[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6339852,"mediaKeyId","2260657-dc88c23700441b9596429b0cc0117ec3","parentId",2260657,"title","Votes at a glance: Upson County commissioners approve licenses, hospital certificate, personnel policy and an IDA appointment","audioSeconds",359,"startMs",2459000,"endMs",2818000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2260657-dc88c23700441b9596429b0cc0117ec3&start=2459&end=2818","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2260657-dc88c23700441b9596429b0cc0117ec3/thumbnail_2459000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6339852/Upson-County/Georgia/Votes-at-a-glance-Upson-County-commissioners-approve-licenses-hospital-certificate-personnel-policy-and-an-IDA-appointment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339852-e310b9ca71ce12817b2bbaa6faac401c/orig.mp4?Expires=1773675206&Signature=ElEedq7teiC2248-vOdMLfFEZ3M3~7P0caHHJsWfVVPWhff9JkU6WGg3v84VH81paJOHXOxwXaGyrgyOnbrVnLlBr6G9h4tBfiQdGcJUgneC3Qzrt-Z~gNcX9W8DaipSLi8z7ZQ4PvjOCYw7wwaF7bM5nTArVEwaTi5Kri0NsTB6eteVhcyFVol-mlpeP79IBVxCTSx~Hn6f3gzvUsJRyi0aEX8Za3IJPELcn5UZmTndkUwlq5bu7Q3sAl1pxIQjVrnY-2kn1tDC0S8yuLGBvq73Pj2PAcnOxnrJ26l8ryYn3iwRXVo2wPC1nOII8WL0mj4Jr8yLco~pAJ8kmzOZFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-11T16:34:53Z","article","The Upson County Board of Commissioners took several formal actions during the Feb. 11 meeting. All recorded roll-call votes noted in the minutes were unanimous (5-0).

Votes at a glance

- Malt-beverage/package sales license (Stonehill Road): Motion to approve the malt-beverage/package sales license for a Stonehill Road store carried 5-0. Motion made by Commissioner Watson; second by Commissioner Biggs. Roll call: Commissioner Ellington, Commissioner Jones, Commissioner Biggs, Commissioner Watson and Chair Brooke voted yes.

- Resolution 05-2025: Approval to authorize and ratify the issuance by the Hospital Authority of Upson County of a revenue anticipation certificate (related to a hospital financing project). The board voted to adopt Resolution 05-2025 by a 5-0 roll call after a brief staff summary explaining the approval is required under Section 147(f) of the Internal Revenue Code for the purpose of the authority's validation process. Motion and second were moved on the floor; roll call: Ellington, Jones, Bix/Bates, Watson and Chair voted yes (record shows unanimous approval).

- Bereavement leave policy update: The board approved amendments to the employee personnel policy on bereavement leave, clarifying paid time for full-time staff (up to three days/24 hours) and adding a 1.5-day (12-hour) paid leave amount for part-time staff; the board also asked that the policy explicitly list clarified family-member definitions. Motion carried 5-0 (roll call recorded as unanimous).

- Industrial Development Authority appointment: The board appointed Josh Rabelais to the Industrial Development Authority by a unanimous vote (motion carried 5-0; motion noted as being supported in discussion for his agricultural and school-system ties).

- Consent agenda: The board approved the Jan. 28 regular meeting minutes as part of the consent agenda by voice and roll call; motion carried unanimously.

What the votes mean

The malt-beverage license allows the named Stonehill Road location to sell malt beverages and packaged alcohol subject to the county's licensing requirements and after code-enforcement checks and background reviews mentioned in the record. The hospital-authority certificate is an administrative approval required so the authority can take issuances to market; packet language and bond counsel clarified the vote does not create any general obligation or endorsement of the authority's credit by the county.

The personnel-policy vote amends county policy language to clarify paid bereavement for part-time employees (specified as 1.5 paid days for a 12-hour schedule) and to enumerate family members covered. The IDA appointment fills a vacancy on the county's industrial development board.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Upson County Board of Commissioners - 02/11/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Upson County Board of Commissioners at its Feb. 11 meeting approved a malt-beverage license for a Stonehill Road store, adopted a hospital-authority certification resolution, amended bereavement leave rules, and appointed a member to the Industrial Development Authority; all recorded roll-call votes were unanimous.","taxTitle","Upson County, Georgia","taxId",28667,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6339857,"Upson County chief appraiser outlines sales-ratio shortfall, urges board to consider appeal by March 1",736,939000,1675000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2260657-dc88c23700441b9596429b0cc0117ec3&start=939&end=1675","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2260657-dc88c23700441b9596429b0cc0117ec3/thumbnail_939000.jpg","/articles/6339857/Upson-County/Georgia/Upson-County-chief-appraiser-outlines-sales-ratio-shortfall-urges-board-to-consider-appeal-by-March-1","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339857-dbb559785d87d211afe2fc3b21e2a82b/orig.mp4?Expires=1773675206&Signature=EM6qixxqq2eXTCM~rdDuJntpWi0~7q~R6ld6pehM6a2fp4v9nGglIRcIl4F4tawwmz-KHer84xPZkJ~QAS6sLwTBTX3inPnoNGpHQAiYcnbVBFnBcgKULZAtUz13MD36oOnNxuHOFwx~PrU4Lv8VKTfwk2UUjSvAbr50kBolCyKnpjXmYHeo7NmwWoDSjhZhjA-IFyCAicT2hN~MIAOvryCNFtIXBtd1V8HA0bJnFgKJMvqI42ERXypOeZWoBCe2DqI~5q2iRHnTU9~~Uq9WUXC9rTW8mrPiF01rqegqdu02GIym~4swntE~HPxMRZpvZz8QZBv-9ENAMt1wciSnyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Charles, the county chief appraiser, told the Upson County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 11 that a Department of Audits review flagged the county's public-utility sales ratio as out of compliance for the review year and that the board, not the assessor's office or the school board, is the only body that can appeal that determination by March 1.

The issue matters for property valuations and the county's eligibility under House Bill 581, which changes how values and caps are applied. Charles said the county's in-house work produced improved ratios but that the Department of Audits' procedures can include moving or weighting sales in ways that change the final audited ratio.

Charles walked commissioners through the recent history: a 40 ratio in 2020, a sharp market shift in 2022 that pushed audited ratios into the mid-30s, and an arbitration result that moved the county toward 34.44 for the review year. He said the county then corrected appraisal records and neighborhood-level values and reported an in-house January'through'December 2024 ratio of 37.47, later improved through adjustments to 39.86 for certain windows and to 40.55 for January'through'December when weighted. Running all 2024 qualified sales through the system produced a final in-house figure of 38.86, which Charles said gives him confidence going into 2025 but leaves little margin if auditors reweight sales.

Charles said there are three practical options: do nothing, accept the Department of Audits' determination and the county's current conditional status, or have the board file an appeal by March 1. He warned that a consent order could be required if the county falls short again and described potential remedies the state sometimes uses, including a penalty (he cited a historical example of a $5-per-parcel penalty) or a consent arrangement negotiated with auditors.

Carl Gruder, the county attorney who spoke later in the discussion, confirmed the board must make a decision about appealing the audits determination and noted the county currently holds a conditional approval rather than being under active consent. Several commissioners asked clarifying questions about how an adverse finding could interact with House Bill 581'related caps and the practical effect on taxpayers if values change beyond caps.

Charles said his office has been working through a multi-year plan to address reappraisal backlogs and that roughly 3,200 of about 5,300 parcels flagged for review since 2024 have already been revisited. He said he planned to return to the board in about three months with a more detailed update on value adjustments and the appraisal side of the ratio.

Commissioners did not vote on an appeal at the Feb. 11 meeting; Charles repeated that the board must decide by March 1 if it wishes to file an appeal of the Department of Audits' determination.

","Chief Appraiser Charles told the Upson County Board of Commissioners that the county's public-utility sales ratio fell into a conditional category during the Department of Audits review tied to House Bill 581. He explained the numbers, the county's in-house corrections, and that only the governing body can file an appeal by March 1.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6339847,"Victim-Witness program says it received Boca grant of $140,305 and estimates an additional $40,000 award",42,2164000,2206000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2260657-dc88c23700441b9596429b0cc0117ec3&start=2164&end=2206","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2260657-dc88c23700441b9596429b0cc0117ec3/thumbnail_2164000.jpg","/articles/6339847/Upson-County/Georgia/Victim-Witness-program-says-it-received-Boca-grant-of-140305-and-estimates-an-additional-40000-award","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339847-a115985bbfecf6423e4e720dcfa25b88/orig.mp4?Expires=1773675206&Signature=EejcujXshaUV~3OQvBu-yx3UdDo7mX7SwXbK6gxEsCnZiDdrm-GxJlm1JlxTyzUOWCHf6CzCGcyE09HvM~HI8QdWozqb9OYjNlSX05NIFJs-yWGo1nOuoCfxlvpqFBWLlD4MhUUoqP3K2YXBnLusMGIDUHq5KyEbKzNtSRlXm~CkqucF9LLuk-UlnbhWU5tEKwXac98KHGlZfEndzbVLlwBhed8QZbQQch0xLGMfBxS3q6mf8DD-3fzBGmwVNIw42qhMELitMWN12NDYRm5Uolox-V1cccoW6QglO2Se8EVYJEui7UTv16SFsi72sG63KvKvZYuTu2vnsiDS8itX2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michelle Ivy, director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program for the Griffin Judicial Circuit, informed the Upson County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 11 that the program received a Boca grant award of $140,305 and that staff were estimating roughly $40,000 from a second (referred to in the record as the Veil grant).

Ivy said the program did not experience cuts this year and presented the amounts as informational; no board action was requested or taken. She invited commissioners to ask questions, and none were raised during the brief update.

The funds support victim-witness services administered through the Griffin Judicial Circuit; Ivy represented the program and asked commissioners to note the awards for the county record.

","Michelle Ivy, director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program for the Griffin Judicial Circuit, told the board that the program received $140,305 from \"Boca\" and expects approximately $40,000 in related funding for a second grant; no cuts were reported.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Upson County commissioners approve licenses, hospital certificate, personnel policy and an IDA appointment

Upson County chief appraiser outlines sales-ratio shortfall, urges board to consider appeal by March 1

Victim-Witness program says it received Boca grant of $140,305 and estimates an additional $40,000 award