Blackshear City Council discussed and/or voted on the following during their monthly work session Tuesday, May 5 and regular meeting held Tuesday, May 12.
Public hearing: A public hearing on the city’s proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year was held before the meeting. No local citizens stepped forward with any questions or comments. The budget runs from July, 2026 to June, 2027.
First reading of 2027 budget: The city council conducted their first of two required reading of the proposed $3,784,500 budget for fiscal year 2027. The council had no additional questions or comments. The second reading of the budget will take place at the June 9 regular meeting where it is expected to pass.
City sells surplus
fire engine to county: The city council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution approving an intergovernmental agreement to sell a surplus fire engine owned by the city of Blackshear to Pierce County.
The surplus vehicle is a year 2000 International 4900 fire engine and per the resolution, “has been removed from active front line service and is no longer necessary”.
The agreed upon amount to transfer ownership of the fire engine from city to county is $30,000. (See related story.)
City takes charge of Pinehurst subdivision roads: The council unanimously passed a resolution to officially accept a donation of land and easement rights from Lloyd Investments, LLC.
Essentially, the city will manage maintenance and upkeep of the roads in Pinehurst subdivision to ensure they meet community standards from the start rather than having to repair or upgrade them later.
Georgia Code O.C.G.A. 36-37-2 reads in part “[e]ach municipal corporation is authorized to receive any donations or gifts of real or personal property … subject to such conditions as may be specified”.
Department Reports Blackshear Police Dept. Report: BPD reported 13 accidents during April, 5 with injuries. Seven warnings, 61 citations and 5 ordinance violation were recorded.
There were 8 arrests in April, all adults, a 12.5 percent jump compared to April, 2025 and which has nearly triples the amount of year to date arrests, now totaling 27.
Blackshear Volunteer Fire Dept. Report: BFD responded to 45 different events in April, including multiple events classified as outdoor fires, including the Highway 82 fire near Atkinson in Brantley County April 21. BFD workers and volunteers completed a total of 196 cumulative hours of activities and training.
Public Works Dept: Last month, the department repaired 2 water mains, 4 sewer mains and replaced 3 meters, meter boxes and lids.
There were 25 water and sewage locates, 20 read checks and 70 leak checks, locating 60 leaks. There were also 20 read checks, 25 close outs, 37 cut offs, 30 services cut back on and 25 new customers connected in April. There were no incidents of consumer tampering during the reporting period.
Public works also performed routine grass maintenance, replaced damaged street signs, conducted routine cleaning of storm drains, repaired potholes and performed routine limb trimming and did routine grass maintenance at the cemetery.
Main Street Program: The Main Street/Better Hometown program $5,000 dollars in operational expenses during April. Three events were held in the downtown area: the free Saltwater Gypseas concert in Blackshear City Park and the chamber of commerce award conference and gala. The total estimated attendance for all three events was approximately 1,000 and a total of 20 volunteer hours were estimated to have been used.
A single commercial, building improvement project was reported as complete during April, the Cal-Maine expansion, which represents a $15 million investment in the local economy.
Senior Center: Shearly Coleman delivered a brief update about events at the local senior center.
Approval of minutes: The city council unanimously approved entering the minutes of both the April regular meeting and the May work session into the record with no additions or changes.
Attendance: The full council, Mayor Keith Brooks and City Attorney Adam Ferrell were all in attendance for both meetings.
Next meeting: The council will hold its next work session, meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 2 and its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9.
