Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Good evening. My mic is not on. Good evening. Good evening. First Tuesday meeting. Good to have such a robust audience today. We know many of you are here for different reasons, but thank you for at least checking in with us. Our meetings are live streamed. Should you not be able to attend, Personally, we hear the first Tuesday at 6, the third Thursday at 5, and all those meetings are live streamed. Some of our special meetings are also live streamed. You can go back to our website, our Facebook page, and see what's going on here in the county. Not just Liberty County, but Flemington, live str

Thank you, Bishop. Of course, we are in continuous prayer for Commissioner Eddie Walden and our previous administrative assistant, Maria Tartt. Let's keep those two in your prayers also. Commissioners, approval of the August 2026 minutes is next on our agenda.

Second. Second. Second. Ms. Monofield, you good? Any further discussion? All in favor, show of hands, please. The minutes are approved. Thank you so much. Proclamation, Fire Prevention Week, Chief Brian Darby. It takes two of them. I think one of them was on the...

Thank you, sir. Appreciate what you do. Deputy Chief, you all will just slide to the right a little bit, holding pattern. Dr. Bell, Native Plant Awareness, and your state parks today.

Thank you. A lot of folks don't know Fort Morris, Liberty County being a historical county, Fort Mark is our American Revolutionary site. That's one of the few in the country, especially down south. I know Savannah here, and I think Darien has a site also, so we're proud of one of those sites here in our community. They're state-funded to a degree. They can use more funding. But their funding is based on attendance, and attendance is not very high. So anytime you can go to help with that, they would appreciate it. Any more information, call Phil Odom. He'll give you the whole. All right, Deput

Do you like graduation? Want to just go that way?

Thank you all for your service, public safety, as well as environmental concern. People will keep our county clean and beautiful. Ask all the citizens to be part of that team to keep the county looking good. At this time, we'll have Chairman McIver. He'll come introduce the next certification. We're going to say a few words, and then we'll make that presentation. Come on, Ms. Rhonda.

Don't go anywhere. Stay right there. Go ahead, Ms. Moe.

Now, if you all would come around for a photo op. Listen, did I hear you say national? Yeah. Right here in Liberty County. Speech, speech, speech.

Thank you for your sacrifice. Come on around. One more time. Another moment that makes us all feel what? Liberty County proud.

One, two, three. Hello. Congratulations, congratulations. You make us look good. The Bible said, can anything good come out of Liberty County, George? That's not a Bible, that's a paraphrase. Y'all know that, right? Well, you Bible scholars would recognize that scripture. All righty, department reports. Every round goes higher and higher for a summary report. Ms. Gypsy Tartt and her team.

That was a Kodak moment. Y'all want to do what I do? Why are you coming, ladies? We were at an industry luncheon that's sponsored by the Development Authority a few months ago. I think Ms. Hunter was there, too, this afternoon. And the people from a lot of our industry in the Midway-Riceburg area, parents, here's what they said. Give us young people that got the good soft skills, the speaking up, shaking hands. We'll train them to do the rest. Can I paraphrase? Send them to me with good manners, a good home training, and we'll do the rest. That's what they said. Wasn't about all the technical

Think so? Yeah, she's my granddaughter. Give her some pointers. Congratulations. Good job, Miss Gibson. Good job. Keep turning them out. Keep turning them out. Keep going, Gibson.

All right, moving right along. Recommendation to award contract for McIntosh Lake Road and State Road 38 intersection improvements. Mr. Trent Long.

Okay, so make sure I understand. I got my capital audience here. DeSalle Lane.

Just a lane where you can turn in and turn out. $391,000. So when y'all say, why don't they pay for so-and-so road? Why don't they do this? $391,000 just for the turn-off lanes. This stuff is not cheap, y'all. But you have blessed us with something that's called, what, y'all? T-Splast. That helps to do these kind of projects. Without it, we couldn't do it. All right. Who's going to stand in the gap for you? Mr. Walden? Yes. I'll do it. And you've had a conversation with him, okay? Yes. I'm ready, sir.

Plus the contingency. And the drainage improvement, just ensuring that the water drains correctly, okay? All right. Motion to second, we approve the bid presented by Mr. Long. Any further discussion? We certainly do honor Commissioner Walden for his work in this well before he was not able to be here. You got it.

Yes, sir. Thank you. All in favor, show of hands, please. All right. The bid is approved. Thank you, Mr. Long. Thank you very much. All right.

We're here between Shrine County Protective Agency and Liberty County Board of Commissioners, Ms. Chandra Cox.

Give the address of the business for those folks who are listening.

We want to, Monica, we want to put you guys on our rotation. Periodically, we have presenters to come and inform us kind of what you did. You did a snippet. We'll put you on our rotation so that you will come maybe once a year and just kind of give us an update on what all goes on. I learned a lot just from what you said today. So we know there's much more. So appreciate what y'all do. We wanted to make it a little more formal. So Ms. Monica, we have a contact information. She'll put you on our rotation.

And if I heard you correctly, you all will be able to go outside of Tri-County and make presentations to the community. Yeah. Perfect. That's what's needed. That's what's needed. You all are the resident experts. We'll sign it. We're going to get to them later. The MOU.

Hold on. This one's good. All right. Any questions for these young ladies before we entertain the motion?

Motion to second. We extend our relationship of support with you all. Thank you so much for what you do. Another good example of volunteerism. I know maybe some pay in there, but a lot of what you do is on your own. You have to have a heart for doing what you do. So we appreciate that. Standing in the gap for your community. Thank you so much. Can we applaud these persons for being here and for what they do?

I know sometimes we do that. Okay. That's the real one.

Always. Always. Thank you again. Public hearing for rezoning petition 202628LC. Mr. Jefferson, chair, I take the motion to go into public. So moved. Second. Second. All in favor, show of hands, please. Now public hearing. Has anyone signed to speak to this? Go ahead, Mr. Rickerson.

Jesse King and John King. They probably were signing in. They thought maybe it was a record signing. I'll fix that. Some people do that. I'll let y'all work that out.

If I can be a little bit, if I can digress, as I say, when you say will it have any historical impact? I know. Probably the last man to plow with a mule plowed that property.

Yeah, Mr. Alvin Frazier plowed with a mule on that property. So it is historical in that aspect, yes. All right. Are we going to pass it? Passing it over. Well, let's see. Let's come out of public hearing. All right. Second. Second. All in favor? All right. Now, chair, take the motion, sir.

Second, we approve the resumption petition as presented and for the discussion. Also, for the matter of record, Mr. Frazier served in the Liberty County School System for how many years? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. All right. All right. All in favor, show of hands. Thank you. All right. Good luck. Uh-uh. Neither. All right. We have a resolution petition, 202628LC, Goose Creek. Properly located at Highway 196. This is also a public hearing. This is also a public hearing. All right. Chair, go back to the public hearing. So moved.

Second. All in favor, show of hands. Ms. Monaco, you good? Yes, sir. All right. So you're taking Marty's place? Yes, sir. Okay. All right. Okay. That's not the one I read. That's the wrong one. The Goose Creek is the one that I, which is dead goose. I mean, we can. Go ahead and do it while you're up there. Both of them require public hearing?

I just don't recognize the name for that property. Okay. I'm thinking Goose Creek. Those are things kind of on down.

Mr. Brown, come say hello to us. Yeah, come on. Give us your one minute overview of this project. Does anyone sign up? OK, all right. Say your name, please, sir, for the record. Samuel Brown. Hello to all of you. Hello.

Yeah, yeah. Hurt road. Hurt road. I thought it looked high and dry from the picture, but... Yeah. Did you say there's another road that leads out to 119 from that road?

Yeah. Yeah. All right, sir. Any other questions for Mr. Rick? I'm sorry. Go ahead.

I know it's a need. How do you make contact with those persons so they'll know that this is available? How does that happen?

Oh, I see. Yeah. We might hold this up a little bit then. We might hold this up a little bit then. Yeah, yeah. Everybody good? All right. Motion to come out of public hearing back in the regular session? I move, Mr. Chair. Second. Make sure you're good. All in favor, show of hands, please. Are we back in the regular session now?

Second. In further discussion, my only thing was I asked Commissioner Stevens about whether there were residents on the road because I didn't know how many timber trucks would be coming in and down that road. And sometimes the local residents get upset if the road is made runny or muddy, that kind of thing. But it's kind of like you and your world out there. Yeah. It should be okay. All right. But we do have certain rules for timber trucks. But none of those apply because he's not right on the high.

Try to make sure we're all clear. Yeah, we're good. All in favor? All right. Thank you, sir. Good to see you, sir. Final plan and right-of-way dedication?

Margaret Woods is the county maintain rule?

That's allowed in the same previous to come in and say.

My question is about, you may have answered this. You talked about it. For those folk to get out. Which two?

Private easement? I mean, it's nothing that we maintain.

Many times that happens, the people think that the county is going to maintain those. They need to know going in.

Because they'll call 1-800-COUNTY-THRIFT. In a heartbeat. So let folks know.

I don't say that because of what we've been through. It may have been private on that one. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. We add that to our motion that both of those easements are indicated as being private. All right. That's all. Chair Timberlake, would you come out of a public hearing? So moved. Second. That's right, the final play.

Is there a motion to second that motion? I second. Commissioner Frazier makes a second. Any further discussion? All in favor, show of hands, please. Motion is approved.

Thank you, gentlemen. Let's follow through for us, please, sirs.

Mr. Chairman, ACCG is hosting the Legislative Leadership Conference in Athens, Georgia.

I need some gas money this time. In further discussion, other than the gas money. All in favor, show of hands, please. All right, Commissioner Stevens, thank you for representing us.

Okay. The next question was how about the hearing impaired? The voice.

Are we just being proactive? A little bit of both.

All right. Keep us posted. Yes, sir. Mr. Mosley, that's it. Commissioners, anything else for the good of the order? Good to see you. We had a great time. It's 7-10. I'm like, Mr. Brady, let's not waste it there. Should I take the motion to adjourn? Into executive session. Are you ready to go? I've been trying to rock and roll all night.

Hey, I was with you. I'm going to call you.

Second, please, to that? Second. All in favor? Chair, turn the motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. Second. All in favor? Aye.