By RICK NOLTE Staff Writer
The Waycross City Commission now will be presented a proposed Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget during a special meeting at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 19.
Waycross City Manager Ulysses “Duke” Rayford had been scheduled to reveal the projection May 5 prior to the commission’s first bi-monthly meeting in City Hall. That presentation had to be postponed because the notice published in the city’s legal organ — the Waycross Journal-Herald — failed to meet the city charter’s budget advertisement requirement, Rayford said.
The budget process change was part of a short agenda for the meeting, which also included the approval of three resolutions. Two of the three dealt with expenditures while the other was an amendment to the employee handbook.
Commissioners also approved a replacement to the Board of Ethics and recognized Public Works Department staff member William “Jay” Wilder as the city’s May Employee of the Month.
All commissioners along with Mayor Michael-Angelo James were in attendance. There was no executive session.
Budget
The schedule toward adoption of a budget following next week’s reveal will be a public hearing at 3:30 p.m. June 2 with final discussion and likely vote June 16 at the commission’s final scheduled meeting for the month.
Municipal governments must have a budget to begin the fiscal year July 1 in the hands of the Georgia Department of Revenue by June 30. The Waycross budget for FY 25-26 is $40,167,722, about $2.51 million less than its predecessor in FY 24-25.
Resolutions
The largest of the two expenditures approved will not impact the city’s budget since funding is coming from a grant secured by the Waycross Police Department from Homeland Security. WPD is using $353,542 of the funds to purchase an armored tactical assault vehicle, made only by Lenco Industries, LLC, of Pittsfield, Mass.
Police Chief Tommy Cox said his department had applied for the grant on numerous occasions in the past, with an eye on the vehicle if funds were sufficient. WPD’s award totaled $354,658, and was one of only a handful presented to law enforcement agencies in the state, Chief Cox said.
The second measure was for $23,400 to Pyrotechnico Fireworks, Inc., for conducting the fireworks show for the July 4 celebration. With the area in an extreme drought, Fire Chief Jim Blackburn will determine in the days prior to the fes tivities if conditions have improved enough for the fireworks display.
If conditions don’t permit the show this year, the contract will cover the display for the 2027 celebration, Rayford said.
Approval of the last resolution was for an amendment to the Level II disciplinary action section of the 2026 handbook. The change made it mandatory for employees to self-report a criminal offense charged against them.
Board of Ethics
Dr. Martha Hall was approved by commissioners for a place among the 12person pool of candidates, replacing Ossie Andrews as a representative from District 1.
If an ethics complaint is filed against a city official, seven people would be drawn randomly from the group — five active and two alternates — to con sider the complaint and report to commissioners.
Employee of Month
Wilder serves as an equipment operator on the stormwater utility crew. The Brantley County native has been working for the city about a year, after a lengthy stint in the U.S. Air Force followed by working with city public works in Tampa.
In each of those posts, Wilder worked in infrastructure. Public Works Director Matt Elwell said Wilder’s lengthy experience in the field is valuable, particularly for his co-workers.
“He has 25-plus years repairing concrete, sidewalks, roads, water and storm water,” Ewell said in introducing Wilder.
“The quality of work by the infrastructure crew has improved because of his experience. He’s kind of anal how things should look when done.”
Elwell said Wilder has passed that attention to precision to co-workers.
“If he has a day off or on vacation, the work still looks the same,” the director said. “He’s instilled that standard of quality in his crew.”
