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Ben Hill County commissioners rehire officials, name banks and legal organ, adopt budget amendment and qualifying fees
Summary
At their Jan. 7 meeting, Ben Hill County commissioners unanimously approved routine annual actions including rehiring county officers and vendors, designating county financial institutions and the Herald Leader as legal organ, and adopting a 2019 budget amendment and a 2020 qualifying-fees resolution. Tax collections were reported largely caught up.
BEN HILL COUNTY, Ga. — The Ben Hill County Board of Commissioners met Jan. 7, 2020, at the courthouse annex and completed a slate of routine annual actions, including rehiring key county officials and vendors, approving the county’s banking relationships and legal organ, and adopting a 2019 budget amendment and a 2020 qualifying-fees resolution.
Chairman Steve Taylor called the meeting to order and led the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. Commissioners John Mooney, Hope Harmon and Bennie Calloway voted to approve the meeting agenda and to accept minutes from Dec. 3, Dec. 5 and Dec. 11, 2019.
Commissioner John Mooney moved to rehire County Manager Michael Dinnerman; Vice-Chair Hope Harmon seconded and the motion carried with Mooney, Harmon and Calloway recorded as voting in favor. Harmon moved to rehire County Clerk Donna Prather; that motion likewise passed. The board also approved retaining the county attorney (Hall, Smith & Booth managing partner) and Meeks CPA.
The board named Wells Fargo; Planters First; Colony Bank; Community Bank; and the Local Investment Pool as the county’s financial institutions. Commissioner John Mooney moved to designate the Herald Leader as the county legal organ; Vice-Chair Hope Harmon seconded and the motion passed.
Commissioner John Mooney nominated Commissioner Hope Harmon for vice-chair and moved to close nominations; Commissioner Bennie Calloway seconded and the motion passed with Mooney, Calloway and Harmon recorded as voting in favor.
Tax Commissioner Barry Foster reported on collections for the county, saying back taxes were “almost caught up.” Foster said mobile-home bills would be mailed Jan. 13 and be due April 1; collections for 2017 stood at about 97 percent, the county collected $454,000 for 2018 taxes, and 2019 collections were about 90 percent.
Under new business the board adopted a 2019 Budget Amendment Resolution and a 2020 Qualifying Fees Resolution. Both motions were moved by Commissioner Mooney, seconded by Vice-Chair Harmon and recorded as passing with Mooney, Harmon and Calloway voting yes.
The minutes record receipt of a notice from the City of Fitzgerald about an annexation ordinance affecting property at 102 Sadie Street; no board action on the annexation was recorded at the meeting. The minutes further note there were no department head reports, no county board reports and no public comments. The meeting moved to executive session (details not included in the minutes) and then adjourned. The minutes were signed by Chairman Steve Taylor and Acting County Clerk Pamela Turner.
The actions recorded in the minutes were procedural and routine; the board made no policy changes beyond the motions and designations recorded above.
