Ocilla council approves tax-collection contract, raises golf-cart tag fee and reinstates utility cutoffs

The Ocilla City Council on Sept. 19 approved a contract with Government Tax Services, LLC to pursue unpaid property taxes and took a series of revenue and maintenance actions intended to shore up city finances.

Mayor Melvin D. Harper II opened the meeting and the council voted to hire Government Tax Services after Council Member Lisa Cook moved for approval and Council Member Patrice Manley seconded. The motion passed with Council Members Patrice Manley, Lisa Cook, Lemora Moses and Clae Wynn recorded as voting for the contract.

The council also raised the city’s golf-cart registration fee to $50. Mayor Harper said the city currently pays $23.25 to purchase each tag while residents pay $25; Council Member Patrice Manley proposed increasing the fee to $50 and Lisa Cook moved the change. The motion passed with Cook, Manley and Moses voting in favor and Clae Wynn recorded as opposing.

On utility billing, Mayor Harper announced the city will notify residents that all utility bills must be paid by Dec. 31, 2024, and that service cutoffs will be reinstated Jan. 1, 2025. Council Member Lisa Cook moved to approve the deadline and cutoff policy; Patrice Manley seconded and the motion passed with Manley, Cook, Moses and Wynn recorded as voting for.

During department reports, Police Chief Ashley Jones reviewed monthly activity, including a golf-cart incident and a motorcycle chase from the prior month, and presented three bids to repair Police Department flooring. The council approved the $21,381.26 quote from Daron Dunlap and authorized payment from SPLOST on a motion by Lisa Cook and a second from Patrice Manley; the vote was recorded in favor by Manley, Cook, Moses and Wynn.

Public Works Director Cornelius Hall reported no new items; Fire Chief Will Townson gave the fire department’s monthly update; and Water Department Supervisor Bruce Wilder said multiple vendors have called about unpaid water-department invoices.

In council reports, Patrice Manley relayed a constituent concern (the minutes do not specify the constituent’s name) about elderly pedestrians having to cross the main highway to reach the Elections Office. Manley also asked whether officers can issue citations if they can positively identify someone who fled police; Chief Jones responded that citations can be issued if the individual is positively identified.

Council Member Lisa Cook said water was backing up in a ditch on Lakewood Drive; an excavator quoted $6,000 to fix the problem and Ray Paulk volunteered $2,000 toward the cost. The council approved paying $4,000 from SPLOST on a motion by Cook, seconded by Clae Wynn. The meeting minutes list Council Member Chris Paulk among those voting for that motion, though Chris Paulk is listed as absent in the meeting’s attendance at the start of the minutes; the minutes do not explain the discrepancy.

Mayor Harper closed by thanking council members and department heads for their work, and the council adjourned following a motion by Lisa Cook and a second from Lemora Moses.

Next steps: the council tabled changes to sanitation and water fee schedules until a full September report is prepared for the October meeting.