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The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. Click here to donate through PayPal. Becky Watts: Phone # 770-468-7583 editor@pikecountytimes.com
 
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Rendering of the Dollar General.

Hands raised against the teen rehab center.
 
REGULAR BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MONTHLY MEETING
Tuesday, January 26, 2016 – 6:30 p.m.
Courthouse Annex, 79 Jackson Street, Zebulon, Georgia

All 5 commissioners were present along with County Clerk Jo Ann Wrye, County Manager (CM) John Hanson, and County Attorneys Rob and Tom Morton. The room was standing room only.

1. CALL TO ORDER....................................................................................Chairman J. Briar Johnson

2. INVOCATION……………………………………………………………………………Ben Maxedon

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE...................................................................Chairman J. Briar Johnson

4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. § 50-14-1 (e) (1))

CM Hanson had the following changes: Move Dollar General to Invited Guest. Add item I approval of resolution to allow Magistrate to collect law library fees. Remove Michael Cox because he presented during the town hall.

5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e) (2))

a. Minutes of the January 13, 2016 Regular Monthly Meeting.

6. INVITED GUESTS - None

Approve/deny the development agreement between Pike County and Dollar General at Bottoms Road. [This was moved from the end of the meeting.]

Tom Hodges was there from Taramore Development. He presented a proposed building, landscaping, etc. Mr. Hodges and CM Hanson worked together to come up with the design for it. The rear and the side of the building facing Pike Propane was a concern. County Attorney pointed out that the 10 conditions that were approved on October 27th. The masonry will be brick and masonry panel.

Commissioner Jenkins said that the conditions approved at the time, but that we (as in the commissioners) wanted to have input on the final development stages of this. We were going to have a development agreement. He said that we were told that we would have some input on the final rendering. County Attorney Rob Morton said that you’re not voting on any plans tonight. You will still have to approve the plans once the construction plans, etc. He said that the issues were brought discussed in December including the height of the sign, etc. If there are additional concerns, tonight is the night to discuss it. Commissioner Jenkins said that the rendering looks great but has a concern on the view of the back of the building. The back and side of the building will be a white type of paneling with a dark border around it. There will also be a landscape screen to help cover the back of the building.

David Allen, Director of Planning and Zoning, said that the county tried to incorporate the Overlay Agreement requirements within reason to this piece of property even though it is not in the Overlay District. The process from here will be presentation of erosion, retention pond, parking, architectural etc. plans to Director Allen’s office. [Note from the Editor: Apparently, the commissioners didn’t get a copy of this on Friday with their packets which was what Commissioner Jenkins said that he was concerned about. This development agreement was attached to the County Manager report that none of the commissioners had received because it went to an incorrect email address group.] CM Hanson apologized that they didn’t get the additional info on Friday.

Commissioner Daniel asked a couple of questions about bricks and the shutters. Commissioner Johnson asked about the sign and whether it was like the one in Williamson. This will only be a 14 foot sign rather than 20. The staff and the county attorney took what they thought was the consensus of the BOC and put together this agreement and presentation tonight. The possibility of changing it from a sign on a pole to a monument sign was discussed.

Commissioner Powers asked about handicapped parking spaces. Mr. Hodges said that they abide by ADA standards.

County Attorney Rob Morton asked if commissioners would like to discuss this again on the 10th because of the snafu on getting this out on Friday. Mr. Hodges said that they are behind and that there is a specific date that they have to meet for building. The possibility of a special called meeting just for this was thrown out there too.

Commissioner Daniel asked that they enter executive session for the purpose of discussing potential litigation. 7:03 p.m.

Back into session at 7:20 p.m.

Commissioner Daniel made a motion for CM Hanson to schedule another meeting to further discuss the development agreement. Approved 5-0.

7. REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONS, DEPARTMENTS, COMMITTEES, AUTHORITIES

a. Monthly Reports submitted from County Departments and County Authorities, including a Revenue/Expenditure Statement for all departments, and a summary check register. There are no Department reports as they will be provided during the first Board meeting of February. Revenue/Expenditure Statement and Detail Check Register is included.

b. County Manager Report
▫ Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund ............................................................................................ $3,606,218.13
Fire Dept. Donations........................................................................................ $3,943.07
Cash Reserve Account................................................................................. $589,508.85
Jail Fund ........................................................................................................ $17,219.94
E-911 Fund .................................................................................................... $94,030.21
DATE Fund ................................................................................................... $36,119.47
Juvenile Court Fund....................................................................................... $16,196.89
Residential Impact Fee ................................................................................ $321,730.21
Commercial Impact Fees ............................................................................... $13,922.75
C.A.I.P FUND............................................................................................... $26,896.64
General Obligation SPLOST Tax Bond Sinking Fund, 2011...................... $488,060.21
L.M.I. Grant (DOT)....................................................................................... $12,238.27

c. County Manager Comments.

CM Hanson said that Public Works is continuing to work on the roads. Millwood opened last week and they are working on Milner now. [Note from the Editor: The rest of the CM comments are from the County Manager Report that he gave to me at my request.] Nazareth Church, Reid Road, and Campbell Road remain closed but the pipes are on site now. Public Works will move to fix these roads ASAP in the order given here.

Qualifying fees had a few discrepancies in them because they were based on an incorrect base salary with fees being lower than the fee presented at the last meeting. The corrections have been made and advertised.

Several citizens have approached Commissioner Jenkins about issues related to the easement at Ranchland Estates. CM Hanson met with the owner and one of the citizens for discussion about a stretch of property that is being used as a connection between Ranchland Estates and 362 West Subdivision. It is a major disrepair and an eyesore. The owner agreed to deed this portion of property to the county along with a right of way maintenance agreement for the dam that connects the two subdivisions so the county can correct the issues and maintain the road for safety of residents. Look for agreements to sign at a future meeting.

Bill Compton and Grady EMS met with CM Hanson last week to discuss service here in Pike and a new medical response program that will reduce hospital transports and provide medical care in situations where emergency room care treatment is not required. This has rolled out in Hancock County already and is coming here soon. There will be no additional cost for this program. Units will be dispatched through 911 according to the level of emergency to include psychiatric care professionals that will be in the dispatched unit. Commissioners have been invited to come to South Georgia Ambulance/Grady's Pike facility next month to see this firsthand.

DFACS Board Chairman Mitch Turner has asked the county advocate for a full time DFACS director. The current director is shared between Pike and Upson and has a more than full case load that doesn't allow Pike County to be served at the capacity that is needed according to the DFACS Board. They asked that the county contact state officials to consider this. CM Hanson advised that he contacted Rep. Johnnie Caldwell and made him aware of the request as well as advising that the DFACS Board will be requested to give supporting documentation for their request. He has spoken with current director LaResa Price to understand the situation better. He advised that he will give more details and a recommendation on this as soon as he has the needed info.

d. Commissioner Reports.

Commissioner Daniel said that he has had quite a few calls but they are being addressed. No one else had a report.

e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners: None.

8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

a. Approve/deny Second and final reading of the Credit Card Ordinance.

County Attorney Rob Morton advised that per the Board's instructions, they added a subsection c to immediately revoke for any misuse of by county employee without exception. Motion to approve. Approved 5-0.

9. NEW BUSINESS

a. Ratify updated 2016 Qualifying Fees.

Motion to approve. Approved 5-0.

b. Consider one appointment to the J. Joel Library to fill an unexpired three-year term, set to expire 8/31/2016. Applicant has met criteria.

Wadra McCullough is the recommendation from the Library Board and staff. Motion to approve. 5-0.

c. Approve/deny tax refund request from Jeff Yearwood.

There is no dispute that it’s a church and been serving that way as a long time, but they have to go by who owns the property. Motion to approve the refund request and only the commissioners can approve this. Motion to approve the request. Approved 5-0.

d. PUBLIC HEARING: To receive public input regarding SE-15-13 – Shri Ram Chandra Mission, property owner, and West Care Georgia, Inc., applicant, are requesting a special exception in an A-R zoned district to allow for the location of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and educational center for male youths (ages 14 to 17) on the subject property. The subject property, located at 5611 Ga. Hwy. 109 West, has approximately 730 feet of frontage along the northern side of Highway 109. The property is located in Land Lot 93 of the 9th District of Pike County, Georgia. The property consists of 32.5 acres and is further identified as Tax Map Parcel #047 038B.

This is a public Hearing. There will be 20 minutes for each side to speak. There will be no discussion and no action taken tonight because there is a state mandated 6 month moratorium. This was recommended for denial last week at the Board of Appeals meeting. Click here to read in depth about this.

IN FAVOR:

Steve Hornsby is speaking on the behalf of Westcare today. This is a program for 14 to 17 year old boys. The contract with Georgia Department of Behavioral Health. They want to begin with a 20 bed program and go up to 32 beds in the end. He clarified that this is not young people who have been court ordered or delinquent or sent through the Department of Juvenile Justice. This is a voluntary treatment program for drug and alcohol. This site was chosen because it’s in the southern end of the state to serve the needs of young people in this end of the state.

He said that safety is a significant concern. First of all, they are not ordered there for delinquent behavior. This program will select kids that are appropriate for the program. The kids are going to there voluntarily so there will be no one running away. He said that they are willing to put up a cyclone fence around the property and do whatever is necessary to allay the risk that has been perceived by the neighbors. They will be hiring locally as much as possible and said that they will have a community action center that encourages members of the county to be a part of this program. The students coming here are not monsters and are young people who need help. It is an opportunity to do God’s work. He said that there are other programs in the community and suggested that those who are afraid go volunteer and get to know these kids. In the end, he said that we are willing to meet the security needs of the community. We have to check on them every 15 minutes even when they are asleep.

VP and Director of Georgia Operations Michael Langford spoke too. He gave a thank you county members who have spoken to him prior to the meeting. He said that they are in 17 states and now 3 territories and have 42 years of service in making a difference in the lives of others. This program gives us an opportunity to help kids who are not criminals but just need help. He said that he sees potential and hope when he sees the kids that they help in this program.

He discussed providing assistance to these Georgia students (no one from outside of Georgia). This is an opportunity to continue a rich tradition in making a difference in the lives of others. We will address the security concerns. State certified teacher, nurse, case managers, etc. Mentioned that commissioners have a letter of support in their packet from the Stone Mountain Police Chief about a program that operated there. He said that they moved from that program area when there was a funding crisis.

Chris Curry said that she is a psychotherapist and hears stories of how substance abuse affects families. She said that she hopes that as a community that we can open our hearts to help kids. She has worked in programs like this in the past and have worked to help give kids back their lives. She has also worked with doctors who are chemically dependent.

Karen Lacey said that this community welcomed her 38 years ago from New York. She said that Pike County was open arms to her. Her family has had problems with alcoholism and said that probably most people here have had some sort of experience with this too. She said that we are called to nobler virtues to accept and go out of our way to help people in need. We are not in danger from them. They are in need. She asked the commissioners to do the right thing.

Sanjay Sehgal (the property owner) spoke and said that a couple of years ago, there was a company operating on the grounds who they did not renew their contract, but he said that they did their due diligence with this company. There were some questions about the current facility at the Board of Appeals meeting. Their organization which teaches mediation but has different needs now and this is why they are selling it. He said that they have a septic approval, fire marshal approval, etc. He was interrupted because the 20 minutes were up.

AGAINST:

Linda Smith said that she keeps hearing that the kids are not coming from the court system, etc. She works with children and teenagers and said that most kids are not going to volunteer to go into a system but be forced by their parents. She said that the security is an issue, access in an emergency situation is an issue (she pointed out that there was a fire and the trucks could not get up there in a prior situation), glad to hear about the fencing, etc. She said that Pike County is a county of morals and Christian values. She said that at this point, I take offense that we need to open our hearts and give these kids a chance. We take care of our families. She asked, Will the kids be from Pike County? Will is benefit our county? Why is there a special rezoning instead of a commercial facility? She said that we are residential and agricultural and have been and that the commissioners should keep this in mind.

Jim Davidson wanted to ask a question without the clock running but was advised that the clock was rolling. [Note from the Editor: He was a commissioner. He should have known better. Chairman Johnson handled the entire meeting very professionally and fair to both sides.] Jim went ahead. He said that there is required legal document missing. 156.027 which states that there must be at least 51% owner of the property or must have a notorization as an agent of the property. [Note from the Editor: I have not examined the packet. I vaguely remember this being addressed in a prior instance about a rezoning, but I can't find where it was this particular property. This will be addressed again at the very end of this subject.]

He emphasized that this is AR property and said that the special exception will be for profit. He said that they don’t live here and are not interested in the health, safety and welfare of Pike residents or they wouldn’t be asking to locate here. He said that this could be a backdoor attempt to change the official zoning map. He said that there are already two facilities that help people in our community. He said that it could lower property values. He said that this could lead to Pike County being known as a drug rehab county. He pointed out that they withdrew their request in Green Meadows. He said that the community has expressed that we do not want them here. He said that Teen Challenge has a history of escapes, etc. He said that a fire could be disasterous because a fire could engulf the mountain. He said that the septic system there was put in for a single family according to a Board of Health document. [Note from the Editor: The septic system was a hot topic when this was addressed in the 2014 attempted rezoning. Click here to read about the past attempted rezoning and the issues that came up before it was withdrawn.] It would be different than sporatic use over the years compared to 365 days a year. There are no high pressure lines at this facility so it could tax the water system there for everyone. He read 156.028 which talks about the health, safety and welfare of the people around it. He noted that there will be no taxes that come in either. He presented petitions with 150 signatures from people across the county who are against this facility and asked all who were there and against the project to raise their hands.

Peter Jergin is an adjacent property owner. He said that this is middle Georgia and not South Georgia and said that it’s a whole lot easier to say it’s the right and Christian thing to do if you’re not living next door to the facility.

Another adjacent landowner spoke and asked what happens if we decide to sell our property? I don’t know of anybody who would want to buy it with this facility in place. He said that he was speaking for three families who are against it.

Austin Adams also said that South Georgia is not Augusta or Molena. He said that he has a close family member who just came out of rehab and she did not go willingly. He talked about drug addicts and those who would do anything for their next fix. He also said that there are 50 facilities in Georgia with vacancies already. He then asked how will the taxpayer benefit?

Joel Gill said that he spoke for landowners about ¼ mile away. He said that property values close by have already gone down and they don’t want to see this.

Brent Davidson opposes this and said that we have one facility here already. He said that accepting this facility would open up a chain that will flow like water.

The public hearing was closed. Commissioner Powers asked the County Attorney if he could ask a question. Motion was made to allow Commissioner Powers to ask the question. Approved 5-0.

156.027. Question brought up about the 51% letter. He asked the County Attorney to pursue this to ensure that it is correct. He asked if they were legal in even asking for a rezoning tonight.

Chairman Johnson said that he appreciated everyone coming out. A decision will be made in 6 months.

[Note from the Editor: This application has been withdrawn. Click here for more info.]

The County Attorney asked them to correct the agenda because these were advertised as public hearings and the agenda needed to reflect what was advertised. Motion to amend the agenda for items e, f, and g. Approved 4-0. (Jenkins stepped out and then was back in.) Motion to combine items e and f under one vote. Approved 5-0.

e. First Reading of Text amendment to the Pike County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 155, Subdivisions, Section 155.20 (B)(3) and (4), relative to certain submittal requirements for preliminary plats.

f. First Reading of Text amendment to the Pike County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 155, Subdivisions, Section 155.35 (C), (D) and (E), relative to certain submittal requirements for final plats.

David Allen said that there was some confusion this summer the wording that implied water, sewer, etc. should be approved before the final plat when a letter should be all that is required at the preliminary plat stage. There were changes made to the final plat section too. Much of this was simple clerical items that needed to be changed.

No one spoke.

Motion to approve E and F together. Approved 5-0.

g. First Reading of Text amendment to the Pike County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 156, Zoning Code, Section 156.275 (M-2C zoning), relative to the minimum size requirements of tracts for industrial parks.

This change was requested by the Pike County Industrial Development Authority. 80 acres minimum now and they asked to reduce it to 50 acres so it would be easier to develop. Director Allen couldn’t find a reason that it was made 80 acres to begin with so he supported the change.

No one spoke.

Motion to approve. Approved 5-0.

h. Approve/deny the development agreement between Pike County and Dollar General at Bottoms Road.

This was discussed during the Invited Guest portion of the meeting.

i. Approval of resolution to allow Magistrate to collect law library fees

County Attorney Rob Morton advised that we have a County Law Library in the Courthouse and Judge Whalen signed authorization for this, but we can’t find the local legislation that authorizes this so we are asking our state legislators to pass legislation to make this official. Motion to approve. Approve 5-0.

10. PUBLIC COMMENT- (Limited to 5 minutes per person)

a. Michael Cox to address the Board about Tour de Pike.

Michael spoke during the Town Hall portion of the meeting so he did not speak during the recorded part of the meeting, but I am going ahead and placing it here for the sake of clarity. March 19, 2016 is the 19th annual Tour de Pike. It’s always the 3rd Saturday of March. The ride will begin at 8:00 am shortly after sunrise. Check in begins at 6:30 am. There are 19, 35, 65, and 100 mile bike tours through Pike and the surrounding counties. 100% of the funds raised through this event is reinvested to Kiwanis programs that benefit kids and people in our community. You can find more information and sign up by clicking here.

11. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None

12. ADJOURNMENT

Motion to adjourn. 8:31 p.m.

Agenda subject to revision.

[Note from the Editor: If you appreciate being able to read information from county meetings for free on Pike County Times, please make a donation to Pike County Times through the PayPal link at the bottom of the page or by check to Pike County Times at PO Box 843, Zebulon so I can justify the amount of time that I am spending away from family. It may not seem like much but sitting in a meeting and then typing it up takes a lot more time than you might imagine! Thanks for reading Pike County's only FREE newspaper.]

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