Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Gentlemen, please remove your covers.

Let us pray. Our Father and our God in heaven, we come to you thanking you for all the many blessings that you bestow upon us. Father, we are thankful for the rains. We're thankful for a caring community that has reached out to take care of those in desperate need. Father, we pray, as always, for the safety of those in uniform, both here and abroad, who stand between us and those who would do harm to us. Bring peace to this world, Lord, we pray. Father, as a board, we pray for wisdom, and we pray for acceptance of others' ideas. Father, all of these things we ask in thy most precious name. Amen. to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible.

Roll call.

All commissioners are present.

Okay, moving on to amendments to the agenda. We have one addition to the agenda, which is an update. on the Woodbine Public Library by Three Rivers Regional Director, Jeremy Snell. We're gonna add that to the agenda. Any other additions? Seeing none, we have a motion to adopt the agenda as amended. So moved.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. So we'll move on to the approval of the minutes for the May 4th, 2026 work session. We're going to do this in two separate motions. The first motion will be acceptance of the minutes for May 4th, 2026 work session minutes. Any deletions or comments on that? Seeing none, we have a motion. So moved, Mr. Chairman. I'll second.

We have a motion and a second. All in favor?

I hear the second. Approval of the minutes is the regular meeting on May 5th, 2026, the Solid Waste Authority minutes. Any deletions of minutes, deletions, changes? Seeing none, we have a motion. I move to approve. Second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. We'll move on to our presentation section.

Mike. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Commissioners, good evening. I've got a couple for you again tonight, as usual. The first one's gonna start out with a proclamation by the Camden County Board of Commissioners recognizing the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026 as National Public Works Week. Whereas public works professionals focus on infrastructure, facilities, and services that are of vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities and to public health, high quality of life, and the well-being of the people of Camden County, These infrastructure facilities and services could not be provided without the dedicated efforts of public works professionals who are engineers, managers, and employees at all levels of government and the private sector who are responsible for rebuilding, improving, and protecting our nation's transportation, water supply, water treatment, and solid waste systems, public buildings, and other structures and facilities essential to our citizens. Whereas it's in the public interest for the citizens, civic leaders, and children in Camden County to gain knowledge of and maintain an ongoing interest and understanding of the importance of public works and public works programs in their respective communities. Whereas the year 2026 marks the 66th annual National Public Works Week sponsored by the American Public Works Association. Now therefore be it proclaimed by the Camden County Board of Commissioners that the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026 as National Public Works Weeks, all citizens are encouraged to recognize substantial contributions made to the public by public works professionals, engineers, managers, and employees and protecting our national health, safety, and advancing quality of life for all, proclaimed this 19th day of May, 2026, Robbie Cheek, Chairman, Camden County Board of Commissioners. Now, I know Jared is here from Public Works. If there's anybody else here as well, I'd like him to come accept this proclamation and you gentlemen to snap a photograph with him. And then the next two, Jim, are going to be photograph opportunities as well. to save you trip back and forth there

Not Jared, but can I get two people to come to the side? Can I get somebody to stick their head between Alice and...

Yes.

Thank you. I need... Come on in.

All right, this next one will recognize all the beautiful folks against the wall back here in the back of the room. So this is a proclamation of the Camden County Board of Commissioners recognizing the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026 as Emergency Medical Services Week. Whereas emergency medical service is a vital public service, the members of emergency medical service teams are ready to provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The emergency medical services system consists of first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers, firefighters, sheriff's deputies, educators, administrators, pre-hospital nurses, emergency nurses, emergency physicians, trained members of the public, and other out-of-hospital medical care providers. Whereas the members of emergency medical services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to enhance their lifesaving skills. Whereas it's appropriate to recognize the value and the accomplishments of emergency medical services providers by designating the emergency medical services week. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the Camden County Board of Commissioners that the week of May 17th through the 23rd, 2026, as Emergency Medical Services Week. This is the 52nd anniversary of EMS Week, and the theme this year is EMS Week, Improving Outcomes Together. The community is encouraged to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities in honor of the EMS profession and the essential service that it provides. Proclaim this 19th day of May, 2026, Robbie Cheek, Chairman, Camden County Board of Commissioners. Now we've got all these folks. We'd like to have y'all come up here and have your picture taken as well. Chief Smith is here, Chief Boyette, and EMS Chief Sullivan is here as well with all of their crew.

Can I get, like, three people on this side to come to this back? Thanks, y'all.

Yes, one more, one more. This is a little different than a proclamation. This is the good stuff, y'all. I enjoy getting to do things like this. I've got the landfill director, solid waste director John Pittman right here with me as well. So guys, tonight we have the opportunity to recognize two individuals. whose quick thinking and selfless actions helped prevent what could have been a much more serious situation for Camden County. So after business hours on Friday, May 1st, a fire broke out at the Camden County Municipal Solid Waste Landfill, as we're all aware. As they were passing by the facility, Mr. Rufus Butler and Mr. Sam Butler noticed flames coming from inside the complex. Without hesitation, they immediately contacted 911 and alerted Camden County Fire Rescue, but they didn't stop there. These two men remained on site until the emergency responders arrived, making sure that the situation was communicated clearly and that the proper personnel were notified. They also contacted operations manager Cyrus Roberts and office manager Kristen Miller, who we were happy to have here with us tonight. Once inside the complex, though, these are guys that are familiar with the landfill, do a lot of work out there. Once inside the complex, they quickly realized that the fire was not coming from one of the buildings itself, but from a pickup truck. that had spread to a very expensive piece of heavy equipment. At that point, they took decisive action to move other pieces of nearby equipment away from the flames, preventing what could have become a much larger and potentially multi-million dollar incident. So in moments like these, character reveals itself quickly. Mr. Rufus Butler, Mr. Sam Butler demonstrated courage, calmness under pressure, sound judgment, and an outstanding commitment to their community. Their willingness to step up and help county property and potentially prevent further danger is something that deserves to be recognized publicly. So on behalf of the Camden County Board of Commissioners, we want to sincerely thank both of you for your actions, your professionalism, and your example of community service. So at this time, I'd like to invite Mr. Rufus Butler and Mr. Sam Butler to come forward so that we may present them with letters of appreciation from the Board of Commissioners. So very much. Thank you. Of course. Awesome. All right. That one is for you. There's a copy of the letter from the chairman and a copy of a certificate of recognition that's for you. And we'd like to get a picture of you guys with the board as well.

Come on, Kristen and Cyrus.

That's awesome.

Thank you.

So the next presentation is a SPLOST 8 update.

Good evening, everyone. All right, we got one more presentation, and this one's a lot shorter than last night. So it's my understanding that the commissioners wanted to see an update on our SPLA state. So I just wanted to briefly go through it with you. And I need to get the clicker. Hang on. I'm going to switch over to the table. It's a little easier to see over this way. Okay, so we'll start off with supply state review here. This supply state was approved back in March 19th, 2019. It went before the public for a referendum and was passed. It provided a 1% sales and use tax. and the estimated proceeds were 55 million over a six-year period. It funds some county-wide tier two projects and also renovations, construction, extensions, and improvement. This is just a brief, it kinda looks complicated here, but it's really, all this is telling you is the tier two projects that were selected, and those are the dollar amounts. That was a total of 10.2 million. And most of those projects, I was gonna go with that in just a second about what's been complete and what's still in process, but I have that on another slide. I'll just switch on to that one. This one, it just tells here that after the level two projects have been completed and a collection of 49.1 million's been reached, this also includes an additional 2.1 for the public safety complex, E91EMA. The remaining 5.9 will be distributed among the three municipalities and the county according to the 2010 census population. So there, you see in the middle, that's the 2.1 for the public safety complex. And then the other, the renovations, construction, and extensions at the bottom shows the buildings and offices. There's a 2.9 million. The roads, streets, and bridges was a 4.1. And upgrading the purchase of the county equipment, vehicles, and technology was 5.4 million. So that's kind of how the split goes for SPLA State. Just wanted to review that. This gives the distribution. Just to keep it simple, it was split between the cities, PSA and the county, and that kind of gives you the distribution of those dollars. And those are estimates. And then here we have the... Expenditures to date on these, and I did put whether it was completed or not. The public safety radio communication system has been completed. It did go a little bit over budget. It was $1,049,925. The ambulances have been completely purchased at a cost of 1.176618. The Superior Court record preservation, I got some info on that today that it is still in process, and that's 516,220, so they're probably almost completed with that. And then the property acquisition, we've only spent 500, so we still have a million left on that. The library renovation, I think we're at the paving phase. We found that out today. But it's been $106,000 has been spent so far. And then I found out today from our county attorney, Jackie, she said that for the Blue Bridge, we have the final invoice for that. So we'll be getting that paid. So that is completed now.

And that's for the acquisition of the property, to be clear.

Yep. And then the last one on that Tier 2 is the Public Health Department. As you probably all know, that has been completed, and we used 2.4 for the SPLOST towards that. There were other, you know, the total cost of that was around $5 million, and there was other sources of revenue for the completion of that project.

Are we estimating that we'll be able to pave the parking lot at the Blue Bridge with the remaining balance?

I'm not sure what the cost of that will be. Do you have an idea on that, Joey?

No, not paving the Blue Bridge. We're looking at trying to secure some grants to move forward with the Blue Bridge project. And we have met with DNR as well.

The original idea behind that SPLOST project and that $250,000 amount was just to buy the property, just to get the acquisition of the property, not to do the project. Now, DNR hopefully will come on board along with grants to finish that project out. But our part when we first started this was just to get the property.

I have a question okay on the superior court record preservation excuse my voice I've lost it that process I was told at the end of the year last year was on the brink of being completed do you have any idea when it will be

I understand that they have completed it.

That's what I was told.

Okay.

And that they were going ahead and invoicing for the remainder of that.

Okay. All right. Thank you for that. And then the public health facility, I mentioned that. Going on to the other items, the roads, we had a 4.1 budget for that and expenditures to date were 1.5 million. The building renovation section was 2.9 budgeted and we spent 2.1 so far. And the machinery equipment technology category is a $5.4 million budget. We have spent on that $6.4 million. So that is what we spent so far. And then moving on to the remaining balance and SPLOST data as of 4-30, those are the three items that we have left to complete. And the public safety complex, as I showed you before in the previous slides, there's 4.1 million in the tier two, and then they have another split after so many, you know, revenues have been distributed for the 2.1 to be used. And then additional million left for property acquisition we have there.

I was going to ask about the excess funds. Now that we've stopped collecting for SPLA state.

Here's what I got. The last slide. That's the remaining balance in SPLA state as of April 30th. We got those balances today. We have some in the LGIP and then we have some at the Synovus. The total there is $24.6 million and that's what's remaining there

That's all. Do we have an update on the city's SPLOST funds and their SPLOST projects, if they're all completed or not?

No, we don't have that information.

So we might want to take a look at getting it, right? So when we talk about freeing up those excess funds with SPLOST 8, there's $24 million sitting there that we could potentially spend on a jail. The city projects, their SPLOST funds, all of their projects have to be completed and fully funded before we can access the excess funds because it's a countywide referendum.

Yeah, that's what I understand, unless I'm mistaken. I think the cities, every project has to be completely done and funded before we get to the excess money.

And so the reason I'm asking about the update on their projects is they had, I think, specifically earmarked for the PSA. So yeah, PSA, not just the cities, but they had a $1,500 renovation on the pool house roof at the St. Mary's Civic Park pool. Well, they demoed that building. but it was on the referendum specifically and people voted for it. So potentially, if we don't dispose of that project and that item appropriately, $1,500 could be the difference between us accessing $24 million. So there is a process, and it is going to require our attention through an ordinance process. I have the OCGA here. I'm happy to give it to you guys tonight. But we do need to know the status of those other projects that aren't just county projects.

I totally agree with you. If you recall, we did sign an intergovernmental agreement with the excess funds that we are currently waiting on Woodbine to agree upon that agreement as well.

Those excess funds aren't going to matter if we don't hold an ordinance, and there's an election involved as well. I mean, we need to decide what we're going to do with those funds for those projects that aren't completed. What year do we have to have all of those funds expended? Is it 2030?

Our auditors told us there's not a cutoff date for the spending.

You're saying there's no limit on when those funds have to be?

Those projects have to be. We have checked with the auditors, and they have stated to us there's no deadline on that. according to our auditors.

So we just hold the money. If a project never gets completed, we just hold the money.

Our intention is to complete our projects as well as the city's. So I don't think anybody's intention is to hold that money. So the whole intent for this money is to complete those projects as we are moving forward our jail project.

Right. So I'd just like to look into all the other projects that haven't been completed. Right. And if they're infeasible, they need to be determined infeasible through an ordinance. Right. And then we need to get the election. If we do it quickly enough, we could have it on the November ballot for some of those items that need to be disposed of.

I think the first thing we need to make sure we do is can we get with the city to see where they are on their projects and what their anticipated dates are in the rough cost estimates. That way, because we can't do anything until the city's have completed their projects. Now, if we have to have different avenue because they want or can't, then that's a different discussion. But I think the first step is to get with the cities to see where they are when they anticipate being done.

Right. And so the reason I asked for the presentation and the reason I'm bringing it up tonight is because it is going to be a process. So I just want to make sure we're thinking about that now, especially when we're trying to get creative on funding other projects.

Well, I don't know about the rest of you. I like $24 million going to or to jail. I think that sounds great. In a big way.

So, you know, don't even worry about Woodbine's signature. I mean, you said Woodbine hasn't signed it yet, right? Okay. Did we approve that?

What's the question again? Did we approve that, I guess, is my question? Yes, we did. Katie has those papers, yes.

As well as the cities, besides Woodbine.

All the cities except Woodbine.

Is there any reason Woodbine's hesitating to sign it? I've reached out to them several times, but they haven't ever put it on their agenda.

Okay. Also, this money is in a... Excuse me.

Can you speak up? Sorry, sorry.

This money is in an interest-bearing account at this point. I'd like to know how much of this is interest, if that's possible. I mean, you don't have to say now.

It's about $70,000 a month.

$70,000 a month? And how many months? I mean, could you? Not now. You don't have to calculate all that now, but I think it would be a good idea if we're getting $70,000 a month, to know where we're at on the interest on it as well and what are the legalities on using the interest on this money too.

Mr. Sains, this is a workers' comp case. He got pneumonia last night from that vent up there.

Yeah, it was. Can I file workers' comp on that vent? That's a good idea. Anyway, I would like to know where we stand on this being an interest-bearing account. And if you're going to go through a process looking forward, then what are we going to do with the interest? The money is on there as well. Okay.

I will shut up. I believe there was some sort of time limit, though, if we could check on that. Because back when we were having the You all were having the final discussions at the Resiliency Center. There was a discussion about six years after the collection.

There was some sort of time limit on when... Actually, I think it's five years is what you're talking about. That's what we shoot for, is to spend it within five years. But there's other jurisdictions where there's splossed money that's been out there for a lot longer than... than five years that hadn't been spent, not in this county, but in other jurisdictions around the state.

Thank you for that, though. Thank you for that presentation.

Anything else? Thank you, ma'am. And now we'd like to welcome Jeremy Snell. He's from the Three Rivers Regional Library. He's the director. He's going to give us an update. Turn your mic on. Thank you.

It's green now. Good evening, Chairman Cheek and members of the Commission. My name is Jeremy Snell. I'm the director of Three Rivers Regional Library System, of which all three libraries serving Camden County are members of. And I'm here today on behalf of Woodbine Public Library and the system to provide a brief update, talk about our successes and where we're going in the future. And I'm going to start, though, by simply saying thank you. Woodbine Library and the investment in it is not just a line item in the county's budget. It's an investment in a rural community that without you would have significantly less access to literacy, learning and opportunity. And we don't take that lightly and we remain grateful for your partnership. So the Woodbine Public Library opened its doors in September of 2020, middle of pandemic. And in the five years since, community members have walked through those doors 25,584 times. In a small town in rural Camden, people keep choosing to show up. And they show up for books, yes, but they also show up for story times, craft programs, summer reading challenges, free Wi-Fi technology, and a place that feels like it belongs to them because it does. In FY24 and 25 we welcomed over 6,000 visits each of those years and we are on pace to break 7,000 visits this year at Woodbine. But I want to talk about who is walking through our doors because that's at the heart of what we do. More than 51% of every physical item checked out from Woodbine last year went home with a child or a young adult. Half of everything we lend, youth materials. Picture books and chapter books and graphic novels and launch pads tucked under small arms are in parents' hand and carried home to kitchen tables, comfy chairs across the county. And during the summer months when schools close and the summer slide threatens to erase months of academic progress, our door counts peak. Families make us a part of their summer. And that's not an accident. It's the result of intentional programming, dedicated team members, and of course your support that makes that possible. Last year, our team offered 39 free programs for children ages 0 to 5, reaching 377 attendees. These story times and crafts and other hands-on activities designed to help Camden's youngest residents enter kindergarten ready to learn. And for families, many who don't have easy access to enrichment resources elsewhere or carefully managing their household budgets, these resources are essential. And through Three Rivers Regional Library System, every cardholder now has free at-home access to ABC Mouse's Early Learning Academy, which has more than 11,000 learning activities covering reading, math, science, art, music, and it's available on any device at no cost to families. But of course, Woodbine Library is not just for the youngest ones in our lives. In addition to checking out those other 49% of materials, last year adults attended book clubs, programs, and town hall meetings like the one coming up this Thursday. These are just some examples of how public libraries help build community and also help combat the epidemic of loneliness that is affecting so many individuals in our current times. We're also proud of the growth in our digital offerings. In just the past few years, digital checkouts, e-books, and audio books have grown dramatically, and some months showing triple-digit percentage increases year over year. And we also provide online access to college admission tests and certification preparation materials, personal finance education, language learning, genealogy research, and more, all free with your library card. So we are meeting patrons where they are. whether in our building or at home, on their phones or on their daily commutes listening to an audio book on Libby. And the library doesn't close when our doors do. So where are we headed? Well, this year we were able to increase Woodmine's operating hours thanks to additional funding received from the county. And with this, the community is served by four passionate part-time team members at Woodmine, all working less than 20 hours a week. To further increase our operational capacity, we hope next year to be able to raise the library manager from 19 and a half hours to 29 and a half hours. And really, our manager is the operational backbone of everything I've been talking about, all these numbers, the programs, the partnerships, the community relations, the day-to-day work of keeping this library running at a high level. And increasing those hours means more stability, more capacity, and frankly, more of what I've been describing to you. I'm also working with the library board to explore the possibility of adding a dedicated meeting room to the library in coming years, providing a publicly available space to the community right at the seat of county government. And before closing, while I did want to focus on Woodmine today, it would be an oversight of mine as director of the entire system, not to mention the amazing successes of all three of the libraries in Camden County and serving its residents. Looking at numbers from July 1 through the end of April, so the last 10 months, Camden County residents have checked out over 144,000 items from their local libraries and visited them 76,500 times. The libraries have offered 669 free programs to the community with nearly 16,700 attendees. And with 24,138 active library cards, around 40% of the county has used the library in the past two years. And I say all that to highlight how beloved the libraries and their services are to the citizens of Camden County and how hard the team members work every day in service of this community. So I'll leave you with something a patron wrote in our summer survey last year. And they said, quote, the Woodbine Library has offered so much for people in rural Camden. Simple words, but they carry the impact of everything that we do. You make this library possible. Your investment year after year means that a child in Woodbine has the same shot at a great story, great program, and a great start as a child anywhere. And of course, that the entire community has access to a life enriching institution. And we are grateful for that partnership. And we are committed to honoring it every single day that we are open. So I want to thank you for your time. I do have a one pager with a few of these statistics that I mentioned that I'll leave with you. And I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Jeremy. Questions, comments?

Yeah, Ken, I'd like to make a statement. It's not written. It's just on my heart. I became familiar with the Woodbine Library several years ago through the Chamber of Commerce when these folks came and presented what they were trying to do in Woodbine. Being from Woodbine, it touched my heart because I recognized the fact that there's not a lot to do in Woodbine. We used to have cow chip wars back down the road there because we didn't have much to do. So I saw where they were. doing a lot with children and adults here in this area. Woodbine Library has become a place where we basically can hold meetings. We can discuss things. You bring people in all the time. I am very impressed with the board that you guys, that we put together and what's going on in the Woodbine Library. I'd like for you to introduce. You've got some board members here, me being one of them. These folks, they work tirelessly, in my opinion, to keep that library going the way it does. And they're innovative. They're creative people who don't just want some place for kids to sit down and read. They want a place they can learn and be motivated and become great people in our society. So if you don't mind doing that for me, I would appreciate it. You don't have to introduce me. I've already done it. but you've got the rest of them sitting right behind you.

Absolutely. So I do have three members of the library board here with me. We have Ms. Janet Heath. Yes. We have Loretta, whose last name I'm blanking on. And we have Kevin Walker, who is actually the new library board chair.

There you go. Thank you, guys.

If I could just say, I'm also one of those library card holders, and I have not checked out ABC Mouse yet, but I have used a lot of the adult services you have available as far as the computers that you make available to the public. Tons of printing services, legal documents up here in Woodbine. Printed this at the Camden County Library down in Kingsland today. So you guys have always been available when I needed you, so thank you for the service you all do provide. Thank you for using the library.

I think Woodbine Library is a huge success, and a lot of it is not only the board, but people with grit and determination behind the scenes, and you guys know who you are. That's part of the success of Woodbine Library. Thank you all for doing what you do.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you. Good presentation, Jeremy. Thank you very much.

Now we'll move on to our first public comment section. Do we have anybody signed up? Nobody signed up. Does anybody wish to speak to the board about any item on the agenda? I'm sorry? You are?

Well, thank you so much.

We're glad you're here. Anybody else? Seeing none, we're going to have a motion. You got to get up faster, Janie.

We don't want to wake you up I'm Janie Everett and I live on Court Avenue here in Woodbine Listen, I'm trying to understand There's a public hearing scheduled on Looks like code of Camden County chapter 14 animals. Is that animal control? I Y'all know I came in here about a month ago having a problem with animals. I interacted with Animal Control last week. They said that they would send traps out, different things. That has not happened. I've been to Animal Control, Humane Society. I'm trying to save some cats from being mistreated, shot at with BB guns, and stumped by unruly children. You all can have all the codes you want, but when animal control say they don't accept cats, they only accept dogs, what are we doing here? If we're going to change a code for how human beings act or interact with animals, then animal control has to take some responsibility and help the public with protecting these animals. That's all I'm going to say. Thank you.

Thanks, Janie. Anyone else? Okay. Moving on, for a motion to adjourn the regular meeting and convene a public hearing regarding the Chapter 14 Animal Control Ordinance Changes.

I move to adjourn the regular meeting and convene a public hearing. Second.

We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. Now we'll enter the public hearing section. Anybody have any comments for the board related to the changes to Chapter 14, Animal Control?

Seeing none. Mr. Chairman, you probably should wait until he does his presentation and then ask for comments.

Yes, thank you.

Do your presentation first. Good evening, commissioners. I'm coming here tonight to discuss the approval for the first reading of the Chapter 14 animals revision of the codes. We're coming to consider waiving the first reading of the amendments to chapter 14, the official code of Camden County, Georgia. The history behind it is the current animal control ordinances are out of date and need modernized to reflect changes and modifications within state law, improving strategies or strategize improvements in other jurisdictions to better enforce our regulations and improve our effectiveness in regard to public safety and adherence to ordinances. And the facts of our ordinances is that the development of new ordinances gives animal control clear and concise foundation to better enforce ordinances and leaves less room for a potential misinterpretation. And this will enable animal control to be more effective at ensuring the accountability for pet owners. So I think it's up to you all to waive, I guess, the first reading of them.

I want you to read it.

You got time? Just give us a cliff note.

I move the first reading of the animal control. We're in a public hearing right now. I thought you were asking, sorry.

So I haven't heard the presentation now. Is there anybody that has any public comment? Ricky? Ricky?

I still understand correctly. Oh, Ricky Manning from Bullhead, anyway. This is just the first reading, and it will be another one, right? Correct? That's correct. Because the public needs an opportunity to go out and look. This document is long. And I would like to see if Jerry could highlight somewhere the major changes that are going to go on. I mean, I read through it. It's long.

Ricky, I have re-uploaded onto the agenda center. The red line version.

Okay.

It is there in the new uploaded agenda packet.

All right. So can we get, when we post the minutes for this meeting, that is where it's at and all this, so the rest of the public will know? Yes, sir.

That will be included in the minutes.

Thank you very much.

Anybody else? Seeing none, entertain a motion to adjourn the public comment session.

So moved, Mr. Chairman.

We have a second.

We're going to adjourn the regular meeting and convene a public hearing. We just did that.

Adjourn the public hearing and reconvene the regular meeting. Reconvene the regular meeting, right. Yeah. And Cody has a motion on the floor to do that. Second.

What's the motion?

To adjourn the public hearing and convene the regular meeting.

Correct. Do we have a motion? Do we have a second? Second. All in favor? Okay, moving forward. Now we move into the regular meeting. The first item is the first reading of the amendments to chapter 14 of the Animal Control Ordinance. I'll make a motion that we waive the first reading.

Second.

A motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. Moving on to item number two. Thank you. Cassie.

Good evening commissioners. Tonight I have a proposal to approve an intergovernmental services agreement for geographic information system, GIS, services with the city of Kingsland. The county will provide office space and training for Kingsland's GIS technician, as well as GIS assistance on an as-needed basis. Kingsland City Council did approve this agreement on their May 11, 2026 meeting. This agreement establishes a cooperative framework for shared GIS support, including training, data management, mapping, and application development while maintaining city employment of the GIS technician. It outlines roles, cost structure, data ownership, and operational coordination, and is intended to enhance efficiency and service delivery through intergovernmental collaboration. Staff recommends approval of the proposed intergovernmental agreement for GIS services.

Thanks, Cassie. Any questions from the board? I assume this doesn't cost us anything.

No, sir. It will not cost us anything.

Any more discussion?

Mr. Chairman, I move we approve this agreement.

We have a motion. Do we have a second? Second. Have a motion and a second. All in favor?

Thank you.

Item number three.

Good evening, commissioners. I'm requesting the approval of authorized signatures for the county's E-Connect direct securities account. This account was established back in 2015. It's a web-based portal by Multibank Securities, a fixed income securities broker and dealer. The portal allows the county to purchase certificate of deposits from a variety of banks at competitive interest rates and federal government agency bonds for one-stop investment shopping. E-Connect Direct and MBS, which is multi-bank securities, are approved and endorsed by the ACCG. Camden County needs to change the authorized signatures due to staffing changes. Finance recommends approval.

Are there specific names we're going to add to that?

Lisa, CFO, and Joey, Shannon. And it's usually the activity is done online.

Yeah, prior to Nancy leaving, she showed me how this works. So it's a pretty good system. Yeah, it is.

So we have a motion. Mr. Chairman, I move we approve the authorized signatures.

What he said. Second. We have a second. Any discussion? All in favor? Motion carries. Thank you.

Next, one more. I'm requesting for you to consider the approval of the physical agent designation and acceptance agreement for FY2027 for Family Connection Camden. to consider the approval of the contract between the Georgia Department of Human Services and Camden County as contracted physical agent for Camden Family Connection. Georgia Family Connection is dedicated to the health and well-being of families and communities, empowering all 159 counties to craft local solutions based on local decisions. Funding is a pass-through provided by the Georgia General Assembly. As the physical agent, the county pays the local agent and reviews and submits quarterly reports to the state for reimbursement. We pay the family connection once a month, and then we get our reimbursement back. So the contract term for this is July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Finance recommends approval.

I'll make a motion we approve.

Second, Mr. Chairman.

We have a motion and a second, any discussion? All in favor? Motion carries, thank you.

Thank you.

Move on to item five, Shannon.

yes good evening commissioners i've got curbside manager renee crews here with me as well just in case you have some tricky questions that i don't know the answer to she might have that uh... we are here today to ask you uh... to consider the request that Meridian Waste has made for a consumer price index rate increase effective July the 1st. We're talking 21 cents increase on waste, 13 cents on recycling, and I believe it was 10 cents on the indigent bill, the population, their bill to go up by 10 cents. This is just a request. It was provided in a timely manner to us as our contract allows, and it will cost Camden about anywhere from $18,000 to $2,000 extra a month in expenses. Their account numbers are very fluid, so it's not like we can say approximately 5,400 accounts with Camden curbside, but that does change quite a bit over the course of time.

Can we get a motion? We can move on to questions.

Mr. Chairman, I make the motion we approve this request. They've got to pay for fuel just like everybody else. I'll second that.

Any other discussion?

All right, we have a local company that does this, and I understand that we had problems with them. We were under contract with them at one point and had some issues, am I correct?

That was with waste management. And back when we had a problem with them, we denied at least one of their increases because of all the problems that we had with them. But since we've gone with this Meridian, I haven't had any phone calls complaining about their service except for maybe the first six months when they were getting their feet under them. But since then, I haven't had any calls of problems.

Well, I had one when it was in the favor of cutting off a tree limb because it couldn't go under it. That's the only problem I've ever seen that I have with this. However, I like the fact of always opening the door for local vendors to service our community.

Well, when this contract is up, then we can probably do something about that.

But you can refuse this. Tell me if I'm reading it wrong, but it says they can request, but it doesn't say they're going to make a date.

Yeah, we can refuse it. We've refused it before with waste management, sir.

Ben, can I ask you a question? Because you're probably more familiar with it. When you were chairman, I recall you saying this was built into the contract, but the rate we were charging at the time was intentional to cover the planned increases. Is that still the case today, Dino?

I'd have to go back and reread the contract, but this is built into their contract, them being able to ask for this increase.

It is. It says they can ask, they can request, but it doesn't say.

So I just want to clarify. So we're paying more, but the customer's not necessarily paying more, correct?

That's correct.

Thank you. What was that?

The current fee that they pay now, the $75 per quarter, covers the increase for the full contract with Meridian.

Thank you. Explain that again.

The $75 that the customer pays per quarter covers the increase for per year for the full amount of the contract. So we had the option at one time to raise it a certain percentage per year, but at one time the board decided to raise it the full amount, which is the $75.

And you think we should do this?

I do.

Okay.

Because out of 5,400 accounts, we may get one complaint a month. With waste management, we were getting 10 to 20 a week.

And this contract's up in one year?

We have one year left. We'll send an RFP out within the next couple of weeks.

Oh, we will?

Yes.

OK.

So I had heard that as well, that the $75 base price did include a buildup on the rates. for Meridian, not necessarily other increases throughout the department. I don't know that it covered, you know, pay increases, additional costs of supplies and management and things like that, so.

Any other questions, comments? We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. Jared's up next.

Good evening, commissioners. In front of you is a consideration of the approval of the Intergovernmental Support Agreement for Facility Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization Services within the Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay. Just for a little history, Camden County Board of Commissioners signed an IGSA in 2022. to help support paving maintenance projects up to $2 million annually on the base and two years ago in 2024 for athletic lighting improvements for up to $1 million a year with the Navy at Kings Bay. Public Works and the county have met with Navy staff through multiple meetings over the past year discussing opportunities to expand this partnership with Kings Bay to assist them with their wide array of infrastructure needs. The Navy has presented the county with a superseding IGSA that will include any facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization services that the county can provide to facilitate the Navy's mission. Just quick facts. The Navy is permitted to enter into the IGSA on a sole source basis with any state or local government. provided it serves the best interest of the Navy. And the IGSA will allow the Navy to partner with Camden County to support the infrastructure maintenance and repair needs through advertising on infrastructure work, letting of bids, providing vendor and subcontractor opportunities, and self-reporting work on the naval base. The IGSA also outlines administrative fees and self-performance fees directly associated with any work that the county provides to the base. And what's exciting about this, and this is kind of a first in the country opportunity, is this IGSA is for a period of 10 years for a limit of $25 million per year annually. So this has never been done before. This sat on the Secretary of the Navy's desk for a few months while they considered it. And they decided that with our track record and that what we've done to improve, vastly improve a lot of projects on the base already, that this was something they wanted to dive into. So again, this will allow the Navy to facilitate and streamline critical repairs and a wider array of infrastructure categories on the base at a cost savings to the Navy. Again, this is in front of you for approval. We recommend the approval.

Mr. Chair. I move that we approve the Intergovernmental Support Agreement with Commanding Officer Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay for Facilities Maintenance and Repair Services.

I'll second that. So there is no guarantee it's going to be $25 million a year?

No, this is a not-to-exceed. Essentially, the last few years, we've been playing with a couple of not-to-exceed numbers. They've had a little bit over $2 million per year to work on the base, but our IGSA, kind of handcuffed them to only be able to provide the services up to two million. And the same for athletic field lighting. And then there was some other things that came up that they asked us if there was opportunities that we could assist with. And we said we could, but there was no IGSA to go through that. And at first they approached us, asked us about doing more of an umbrella IGSA like we're looking at today. And the original number was tossed out about $4 million. We sat down. We agreed, yeah, we can do that. It opens more categories. It helps us out. And then after they took it back to their commanding officer, that's when they threw the, if we're going to do this and work together for the next 10 years, let's not have anything get in our way of benefiting both us and the Navy. And they put the $25 million number on.

This is a win-win both for the Navy and the county.

Just on the paving alone, we've seen significant benefits and savings in our paving program by piggybacking the two programs together and getting more bang for our buck when we go out to bid. So we've definitely seen that quite a bit here. I don't see a downside at all.

I know you've told us before, but what's roughly the percentage we get off these?

On most opportunities, it's roughly 10% of admin fee. On projects that we actually participate in as well, it's usually down to 7%, but then we get reimbursed all of our fees based on FEMA numbers. And then that percentage comes back. and we're essentially putting it into the coffers of buying new equipment for Public Works. So again, easing the burden of Public Works needing new equipment on the unincorporated district. So essentially, Public Works is motivated to do work on the base so we can get newer equipment to do our job better. Gotcha.

Yeah, we need some $25 million years.

Yeah, that would be great. I mean, we're on pace right now. We have already set in contract and going forward. I brought on a couple field lighting projects to you guys earlier in the month. I have the RFP for the paving coming up. So we have well over $4 million already earmarked. And then we're sitting down on four other projects that could bring in millions more this year alone. Good.

Any other discussion, questions? We have a motion on the floor. All in favor?

Motion carries. Thank you, gentlemen.

Okay, moving ahead, we're going to go to item seven, which is reappointment of Reverend Rick, and excuse me if I butcher his name.

It's Dilloway.

Dilloway.

It's Dilloway.

What you said, yes. To the Camden County Department of Family and Children's Services Board.

Yes, sir. Reverend. Yes. Oh, it's DeLees. Sorry. Mr. Chair.

He serves now, so he's agreed to.

Mr. Chair, I move to reappoint Reverend Rick DeLees to the Camden County Department of Family and Children's Services Board.

I'll second that.

Does he still live in Camden County?

As far as I know.

I was contacted by DFACS and asked that he be placed for reappointment. Okay.

So we have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. Moving on to item number eight, just possible action regarding county staff to start drafting an ordinance that would ban data centers in unincorporated Camden County. I'll defer that to Commissioner Smith.

Oh, yeah. Well, I guess do we as a board, would we like to, we have a moratorium in place, and I guess as we're considering different avenues to take as far as what we want an ordinance to look like as it pertains to data centers, do you guys want to try to whittle out some sort of exception that the public can be agreeable to, or do you guys just want to go ahead and outright ban data centers in unincorporated Camden County? My preference would be to just ban them outright in Camden County, but obviously we would need to direct staff to draft it in such a way. So it would require action by us.

Can we get a motion on the item so we can open it up for discussion?

Oh, yeah. I move to direct staff to draft an ordinance in a way that bans data centers in unincorporated Camden County.

We have a motion. We have a second.

I'm not seconding it. I'm waiting on somebody else to second it.

I don't know if Jim even heard me down there.

I'll second just to get to the discussion section. I think with the moratorium and the ordinance revisions we're working through, I think we're a little bit premature to just do a complete ban on data centers. There's a lot more information that's going to come out. My feeling is let's just don't do a complete ban right now. Let's get our ordinance together.

Do you have any constituents in your district that would like a data center? Do you have any constituents in your district that want a data center?

Do I have any constituents? Honestly, I have had no comments from any of my constituents, one way or the other, not one.

Martin, not you either?

I've got one banker that wanted me to talk with someone that, that is very familiar with them, so yes, I have.

Because from what I saw in the city of Kingsland, they packed out the city hall so badly that they had to then take their meetings to the resiliency center because there was that much opposition to a data center in this community. So I don't think there's anything really to talk about. I think it's pretty clear and apparent to me that people don't want them here.

I think it should be short-sighted to do a complete ban because the things they're complaining about is water usage. So if we get an industry like a beverage company that comes in here that has a high water usage, are you going to be against that? If we've got a company that comes in that has a very high electrical usage, are you going to be against that?

So it's not Cody County, it's Camden County. So if the people of Camden County don't want one of those types of facilities in here, then that's the position I'm going to be in.

Well, are they going to be against all industries that use a large amount of water and a large amount of electricity? I think that's short-sighted. This county is 600 and something square miles of land. Surely we can put some type of industrial project somewhere where nobody will have a major complaint about it.

I don't disagree. I don't see major complaints on a lot of the other things that are brought here to Camden County. But data centers, absolutely. I think it's been made clear that that's not something we want to entertain.

Can I finish my thought? Yeah, I'm so sorry, Martin. Yes, sir. am I am totally me personally I'm against them and the reason I'm against them is because and not because of water I don't think that's as big an issue as people make it but what I did was I found people in my district that were against them and I found I wanted to ask them why you're against it there's the why there and what they did was they gave me phone numbers of people to call and that live around data centers now. Now granted, the ones that I called were all open coolant. They weren't closed loop like they're talking about here. So I did talk to them. And the major thing they said, because I was told basically that these companies would pay $100 million in taxes and we wouldn't have to worry about ad valorem tax again. We could get rid of it. Well, that wasn't true. They were told the same thing. Their taxes actually went up to support the infrastructure to bring these data centers in. They tore the roads up, and they gave me a list, a long list of what really happened. One of them being the Volkswagen-sized generators on top of those things when they have to crank them up. They really make a lot of noise, not just a small humming noise. Those kinds of things kind of flipped with me, with my ideas. Also, the fact that you're only going to have maybe five or six jobs in there. That defeats the whole process, to me, of the Joint Development Authority bringing in real jobs.

Well, the JDA's mission is to bring in jobs, but it is also to bring in taxable revenue. Absolutely. And to me, in my opinion, a data center will bring in revenue for the county without bringing in extra people. There's people that complain about there's so many houses and apartments being built here. You know, you build those houses and apartments. Sure, there's a little bit of revenue there, but that revenue is offset by the amount of services that the cities and the county has to supply to them.

I'm not disagreeing with you, Ben. I heard the same spiel. I heard it. But here's the deal. I want to see it in writing. I want somebody to put this down. You're not going to raise my power rate at all. I want Georgia Power to be able to say that, if they can say it. You're not going to harm our environment. I want to see those things in writing.

Well, that's why we make the ordinance as strong as possible. But an outright ban I don't think is right.

But if you, no, I don't want an outright ban, not right now. You don't want to ban data centers? Not right now. Because here's the problem. We had two things that we were talking about up here. One of them was a 90-day moratorium, which I was for. Because I knew that they could put this together. They could get all the different things in writing together. in 90 days, and then if we needed to extend it, we could extend it. But you guys wanted to go six months. To me, that's creating an argument.

Kingsland did a year.

Huh? Kingsland did a year. Well, that's okay. They can do what they want. But what I'm saying is I wanted to do it in 90 days because in 90 days that we could have this. We could have it all written out and know. I don't want to make a decision based on emotion. Or anything else. I want to see it in facts. I want this in writing, you know. If... If... If... they can give us $100 million, then I want to see it in writing. I want them to say they're going to do it and put it in writing.

And so it's not just the data centers drawing on the water or sucking up all the power. You also have, you know, we don't have to look too far up to the north end of the state where you have Georgia Power through eminent domain taking hundreds of people's family homes or attempting to do so.

I'm not disagreeing with you, Cody. I'm agreeing with you. To bring in more power lines. Right.

To support the data center facility.

But let's wait until we have all the facts. Somebody put some of this in writing. Just to arbitrarily just say, okay, we're never going to look at this again, I think is wrong at this point because we don't have all the facts. If we've got the facts, then we make a decision based on facts. But I'm pretty much in agreement. I don't want one here. I don't think they're beneficial for us. I'd rather see 100 small businesses that are creating jobs in our community. That's what I'd rather see. And if we could do that, like, see if I pronounced it right. Seeky? Is that? Huh? Huh? Sicce. Sicce. It's an Italian company right out here in Industrial Park. They've got 15 employees, maybe 20, and they literally are going to manufacture and put stuff together here and ship it out. They were excited that we were close to the interstate. Am I right, Robbie? So those kinds of things, I mean, I'd rather see those. I think those are more beneficial for our community. And they're not really taking anything other than they're putting up a steel frame building and they're hiring people to come in here and do work. They're buying houses. They're buying food. They're buying gas. That multiplier effect definitely takes effect when we do that. And that's what I'd rather see. I don't want to just go in here and just shut this thing down because we don't really have anything in front of us.

So you want to leave an opportunity open for data centers to come to Camden County?

Yeah, for right now. I mean, I don't think they are. I don't think it'll ever happen. I agree with 90% of our community as far as that goes. However, I think as a commissioner, we've got to be able to listen to every single body.

Like the owners of data centers? Who else do we need to hear from?

I don't want to hear from. If the owners of the data centers, they can do it, then yes, put it in writing. Put it in writing. And then you can look at the environment and what it does to the environment.

Gentlemen, I will state that ACCG has been sending out some guidance to the county attorneys or at least giving some information that may be beneficial as we're currently developing the statutes based on the guidance provided by the board last time.

Say that again. Yeah, so you're trying to say we don't have the authority to ban data centers?

No, what I'm saying specifically is that if this board is considering a complete ban on data centers, we need to be very cautious how our ordinances are drafted. And I would be happy to discuss potential risk liability and other things in an executive session where that would be most appropriate. But I will state that ACCG, as I said, has within the last week, specifically May 12th, so last week, sent out some information to the county attorneys just sharing some Brookings Institute specifically information just for consideration in statutory drafting and other information. So it's not like a... UNIFORM STATUTE OR OTHER REGULATION, IT'S JUST THINGS TO BE CONSIDERATE OF AS YOU'RE DRAFTING. THAT IS REALLY WHAT I'M LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. THE CURRENT GUIDANCE FROM THE BOARD HAS BEEN DRAFT STATUTES FOR REGULATION, AND I WOULD STATE THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, THE CURRENT GUIDANCE. I THINK THAT AN OUTRIGHT MORATORIUM IS PRECARIOUS.

I say we go back to the 90 day. Well, we're already within the moratorium.

We have a moratorium already for 180 days.

We can't go back to the 90 days.

The discussion for tonight is not to go back to 90 days. It's to deal with the motion on the floor.

Right. My point in bringing this motion, if we don't direct staff to draft an ordinance to ban them, Then we're not going to have an ordinance to entertain that would ban them if that's the will of this board. You know, we're only going to, if you put in what you, you get out what you put in. So if we only ask them to create an ordinance to allow data centers and, you know, with all these restrictions and regulations, that's all you're going to get.

Let me make this perfectly clear. If we were to vote right now, I would say no. to any data center here. However, what she just said, you know, as far as we've got to make sure we're legal in everything that we do, because we sure don't want anybody else to sue us. So we've got to make sure that what we're doing is appropriate.

And the moratorium period absolutely protects us. If you wanted to vote tonight to say no to data centers, you could vote yes to support my motion. And so you'd be putting your vote where your heart is.

I don't understand. Gentlemen, we also need to think, you know, will this put a chilling effect on any other industry that may want to look at Camden County?

Probably only data centers.

Maybe, maybe not.

We're not banning Coca-Cola manufacturing facilities. We're just banning data centers.

It's very specific. You've already done a moratorium for, what, six months? The moratorium is just a pause. Leave that in effect right now.

The moratorium was to create an ordinance.

I'm trying to direct what that ordinance would be geared towards, which would be banning data centers. The ordinance can ban data centers or it can allow data centers with restrictions. I would like it to ban data centers.

Mr. Chairman, we got a motion and a second on the floor.

We can call the question if you'd like to vote on it. So my motion is to direct staff to create an ordinance banning data centers.

That's the motion and I second it for discussion. All in favor? All opposed? Okay, before we adjourn the regular meeting and reconvene this, I'll move we take a five-minute break. All in favor? Five minutes. Thank you.

you Thank you. Bye. Thank you.

He was, yeah. Lorton, it's too late to politic, man. It's 20 after 7. Okay. I'm sorry. Let's entertain a motion to adjourn the regular meeting and convene the Solid Waste Authority meeting. So moved. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Okay, any amendments to the solid waste agenda? Seeing none, move to adopt the solid waste agenda.

So moved.

Second. Motion and second, all in favor? Move on to the next item, which is solid waste authority approval of the minutes from the March, I'm sorry, the May the 5th, 2026 solid waste authority meeting.

I move to approve the minutes from the May 5th, 26th Solid Waste Authority meeting.

We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. Move on to our public comments section. Anybody have any comments related to the solid waste agenda? Seeing none, move to have a motion to adopt the solid waste agenda.

I move, Mr. Chairman. Second. Second.

Have a motion and a second. All in favor? Item number one, Mr. Pittman.

Good afternoon, Chairman and Commissioners. I come before you this evening to request the Board to consider the MSW and the C&D landfills cost analysis and the tip and fee options. ACC, our consulting firm, updated the cost of disposal analysis for the solid waste landfill and the C&D landfill using the most recent operational costs, tonnage data, closure costs, estimates, and included a debt reduction plan. In this cost analysis, it included an accelerated repayment plan of the GFIL loan for sale five. The current repayment option is a 20-year option for $15,861 that we would actually pay monthly. But the recommended repayment option is a five-year $50,100 payment over five years. The savings is about $802,000 over the cost of the loan. We lost a piece of heavy equipment due to a fire a few weeks back. Solid Waste would like to use this option on a 12-month schedule of $50,100 to pay for a replacement vehicle. Adjusting the disposal tipping fees will align disposal rates with actual operating costs. Standardize the rate categories across the customers such as the commercial haulers in all cities will pay the same fee across the board. Maintain long-term financial sustainability of landfill operations. Solid Waste Authority recommends adopting the FY27 MSW and CND disposal rates. The results of adopting the recommended FY27 rates will allow solid waste to maintain a financially sustainable landfill system while keeping Camden County rates competitive within the regional market. At this time, I would be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Any question from the board?

The only question, so I understand the plan to pay for the equipment. Are we still making the other payment that we have to make?

Yes, yes, sir. Cool, thank you. We make the minimum payment.

Mr. Chairman, I got one comment. I had a contractor do some work for me, and he had to take some material to our landfill to get rid of it. And he was surprised at the low cost of our landfill. I see your estimated tipping fee for the C&D is $22.42 a ton. Is that what you're requesting? Or that's the cost?

For the in-county per ton for the, what was it, C&D you're asking about? Yes, sir. C&D is in-county per ton is $19.10. Okay.

What is out-of-county?

Out of county would be $26.30 per ton.

That's what you're requesting?

Yes, sir. For FY27.

I guess this question is probably not easy to answer, but at what point can we keep raising our tipping fees to where we're still competitive but not the cheapest game in town?

Well, currently we are the cheapest game in town. That's my point. Yeah, when we continue to raise the rates over a certain period of time, in your packet there, I think you may have a list of counties with their rates. We're at the very bottom. We have to put together a five-year schedule or something like that to continue to increase in order to get to the lowest rate for a county or a municipality. We are very cheap. We got customers coming from Nassau County. They're coming across the line. I mean, we're competitive, but we just happen to be the cheapest locally. Now, if we want to continue to increase, I can certainly put together a... What are the rates for out-of-county, again, for the C&D? C&D out-of-county rates is $26.30 per ton.

And what is the MSW?

The MSW out-of-county is $40 per ton. In-county is $29.30. Okay.

So for MSW, $40 a ton, we're still a good deal?

Yes, sir.

I propose we increase those amounts for out of county.

I would agree with Ben. I'm on board with that. I mean, what's appropriate to approve what he's asking for tonight and then come back after some research to give us a real number or a revised number even beyond tonight's number?

Yes, sir. Do you need a number tonight or? To increase it? Yeah. The current number right now will be fine. I can bring back a. an appropriate number, you know, with some research, make sure that we are within, you know, our competitive rates. I don't know where we need to go up 5%. Whichever the case may be, I would like to consult with the consultants and come up with a number that's appropriate.

I don't think we'll price ourselves out of the business, but I think if we can get just a tick or two more, then we're going to be better off.

Absolutely. We can certainly do that.

If I could ask you, Mr. Pittman, when do you think we could expect an update?

I can come back the next session. Next meeting? Yes, sir. Is that enough time for you? Absolutely. That's plenty enough time. Thank you. You're welcome.

You could just table this item until June 2nd.

I'm sorry?

You could just table this item until June 2nd.

Well, we need to get to the regular meeting part to do that.

I think we have to do it here, too. We have to take action to get out of the solid waste. We have to take action now.

I'll make a motion that we table this item to the next solid waste authority meeting. Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor? And you have direction. I didn't put that in my motion, but you know what to do.

I know exactly what to do.

Thank you. Yes.

Mr. Pittman, this is not going to affect the offer that we have made to Brantley County for their disaster relief, is it? Not at all, sir. Thank you, sir. Okay.

We'll move on. Do we have any additional Solid Waste Authority public comments? Seeing none, entertain a motion to adjourn the Solid Waste Authority meeting and reconvene the regular meeting.

So moved. Seconded.

I'll second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. Moving on to the regular agenda, item number nine. I'll make a motion that we table item number nine to the next regular meeting.

Second.

I have a motion and a second. All in favor? Motion carries. Reports.

Thank you.

I have added an additional work session for Thursday, May 28th at 5 p.m. I'm sorry? I have added a work session to the calendar for May 28th. That's the following Thursday for discussion on the FY27 budget, should that be needed.

Okay. Thank you. Joey? Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to go on further to thank our Public Works employees as well as our EMS employees for all that they do, Jared's staff and Chief Smith's staff. I know that they do a lot of work that goes unnoticed, and I really want to sincerely thank them for everything that they do for this county. I also want to thank Mr. Sam and Rufus Butler. for doing the heroic work that they've done, riding by there and taking the action necessary to save the county a lot of money. And I really appreciate everything they do and everything the citizens help us with. So thank you all.

Thanks, Joey. Any additional public comments? Anybody wish to speak?

Good evening. I'm Janie Everett from Woodbine, and I'd like to thank the Board of Commissioners for your wonderful letter of support. going out to the Georgia delegate for HR 6559. We have had more movement on our petition online. There are a lot of great things coming up this summer. First up is we have a seven-page spread in the Georgia Backroads magazine. There I am. It's seven pages. And it's really important that the people of Camden County make donations, artifacts, historical photos. And you will find that, thank you to Commissioner Casey and his family, When they reviewed our catalog, two of the pictures in the seven-page spread came from his family. So we have a catalog of over like 400 different historical pictures they had to go through and select for this article. Also, that's one thing, this article for Georgia Backroads is the summer edition it just you know hit his hitting the shell people can get a copy of it and uh... for review uh... we also have on the national front there's a national tribute that will come out possibly August the 1st. So, you know, stay tuned for the details. A national artist has decided to do a tribute, and we're excited about it. And basically, it's a tribute to the THICOL workers and the first responders. Also, the Georgia Historical Society would like to place a marker where the buildings fell. That's a project that we have been working on for the last year and a half. And so with the new ownership of the site going to DNR in the state of Georgia, we may be able to make that happen, to have that marker erected somewhere where these buildings fell. We have also, we've ran drones over the area, located the exact location of M132, the building that exploded. So there's a lot of different projects that we work on at FICOL, but we'd like to thank you all for staying with us. This is a struggle. The struggle continues, but you inspire us with every time we ask for help, Camden County and the Board of Commissioners, y'all step out front and help us. Thank you.

Thank you.

Janet Heath, I just want you to, I know you now know, why we're so proud of our Woodbine Public Library and very proud of having Jerry Misnell as our director. Working with Stephen Saines recently, one of his legislative administrators couldn't get some paperwork back to us. He apologized and said that his computer was in the shop, the official one that he was given, and his private computer had just fallen on the floor and broken and he was having trouble. I reminded him that a public library would loan him a computer so he immediately went to the Atlanta library and checked out a computer. You can do that in Woodbine too. Thursday night at 6 o'clock Robbie Cheek and Hopefully Martin Turner will be at a town hall meeting at our library. And I want you to know that we have a project now. We'll start at the beginning of June. We want to put 250 flags on the field in front of the library honoring our nation's birthday and to be ready for the 4th of July. And we think it will make a real impact on Bedell Avenue. So help us pull those flags together. We thank you all very much.

Thank you. Anybody else? Any last-minute comments from the board? Seeing none.

Well, I would just, real quick, in referencing the library, I do want to thank the Three Rivers Library System. Jim Goodman and I also had our town hall there, and they were nothing but the best hosts, so thank you. And we look forward to having one here shortly for our second quarter. All right.

Entertain a motion to adjourn?

I move that we adjourn this meeting. Second.

All in favor? Anybody opposed?

Thank you.