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The courtroom had more than normal in attendance tonight. Many of those attending were there for the discussion about Starks Road.
The pictures of trees on the courthouse square goes with a discussion about the pruning and maintenance of the trees on the courthouse grounds in New Business.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 – 6:30 p.m.
Courthouse, Main Courtroom, 16001 Barnesville Street, Zebulon, Georgia
Courthouse Doors on East/South Sides open at 6:00 p.m.
Town Hall Meeting at 6:15 p.m.
ZEBULON - The Pike County Board of Commissioners will meet in the upper courtroom of the courthouse on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 – 6:30 p.m. for a regularly scheduled meeting. There will be a Town Hall Meeting at 6:15 p.m. for anyone who would like to speak to the commissioners about any issues that you may have. The meeting is open to the public will be broadcast live on Pike County Times' Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pikecountytimes.
[Note from the Editor: It will be nice when our county joins so many of the surrounding cities and counties to record and broadcast its meetings in a central place so citizens who cannot attend the meetings can watch at their convenience and the sound will be a better quality than what I can produce in the courtroom.]
Click here to see the documents that have been uploaded with the agenda on the Pike County government page.
1. CALL TO ORDER ..... Chairman J. Briar Johnson
Vice-Chairman Tim Daniel called the meeting to order. Also present were Commissioners James Jenkins, Ken Pullin, and Tim Guy as well as County Clerk Angela Blount and County Manager/County Attorney Rob Morton. Chairman Briar Johnson was not able to attend the meeting.
The room more full than usual with citizens who were in attendance about the paving of Starks Road.
2. INVOCATION ..... Kyle Garner
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ..... Chairman J. Briar Johnson
4. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA - (O.C.G A. § 50-14-1 (e) (1))
Commissioners were asked to amend the agenda to include opening the bids on the fuel system in the County Manager’s Report. CM Morton also said that he had received a request from the DA’s Office to negotiate and contract with the State of Georgia for their retirement, etc. programs after the agenda was approved. Motion to approve the amended agenda. Approved 4-0.
5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e) (2))
a. Minutes of the April 9, 2025, Regular Monthly Meeting.
b. Minutes of the April 9, 2025, Executive Session.
Motion to approve the minutes. Approved 4-0.
6. INVITED GUEST - NONE
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 May. Revenue/Expenditure Statement and Detail Check Register is included.
Discuss/Approve/Deny
b. County Manager Report
Update on County finances for the following funds/accounts:
General Fund ..... $1,578,255.90
Fire Dept. Donations ..... $10,905.91
Cash Reserve Account ..... $109,318.25
Jail Fund ..... $14,603.88
E-911 Fund ..... $102,875.52
DATE Fund ..... $25,181.18
Juvenile Court Fund ..... $13,775.83
Residential Impact Fee ..... $145,658.90
Commercial Impact Fees ..... $36,761.78
C.A.I.P FUND ..... $85,780.38
General Obligation SPLOST 2022-2028 ..... $1,985,928.01
L.M.I.G. Grant (DOT) ..... $94,268.44
c. County Manager Comment
Fuel, fuel tanks and a fueling system. 2 bids were received. [Note from the Editor: These bids were opened in the meeting.]
Ranger Petroleum. Zebulon. Quantities and costs associated rather than a total. Will do a bid tabulation with Chris Goodman and provide this at a later date.
Walthall Oil Company. Macon. Also 4 items so it will also need a tabulation.
Motion to receive the two bids to review based on quantities and services provided. Will be looking at this with the budget process. Approved 4-0.
Resolution with the DA’s Office and the State of Georgia for benefits, travel, etc. for the DA’s Office. We have done this before. Motion to approve the resolution. Approved 4-0.
Roads Update. Finishing on McCard Lake. Then to Friendship and Gaulding Road. Completed the drainage prep. Then to drainage on Harden Road which is the last road for Atlanta Paving.
There was a request on Scott Road by Mr. Davis.
Shortcut and Flowers need inspections.
The remediation required at the Annex Building from the damage on the roof. There are some cloud issues that need to be remediated. The moisture there is in process to deal with the moisture issues there.
d. Commissioner Reports
Daniel. Glad to be making process on paving. People are saying thank you after hearing this for 50 years.
Guy. Flowers and Shortcut Road already. Approached about the parking lot at the Senior Center. Any update? Morton. Yes. A 3rd party provider is providing lot lines to the county. Pins are identified. Met with the Director Mrs. L and talked about possibilities. The existing parking lot needs to be paved too. We’re moving forward on this.
e. County Attorney Report to Commissioners.
None.
8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - NONE
9. NEW BUSINESS
a. Consider one appointment to the Pike County Family and Children Services Board to fill a five-year term, set to expire December 31, 2029. Applicant has met the criteria.
Ashley Brown. She meets the criteria and is recommended. Motion to appoint Ashley Brown. Approved 4-0.
b. Consider use of Courthouse Grounds from Keith Ford with Christ Chapel on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. for National Day of Prayer.
Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
c. Consider use of Courthouse Grounds from Dan Dunnahoo with Pike County Arts Council on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 12:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. for Concert on the Square.
Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
d. Consider use of Courthouse Grounds from Patricia Beckham with Concerned Citizens for Pike on Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. for Juneteenth Celebration.
Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
e. Consider Tax Refund application from Thomas and Carolyn Oxford in the amount of $15.15.
Chief Appraiser Greg Hobbs. Filed an appeal back in 2022 dealing with out buildings. These were removed, but the buildings got put back on the books somehow. They are entitled to this refund. Motion to approve. Approved 4-0.
f. Consideration of removal for cause of a member of the J. Joel Edwards Library Board of Trustees.
The Library Board has asked the Commissioners to remove Curtis Ward for failure to perform his duties so they can advertise this position. Motion to remove Curtis Ward from the board. Approved 4-0. [Note from the Editor: Pike County Times has been at Library Board meetings (again) since the end of the last year, and Mr. Ward has not been in attendance or responded to communications from as far away as last summer according to my research through 6 months of emails pertaining to another matter. This decision was not made lightly, and they simply want someone to fill this slot who can attend meetings and be a part of the Board.]
g. Discussion of Starks Road.
This has been an ongoing request. Woodard Road was added to SPLOST. We are asking you to extend the improvements $192,000 available through SPLOST. Same cost as Woodard Road, and they were the low bidder. Jenkins said that from pavement to pavement. Motion to approve the entire road of Starks Road. Approved 4-0.
Morton. The equipment was on Starks Road so the contractor will begin on Starks Road immediately. >font color="#0000cc">[Note from the Editor: This decision was met with applause from the audience. The picture above shows how many came to the meeting because of their concern.]
h. Approve/deny paving contractor for CDBG Grant – Tanyard Road.
Low bidder is Atlanta Paving. The amount is $1,467,124.94. There was an unusually high number of bidders on this project. At least 10 bidders. Motion to go with the low bidder contractor of Atlanta Paving with CDBG funds. Discussion: Pullin. Question about speed limit signs. Can we look into speed limit signs when this road is completed? Yes. Approved 4-0.
i. Discussion regarding pruning and maintenance of trees located on the courthouse grounds.
Building and Grounds Director Ken Lalumiere. We need to prune the trees and keep up the lawn and grounds. This is a main viewing place of the county. The trees need to be pruned to keep things looking nice as well as allowing the security cameras to do their job well. Pruning the 5 or 6 lower limbs will affect the look of the trees. The Bermuda grass needs sunlight and will need to be replaced. If the trees are removed, we can reseed the Bermuda grass. There is a lot of erosion because the grass can’t grow without sunlight. A company cares for the grass, and it is the shade that is affecting the growth. It’s embarrassing when there is no grass. Army worms last year. These are not bids provided to the commissioners. This is a starting point to look at the problem. The oak trees are the issues. The lava rock stays around the magnolias. They are not the problem. We don’t have a lift or the capability to cut some of these limbs if you choose to do this. If we do nothing, we’ll cut what we can. Jenkins. Fescue has worked for growing under his trees. Morton. Make a decision on this at some point if not tonight. We received the information today. Lalumiere. The trees have grown really fast and are healthy. Can trim the limbs and resod. Can remove the trees and maybe save the grass. Or leave it alone. Morton. Asked them to decide what to do for a later time. [Note from the Editor: Look at the pictures at the top of the page to get a better idea of what they are talking about with the trees. These new trees have grown up fast and have branched out more than I realized before I took the pictures. Compare the oaks with the magnolias in the pictures, and you can see the dirt that isn't growing any grass in these pictures too. I'm up there all of the time and didn't realize how big these trees were. No decision was made tonight in the meeting though. These trees were planted after the pecan trees were removed when John Hanson was county manager -- if I remember correctly.]
j. Presentation of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget.
About 3 million dollars from last year. [Note from the Editor: 2 million dollars is because of the balloon note that is due on the property behind the bus barn.]
First reading May 14 at 9 a.m.
Public Hearing May 14 at 1 p.m.
May 22. Second reading 6:30 p.m.
Final adoption. June 11
There are some items that are not added quite yet. Motion to receive the budget. Approved 4-0.
Morton. Commended Jenkins and Pullin for being a part of the meetings with department heads. Also commended Clint Chastain for his work on this. Working together toward final adoption on this.
[Note from the Editor: Click here to read a copy of the 2025-2026 draft budget from tonight's meeting: pikecountytimes.com/secondary/FY2025-2026.draftbudget4.29.25.pdf.
This draft is posted on the Pike County Government webpage at: www.pikecoga.gov under the upcoming meetings so it is accessible to the public there as well.]
10. PUBLIC COMMENT (Limited to 5 minutes per person) - NONE
11. EXECUTIVE SESSION - NONE
12. ADJOURNMENT
Motion to adjourn. 7:18 p.m.
Agenda subject to change.
[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.]