Resident praises road repairs; another public commenter alleges commissioner litigation and calls for resignation

Two members of the public spoke during the commission’s open‑forum period.

Josh Abercrombie, of 132 Patterson Road, told the board he had reported washouts and exposed water lines on Patterson Road and that county public‑works crews ultimately repaired the ditches the day before the meeting. County Manager Thomas Weaver and public‑works staff said crews had made multiple visits, performed handwork and completed repairs, and that limited equipment availability had delayed a full fix earlier. Abercrombie thanked the crew for the repairs.

Steve Wagner then raised a series of allegations about Commissioner Damon Hoyte, asking whether Hoyte had pleaded guilty to a county ordinance on Dec. 8, 2022 and listing what Wagner described as three magistrate and seven superior‑court filings related to Hoyte as of a week earlier. Wagner said he planned to pursue an ethics complaint with the Georgia Ethics Commission and urged Hoyte to resign. The minutes record that Hoyte declined to answer some questions at the meeting and asked to speak privately; the exchange continued on the record. After the closed session later in the meeting, Hoyte told the commission he had considered resignation but would not step down: "I am not going to resign," he said.

County Attorney Bin Minter reminded attendees that commissioners are not required to answer questions during open forum. The minutes do not record a formal ethics filing during the meeting and do not resolve the factual claims Wagner made; verification would require court and ethics‑commission records.

The county said it would address infrastructure concerns raised by Abercrombie and noted repairs were completed prior to the meeting.