Coffee County commissioners approve enterprise zone, contracts and midyear budget changes
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Summary
The Coffee County Board of Commissioners on July 6 unanimously approved a City of Douglas enterprise zone resolution, multiple contracts including indigent defense and animal control, a nonbinding aviation MOU, and midyear General Fund amendments increasing the budget by $442,000.
Chairman Oscar Paulk and the Coffee County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a slate of routine business and contracts during the July 6 regular meeting, including a resolution authorizing the City of Douglas to designate an enterprise zone and several one-year service agreements.
The action items the board approved included: a resolution to allow the City of Douglas to request an enterprise zone (which allows the county to consider tax abatements tied to employment and infrastructure investment); a $2,000 annual GIS agreement with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission for E‑911 addressing; one‑year indigent defense contracts for Juvenile Court (Judge Ross recommended Attorney Chad White) and State Court (Bryan Rumker); a $40,000 annual animal control contract with Charles “Chuck” Jones d/b/a Alapaha Animal Control for unincorporated Coffee County; a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding for the Coffee Aviation Initiative with the City of Douglas, EDA, South Georgia State College, Wiregrass Technical College and the Board of Education; and midyear General Fund amendments increasing revenues and expenditures by $442,000 to cover recent across‑the‑board pay raises.
County Administrator Wesley Vickers introduced each contract and said the enterprise zone designation would allow the county to consider abatements tied to demonstrated employment and infrastructure investment. The board approved each item by motion and unanimous vote; motions and seconds were recorded for each item in the meeting minutes.
The meeting also included routine board appointments to several local bodies to fill terms expiring June 30, 2021, including Amanda Wildes (Library Board) and Tim Thomason (Planning and Zoning). Vice‑Chairman AJ Dovers was noted as absent. Chairman Paulk closed the meeting after confirming there were no public comments and Commissioner Johnny Wayne Jowers moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:57 a.m.
The board did not discuss opposed or contentious amendments on these agenda items; all approvals were recorded as unanimous.