other business, Twomey expressed his concern that the county hasn’t received funds from the Livestock Authority. According to Twomey, Bill Krenson, a CPA with the firm of Chambliss, Shephard, Roland & Associates, performed an audit on the authority last year. Krenson wrote a letter to the livestock authority’s chairman requesting that the funds be paid after the audit was completed. The request was ignored. Twomey said that Krenson asked him to get with Attorney Reid to strongly admonish the livestock authority chairman to pay the funds owed. According to Twomey, the livestock authority owes Sumter County close to $40,000.
Waddell made a motion to go into closed session to discuss litigation and personnel matters. Torbert seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.