Board of Commissioners of Spalding County Special Called Meeting - Retreat

Saturday, January 26, 2019 9:00 AM

Spalding County Senior Center The Spalding County Board of Commissioners held their Annual Planning Retreat at the Spalding County Senior Center on Saturday, January 26, 2019, beginning at 9:00 a.m. with Chairperson Rita Johnson presiding. Commissioners Donald Hawbaker, James Dutton and Gwen-Flowers-Taylor were present. Commissioner Bart Miller was absent from the meeting. Also present were County Manager, William P. Wilson Jr., Assistant County Manager, Michelle Irizarry, Administrative Services Director, Jinna Garrison, County Attorney, Stephanie Windham, County Attorney, James Fortune and Executive Secretary, Kathy Gibson to record the minutes. The following Department Heads and employees were also present: Sheriff Darrel Dix (Sheriff’s Office), Chief Deputy Tony Thomason (Sheriff’s Office), Captain Dwayne Jones (Sheriff’s Office), Deputy Chief Jamie Clark (Fire Department), Deputy Chief Glenn Polk (Fire Department) and Wendy Law (Human Resources Director).

A. Opening (Call to Order) by Chairperson Rita Johnson.

Welcome, Introductions and Overview William Wilson, County Manager, thanked everyone for attending. He then introduced Mr. Gordon Maner with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government as the facilitator for the day. Mr. Maner has facilitated the last seven retreats we have had. Mr. Maner is semi-retired. He worked for UGA many years and is available as a facilitator when he is needed.

Gordon Maner with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government introduced himself and stated that he retired 7 years ago and one of the things that he had always enjoyed doing were planning retreats, so that is what he does now. Mr. Maner advised that his role is to keep the conversation focused, make sure everybody is heard and he will be capturing agreements and consensus items during the meeting.

B. Invocation led by Deputy Chief Glenn Polk.

C. Pledge to Flag led by Commissioner Donald Hawbaker, District #5.

D. Agenda Items

1. Review of 2018 Goals and Accomplishments.

Mr. Wilson advised that there was a major accomplishment that we were notified of yesterday and an email was sent to the Board. This will count as a 2019 accomplishment, but a huge amount of work went into doing this in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Our ISO (Insurance Services Office) Rating went from a current rating of 5/9

to a 3/9. That is a huge accomplishment for the Fire Department, Community Development, Water Department, Administration, E-911, CAD and GIS. We will make a major announcement next week to the news media.

Mr. Wilson then covered the Goals and Accomplishments for 2018: • Spalding County Extension Office hosted Food Safety Training through

ServeSafe®, a national recognized food safety training program for food service professionals in January and November 2018.

• The City of Orchard Hill and the Spalding county Parks and Leisure Services held a Ribbon Cutting at Orchard Hill Park to celebrated the completion of one of their 2016 SPLOST Projects.

• Spalding County Senior Nutrition Program in coordination with the Council on Aging delivered emergency preparedness kits to Meals on Wheels recipients.

• The Spalding County Senior Center celebrated Black History Month with weekly exhibitions and a dinner and dance.

• Spalding County Office of Homeland Security conducted a “Ready Spalding” Peparathon Drill for Tornado Safety in February 2018.

• Spalding County UGA Extension Service hosted a “Homegrown Gardening Series” of workshops in February, March and April 2018.

• Spalding County Office of Homeland Security hosted a “Church Safety and Security Presentation” from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency in March 2018.

• Spalding County Senior Center hosted Senior Fishing events in March, June and September of 2018.

• Spalding County Parks and Recreation sponsored Free Kid’s Fishing events in June and October of 2018.

• Spalding County Senior Center hosted Line Dance Parties throughout the year that were open to all citizens, no age restriction.

• Spalding County Senior Center held an Emergency Preparedness Conference in March of 2018 that was hosted by the Senior Issued Committee of the Spalding County Collaborative.

• Spalding County Water and Sewerage Facilities Authority hired Matchpoint, Inc., a water preservation and conservation services company to conducted a Leak Detection Survey of the water system.

• Spalding County Leisure Services Hosted “World Tai Chi” day in April that was open to all ages and physical abilities.

• Spalding County Fire Chief, Kenny West, announced his retirement in March 2018.

• Spalding County UGA Extension Services-Fairgrounds Farmers Marked

received a grant from AgSouth Farm Credit to be used for promotion of the venue.

• Spalding County UGA Extension Services hosted a Food Preparation Summer Series with activities from April through July 2018.

• Spalding County UGA Extension Services had six people complete the Master Gardner Extension Volunteer program in April 2018. Spalding County 4-H Participants received the Project S.A.F.E (Shooting Awareness, Fun and Education) Grant to fund supplies for the Spalding County 4-H Shotgun Club.

• Spalding County Fire Department promoted Firefighter James Odom to Lieutenant in April 2018.

• Spalding County Leisure Services presented youth football camps: Skills & Drills Camp and Powder Puff Girls Flag Football in April 2018.

• Spalding County Leisure Services held recreation football registration and opened up registration for the Girls Powder Puff Flag Football League in June 2018.

• Spalding County UGA Extension Services and the Kiwanis Club of Griffin opened the 2018 Fairgrounds Farmers Market to run on Fridays from April through November 2018.

• Spalding County implemented new rules and procedures for canvassing, peddling and door to door sales.

• Kelly Smith was named the 2018 Recipient of the Bain Proctor Award for Volunteerism.

• Spalding County Senior Center hosted Pallet Knife Painting Class in May, 2018 and Watercolor Painting Classes in June and September 2018.

• Spalding County Clerk of Court’s Office opened Online Notary Application and Renewal Services.

• Spalding County Parks, Public Grounds and Leisure Services held a Public Meeting regarding the Heritage Park SPLOST Project.

• Spalding County Emergency Management offered fan donations to citizens and tips on how to “Beat the Heat”

• Spalding County Parks, Public Grounds and Leisure Services awarded Grant to support local healthy out-of-school time programs.

• Spalding County Fire Department promoted Captain Tim Henderson to Battalion Chief.

• Spalding County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management provided information on how to prepare for storms, flooding and winds.

• Spalding County Board of Commissioner Meetings were offered in live streaming to the Public.

• Deputy Chief Glenn Polk was named Director of the Spalding County Emergency Management Agency.

• Spalding County Office of Homeland Security received re-recognition as a Storm Ready community.

• Spalding County Receives Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 17th Consecutive Year.

• Spalding County Office of Homeland Security announces CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Training and Refresher Courses Spalding County Board of Elections and Voter Registration hosted a National Voter Registration Day event.

• Spalding County Senior Center hosted a Fine Arts Fair. • Rico McCrary named Spalding County E-911 Communication Manager • Spalding County Senior Center hosted a Winterization Conference with

representatives from Brightmoor Hospice, Avalon Home Inspection and the Spalding county Fire Department.

• Spalding County received the 2018 ACCG Group Health Benefits Program Health Promotion and Wellbeing Grant.

• Spalding County Fire Department participated in the Annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Boot Drive and raised $6,868.00.

• Healthy Life Community Garden at the Old Fairmont School hosted a Fall Festival in the Garden.

• Spalding County Public Works to start preservation initiative on county roadways.

• Spalding County Senior Center hosted the first annual Legislative Action Day.

• Spalding County Leisure Services held an essay writing contest for 4th – 6th grade students. Two entries to receive $100 each and be able to assist in the lighting of the Christmas Tree at the Festival of Lights.

• Spalding County hosted the annual “Festival of Lights” on November 20th. • Spalding County Parks, Public Grounds and Leisure Service Programs and

Volunteers earned district honors at the Georgia Recreation and Park Association District Four annual awards banquet.

• Spalding County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management notified all Spalding County residents of the emergency notification options available.

• Griffin and Spalding County Public Safety Departments in coordination with local education, local healthcare providers and state agencies conducted a “Active Shooter” exercise.

• Michelle Irizarry named Assistant County Manager.

• Archway Partnership held quarterly meetings with representatives from the City of Griffin, Spalding County and the Board of Education and hosted an Annual Intergovernmental Retreat.

• Archway Partnership through UGA Resources, College of Pharmacy implemented an Opioid Prescribing Habits by Local Pharmacists and Physicians Focus Group and established a Hospital Readmission Rate Research Partnership.

• Archway Partnership through UGA Resources, Lamar Dodd School of Art implemented a 0 to 5 Work Group Support Branding Project and a Healthy Youth Strategy Work Support Group.

• Archway Partnership also addressed a number of topics to address Community Development and Enhance the Quality of Life in Griffin and Spalding County along with implementing a Community Image and Communication Issue Work Group and a Community-Wide Marketing Plan and Implementation Guide.

• In 2018 the Spalding County Recreational Facilities hosted: 3 - Disc Golf Tournaments (One at Dundee Lake Disc Golf and Two at

Wyomia Tyus Park Disc Golf) 2 - Basketball Tournaments (Griffin High School/Taylor Street Gym) 8 – Pickleball Tournaments (Wyomia Tyus Pickleball Facility) 6 – Baseball Tournaments (Wyomia Tyus Baseball Complex)

• Spalding County contracted with Eyesore, Inc. for design and implementation of a new website.

• Spalding County Correctional Institute received $35,000 from vendor ICSolutions in technology funds. Used these funds to purchase Cellsense Metal Detector, body cameras for Officers, tablets and computers for staff training and additional security cameras.

• Spalding County Correctional Institute was named 2018 County Institution of the Year by the Georgia Department of Corrections for their continued pursuit of education and vocational opportunities for the inmate population.

• Spalding County Correctional Institute graduated their first class from the Collaborative Welding Program facilitated by instructors from Southern Crescent Technical College. Another class is currently in training.

• Spalding County Correctional Institute received $81,000 from the Department of Corrections in Inmate Education funds for G.E.D. and Vocational completion and education opportunities.

• Health and Wellness Events for County Employees: Tyus Park Picnic – Friday, April 27, 2018 from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Griffin Bowling – Monday, June 11, 2018 from 5:00 – 7: 00 p.m.

• Employee Appreciation Christmas event – Thursday, December 6th

Breakfast Buffett was served from 6:30 – 9:30 a.m. and Dessert and Fruit Buffet along with visits with Santa from 5:00 – 7:00

p.m. • Employee Morale Assessment completed • Board of Commissioners approved the new Spalding county Pay Plan after

the study was completed by Archer Company and effective July 1, 2018 employees were placed to minimum of the new pay scale which was based on 100% of the market.

• Board of Commissioners approved an enhanced Defined Benefit Retirement Plan for employees effective January 1, 2019; contributory plan with a 2% benefit multiplier with rule of 75 for Public Safety.

• County employees donated over $9,000 to United Way for the 2nd year in a row.

• Spalding County held two successful blood drives and collected a total of 135 units. March 27, 2018 (60 units) and September 26, 2018 (75 Units).

• E-911 changed to 12-hour shifts on July 17, 2018 and we saw improvement in attracting applicants and retention. Currently, E-911 is fully staffed.

• Board of Commissioners authorized November 2019 T-SPLOST referendum.

Mr. Wilson stated that some of the items listed were small, but it really helps show just how many good things are happening in Spalding County. The Christmas event this year was well attended.

Mr. Wilson advised that the turn-out for the Festival of Lights this year was huge and there were a number of people who stated they never knew that this was something that happened at Christmas time. He stated this leads him into something he will be talking about in next year’s budget. A Citizen Engagement Specialist or some people refer to it as a Public Information Officer.

Mr. Wilson stated that Wendy Law had sent out an email from Tim Henderson that discussed the benefit for Jeff Chambers. Jeff is a long-time county fireman and they had a benefit that raised over $10,000. The Sheriff has had a couple of benefits over the year and has raised a tremendous amount of money for folks out there who have big medical expenses. Mr. Wilson stated that the County is coming together as a community of employees and the morale is much better. Everything we have done over the past year and have been doing have culminated to help morale and to help retain our people and reward the people who have been faithful to us.

Mr. Wilson advised that Eric Mallard, long-time building official for the county is leaving us next Friday. He is leaving to go live on the lake in Troup County. Eric has been here a long time and he will be missed.

Sheriff Dix stated that they have enjoyed and continue to enjoy the working relationship they have with everyone at the County and he agrees with Mr. Wilson that over the last year he has seen the employees and administration really come together and support each other. It feels like many of the barriers that were there

seem to be gone.

Sheriff Dix stated that the golf tournament that was held at Sun City was one of the largest golf tournaments they have had out there. They raised approximately $22,000 for the Junior Deputy Program and for the Georgia Sheriffs Youth Homes. We will be carrying 250-275 6th graders to Washington, DC this year.

Sheriff Dix advised that the CAGE division is doing an outstanding job knocking out gangs. Recently, we had an operation where a wire tap led to approximately 25 arrests. That investigation reached all the way up into West Virginia.

Mr. Wilson asked the Sheriff to briefly go over what has been done with the Code Enforcement Officers that is different from what has been done in the past.

Sheriff Dix stated that in the past Code Enforcement did not follow any set policy or guidelines as far as the use of force. Code Enforcement carries guns and tasers, but had no guideline or policy on how or when they should use them. Code Enforcement also has arrest power, they were asked if they were in a pursuit what policy they would follow and they did not have a policy to follow.

Sheriff Dix stated that after discussing this with Mr. Wilson the Sheriff’s Department ran the two Code Enforcement Officers through the Sheriff’s Office 12-week field training office program. They were riding with deputies on different days, answering calls and learning how things operate, learning their policies and their procedures so now if there is an incident that occurs, we can document the training, they have a policy to follow and they are up to speed and have the full support of the Sheriff’s Office.

Deputy Chief Glenn Polk stated that the Fire Department appreciates the support received from the Board of Commissioners and Administration. He stated that the largest thing they did this year was the full-blown active shooter exercise that was facilitated and involved approximately 19 agencies. The exercise was a testament of our community from top to bottom. We did a total of four exercises which resulted in the full-blow exercise. There was a representative from GEMA who evaluated the exercise and he had nothing but accolades for us. Based on this exercise they feel comfortable that we are prepared should something happen in the community.

Deputy Chief Clark stated that the morale has improved. Personnel seems to be happy and energized about coming to work. They want to do a good job, they see the County changing, we have had to change and readjust some rules and policies that have been the same for 30 years and we know now there are better ways to do it, so we have been listening to our employees and making changes.

Deputy Chief Clark stated that this will be his last year, he will be winding things down at the end of this year. He advised that Spalding County has been good to him over the last 30 years. He stated that he is always excited about coming to work, he loves his job, he loves the people he works with, but he is also looking forward to doing some other stuff.

Chairman Johnson stated that she wanted to make sure that Public Safety how much the Board of Commissioners and the County appreciate the work that you do. There

has been a tremendous change since Sheriff Dix has came on board. She has seen the feedback that the Sheriff’s Office receives on social media and it is tremendous. We really appreciate the work that our Public Safety folks do.

Mr. Wilson stated that something that will be coming to the Board within the next 60-90 days. We have been working with a company much like what we did years ago with Johnson Controls that allowed us to put roofs on buildings and to redo all of the lighting for energy savings. We are working with a company now to do the same thing and make some improvements to the jail to see if it can actually pay for itself in a 5-10 year pay out period. If you haven’t visited the jail, the conditions are bad, but the biggest problem we have out there is the roof which will cost approximately $1.2 million to replace. So we are looking a ways to pay for this through energy savings from not only the Sheriff’s Office, but other large buildings that have a lot of consumption.

Mr. Wilson stated that one thing he distributed yesterday was regarding SB407. This is a request from the Magistrate Court that we need to discuss after we talk about the jail. This bill was approved by the Legislature in July, the Prosecuting Attorneys Council met in December and promulgated the rules and it went into effect on January 1st. The rules came out December 27th, so we need to take immediate action on this February 4th.

Sheriff Dix stated that the main problem they have with the current jail is the roof. We can’t do anything inside to clean and sanitize other than normal day to day cleaning. Currently they cannot address a mold issue or anything like that until a new roof is installed because anything they do is just going to start all over again in the building. There are problems with mold and mildew, there are structural problems, there is problems with some of the metal work and it’s like a domino effect, until you take care of all of the problems fixing one is not going to work. They are doing repairs on a daily basis, but even with that they are just barely “treading water.”

Chairman Johnson then asked what the likelihood of putting a new jail on the SPLOST would be.

Mr. Wilson stated that this afternoon we will be talking about 3-5 year projects one of which is going to be a SPLOST and we already know that the Industrial Park needs money and Parks and Recreation will be asking for projects and the Sheriff has come to me and said “We need a new Law Enforcement Complex.” Those are just three of the items in competition for the next SPLOST.

Sheriff Dix stated that they are not talking about building the Taj Mahal, but you can’t keep patching together the current facility. You can only cobble and patch it together so much and eventually it is going to end up costing everybody if we don’t take some action.

Mr. Wilson stated that the building opened in 1983. It was financed by the first SPLOST in the State of Georgia. There were three projects on the SPLOST. The projects were the Courthouse, the Jail and Griffin High School. The Courthouse opened in 1985 and the jail opened in 1983. The Courthouse is fine, but it is not a 24/7 facility like the Sheriff’s Office.

Mr. Wilson then presented the letter from the Chief Magistrate stating her request regarding SB407 and asked County Attorney, Stephanie Windham to bring the Board up to date on this Bill. Stephanie Windham, County Attorney, advised that Judge Cavanaugh is concerned about the way things have been done due to the passage of Senate Bill 407. They cannot continue to do things the way it has always been done. Prior to the passage of this bill there were preset bonds from a predetermined schedule and that was the bond that was issued. SB407 states that all offenses inclusive of offenses that are violations of local ordinances, which is where our code enforcement ordinances come into play, are bailable by a court of inquiry. So, for every offense there should be a bond set by a magistrate and the main concern here is with indigency, because you have to look at every individual, their ability to pay, whether they are truly indigent and what their situation might be. Regardless now of what that misdemeanor offense may be and in a perfect world, they must all be before a magistrate within 48 hours. This is why Judge Cavanaugh is concerned that she does not have the adequate staff to handle this workload. Ms. Windham stated that, in her opinion, she doesn’t feel that we should immediately set out to hire a new judge for Magistrate Court. She stated that she feels that you have to “wait and see” because the current process absolutely has to change, as of January 1st. It may well be that she is absolutely right and that the current judges on call can’t handle the increase. Mr. Wilson stated that Captain Eidson spoke with him and was extremely concerned because of the number of citations that his division writes and that the code enforcement officers write. It is going to have an impact. Mr. Wilson then added that with any other department in the County he would say “just wait until budget” but Judge Rita and Judge Sid Esary are two of the most frugal people you would ever want to meet. These two are champions of saving money for the County and doing things to save money. He stated that he doesn’t feel Judge Rita would have come to the Board if she could have reassigned her judges. She is the Chief Magistrate and she currently has 3 judges: Judge Parks, Judge Taliaferro and Judge McDowell. Mr. Wilson stated that there is a magistrate judge at the courthouse today working and there are warrants being issued electronically through him. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that with any other department that comes to us with this type of request, we ask that they examine their process and from her observations in that office, the process could be a lot more efficient. This is a time of digital imagery so there is no reason why they can’t incorporate more of that into what’s going on.

Commissioner Dutton stated that he agrees there is a way to increase efficiency through video conferencing. That said, they are already backed up with the current volume and what they had before was a schedule that provided specific bonds for certain offenses; now you have to have a Court of Inquiry, a hearing which also includes the fact that the individual has a right to representation. So it’s not as easy as a booking process, because it is a Court of Inquiry so witnesses have to be there. It can’t just be the officer, the defendant’s attorney needs to be present to ask the officer questions. Then if a Public Defender has to be assigned, that adds and additional layer to the process. Commissioner Dutton then added that while he agrees the current process could be more effective and technology could assist tremendously, we now have to do this for everything. That new rules says local ordinances which could be as mundane as your grass is too tall, we’ve got to have a Court of Inquiry to determine what the bond should be. In the instance of a speeding ticket, you can’t just sign the ticket anymore and go. Technically, for every speeding ticket issued the new rule says that the individual has to go before a Court of Inquiry and there has to be witnesses to determine if I should be arrested for the speeding ticket and how much the fine should be. The new rule is so extremely expansive that, even as a defense attorney he doesn’t know how it can be handled. Gwen Flowers-Taylor stated that the entire picture needs to be looked at not one single piece as there are other integral pieces that have to happen. Ms. Windham stated that this would add another step to the indigency issue because are you entitled to a Public Defender, or could you hire your own attorney. It’s not just do you have the means to pay this bail. Mr. Wilson stated the problem is how do we go back to the legislature and get this fixed, because it doesn’t help the Counties at all. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that this is going to require more people at the table than are present today. She would like to have a meeting that would include the Public Defender, the State Court Judge and the Magistrate Judge to have this discussion then we need to contact our legislators to make it known to the public that this is some legislation that is going to cost a massive amount of money and you didn’t provide any funding. Ms. Windham stated that she agrees with Commissioner Flowers-Taylor, you need to have Judge Cavanaugh and Judge Thacker at the table but you also need the Solicitor and Judge Edwards, the DA and the Public Defender’s office as well. Chairman Johnson asked if Mr. Wilson if he could make this meeting happen. Mr. Wilson stated that he could and asked if the Board wanted to be a part of the meeting as well or if it was something that staff should attend and report back to the Board. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that she would also like for the legislators to be

advised that this is an issue and they can be invited to participate in the meeting. Because they need to know how this is affecting the community. Mr. Wilson stated that up to two commissioners could attend and he asked if the Board would be okay with Commissioner Dutton attending the meeting. Mr. Wilson stated he would pull together a meeting and that Commissioner Dutton, Commissioner Flowers-Taylor, District Attorney, Solicitor, Chief Magistrate, Chief Judge, Sheriff, Public Defender, Chad Jacobs, County Attorney and the legislators need to be notified of the meeting and invited.

2. Discussion regarding Incentive Proficiency Pay Policy:

Mr. Wilson stated that when the pay plan was presented last year one of the things the Commissioners asked for was some type of incentive offered for particular accomplishments or certifications. Wendy Law and a group have been working extensively for a year on this. This initiative also involved an employee morale study, information was gathered from all departments regarding certification requirements etc. Wendy Law, Human Resource Director, stated that this is still a work in progress and Chief Tony Thomason would also assist n presenting the information gathered so far. This a great time for the County, the implementation of the pay study and the enhancement of the retirement plan were huge. Overall the morale is much better than it has been in some time and we can see the difference in our turnover number, our retention and our recruitment. Ms. Law stated that they compared the turnover numbers prior to the pay implementation and then the same period of time afterward and have seen big improvements. Our vacancies are fewer. Things are moving in a positive direction and she thanked the Board for making the changes. Ms. Law stated that the Board requested that an Employee Satisfaction Survey be sent out to engage employee morale and see where we stand. We utilized Survey Monkey and sent the survey out to all employees. We were very pleased by the responses received.

• Overall employees stated they are happy. • 79% stated that they would recommend a friend for employment and

that is huge, because that is probably our biggest form of advertising. Commissioner Johnson asked what percentage responded to the survey.

Ms. Law advised that it was approximately 50% of the employees, but from those who did respond you can see the response was very positive.

Chief Thomason stated that his hope is that those who did respond gave us their honest opinion. He noted that the one item of concern appeared to be that 74% stated that they did not feel that received appropriate training for their position. This is not a bad thing, but it alerts us to the fact that some folks may not feel adequately prepared to do their current job, much less take on more advanced training for supervision and moving their career. Chief Thomason stated that he thinks this is in line with what they are proposing today, which is trying to prepare folks for career advancement.

Ms. Law stated that they are continuing to recruit in all of the standard ways they have in the past. Plus they are going to as many career fairs as they can participate in. The applicant pools have increased in both numbers and experience which has allowed us to fill a majority of our current vacancies. Ms. Law advised while our pay plan implementation was huge and brought us up to where we needed to be, that was based on a 2017 study that was implemented in July 2018. Now we have the surrounding counties doing their pay studies and implementing those as well, which will put us at a disadvantage again. Mr. Wilson stated that our pay plan was $1.2-1.3 million. He spoke with Kenny Smith and in order to for them to fully implement their pay plan it will be right at $2 million. Chief Thomason stated that although implementation of the pay plan put us in a competitive posture, you are going to see Henry County, Fayette and the City of Griffin plan to implement their pay plan, it is going to put us in a similar position we were in prior to the pay plan implementation. However, he feels they have come up with a way to be competitive with this Incentive Proficiency Pay. Ms. Law advised that they are looking at job preparedness and succession planning. We want to have our employees ready to move ahead when the time comes. We don’t want to have to promote based on tenure alone, we want the employees to truly be ready for the job. Ms. Law stated that many employees are still asking when they are going to be moved into the pay scale. They are looking at it as an across the board we are going to move people over and we are trying to get away from that idea with the presentation today. Ms. Law stated that they have come up with a few solutions: The first is to enhance the current incentive policy. The current policy only focuses on education and it gives a 2.5% increase if the employee obtains a Bachelors Degree or higher in a field that is related to their job and is above what their job requires. They do have to obtain that education while they are

employed, and it only focuses on the degree. What we are looking to do is enhance that policy. Rather than an employee sitting back and wait on the County to move them into a certain step on the pay scale, we want to give employees a way to plan their future. To obtain their education, to obtain certification and then to be compensated for that proficiency. Chief Thomason stated that it is side stepping moving people into a certain position on the pay scale. We simply can’t afford to do it. We are hoping that the folks who have the initiative are going to embrace this idea, that if I work hard, I apply myself and I get the additional training then I can get these percentages. What we are getting is a smarter employee, someone who can do a better job and they have exhibited by doing this that they are invested. Chief Thomason advised that with regard to the college education it is being suggested that we recognize an Associates Degree. They are attainable locally. In any line of work in the County we want folks to be able to communicate clearly, to have enhanced math skills beyond high school. Anywhere in the County this has a real value so why not recognized the Associates Degree. Ms. Law then stated that the proficiency pay policy being proposed would be available to all county employees and it will reward employees for education and training they have received prior to working for the County as well as that obtained as an employee. o Map out direction for employees o Engage and challenge employees o Provide direction and rewards, encourage buy-in from employees leads

to more loyal employees o We’re receiving the services in performance in real-time.

We feel that when we hire an employee with training and education that we are gaining those skills immediately and we want to reward them for that. We do feel the Associates Degree is important and should be included. o Associates degree (2.5%) o Bachelor’s degree (2.5%) o Master’s degree (7.5%) o Certification program directly related to the employee’s position and

job duties. (2.5% - 5% depending on certification) Chief Thomason stated that whatever position you may be in, in the County you can enhance your skill set and you can enhance your

knowledge. College may not be that for some individuals. Wendy has been very diligent to make sure that when we use the word “bonafide” that they are classes that have a real value. There may be a testing module or something to test your understanding of proficiency. It wasn’t an 8-hour course where you simply get a certificate of attendance. Ms. Law then advised that they are proposing that the total education may not exceed 7.5% for the Masters Degree. Then they are looking at a maximum of 5% per year on the Career Path training not to exceed 15% over the lifetime of their employment. Ms. Law stated that the cost of this program for the first 3 years, based on the current education level would be approximately $280,309:

o 1st Year = $185,356 o 2nd Year = $64,841 o 3rd year = $30,112 o *maximum of 5% per year o Numbers will increase, but degrees and certifications take time to

complete. This would represent .008% of our current salary budgeted. It would not be a huge reward immediately to the employee, but we are going back and creating that career path. These numbers should remain in this general area for the projected 4th, 5th, 6th and so on years as people accomplish these goals. Ms. Law stated that it is hoped that this will change the mind set of the employees, where instead of wondering when the County is going to give me a raise, this will give them a way to work toward expanding their knowledge and getting a raise for that expansion.

Consensus of the Board was that this proposed incentive program be built into the FY2020 Budget. Captain Thomason then stated that this is a two-part presentation and the second part is a sick leave abuse problem. We believe it is County wide, part of it is morale and part of it is just custom and practice. What is happening with sick leave abuse is an efficiency and effectiveness problem. In the long run the cost is not only in dollars, but it is costing us in effectiveness and efficiency. When someone calls out sick, we have to call someone else in and it is costing us overtime potentially to do that job. Captain Thomason stated that sick leave abuse can be difficult to address, we must be careful legally as we are pursuing sick leave abuse. He then stated that nationwide that the approach to this problem is positive reinforcement versus the negative. A lot of places buy back sick leave which can be very

expensive. We have polled other cities and counties and they have buy-back programs where they will buy back a number of hours and the employees can use it as Christmas bonuses or for whatever use they have for the funds. Mr. Wilson stated that at the end of the fiscal year the County would pay for up to 40 hours of unused annual leave. Any hours over 240 hours up to 40 the county would pay as an incentive. Chief Thomason stated in being realistic with our current economic situation, it would be very difficult to do that. If we do get a huge response it could be debilitating. So, what we are thinking is as follows: We earn up to 96 hours of sick leave a year and if you don’t use your sick

leave we could create a bank for sick leave. We could create a max for example of 400 hours. It is going to take you over 4 years to build up 400 hours, on year 5 if you don’t use any sick time you can put that in an account that would go towards your tenure and they could leave early for their retirement. It would take approximately 20 years of someone not using their sick leave to come up with the 2080 hours to add a year to their tenure. The reward isn’t huge, but it is an incentive.

Chief Thomason then stated that the County has a lot of salaried or exempt employees and it is very common for these individuals to abandon as much as 100 hours of off-set time. They have invested themselves in their work, it is their right to use that time, but often times they are so dedicated to the mission that they do not use this time. Chief Thomason stated that to reward those folks they could be given the opportunity to invest those hours into the same type of account. Chief Thomason stated that it does not cost the County in dollars for this program, we are simply creating an account where they could potentially retire earlier. Commissioner Dutton then asked Chief Thomason to explain sick leave abuse. Chief Thomason stated that we have some employees who are referred to as “make-it, take-it” employees. What this means is that as soon as someone accrues enough hours to take a shift off, they will call in sick. We have tons of employees who have 0 to 24 hours of sick leave and these are employees who should have many, many hours of sick leave due to their tenure with the County. He added that there are many people with legitimate health problems and this is in no way applied to those individuals. But, then we have folks who see sick time as additional vacation or leave time. In order to “burn” your sick leave,

you don’t have to get permission, you don’t have to plan it so that the employer can cover your absence, you just call and say, “I’m not coming in today.” Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that you can’t make a rule for just the abusers, you have to make the rule for everyone. Chairman Johnson stated that everyone gets sick, but if you have someone who is deemed habitual then how do we implement it, it is going to have to be an across the board decision that will affect everyone. She liked the incentive suggestion, that seems to be fair. Chief Thomason stated that if he can establish a pattern and discipline an individual, he will. He stated that he is not suggesting that we ignore bad behavior, but putting in a positive reward system is another prong of this plan. We’re not focusing on the negative, we’re not threatening people, but we do have to be careful because if we discipline someone, we could have some litigation. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that these ideas aren’t good, but we aren’t addressing the problem of sick leave abuse. These ideas are good for people who would normally have to give up time that they have earned, but for the real abuser. There needs to be documentation as what is deemed abuse of a policy. She stated that there needs to be no subjectivity to the way this is handled, whatever we do needs to have an objective and measurable criteria that anyone can look at and see what is going on. Mr. Wilson stated that what is being proposed is to only allow sick leave and off-set time to accrue towards your retirement. Chairperson Johnson stated that she wondered if there should be an incentive to encourage people to stay at work. Mr. Wilson suggested that if you do not utilize any sick leave during the year that we will pay you for up top 40 hours at the end of the year. You accumulate 96 hours in a year and you have to have a minimum of 40 hours to qualify and you will get paid for 40 hours which would reduce your sick leave to 56 hours with one weeks pay at the end of the year. Mr. Maner stated that this needs to go back to the drawing table because what is being suggested is banking sick leave and what is being suggested is a pay back up to 40 hours if you do not utilize sick leave during the year. Ms. Law stated that we had approximately 279 people who had over 40 hours of sick leave at the end of 2018. Jinna Garrison stated that this something that we could come close to budgeting at the end of the year. She asked if this could be done like the previously calculated longevity and pay it the year after. Then we could

include the pay out in the budget. Mr. Wilson then advised that if no one utilized their sick leave from July 1, 2019 to June 31, 2020 then they would qualify for the 40 hours of pay effective in December 2020. This way we would know who qualifies and would be able to budget the expense in the 2021 budget year. Census of the Board is that the staff go back and rewrite the sick leave proposal to include both of the options discussed at the meeting. Being paid for 40 hours at the end of the year if no sick leave is taken and banking sick leave at a certain accrual point and off-set time to go toward retirement. Mr. Wilson then advised that the legislature has proposed a 2% cost of living increase for all elected officials from the judges to the county commissioners. The cost of a COLA for county employees will be approximately ½ million dollars ($469,000 + benefits). Mr. Wilson stated that it is his intention, if the Board is agreeable, that we include a 2% COLA in addition to the incentive items discussed earlier in the FY2020 budget. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that she couldn’t remember as an elected official the last time that she received a pay raise. She stated that the State is giving the increase, but the Counties are having to pay for it. Mr. Wilson stated that there is a guide published every year with regard to the salaries of the constitutional officers and elected officials. Commissioners receive automatic increases for every term you complete and when you become a certified commissioner you get an increase. The legislature approved approximately 10 years ago that when the State gives cost of living increases, they apply to all elected officials, including County Commissioners. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor then asked if the $465,000 would be coming from Spalding County revenue or is that going to come from the State. Mr. Wilson responded that Spalding County would be funding the cost of living. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that is what she was getting at it is another unfunded mandate from the State. They are giving us a pay raise whether we ask for it or not and we’re the ones that are going to have to come up with the money to fund the pay raise. Where is that money going to come from? Mr. Wilson stated that the only ones mandated are the constitutional officers and elected officials. County employees increases are totally up to the Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that the constitutional officers did not

get a pay increase when the employees got the pay increase. She stated that we have to look at this as a complete picture because what we are doing with the pay plan and the pay incentives is a process. She has asked Wendy and William to find a way that we can incentivize people to get more money, but be aware that there are cost of living increases that we have missed over multiple years. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that she doesn’t feel it would be appropriate to award a cost-of-living increase in the upcoming budget because we just implemented the new pay plan and hopefully will initiate the new incentive plan. She feels at this point we need to look at what kind of cost of living we want to go going forward. We need to have a discussion of real numbers, just because the State gave a 2% cost-of-living increase, inflation has increased about 3% over the last year. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that she would like to better plan the increases for employees in the future. Mr. Wilson stated that there were approximately 150 employees that did not receive any kind of increase when the pay plan was implemented. The pay plan simply brought everyone up to entry level, those employees at the new minimum level or above did not receive any type of increase last year. Mr. Wilson stated that he would like to propose a 2% cost of living increase and implement the incentives we have talked about without a tax increase. He stated that he is not proposing any kind of a tax increase this year. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that her concern is if we give employees a 2% COLA over the pay increase received last year there are going to be other projects in the County that will have to go unfunded because of this pay increase. Commissioner Hawbaker and Commissioner Dutton stated they would not have a problem with a 2% cost of living increase for employees as long as it won’t result in a tax increase. Ms. Law then stated that when we can afford a COLA it keeps the pay scale more current and it keeps our hiring rates more competitive. Mr. Wilson stated that the incentive and the 2% COLA are the big projects for this year. He knows more money needs to be allocated for substandard housing. He then asked if there were any other items the Board would like to concentrate on for the upcoming budget. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor would like for Mr. Wilson and Ms. Law to come back to the Board with a cost of living that isn’t for the next year but something that is projected into the future. It needs to be a plan, we shouldn’t be going

from year to year trying to figure out if we can give a cost of living. We should have that as part of a scheduled plan for a 5-year period. Mr. Wilson then stated that the appraisal came back on the Airport Road Walking Track Park. It came down significantly, the value now is roughly $14,000 per acre. So, the value for that property is approximately $193,000 which is considerably less than the prior appraisal of approximately $477,000. He stated that the fairgrounds property came down significantly as well and the Kiwanis is purchasing the fairgrounds and their building. Mr. Wilson stated that he would get the appraisal out to the Board and he would get with Mr. Fortune and Stephanie Windham and determine where the money will come from because this is something the Board has already approved pending price agreement. Mr. Wilson asked if the current appraisal is good with the Board and we can go forward with the purchase. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor then asked if this is something that could be purchased with impact fees. Mr. Wilson stated that he didn’t think so, but he would check. If not, the cost will have to come out of reserves. Mr. Wilsons stated that Eric Mallard is retiring and will be leaving the County next Friday. Over the past 2 years we have hired 4 individuals to become building inspectors. None of these individuals have worked out and all left the County for various reasons. This leaves us without a building inspector as of next Friday. Mr. Wilson has tried to push over the last year or so contracting out building inspections and it is to a point now that we need to look at that. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor then asked if the City of Griffin farms out their building inspections. Mr. Wilson stated that yes and most entities do contract out the building inspections and he was told yesterday by Mr. Mallard that hiring in a firm for building inspections would actually increase our ISO rating. The County actually has two ISO ratings and one is for building inspections. When you go to contracted building inspection, because of all the certifications they carry and the inspections and field plan they do, it helps your ISO rating. The service is done on a cost sharing basis. We have two proposals and we need to make a decision next week. Mr. Wilson stated that under this contract, we would be getting two building inspectors, and a building official who would work jointly with the City and the County. We have two proposals, one is with a permit technician for a 70/30 split and one without a permit technician for a 65/35 split. Our current permit technician is Lisa Crapo and she can be transferred to another department. Moving to a completely outsourced permitting and inspecting program is the preferred method and the cost would be based on building

permits and the cost would be 70% of the money received for building permits. It is within 10% of breaking even. Mr. Wilson stated that there are two companies in the State of Georgia that provide this service. We have received quotes from both and they are both the same price. Because Charles Abbot and Associates are already at the City of Griffin, it makes it extremely efficient for us to use them. They have been in the business longer and are in more counties around us. The other company works mainly in Atlanta and north of Atlanta. Consensus of the Board was to move forward with outsourcing permits and inspections. Mr. Wilson reminded the Board that they approved in this year’s budget an electronic permitting program for Community Development. Right now, everything is still done on paper, we have beta tested Sages Technology, the company approved by the Board during the budget and we will be implementing this program over the next 60 days. A plus to this is that Charles Abbot and Associates have extensive experience with the Sages Technology program. Mr. Wilson reminded the Board that the Archway Retreat is coming up and he stated that he hoped everyone submitted their three top items to the question: “What critical things need to happen in the next 5 years to ensure that Griffin + Spalding prospers over the years ahead?” He then listed items that had been submitted:

1. Complete the airport in a timely manner and on budget. 2. Airport – a new gigantic airport. 3. Workforce for our rapidly growing industries. 4. Remodel the Hospital. 5. Not for profit Public Defender. 6. Split Fayette County out of the Griffin Judicial Circuit. (Mr. Wilson then advised that local legislation was introduced this week

for a fifth judge for the Griffin Judicial Circuit and it was introduced by Karen Mathiak.)

7. Elect our own Judges. 8. Continue enforcement of substandard housing. (Mr. Wilson added that something the Board will be hearing about in

the future is Housing Court. Joint City/County and it will have to be legislatively created.)

9. Remove blight. Eliminate Blight. 10. Maximize collaboration. 11. Community wide strategic plan. 12. Collaboration of the City and County. 13. Consolidation of the City and County. 14. Griffin Downtown – raise the bar on commerce.

15. Talent retention. 16. Support TSPLOST an ESPLOST. 17. Enhance infrastructure. Physical facelift. 18. Property tax exemption on School Taxes for Seniors age 70. 19. Property tax assessments. 20. Eliminate the golf course. 21. Public Transportation 22. 12-year term limits for City and County commissioners. 23. New County/City Managers and School Superintendent. 24. Improve marketing – Common branding. 25. Unified perception. A united front on how Griffin and Spalding is

presented to internal and external audiences. 26. More land for more industry. 27. Address homelessness and mentally challenged. Mental Health

awareness, the community needs to feel safe. 28. Public Safety

Mr. Wilson stated that we have three restrooms projects we will be starting soon: two that are SPLOST funded and one that is Impact Fee funded. We were successful in obtaining a mobile construction crew from the Department of Corrections and they may be started already on the Cowan Road Dog Park restrooms. We will then move them to Dundee Park or Quarry’s Edge and the third will be at Heritage Park. Preparations for a November TSPLOST are underway. We have put out a Press Release asking for volunteers for a TSPLOST Committee and as of this morning we have seven people who have volunteered to serve on that committee. Chairman Johnson ask for a list of the Short-Term goals prior to the breakfast meeting with Archway.

Short Term Goals (3-5 Years) Mr. Maner asked the Board to think 3-5 years out and to name two things that each commissioner would like to see happen in the next 3-5 years. Then he would like for each commissioner to write down two things that they would like to see happen in the next 5-10 years. Mr. Maner then went around the table and asked people to list the items, then we will go back and discuss them. Commissioner Hawbaker: TSPLOST (November 2019)

Glad we have already started to build the TSPLOST Committee.

We have to finish the current SPLOST Projects (the Animal Shelter, straighten out Intersection #3 at East McIntosh Road, this is a 2008 SPLOST, we have to finish our projects). We have made promises and we need to keep those promises. Mr. Wilson stated that the Animal Shelter Architectural Services that

ACCAB has recommended is on the February 4th Agenda for approval. Intersection #3 – we are currently in the process of acquiring the right-

of-way need for this project. It will probably be the end of the year before it is let for bid.

He would like to see a sequential calendar for the TSPLOST: Press Release requesting volunteers for a committee Identification of TSPLOST projects. Projected dates for completion of SPLOST Projects Public Presentations We need to select and identify for the public how, if passed, TSPLOST

funds will be used. Input from the public/surveys and give everyone the opportunity to be

involved. If there is no involvement there is no commitment. We need to build a website dedicated to the TSPLOST. Athens-Clark set

the template for a successful TSPLOST. The road map is there, the template is there, let’s just duplicate success.

Consensus of the Board is to have a joint TSPLOST.

Mr. Wilson then stated that on the last TSPLOST we had $14.2 million designated for dirt road paving. He has heard that there will be no dirt road paving on the next one. This has not been discussed, but it was a huge negative commentary of the last TSPLOST. “These people chose to move onto a dirt road, why should I have to pay for the paving of that road?” Mr. Wilson advised that staff is developing projects for the TSPLOST because the Board stated they wanted the projects staff driven. He has a list of intersection improvements, the Public Works Department would like to purchase equipment (which is allowed), intersection realignments, bridges, walking trails, nature trails, shoulder wort, etc. The main item for this TSPLOST will be a lot of resurfacing work, intersections and bridges. Commissioner Hawbaker stated that he would like to have the resurfacing projects bonded. Mr. Wilson stated that the question had been asked earlier of the Board and it was decided that there would be no bonding, but he would check the minutes. Mr. Wilson advised that we have the priority list for the roads for resurfacing

from the analysis that Paragon has already completed. He then asked how the Board feels about the dirt roads. Consensus of the Board is that 100% of the right-of-way will have to be donated by the landowners and the amount to be reduced from $14 million to $5 million. Commissioner Hawbaker and Commissioner Dutton stated that he would like to have public input on the projects more than the Board simply choosing the projects for the TSPLOST.

Renew SPLOST (November 2021)

Mr. Wilson stated the current SPLOST will expire in March of 2021 and this will continue the SPLOST. Currently we are averaging $726,000 in monthly collections. Mr. Wilson then listed the possible projects for the 2021 SPLOST Industrial Park Justice Center/Public Safety Complex Park & Recreation Projects Library Mr. Wilson stated that we currently get $20.00 per day for each inmate we house at the Correctional Institution. In the budget the Department of Corrections has proposed $21.00 per day and ACCG and the local governments are asking for $25.00.

Commissioner Flowers -Taylor: Change in the level of diversity in employees at all levels.

Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that she is a little disappointed when she goes into the Tax Assessors’ Office and there is nobody that looks like her. When she goes into the County Commissioners’ office there is nobody that looks like her. When she goes up to Community Development there is nobody that looks like her. She stated that she doesn’t believe it is intentional, but we simply are not aware of the fact that it is obvious to many people that administratively we are “lily white.” When she goes to Fayette or Henry County she sees all of the people of different backgrounds and she wonders why it is, we are not so backward that we can’t find those same qualified men and women or minorities to also work in our facilities. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor then stated that when we talk about the whole issue of what we look like as a County, we need to be aware of the fact that population wise, we are much different then what we present to people when they see us in the street. She feels that as a County government if we are dealing with a population where 40% are not white or who are not men, then we need

to make the population of our employees look like the County. Chairperson Johnson then asked HR Director, Wendy Law, if we are seeing a mixture of folks applying for positions. Are people of color or women applying for the available jobs at the County. Ms. Law responded that it depended on the job. Corrections and the Sheriff’s Office, yes to both of those. But in some of the other positions, for example the Tax Assessors Office and up front in the Administrative Offices we do not receive a large number of applicants and they typically are for example in Community Development, they are white male. She stated that when Human Resources goes through the applications, the back three pages that contain the applicant’s age, race or sex. Those pages are removed before they ever go to the Department Head and we don’t even look at those back pages because they are for statistical purposes only. So, we never look at those when we are giving the applicant any consideration. We look at the first four pages, we scan them and we send them to the department head. Mr. Law stated that they advertise with every organization they can think of that is here in town to be sure that the word is spread. We advertise with the church/reverends, our website, SCTC, Department of Labor, NAACP and UGA to try to get the word out. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor then stated that she couldn’t tell us what the answer is, but it is a concern for her and a concern that comes to her from the community about people when they come into the office. Is there anything that we can do to combat this perception. For example, she has never seen an African American or a Hispanic American road deputy in a car to show up at somebody’s house. Conversely, at the City of Griffin you see black women, you see middle eastern, you see the same with men. So, if they are able to do that within Spalding County, why are we not able to better mirror what our community looks like. When she looks at the people who are in leadership, there is not a lot of color or diversity.

Removal of identified blight and substandard housing as well as an Ordinance that addresses commercial substandard buildings. Commissioner Dutton stated that when he worked in the City of Atlanta, they had an ordinance where if the police got called to a house for a specified number of times during a six month period, then the owner of the house would have to come into the City Council and they essentially had a Housing Court where the owner was asked “what are you doing to make sure that this type of behavior is not taking place on their property.” If the homeowner didn’t answer the summons or if they answered the summons and were put on a plan to correct the problem within a certain period of time, and there was still no improvement, the City would seize the land and either

bulldoze the dwelling, Or if the house was livable, they would renovate it and then give the house to one of the police officers because 90% of the police officers don’t live in Atlanta. They were actually turning bad situations into good situations. Commissioner Hawbaker stated that even the modest amount that is allocated $25,000 in each budget year. Chad Jacobs did this one big summary of how the in-rem process works and one of the steps in the process is after the title search has been done and notices have been issued, there is suppose to be an in-rem hearing before the Board of Commissioners. He stated that he doesn’t recall a single time in the first four years of his service where the Board has been involved in an in-rem hearing. So, it would seem to him that even that $25,000, is it being used? Mr. Wilson stated that this last year the funds were held due to the mobile home park scheduled for demolition out on SR16, we wanted to make sure the funds were available should the owners not do what they said they were going to do. We are moving forward with Beck, Owen and Murry on title work that needs to be done and there should be properties for consideration later this fiscal year. Commissioner Hawbaker stated that he is in favor of increasing that budget and make sure that we get maximum use. Mr. Wilson stated that the City of Griffin put $1 million in as part of their SPLOST. He then asked if allocating SPLOST funding for this use is something the Board would want to consider for the next SPLOST. Mr. Wilson advised that substandard housing inspections are included in the contract for permitting services. Commissioner Dutton then asked what is done with the property once the blighted structure is demolished and the property is cleaned up. Mr. Wilson stated that if the County owns the property it is turned over to the Land Bank Authority; however, if there is a property owner, a lien is placed against the property for the cost incurred for the demolition. When the property is sold the County would get their money back. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that at this time we do not have an Ordinance to deal with blighted commercial property. She advised that there is a mill that is below her house that is horrendous. The owners came down to the location and reclaimed anything they could reclaim and even while they were working on it, the part of the building they were going to leave was left open. She honestly believes that people are still living in there and are storing stolen stuff in there. The reclamation has been completed and for the past year and a half the property has been sitting open with all the debris. We don’t have anything in our ordinance that says a building that has doors open is

substandard, a commercial building that you can see through the roof is substandard, a building where you have grass growing up 18” at the entrance where you walk through is substandard. We don’t have anything to address that. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor added that because of the history of this community and being in textiles, it sets the tone for anyone else that has a building that previously was an old store or whatever that’s just caved in or falling in and people storing stuff around the front of it. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor would like for us to go back and revisit our relationship with the Land Bank. She made a complaint 4-5 years ago regarding some property on Poplar Street, people were dumping on the property and they were dumping so much that it was encroaching on the Water Authority’s property. We were able to get the property cleaned up, but now the house is just open, there are no windows, there are no doors, junk in is all around and it is just sitting there. Somewhere there is a disconnect, either they are not doing what we need them to do or we need to tell them to do something different. Because it doesn’t do any good for them to claim the property and have it on their books if they are not going to clean the property up. Mr. Wilson advised that in many cases they do not redeem the right of redemption and we are working now with the Land Bank, Bob Dull, Chad Jacobs and Stephanie Windham. This is where the idea of the Housing Court came up. We are all now communicating on the same page, previous personalities and personnel didn’t get along and now everybody is getting along and he feels that we will see a much better cooperation. Mr. Wilson stated that what people don’t realize is just because the Land Bank owns the property, it does not mean that they can go on to it to clean it up. There is a legal process called right of redemption. Mr. Fortune then advised that if you purchase a piece of property at a tax sale, whoever was the original owner of the property and didn’t pay the taxes has got a period of 12 months from the date of the sale to come in and redeem their property. Go to the person who purchased the property and notify them they want to buy it back and the statue states that I have to pay you what you paid plus 20% and get the property back. The original owner can enforce that right in court. But for that year, you are in limbo because you cannot cut-off that right of redemption until the 12 months has run. For that year, you can’t go on the property, you can’t make any improvements, you technically can’t go in there and cut the grass because it is not yours yet. Mr. Wilson advised that the County has traditionally only minimally funded the Land Bank. Once the Land Bank exercises the right of redemption on properties, the county has never given them money to go in and demolish the building or clean it up.

Mr. Wilson then stated that the County is now working with the Land Bank and if the Land Bank owns a house that is on the Housing Study, but they have not done their right of redemption, we are working with them to do the right of redemption and we will tear it down and they will already own the property. We won’t give them money, but we will tear down the building with our substandard housing money. Consensus of the Board is to include money for addressing blight and substandard housing in the next SPLOST.

Chairman Johnson: SPLOST and TSPLOST

Work closely with the Development Authority

She would like to see funding allotted to the Development Authority in the next SPLOST for the purchase of land. Mr. Fortune stated that the Development Authority currently has two more lots at the Lakes and Green Valley, when those are sold, they have no more lots available. When new projects come in we don’t have any land. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that she feels a more realistic stance would be for the County to increase our budget for the Development Authority. Something that we can do now. There is no guarantee a SPLOST will pass in the next two years and they are going to have to operate. She stated the think that needs to be addressed immediately is whether or not we are going to budget them at a level higher than we are currently budgeting. Mr. Fortune stated that the last big purchase the Development Authority made was bonded and paid for by SPLOST funds. They are going to have to find a large parcel of property that they can go in and establish with infrastructure to offer people who want to come in and build their facilities. We have to have the infrastructure in place. You have to be ready when they come to town and you have to have something to show them, if you don’t the opportunity is lost. Consensus is to look at increasing the County’s funding of the Development Authority in the next Budget cycle.

Commissioner Dutton: Full-time Public Defender in State Court.

Commissioner Dutton stated that currently we have a three-year contract in the State Court and at the end of this year that contract is up. The attorneys involved are doing a fantastic job, he really has no complaint. However, six

thousand cases a year go through that Court and right now the two attorneys we have are doing this part time. So, they show up when they are needed. He feels that this should be a fulltime dedicated position just like in the Superior Courts. The State Court currently has a 6000 case, caseload annually and we have two people working part time to process the caseload. With the caseload being so tremendous, the individuals currently charged with handling these cases are very rushed. There needs to be a fulltime dedicated individual. It can still be done by contract, but he is encouraging that someone make this their fulltime job. Commissioner Hawbaker asked if we had two fulltime public defenders if it would make the processing of cases more efficient and would the processing of those cases generate enough money to fund those positions. Commissioner Dutton stated right now the State Court has specific court dates one where the public defenders are present and one where they are not. Because they have so many cases, they tell the public defenders that all of their cases are going to be on a certain date. He feels if they were there fulltime that they could work out cases ahead of time. They would also have a chance to meet with their clients before they walk into the courtroom. Commissioner Dutton then advised that what ties into a fulltime Public Defender is a Public Defender fee. Right now, we have a $50.00 optional application fee, the reason he terms it as optional is if you don’t pay the fee, they can’t deny you the service. However, in Henry County when someone takes a plea that doesn’t have a paid attorney or at sometime early in the process didn’t waive the service of the public defender, they get a public defender fee attached to whatever fine they have. In Henry County, the mandatory public defender fee is $480.00 which is crazy. That said, a $100.00 fee would be reasonable added to a fine. Our current contract is for $530,000 for the two part-time people who are currently working in State Court and Juvenile Court. Mr. Wilson advised that Judge Thacker has already spoken with him about this and he has been approached by two law firms who are interested in bidding on it.

Split from the Griffin Judicial Circuit. Commissioner Dutton stated that there are four counties, Fayette, Spalding, Pike and Upson, that make up the Griffin Judicial Circuit. This made sense when Spalding was the “big county” and the other three were all rural like Pike County. Fayette’s population has exploded over the last 50 years and now makes up more than half of the population for the entire circuit. It has gotten so bad now, that Fayette County picks all of our judges and our D.A.

Judge Hankinson, who was from Thomaston, and was a long-standing judge in the circuit ran as the incumbent and someone from Fayette County ran against him. Even though the challenger lost in Upson, Pike and Spalding, he won in Fayette and so he won the election. The person who beat him did not really campaign anywhere other than in Fayette County. Now Fayette County picks all of the judges for the circuit. What that means that our constituents votes for a judge don’t count. Our D.A., who is from Upson County, barely carried Fayette and so, barely won. He carried Upson County by 92% and Spalding County by 67% which were huge wins, but barely won the election because he won Fayette. Again, it didn’t matter how the other three counties voted, they are the “tail that wags the dog.” The way that this would split would be is like when the Towliga District split and Henry County became their own circuit. Clayton County is their own circuit, Fulton County is their own circuit. All of the metro counties are their own circuit except for Fayette County. Fayette is still attached to us. The following will have to happen as this is a change that the State of Georgia will have to make. Judicial Subcommittee will meet and will have to make a recommendation

and make it part of the budget for the General Assembly to pass. They are not going to make a recommendation until they do a fiscal study and they will only do it if somebody tells them to.

Spalding County will need to vote to have the Judicial Subcommittee do the study. If we do this, Commissioner Dutton feels that Pike and Upson would pass it unanimously as well. They have been waiting for years.

The State would then include this in their legislation for this year and so in 2020, is when they could actually split us away.

We’re growing, but at this time we are being eclipsed by Fayette County. Who because of their growth need to be like Clayton, Henry and Fulton needs to be their own circuit and while this is going to cost the State a bit more, it is going to save Spalding County money. The State of Georgia pays a portion of the Judges salaries, but each of the Counties pitch in a portion as well. Mr. Wilson advised that the salaries are based on population, so the lions share of salaries and benefits by Fayette County. But, operations are based on caseload; therefore, Spalding County’s caseload is higher than anyone else, so we are paying more in operations. Probably in the first few years it will cost us more but the efficiency of the courts will offset time costs. Mr. Maner then asked if what Commissioner Dutton was looking for is the Board of Commissioners to support doing a study.

Commissioner Dutton stated that we need to pass a resolution that will ask the State to do a study and see what the cost would be. He stated that he has already talked with Karen Mathiak, David Knight and Ken Pullin about this. He added that last year’s chair of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners would also like to split the circuit. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor stated that if there is a consensus that we do contact the other Counties within the circuit and generate a joint Resolution that can be presented at one time. Mr. Wilson stated that he would contact the County Managers in Pike and Upson Counties and discuss this with them and go forward from there. Consensus of the Board is to go forward with the steps necessary to start the process of splitting the Griffin Judicial Circuit.

Long Term Goals (5-10 Years)

Commissioner Dutton: Blight reduction/blight removal and land reclamation School Children and increasing Charter School options available in Spalding

County The Judicial Center Chairperson Johnson: Continue work on the Quality of Life with parks, roads and public

transportation. Continue to focus and better enhance the employee benefit package which will

continue to keep morale up and keep retention high. Commissioner Flowers-Taylor: Public transportation system either locally or regionally. Pay increase for County Commissioners.

Mr. Wilson to get a copy of the ACCG study on Commissioner Pay based on population.

Commissioner Hawbaker: Blight removal both housing and commercial. Dedicated funding for the Development Authority. Complete the ongoing and planned transportation projects.

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.