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Ben Hill commissioners rehire officials, approve resolutions and routine purchases
Summary
At their Jan. 6 meeting, Ben Hill County Commissioners rehired the county manager, county clerk, county attorney and auditing firm; approved resolutions giving the Tax Commissioner authority to waive penalties and to accept payments; approved vehicle purchases for the sheriff’s office, accepted a property bid, and approved the 2026 LMIG road proposal and several board appointments.
Ben Hill County Commissioners used their Jan. 6 meeting to complete required annual reappointments, adopt several routine resolutions and approve procurement and board appointments.
Reappointments and hires: Commissioner John Mooney moved to rehire County Manager Hampton Raulerson and County Clerk Pamela D. Turner; the board also approved retaining the law firm Hall, Smith & Booth (Managing Partner Tony Rowell, working with Nick Kinsley) as county attorneys and retained the auditing firm Tony Eckler CPA. Each motion passed with Commissioners John Mooney, Daniel Cowan, Bennie Calloway and Vice‑Chair Hope Harmon voting in favor.
Resolutions and finance: The board approved a resolution authorizing the Tax Commissioner to waive penalties and interest and a resolution authorizing the Tax Commissioner to accept payments of taxes and fees. Tax Commissioner Barry Foster had reported earlier in the meeting that 2024 property tax collections were 98.79% and 2025 collections were 81.72%, and that a TREES Act grant check for $252,632.01 had been deposited (approximately $120,999 to the county and $131,632 to schools), pending a disbursement letter from the Georgia Department of Revenue.
Procurement and property sales: Commissioners approved quotes to purchase three fleet vehicles for the Sheriff’s Office — two Ford F‑150 Super Crew trucks at $46,919.00 each and one Dodge Durango at $44,631.00 — by motion of Commissioner John Mooney. The board also accepted a bid of $5,015.00 from Iristeen James for a county‑owned parcel (Lot 3, Square 8, Block 7). Commissioner John Mooney moved to accept the 2026 LMIG road proposal and estimated costs for road projects; that motion passed as well.
Board appointments: The commission appointed Vice‑Chair Hope Harmon to the Fitzgerald‑Ben Hill Library Board to replace Hal Wiley, appointed Warren Elder to the Ben Hill Planning & Zoning Commission, and named Vice‑Chair Harmon as the county’s ACCG liaison; nominations for those positions were closed by motion at the meeting.
Votes and process: All listed motions in the minutes passed by voice vote with the four commissioners present (Mooney, Cowan, Calloway and Vice‑Chair Harmon) voting in favor. The minutes indicate Chairman Hal Wiley was absent at the meeting; the motions record votes by the commissioners present.
What’s next: County staff will proceed with procurement and property disposition steps and report back to the board as required; the TREES Act disbursement will proceed on receipt of the Georgia Department of Revenue letter.
