Consider buying an advertisement for your business or sending a donation to Pike County Times to support the only free online newspaper in Pike County. Donations can be sent to: The Pike County Times, PO Box 843, Zebulon, Georgia 30295. You can also donate through www.venmo.com/u/pikecountytimes, $pikecountytimes, and PayPal.Me/PikeCountyTimesLLC.

Thanks for supporting Pike County's only free online newspaper!

ZEBULON - Members of the Impact Fee Committee met for their fourth meeting on January 21, 2026. The call to order was given at 12:08 p.m. with members present including Jason Leatherman, Brandy Loggins, Chad Proctor, Kacie Edwards, and Shannon Mullinax. Planning and Zoning Director Jeremy Gilbert and County Attorney/Manager Rob Morton were also present.

Gilbert summed up the last meeting by saying that the committee had asked for legal research after Mr. Ross was here. He stressed that their job was to make a recommendation as the county is trying to get Impact Fees finalized.

Morton said that the commissioners had authorized him to do legal research on Impact Fees so he was bringing that research to the committee. The question was, Can we differentiate between residential and non-residential impact fees? He said that the general answer is, “It depends.”

He laid out a few different ways to differentiate between residential and non-residential properties while saying that the ordinance would have to be updated to reflect the changes as well as updating the Capital Improvement Element (CIE) and the Methodology Report. "Based on my review, differentiating is possible, but it may be a better scenario to identify service area," he said.

Leatherman asked whether the county was opening itself up for litigation when dealing with businesses based on these suggestions? Morton said that you can sue anyone for anything. Loggins asked if we can automatically except some areas from impact fees. Morton said yes, if we can if we have a condition or criteria on which this is based. Morton suggested consulting with Mr. Ross of Ross & Associates to identify service areas.

Discussion included numerous questions about differentiating fee schedules for commercial versus residential and whether using the Overlay Map or the Comprehensive Plan Character Area Map would encourage commercial properties around the cities in Pike County. Morton said that reduced rates in special areas will encourage building in certain areas based on Impact Fees.

Mullinax pointed out that because Pike County is one service area, all of the various subgroups are paying their fair share through a fee schedule that is related to their use in the county. If that is their proportionate share, then we can’t reduce residential and industrial by different amounts. Morton disagreed and said that we can do anything authorized according to the law and our ordinance.

Proctor said that the commissioners will have to make up the difference if the fee schedule differentiates between businesses and homeowners. There was a concern that businesses don’t seem to be coming to Pike County with the Impact Fees that we have now. Mullinax said that this is way too much red tape, too much of a burden, way too much to account for, since people are already paying for this anyway with their property taxes.

This led to a discussion about Impact Fees within the county and the fact that the county has to have have an intergovernmental agreement with the cities so the county can collect impact fees. It was pointed out that the City of Zebulon has 200 doors coming into the county over the next year, and our impact fees do not apply to them. It was pointed out that this cannot be addressed today because of the way that things are set up with the county collecting through its Service Delivery Strategy for the rest of the cities while the City of Zebulon provides a lot of these same services for their citizens.

Morton asked them to consider a modification of what the county has today with service delivery areas. He asked them to allow the Consultant, Bill Ross & Associates, to review this and bring information to the committee.

The question was asked whether this could cost more money, and Morton said that he didn't know but that he wanted to meet with Ross and Gilbert to discuss these issues and come back before the committee. There was a consensus to do this.

The end of the meeting included Edwards and Mullinax stressing that they want things to be fair and proportional for everyone in the county, and both have an issue with the Methodology Report that goes back to the first meeting of this committee. Morton asked these two members to send an itemized list of their concerns and questions by email so he address things with Ross & Associates. Everyone was asked to send their concerns to Morton so these concerns can be addressed at a future meeting.

It was stated that Mullinax and Edwards were asked to be on the committee because they had different opinions on Impact Fees, and this would lead to a healthy discussion. Mullinax pointed out that if she is against Impact Fees at the end of the process, she’ll be in the minority in the discussion.

There was agreement from members that their decisions needs to based on facts.

The meeting ended with a consensus to have Morton get with the consultant with regard to service areas as well as having members send an email sent to Morton so he can address their concerns and questions with Ross & Associates.

The meeting ended at 1:30 p.m.

Click here to read my notes from the secondar and third Impact Fee meetings.

Click here to read my notes from the first Impact Fee meeting.

Click here to read "BREAKING NEWS: Pike County Government Put on Notice Regarding Impact Fees." Side note: Commissioners voted to NOT return Impact Fees at the past meeting.