(The Pierce County Board of Commissioners discussed and/or voted on the following during their regular meeting Tuesday, September 8.)
Flock cameras: Blake Edwards came before the commissioners and asked for the board to approve a resolution to discontinue the use of the cameras. He said the cameras are an invasion of privacy and violate the constitutional rights of citizens. Edwards made the comments during public participation. (See related story.)
Millage rate: Commissioners approved the proposed millage rate of 9.784 mills for 2027 and adopted a resolution to approve the 2027 tax levy. The millage rate is about 0.613 mills lower than last year’s rate of 10.397 mills. A called meeting on the proposed budget and levy was scheduled for last night, Sept. 15.
Excavator and mulcher: Commissioners approved the purchase of Caterpillar Model 309 Hydraulic Excavator and Torrent Mulcher from Yancey Brothers of Waycross in the amount of $178,150.
Mowing services: Wright Outdoors of Blackshear was the low bidder for mowing services at the recreation department in the amount of $21,915. The only other bidder was North Florida Lawn Maintenance of Callahan, FL, at $71,500.
Zoning requests: Commissioners approved a rezoning request from Allen and Griffis Construction on a parcel on Dean Still Road for the construction of a subdivision. Commissioners tabled a variance request for the installation of a new mobile home on Christie Circle in the Farr’s Community. Public hearings were held prior to the regular meeting. No input was received on the rezoning request. Chairman Neal Bennett and Commissioner Randy Dixon expressed concerns about granting the variance request since the property in question will have two mobile homes on eight tenths of an acre. The county’s code requires one per one acre of land. Fourth district Commissioner David Lowman asked for the item to be tabled to allow commissioners to get more information on the request.
Tiger Field: Commissioners approved submitting a pre-application to obtain funds from the land and water conservation fund for improvements at Tiger Field.
Animal control: Kimberly Lawson of Patterson addressed commissioners asking for animal control in the county. Lawson said she had recently had a pack of wild dogs roaming through her neighborhood and called the sheriff’s office only to be told there was no animal control ordinance locally. Lawson asked commissioners to investigate ways to prevent wild dogs from roaming free and to check on implementing leash laws and spay and neuter programs. She encouraged the county to check with local sources, including local dog training facilities, for input on animal control efforts.
Pierce Transit application: The board approved a routine, annual application with the United States Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Transportation for operation of Pierce Transit.
Technical services: The commission approved an agreement with the Southern Georgia Regional Commission to provide technical assistance to the county for the land and water conservation grant. The services will be charged at an hourly rate.
County manager report: Interim County Manager Thomas Sauls gave an update on various county departments in his report. Sauls reviewed line-by-line highlights from the seven page report. In the financial report, the county showed revenues of $12.5 million and expenditures of $8.6 million as of July 31.
Invocation leader: The Rev. Edmund Thrift of Shady Grove Baptist Church led the invocation at the meeting.
Pledge leader: Sheriff Ramsey Bennett led the pledge of allegiance.
Next meeting: The next regular commission meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 6, at the Southeast Georgia Regional Agriculture Center in Blackshear.
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