The first public hearing for the county’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget came and went in only a few minutes with no public comment at the June 7 Fayette County Board of Commissioners meeting.
Chief Financial Officer Mary Parrott gave a six-minute PowerPoint presentation that included information providing a comparison of the proposed budget to the current one.
County Administrator Steve Rapson said it would be the second year for a full tax rollback for the general fund. From the taxpayers’ perspective that is equal to $1.4 million in unissued tax bills, he said, and over the course of the four budget cycles the county has rolled back about $3 million to taxpayers.
The second and final required public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 30, at 7 p.m. It is a special called meeting not on a normal meeting week.
In other business, the board approved the appointment of Stephen Cox and Bradley Klinger to the Fayette County Recreation Commission for four-year terms ending March 31, 2020. The vote was 4-0 with Commissioner Steve Brown absent from the meeting.
The consent agenda was also approved unanimously. It included:
• Approval of staff’s recommendation to provide funding of $75,000 from General Fund Contingency for Fayette County’s Criminal Justice Center’s sidewalks to ensure compliance with Title II of the American Disabilities Act; and to award Mallett Consulting $10,000 for project construction management and construction oversight, for an aggregate amount of $85,000.
• Approval of staff’s recommendation to award Fiscal Year 2017 property and casualty insurance coverage to OneBeacon in the amount of $532,856 and to award both the Sheriff’s Office accidental death and dismemberment insurance and Commissioners’ travel accident insurance to The Hartford in the amount $2,785 at an aggregate amount of $535,641.
• Approval of staff’s request to apply for a Georgia Emergency Management Agency grant in the amount of $776,698 to mitigate the flooding of Antebellum Way and potential damage to surrounding homes and property.
• Approval of staff’s request to renew the contract with Midwest Employers Casualty Company in the amount of $98,121 as outlined in “Option 1,” for a one-year period beginning July 1, 2016 and ending June 30, 2017, and authorization for the Chairman to sign the contact and any associated documents.
• Approval of staff’s recommendation for the Fayette County Library to accept a Maintenance Repair Renovation Grant, in the amount of $75,000 for converting outdoor globe lights to LED lighting, to utilize up to $37,500 from the LED CIP project budget for the grant’s 50/50 required match, and to authorize the county administrator to signed the grant documentation and any related documents.
• Approval of the disposition of tax refunds, in the aggregate amount of $2,640.46, as recommended by the Tax Assessor’s Office.
There was no public comment at the meeting and no old business.
The public portion of the meeting was adjourned after less than 25 minutes.
