[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-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",[32,74,86,98],{"_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",6338564,"mediaKeyId","2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79","parentId",2269762,"title","Hart County commissioners approve routine business: minutes, agreements, licenses and budget amendments","audioSeconds",371,"startMs",4244000,"endMs",4615000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79&start=4244&end=4615","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79/thumbnail_4244000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6338564/Hart-County/Georgia/Hart-County-commissioners-approve-routine-business-minutes-agreements-licenses-and-budget-amendments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6338564-b346bb58e9da4e8173bb91a74b9bae2b/orig.mp4?Expires=1773768419&Signature=YMsOkAii6p4lPk6j5MWgb2B79R89SAe~umvfMfQw2K1WL0nk7DUE85LpNMsNwJSOp~bH5sR8H7OvWs2mfgvw4eQagS6Hg1Q27wiCJvcKqPaX3oe2l1HMC7oN9-R~uwiRpstIGNbgMBf-~eXJ41jc0URKz~9Mf5-ltgjzNIsTJ~8iTIj5nVThtFxw033tJg2dSxNAbvkq3oZ7JphwOLlgtjqiG-txJQbyXa9NaVZHy31rmJvrknbqRJAPiDAclGe0~JKssgGs487~TA~XU0yNP3SUeDZOMRgUPY5~WTO5fikksyQkLe-soff6AYnPerpwGccKFAbZOur0StKpQ1QHLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-11T22:56:29Z","article","At its Feb. 11 meeting the Hart County Board of Commissioners approved a series of routine items and budget adjustments, and authorized bids or advertising for several ongoing projects.

Minutes and minutes-related items: The board approved the minutes from the Jan. 28 regular meeting and the Feb. 4 work session by unanimous vote.

Agreements and use permits: The board approved the annual recreation use agreement with the Little League, 5–0.

Budget and fiscal items: Commissioners adopted final budget amendments reflecting grant and internal transfers, reserves and routine year‑end adjustments; the board approved the amendments unanimously.

Licenses and personnel: The board approved multiple alcohol licenses including off‑premise and on‑premise malt beverage and wine licenses for several Hartwell businesses (motions and votes recorded in the meeting minutes, each approved by recorded roll calls). The sheriff’s request to grant experience credit for two recently hired deputies/detention officers was approved retroactive to hire dates; the vote was recorded in the minutes as unanimous.

Procurement and projects: The board authorized advertising for bids for electrician work to install lights at the tennis/pickleball courts after reviewing cost options; the motion to advertise passed unanimously.

Other procedural items recorded in the meeting include a motion to convene and later recess into executive session for litigation, personnel and real estate matters (motions passed by board votes as recorded in the minutes). No final contracting award for the paving bids was made at the meeting; bids were forwarded to the county administrator for review.

Votes at a glance
- Approve minutes (Jan. 28 and Feb. 4): approved 5–0.
- Little League recreation use agreement: approved 5–0.
- Budget amendments (year‑end / grant fund adjustments): approved 5–0.
- Tennis/pickleball lighting: authorize advertisement for electrician bids: approved 5–0.
- Alcohol licenses (multiple businesses, on‑ and off‑premise): approved 5–0 (individual motions recorded in minutes).
- Sheriff: credit for experience for two hires (retroactive): approved 5–0.

The board’s approvals were mostly unanimous; abstentions were recorded for specific procurement procedural votes when a commissioner indicated a potential conflict or related interest (for example, Commissioner Brown abstained on forwarding paving bids to the county administrator).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hart County Board of Commissioners Live Stream","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved minutes, routine agreements, a series of alcohol licenses, a Little League use agreement, budget amendments and personnel step‑credits; the board also authorized advertising an electrician bid for new tennis/pickleball lights.","taxTitle","Hart County, Georgia","taxId",28535,"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},6338567,"Hart County receives multiple paving bids, forwards packets to county administrator for review",260,3756000,4016000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79&start=3756&end=4016","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79/thumbnail_3756000.jpg","/articles/6338567/Hart-County/Georgia/Hart-County-receives-multiple-paving-bids-forwards-packets-to-county-administrator-for-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6338567-0da6b5e96e21cbab3fea675aac340d49/orig.mp4?Expires=1773768419&Signature=T9NSSL4bCmzqL0kjf-ja9ctPislIyiXjJz7z34CNOSQ9Zik8I-lj7r048HOq2s5VynU2xkOabe4RYEhDdQS2fo4NMaPb9Yfh3MGH5MHK0UPsT4TA7Ge4wbTN81SfVZeZJl4BEt1HzOICfpVZgi35CSWO5TCkYwEbGCrLX7k2qtFW2YizwUCysaXgIkOQSZR70MQkV4XHggaRLXg-SaWlQw7mnkorZYdtbCSA5~PlCvFk3E9ROsOm-Gx2MV3dqjQe4BqC6hwwQuk05v-aoKn0RyCvEzmoMTM1wnOApfqdtWgcNiGIb7tZ9ldm9LwGCYZMKzXovsTu3Za7uLhkiK8ktg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hart County Board of Commissioners opened sealed bids for the county's 2023‑24 paving program on Feb. 11 and directed the county administrator to review the proposals and return with a recommendation.

Bidders and unit prices announced at the meeting included Allied Paving, Milford Excavating, Stratton & Sons, Garrett Paving Company, Vertical Earth, ER Snell and others; striping bids were reported in the packet on a per‑mile basis, and asphalt surface, grinding/patching and widening unit prices were read aloud during bid openings.

After all packets were opened the board voted to turn the bids over to the county administrator for review. Commissioner Brown abstained from the vote; the transcript records the resulting vote as four in favor, zero opposed, with one abstention.

County staff will evaluate the bids for completeness, verify references and unit pricing, and present a recommendation to the board for award based on the county’s procurement policies. The board's next steps will include a formal award once staff completes its review.","At the Feb. 11 meeting the board opened nine paving bids and voted to send all proposals to the county administrator for evaluation and recommendation; Commissioner Brown abstained from the vote.",{"_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},6338570,"Hart County commissioners approve road‑striping priority list after debate over white‑line policy",822,2822000,3644000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79&start=2822&end=3644","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79/thumbnail_2822000.jpg","/articles/6338570/Hart-County/Georgia/Hart-County-commissioners-approve-roadstriping-priority-list-after-debate-over-whiteline-policy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6338570-667b4ca0bd999d2bdd760e173447c0ba/orig.mp4?Expires=1773768419&Signature=ib5-Glg2d6~YTbtnJlnga5on0zL9pJJTAi6Pq3Jg6kDgFVSIO3f0kjbmVgiXkBzm0192vx3nZ6y4vD~Dw8T7xVmmEGXrlo-rvkhNLea8QVWKUg8uEPZgp5UwbTX8SUHARdDC-bsgE5n9tpGfaBHUnHdnF0gTpqtmsJcSj-HUOjoWFrDUQfML1~0NB63HrmnJoIyYUM~AsXhqh~VglCoxfMg5WRZ2HTWrKdvgP6e-Q4riqeo3vE5fiXuqdP8GngpVsLR1wHeF5FuBTYar1YB0mfbsv0xJ4ZxkBAg0mhj8PiarUldY~jNvMCdXY1uX-NPMFmDCSWygaV5Tx3xBUh6NVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hart County Board of Commissioners voted to proceed with a prioritized road‑striping and rumble‑strip program on Feb. 11, approving the road superintendent’s recommended list and authorizing bidding on the priority items.

Commissioners debated whether to include white centerlines countywide or restrict striping to roads that meet the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) traffic‑count thresholds. One commissioner urged strict adherence to MUTCD traffic‑count standards; another proposed adding white lines on roads with posted speed limits. That amendment was discussed but the final motion approved the superintendent’s priority list as written.

The board said roughly $501,000 was budgeted for striping and related work; county staff identified about $98,000 of the total as rumble‑strip costs and estimated adding certain changes could extend coverage by roughly 16 additional miles depending on stripe type. Commissioners emphasized they lack traffic counts for some roads and noted that white centerlines typically require higher average daily traffic thresholds under MUTCD guidance.

After discussion the board directed staff to bid the priority list and to return with the bid results and recommendations. One commissioner recorded a formal opposition on the record, and the board’s roll-call on the motion was recorded as a majority in favor; the transcript records the vote as 3–2 in favor of proceeding with the priority list.

Commissioners said the goal is to use the current funding to address roads with the most immediate safety or visibility concerns and to add more roads if bids come in under estimates. County staff will prepare the bid packages and provide traffic‑count information and cost comparisons when the county returns with recommendations.

The motion as recorded authorized the county to proceed with the priority list and to bid the work; boards and staff will revisit scope if bids allow expansion.","The board approved a prioritized plan for road striping and rumble strips funded from a budgeted allocation, after discussion about safety, MUTCD traffic-count requirements, and whether to add white centerlines countywide.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6338571,"Hart County holds public hearing on House Bill 581; resident urges clearer outreach for seniors",990,983000,1973000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79&start=983&end=1973","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2269762-b1ea5a54cf0dfb3fce6a8cbe89e2df79/thumbnail_983000.jpg","/articles/6338571/Hart-County/Georgia/Hart-County-holds-public-hearing-on-House-Bill-581-resident-urges-clearer-outreach-for-seniors","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6338571-076bf03d0fef6fa41d05462b0291104f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773768419&Signature=OQPXbURFKOjSfa2vazs24TxWrllCNHu7SBrYlCZkkSJfb~ZQzUYqYtqhp2kuej~ONTZ9yxhUGY1ssAqif8TFxR63k3Hy7jIq3dJTlyNtTUqGkI6p8rufRULGf0R1th99C9zCanLp2UlOLIgl6rS14eI1q3bbzja8Zna370CwEX8ZnH3nD7dEnLNPGHy5iSLQbwoE~HCXkw9IC01UhDoE56zJdn4z6RWsH0APKafFOZU9vAFYwVl4XpLtEzhXRzTRjW-SzYyJua7m3HS8ANf1jPPSA8OqMJox6PsW6j~1Zrx2E3A0NfudDd22AP4VabXsWtTqInCb3r2ql5jCrw5KLA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Hart County Board of Commissioners opened a public hearing Feb. 11 on whether the county should opt out of House Bill 581 and heard one resident call for clearer outreach about how the law would affect older homeowners.

Cynthia Ritchie, who gave her address as 676 Cedar Ridge Road in Hartwell, told the board, \"this bill, to me, is pretty important to the homesteaders, to the people age 65.\" She said meeting schedules and outreach had limited public participation and asked what the board had done to explain the bill to citizens.

Commissioners replied that the hearing was intended to gather public input and to explain the bill’s mechanics. Commissioners told the room that HB 581 would limit annual increases in assessed values for homesteaded property by tying assessment growth to an index set by the revenue commissioner, and that the board historically rolls millage rates back to keep revenue roughly neutral. They emphasized that the measure affects assessed values, not direct tax rates, and that implementation details remain subject to state rules.

The county noted that roughly 56 percent of local voters had supported HB 581 in the referenced vote, and warned that capping assessments can shift tax burdens over time: officials explained that if homesteaded parcels are capped, non‑homesteaded property owners and businesses would likely bear a larger share of future increases unless the board offsets the gap through spending cuts or higher millage rates.

The board opened the hearing by motion and vote and closed it later in the meeting; no vote on opting in or out of HB 581 was recorded at the Feb. 11 meeting itself. Commissioner Dorsey moved to open the hearing; Commissioner Brown seconded the motion and the board voted 5–0 to open the public hearing. Later, Commissioner Dorsey moved to close the public hearing; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Teasley and the board voted 5–0 to close it.

The public hearing included back-and-forth about local outreach: Ritchie said she could not attend some scheduled education meetings because of timing and urged the county and the schools to hold meetings at times residents can attend. County officials noted they had held multiple informational sessions, including ones with the tax assessor’s office, and said some details on implementation were not finalized until shortly before early voting began.

Board members and staff also recapped other local property-tax steps already taken, including a county homestead exemption increase that commissioners said is $15,000 on the county side and a separate $15,000 homestead exemption passed for the school portion, which together can substantially reduce assessed‑value for qualifying homeowners.

The hearing provided residents a forum to ask questions; the board did not take final action on the opt-out question during the meeting. Commissioners said they would continue sharing information and that any future formal decision would be placed on a future agenda for an explicit vote.

Any resident who asked questions during the hearing received responses from multiple commissioners and staff, but the board did not record a formal opt-out decision at the Feb. 11 session.","The Hart County Board of Commissioners opened and closed a public hearing on House Bill 581 on Feb. 11. A resident urged officials to provide clearer information for older homeowners; commissioners said the law caps assessed values and that no final opt-out vote was taken at the meeting.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Hart County commissioners approve routine business: minutes, agreements, licenses and budget amendments

Hart County receives multiple paving bids, forwards packets to county administrator for review

Hart County commissioners approve road‑striping priority list after debate over white‑line policy

Hart County holds public hearing on House Bill 581; resident urges clearer outreach for seniors