A supplemental pay plan for some public safety personnel was approved September 8 by the Henry County Board of Commissioners. Utilizing $766,500 in COVID relief funds, the board passed a measure providing extra pay for all personnel who staff Henry County Fire Department ambulances.
County officials said the move will allow the county to remain competitive for the purpose of recruitment and retention. The total cost breaks down to $150 per day for 365 days for 14 ambulances. Each ambulance is typically staffed daily with a paramedic and AEMT, and sometimes with two paramedics, which officials said does not happen frequently due to the current paramedic shortfall.
In other business, the board approved the appointment of Michelle R. Clark as an on-call associate judge for the Henry County Magistrate Court after receiving a recommendation from chief magistrate judge Martin Jones. Clark meets the qualifications for the post, which include a minimum of seven years practicing law, and will fill the remainder of an unexpired term from October 1 until the end of 2022. In addition to Jones, the court is staffed with two full-time associate judges, one part-time associate judge, four on-call associate judges and one senior judge.
The purchase of more than $5 million in equipment for the Henry County Fire Department was approved. According to county staff documents, an operational need was identified for six new ambulances and six new custom pumper trucks due to the department’s aging fleet. The board authorized the purchase of six Braun Liberty ambulances for $1,502,370 and six Pierce custom pumpers for $3,817,954. All of these vehicles are coming from Ten-8 Fire & Safety LLC using funds from the county’s capital improvement plan.
Two construction bids for county park buildings were approved. The board approved a $206,294 bid for building renovations at J.P. Moseley Park to include multiple concession areas and restrooms, a press box and a maintenance building. Funds from the county’s capital improvement plan will be utilized for this work. Also approved was $225,265 from impact fees to cover a remodel of an activity barn at Nash Farm Park. It is expected to be used ultimately as a rental space, and the renovations are in line with Commissioner Dee Clemmons’ request that it include a black box theater.
Henry County citizens will no longer be allowed to chain their dogs or tie them up in one spot. In response to a number of complaints from the public, the commissioners voted to approve an amendment to its animal control ordinance regarding the prohibition of tethering animals. It had been brought to the board’s attention that the ordinance previously did not address this issue at all, and the change will allow animal control officers to issue citations to violators. The vote to approve the measure was unanimous.
The board voted to approve an official objection to an annexation request regarding the Clayton County city of Lovejoy, which involves a large piece of property on Steele Road, North Steele Drive, Lovejoy Road, Hwy. 81 and Old Highway 3. The property lies in both counties and a plan is in place for a major development. Since the request involving the Henry County portion has been nixed by the commissioners, the matter is concluded for that portion unless the applicant initiates a court challenge.
The board approved a $260,952 bid for construction of a median opening on the Jodeco-Campground Road extension, which is a SPLOST-funded project. There was only one bid received for the work, from Backbone Infrastructure. Another SPLOST road improvement project approved by the board was a $215,680 change order to Croy Engineering for design work on the widening of Rock Quarry Road. This includes the relocation of proposed permanent sediment basins at the request of the Henry County Water Authority, additional geotechnical work required by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and a temporary signal at the Red Oak Road intersection.
Several million dollars of special-purpose local option sales tax revenue in Henry County are being reallocated. The commissioners voted to rescind a previous resolution and approve a budget amendment so that more than $4 million left over from completed projects under the county’s fourth SPLOST program could be utilized for projects still in the works. A total of 18 projects in four of the county’s five commission districts are expected to be addressed with this money. A separate resolution was rescinded with its own budget amendment so that $287,804 in unallocated funds from the third SPLOST program could be distributed equally among all five districts for road projects.
A change in benefits involving the employees of Henry County’s E911 department as well as the crime scene technicians in the police department was approved. People who work in those areas will now be under the county’s public safety pension plan, and their vesting period has been reduced from ten years to five. This is a significant change because, while county employees in nearly all departments have a target age of 60 for full retirement, public safety employees can reach full retirement at 55 years of age.
The board voted to approve a memorandum of understanding between the county’s public safety agencies and the Henry County Board of Education to create a “Handle with Care” program. According to a county staff document, the agreement focuses on notification to the school district by law enforcement when a child “is exposed to trauma in the home or in the community, to enable the child’s school to handle the child with care upon his or her arrival at school following the incident.” The MOU cited a number of situations that would fall under these parameters.
A $44,037 contract with the Georgia Department of Human Services was approved to provide services to low-income citizens utilizing federal CARES Act funding. There is no required local match. Senior Services will use the money for case management, meals, supportive services and rent/mortgage/utility assistance to residents impacted by COVID-19.
The board approved the appointment of Henry County Fire Department assistant chief Michael Hicks and the reappointment of Henry County Police Department detective Bess Simpson to the Department of Family and Children Services Board for five-year terms ending in September of 2026.
A number of expenditures were approved by the board, including $85,000 for the Stormwater Department to remove silt at a box culvert on Jamaica Drive; $76,678 for a consultant manage the closeout of the county’s Small Business Restart Program; and $50,980 to pay the county’s annual dues as a member of the Metro North Georgia Water Planning District. Also approved was an annual contract for the inspection and maintenance of elevators in county facilities, as well as a resolution authorizing the disposal and online sale of surplus equipment.
