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Ben Hill County commissioners ratify tax‑penalty waiver, approve Public Defender contract
Summary
On May 5, 2020 the Ben Hill County Board of Commissioners ratified a previously adopted resolution allowing the Tax Commissioner to waive penalties and interest for certain past‑due taxes and approved the FY20‑21 Public Defender contract, both by unanimous votes of the three attending commissioners.
Ben Hill County commissioners on May 5 ratified a tax‑penalty waiver the board had adopted by email and approved the Public Defender FY20‑21 contract, voting 3–0 in favor of each action with Chairman Steve Taylor and Commissioner John Mooney absent.
County Manager Michael Dinnerman told the board the waiver resolution — adopted by an email poll of commissioners on March 31 — authorizes the Tax Commissioner to waive penalties and interest on past‑due taxes subject to collection and to waive penalties for failure to file personal property tax returns for payments whose original deadlines fell between March 23 and May 15, 2020. Dinnerman said the board needed to ratify that earlier email vote; Commissioner Bennie Calloway moved to ratify, Commissioner Daniel Cowan seconded, and the motion passed with Calloway, Cowan and Vice‑Chair Hope Harmon voting yes.
On the Public Defender contract, Dinnerman said the personnel portion of the FY20‑21 budget fell because the office’s caseload dropped; investigators received a 2% raise, an increase of $539.77. He reported a current‑year savings of $3,112.58 and a two‑year savings of $37,279. Commissioner Calloway moved to approve the contract and to authorize the chairman to sign; Commissioner Cowan seconded and the motion passed 3–0.
The meeting also recorded routine approvals: adoption of the meeting agenda and approval of minutes from the March 3 regular meeting and special‑called meetings on March 11, March 18 and April 14, each passed on motions by Calloway, seconded by Cowan, with Vice‑Chair Harmon voting in favor. Vice‑Chair Harmon called each commissioner’s name to record votes in the minutes. The board adjourned with no public comments and no executive session recorded.
The ratified waiver is intended as a temporary administrative relief tied to deadlines between March 23 and May 15, 2020; the transcript does not name the Tax Commissioner or specify which taxpayers will qualify beyond the dates listed. The board did not discuss further changes to tax policy during the meeting.
