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Ben Hill County adopts budget amendments, ratifies truck lease and authorizes tax‑note bidding
Summary
The board adopted a 2018 budget amendment, approved a 2% pay increase for the sheriff’s department via a 2019 budget amendment, ratified a $232,900 garbage-truck lease, and authorized staff to seek bids for a $4,000,000 tax anticipation note; other routine resolutions and a transit agreement amendment also passed.
At its Feb. 5 meeting the Ben Hill County Board of Commissioners approved a series of fiscal and operational items meant to align departmental budgets and fund capital needs.
The board adopted a 2018 Budget Amendment after Chief Finance Officer Darlow Maxwell explained the amendment’s purpose of aligning expenditure line items with actual 2018 spending. Commissioners then adopted a 2019 budget amendment to grant the Sheriff Department a 2% pay increase that had not been implemented at the start of the year; County Manager Michael Dinnerman said the board would move $17,982 from repairs & maintenance and gasoline line items within the sheriff’s budget so the overall county budget would remain the same.
Commissioners ratified authorization previously given to Chairman Steve Taylor to sign a lease-purchase agreement for a 2018 Peterbilt garbage truck priced at $232,900 over 48 months at a 4.83% interest rate. The board also authorized County Manager Michael Dinnerman and Chairman Taylor to obtain bids for a $4,000,000 Tax Anticipation Note and to negotiate interest rates.
On transit matters, the commission approved Amendment 1 to the Third Party Operator Agreement among Ben Hill County Transit System, the Board of Commissioners and RMS to create a 'Fee for Service' line item in the FY2019 budget; the amendment keeps the overall budget unchanged with funds transferred from existing line items. The board adopted a Surplus Property Resolution for miscellaneous Road Department assets and an Open Record Custodian Resolution naming Donna R. Prather as Open Record Officer and Pamela Turner as the alternate.
The board also approved a collateral swap for a Revolving Loan Fund borrower, Derek Wilson (Twisted X Farms), exchanging ten van trailers and a bailer for specific tractors and equipment listed in the motion, and appointed Mark White to the Department of Family & Children Services Board.
Votes and next steps: Most motions passed unanimously among the three voting commissioners (Vice-Chair Hope Harmon, Commissioner Bennie Calloway and Commissioner Daniel Cowan) recorded in the minutes. County staff will execute the ratified lease documents, proceed with tax-note bid solicitations, and implement the intra-budget transfers described at the meeting.
