Ware County work session places several administrative items on regular agenda, accepts CDBG grant update and adjourns

Several administrative and routine items were discussed and added to the regular meeting agenda during the Ware County Board of Commissioners work session.

Veterans Day: County Manager James Shubert said adding Veterans Day to the county's list of approved holidays had been discussed previously; Commissioners Leonard Burse and Barry Cox voiced support. Shubert said the only additional expense would be for public-safety employees because regular salaries are already budgeted.

Rural public transit grant: Shubert said Resolution 2025-20 authorizes the Southern Georgia Regional Commission to submit a rural public transit grant application to the Georgia Department of Transportation; the program provides on-call rides for residents without transportation, and Shubert noted there is no cost to Ware County to submit the application.

Roth IRA contribution option: Paul Smith, ACCG regional retirement manager, presented Resolution 2025-21 to add a Roth after-tax contribution option to the county's 457(b) deferred-compensation plan. Smith said there is no extra cost to the county and HR Director Theresa Young said employees had asked for such an option.

Alcohol licenses: County Manager Shubert reported three alcohol-license matters were added to the regular meeting agenda. Sunny Patel seeks to open a liquor store at 2501 Plant Avenue; Amrish Patel seeks a change of ownership for a convenience store at 1900 Alma Highway (beer and wine for off-premises consumption) and the adjacent package store at 1902 Alma Highway (liquor for off-premises consumption). Shubert reported the applicants had no disqualifiers.

Borrow pit option agreement: Shubert explained a proposed option agreement with landowner Mark Besson that would allow the county to take dirt from a borrow pit on Leo Barber Road; most of the dirt has already been excavated and the agreement would permit additional digging if needed.

CDBG announcement: Shubert said County Clerk Melinda Brooks traveled to Macon the previous week to accept a $1,000,000 Community Development Block Grant check on behalf of the commission to fund paving and drainage improvements on Deerwood Road and Pine Forest Road.

Adjournment: Commissioner Leonard Burse moved to adjourn the work session; Commissioner Jon Tindall seconded and the motion passed unanimously. The work session adjourned at 4:30 p.m.

Why it matters: The items are routine administrative business but include a significant CDBG grant to fund local paving and drainage projects, and the transit and retirement options affect resident services and employee benefits.

Next steps: Each item was added to the regular meeting agenda for formal consideration and action as appropriate.