At this board’s last meeting on September 11th we received a request during public comments from Mr. Rusty Blackston which he asked the Board to publically respond to several questions he had at our next meeting. At this time I offer this response to the issues he presented.
This Board has been made aware of current operational shortcomings and public safety concerns regarding our current judicial facilities. Issues such as needed repairs to the existing building and facilities, potential security vulnerabilities, inmate handling concerns, overcrowding and the need for expanded office space and public access for court filings are just some of the issues expressed to the Board. These concerns have been brought forth from nearly every elected and appointed official responsible for the public safety and our courts.
These are the very same concerns previous leadership was presented with and I am sure is what lead to the earlier study provided from Precision Planning. This Board decided to listen to our elected and appointed officials responsible for our public safety and court interest as well as citizens serving on our Grand Jury and made the decision to have the existing plans updated, after all a lot can and has changed since 2018.
To the question of this Board’s use of 2016 SPLOST funds to pay for an updated study from Precision Planning. In our April 24, 2018 regular meeting the Board was presented a proposal from the company for conceptual design updates from the previous designs from August 2015. Also included in this proposal was site planning and cost estimating as well as renderings and final reporting.
We carefully evaluated our funding options and concluded that the most appropriate funding source is 2016 SPLOST rather than fund through the General Fund. Included in the 2016 SPLOST was “improvement to public buildings” where the $160,000 is budgeted for the courthouse.
Mr. Blackston expressed his concerns about the equitable distribution of resources to every county park. Every county park received new and safe playground equipment. As other needs arise the staff and leadership will work to provide resources where needed, regardless of location, as it is our responsibility to provide for safe and enjoyable activities at every park.
Funding for the Logtown Community Park which was included in 2011 SPLOST. The amount of $50,000 was allocated for this project. Budgets for proposed projects are estimates of the cost at the time the budget and referendum is prepared. It is not unusual for projects to exceed the estimates largely in part due to the length of time from budget estimating to project completion which in some cases may take years.
In this case the park project had begun as land was acquired and cleared, a basketball court and walking trail were installed and that was it. There was no design plan or detailed project budget in place for this project. This Board could not let this park stand in the condition it was in so we decided to come up with a plan to finish this park and turn it into something most citizens would use and be happy with. This work consisted of building a covered pavilion with adequate restroom facilities and completing grade work, installation of ADA compliant sidewalks, installation of playground equipment, and cleaning up the landscaping.
The final cost for this project was approximately $110,000 and the money came from 2011 and 2016 SPLOST.
We recognize the significance of SPLOST dollars and in no way consider these tax dollars to be a “pot of gold”. When this Board assumed office in January 2017 we recognized the need to assume greater oversight of SPLOST spending and accountability which is why we currently review every proposed SPLOST expenditure during an open meeting. This is not a typical practice; however this Board is committed to the efficient and transparent use of SPLOST dollars.
I appreciate Mr. Blackston’s concerns and I encourage him and others to feel free to contact the Commissioners or the County Manager anytime questions or concerns arise. Thank you.
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