Proponents of the proposed transportation sales tax (T-SPLOST) resolution in Henry County are now aiming for a target date of one year later than originally planned.
The Board of Commissioners voted at its September 15 regular meeting to continue working with the county’s various municipalities in hopes of having a November 2021 referendum on the matter, and to also be in conversation with the Henry County Board of Education to join the county on that date. The commissioners initially hoped to have it come up for a vote this November but COVID-19 delays led them to postpone. The vote was 4-2 with Gary Barham and Johnny Wilson in opposition.
In other business, the board unanimously approved a 12-month lease of 50 cameras at a cost of $112,500. According to a staff report, the cameras “will assist in high-crime areas, interstate exchanges, and the parks located within the county.” The system will be connected to the Georgia Crime Information Center, with the cameras providing alerts for stolen vehicles and plates, wanted or missing persons, and more. It is linked to a national network of law enforcement agencies, business districts and neighborhoods that allow the department to receive intelligence regarding major crimes in other areas that might affect the county.
Also approved was the purchase of 125 first responder kits for the Henry County Police Department utilizing coronavirus emergency supplemental funding. The HCPD was awarded $98,163 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance and is spending $69,125 on this equipment at $553 per unit. The board also approved a $338,153 contract with a Kentucky company for police uniforms for one year with two mutually agreed upon renewals.
Mary Jo Blount was reappointed as the District IV representative on the Henry County Council on Aging, effective immediately and for a term scheduled to expire Sept. 15, 2024. The council’s primary objective is to support programs that serve senior citizens in the county, such as Meals on Wheels, nutrition supplements, in-home services, senior centers and volunteer activities.
A request for a waiver of $6,547.98 in interest and penalties on a hotel owner’s unpaid property tax bill was denied by unanimous vote. According to tax commissioner Michael Harris, a $39,486.18 tax bill was issued in September of 2019 for the Baymont hotel property at 855 Industrial Blvd. in McDonough, and it had not been paid as of the meeting. Over the past 10 months it accrued $2,599.36 in interest and $3,948.62 in penalties. A final notice was sent in January of this year and a lien was filed against the property in April. The owner is listed as Falod Hotels, LLC.
The board voted unanimously to approve a $15,470 reimbursement to Snapping Shoals EMC for relocation of some utilities, which was deemed necessary due to the Peeksville Road improvement project, which is a SPLOST project. Also approved was a $104,733.21 allocation to replace the flooring in the county’s Department of Family and Children Services building in McDonough.
