Pickens County approves ambulances, sewer payoff and multiple rezones in August meeting

Pickens County commissioners approved a slate of purchases, transfers and land-use decisions at their August meeting, including the purchase of two ambulances, payoff and transfer of an airport sewer lift station, adoption of several rezoning requests, and procedural approvals.

The board authorized the purchase of two Braun 4x4 ambulances equipped with Stryker systems, citing fleet shortages and the need to avoid year-long delivery waits. The total purchase price, including equipment, was stated as $922,335.60. County staff said the purchase would be funded from a public-safety SPLOST account and that finance staff would solicit financing quotes so the county would not deplete the fund balance at once.

The board also approved a $256,282.29 payoff for an airport sewer lift station that was installed three years earlier but not yet signed over. Commissioners authorized steps to transfer the lift station to the City of Jasper once payoff and documentation are complete, and authorized Chairman Jared to sign the necessary transfer documents.

On land use, the board approved several rezoning requests presented earlier in the meeting: a 45-acre parcel for JTF Holdings (applicant Pierre Bender) from Agriculture to Highway Business for planned commercial development; smaller acreage rezones to Rural Residential to allow single-family dwellings (applicants included Mister Hotein, Curtis Roper and Sean Ngo); and the earlier downzoning request RZ190751 (applicant 18 93 LLC/Brian Ulmer) was placed on the action calendar and approved. Planning and Development staff reported planning commission recommendations and public hearings had been held for each case.

Other actions included authorizing an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Jasper for an AMR pole and antenna at Roper Park, adopting a speed-hump implementation policy requiring an 80% petition of affected residents to install or remove speed humps, and approving a resolution to adopt Dogwood Trace subdivision roads into the county road system contingent on property conveyance and HOA vote. The board approved multiple sets of minutes and moved into an executive session on property/possible litigation matters; an advertised item was tabled to September after staff determined the public notice did not run in the paper as required.

Most approvals were taken by voice vote; the transcript does not contain roll-call tallies for many items. Staff committed to re-advertise the tabled hearing and to work with residents who expressed interest in petitions or follow-up meetings.