This month’s meeting began with the first of two public hearings on Fayette County’s proposed annual budget for Fiscal Year 2026 which begins on July 1, 2025 and ends on July 2, 2026.  Adjustments are based on a recent study analyzing compensation for Building and Grounds maintenance, Fleet Maintenance, the Road Department, and Solid Waste.  The proposed budget will add $69,154 to the budget for these departments.  Among other changes to funding and department managing, the budget agenda proposes abolishing the existing position of Assistant Animal Control Director, and instead establish the position of Animal Control Field Operations Supervisor, which the Senior Animal Control Officer will be promoted to with a pay increase of $6,213.  This should result in a net savings of $19,109 for the county budget.  

The budget also will be changed to reflect an upcoming plan for the accounting for the Griffin Judicial Circuit to transfer to an external audit firm, although Fayette County will still retain the management and tracking of the ARPA Judicial Grant through the end of 2025.  This transfer is not in the hands of Fayette County officials, but the budget must be updated to reflect where GJC employees are being paid from.  The commission moved to approve the items presented, but again, this is only the first of two necessary public hearings regarding the changes to the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Public comment began with a citizen who lives in the “epicenter of Georgia Power’s monstrosity” on New Hope Road.  The concerned citizen and his wife thought they had found their “dream home” in Fayette County, and while they love their new home, the 

Industrial spot has caused distress as there is often loud noise beginning at 6:45 AM and not ending until 8 PM, with no prior warning before loud blasts of noise from the facility.  The citizen mentioned that this may very well be a violation of noise ordinances.  The power company has, without advance warning, bought even more land near the citizen’s house, exacerbating his concerns further.  

Another citizen, a member of a church on New Hope Road, echoed these concerns.  This speaker has previously brough up the issue at a public service commission meeting, and has not been able to get a public service commissioner to come out and look at the situation. He did discover that the additional facility is allegedly being used for an industrial-sized battery facility.  Towards the end of the meeting, Chairman Lee Hearn mentioned that the council would be reaching out to representatives from Georgia Power, and working to ensure noise ordinances are not being violated.

Another citizen addressed the issue of speeding on Hunter’s Glenn, an area with only 1 speeding sign posted, where many drivers cruise by at 40-45 mph.  Speeding here is especially dangerous, the speaker mentioned, as there are no sidewalks and many children ride bicycles in the area.  The speaker recommended that the county add speed bumps or humps to address the speeding in the neighborhood.

Chairman Hearn announced that, while all individuals who volunteered were excellent candidates, the selection committee has chosen to recommend that Morris Kelly be appointed to the Board of Elections to fill out the rest of a term.  This motion was approved.  The commission similarly approved a request to award FY 2026 Coverage to Association of County Commissioners of Georgia.

There was also a request, in a bid to reduce traffic fatalities and crashes in general, to approve Fayette County’s Safe Streets and Roads For All Planning Study, part of a discretionary grant program with Federal Highway Administration, and a subsequent request to submit Safe Streets and Roads For All project implementation grant application to the Federal Highway Administration, as well as approval for chairman to sign an upcoming resolution.  Both requests were approved.