Ben Hill County commissioners approve appointments, an alcohol license and participation in Purdue opioid settlement
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Summary
At the Aug. 5 meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved an alcohol license, multiple board appointments and authorized participation in the New Purdue Opioid Settlement; Vice-Chair Hope Harmon also reported results from a local opioid-prevention program.
The Ben Hill County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 5 approved a series of routine items, including an alcohol license for A Better Place, several board appointments and reappointments, and a motion authorizing the county to participate in the New Purdue Opioid Settlement.
Commissioner John Mooney moved to approve the alcohol application for A Better Place at 162 Bowens Mill Highway; Commissioner Daniel Cowan seconded and the motion passed with all four commissioners present voting in favor. The board also appointed Zach Luckie to the Ben Hill Planning & Zoning Commission; reappointed Wesley Mitchell, Milton Hopkins, Bill Luke and Chip Dorminy and appointed Jason Cook to the Forestry Board; and reappointed Dianne Bullard to the Ben Hill County Department of Family & Children Services board. All motions passed unanimously.
On new business, Commissioner John Mooney moved and Commissioner Daniel Cowan seconded a motion authorizing the county to participate in the New Purdue Opioid Settlement; the motion passed with the four commissioners voting in favor. The transcript records the authorization vote but does not detail the settlement allocation, anticipated payments, or how funds would be used by the county.
Vice-Chair Hope Harmon reported on local opioid-prevention work during the commissioners’ remarks. "We have seen an impact with our local youth," she said, describing the "Holistically Anchored" program as having reached more than 100 youths, distributed over 300 prevention resources and hosted resilience workshops and mentorship activities. Harmon said she plans to speak with County Manager Hampton Raulerson about securing additional funding to continue the program.
Manager Hampton Raulerson also told the board the county will meet Aug. 14 to adopt a millage rate and potentially consider bids for about eight miles of resurfacing; he said initial bids came in below expectations and the county may be able to roll some work into next year’s projects.
Meeting minutes show unanimous votes where roll-call results were recorded as "Commissioner John Mooney, Commissioner Bennie Calloway, Commissioner Daniel Cowan, and Vice-Chair Hope Harmon" voting for the motions. No votes in opposition or abstentions were recorded in the transcript.