This is an informal rundown of what happened at the Bulloch County Commission meeting on February 18, 2025.
Call to Order, Welcome
Invocation & Pledge
Roll Call – All Commissioners present
Approval of General Agenda
Consent Agenda
Items on the Consent Agenda were voted on in a single motion and approved unanimously.
Minutes of 2/4/25 5:30 meeting
Approve an amendment to the budgets for Fiscal Year 2025 by appropriating amounts in some funds for various activities.
Staff is requesting a mid-year budget amendment to appropriate monies needed for various operational and capital activities which are needed to complete organizational objectives. Adjustments are necessary to modify budgets at the legal level of control per O.C.G.A. Chapter 36, as only the Commission has the authority to change spending levels.
General Fund: The adjustment will reallocate budgeted funds from the Personnel Services department
to each department that had employees cash out vacation hours in November 2024. There is no net
effect of this reallocation. The adjustment will also allocate the previously approved funding for debris
removal services and related monitoring services that are underway to address the damage caused
throughout the County by Hurricane Helene. This will result in an increase to the expenditure budget
of $10,005,000, the majority of which is expected to be reimbursed by FEMA and GEMA.
SPLOST 2019 Fund: The adjustment will increase the expenditure budget by $1,192,787 due to rolling
some projects budgeted but not completed in FY24 forward and to address some purchases that came
in higher than expected.
TSPLOST Fund: The adjustment will increase the expenditure budget by $5,647,008. Some of this is
related to rescheduling some projects that were planned to occur in a future year, but the largest piece
of the adjustment is to allocate the previously approved funding to address the damage to
infrastructure caused by Tropical Storm Debby.
Motion to Approve the Purchase of Lion PPE from NAFECO
The Bulloch County Fire Department was budgeted to purchase new PPE, this purchase is for the new positions added to the department in July, this is a Sourcewell purchase on a Government contract that meets the AFG purchasing agreement.
Motion to accept renewal contract from Coca-Cola to provide beverages for resell at Recreation Concessions (Athletics, Splash in the Boro, & Ag Complex)
Coca Cola was awarded an initial contract to provide beverages for resell for the period April 7, 2023 and ending on April 6, 2024. It was approved at the BCBOC meeting held on March 21, 2023. It was stated in the contract that after the initial term, the agreement may be renewed for up to two (2) successive one (1) year periods. (April 7, 2023 through April 6, 2026 – including each renewal term).
Staff recommended approval of the second and final successive one (1) year period contract renewal agreement, beginning April 7, 2025 and ending April 6, 2026.
Motion to approve and ratify J L Derriso hauling service
Public Works had J L Derriso Trucking hauling additional rock from Augusta to the BCPW yard during Feb.
3rd to Feb. 7th, at a cost of $24,987.75. Their services are aiding in the continued repairs using the Debby
emergency fund.
Approve and ratify the purchase of a Fouts Bros 3,000 gallon Tanker for $498,407.00.
At the November 7, 2024, Board of Commissioners meeting the Board approved the purchase of a
tanker/pumper up to $525,000.00. This move was prompted by not being able to get the approval of the
tankers before the units were sold. Since that meeting, the fire department has secured a contract with Fouts Bros for a 3,000 gallon tanker/pumper that will be delivered within 365 days.
This contract is with Fouts Bros using the cooperative purchasing power of NPP and was reviewed and
approved by Faye Bragg in our purchasing department. Chairman Bennett signed the contract on 2/04/25 and was emailed to Fouts Bros on 2/05/24.
Motion to approve and ratify a culvert order from Cherokee Culvert.
Public Works has ordered culvert pipe from Cherokee Culvert to use in the continued road repairs after Debby. Cherokee Culvert is our regular supplier and they were able to provide us what we needed at a cost of $21,657.60.
Approve a Memorandum of Understanding with Ogeechee Technical College to provide an Adult Education Program
Ogeechee Technical College(OTC) provides adult education programs to the Bulloch County Correctional
Institute(BCCI) inmate population providing them opportunities to earn their GED while incarcerated. The MOU allows OTC to use the BCCI facility to conduct the adult literacy curriculum. There are no associated costs to the BCCI or Bulloch County.
Motion to approve bid from Playworx Playset LLC for Mill Creek Park Playground Resurfacing
Bids were received and opened for the replacement of the turf under the large playground, all swing bays, and the small playground at the five-field complex at Mill Creek Park. This project is scheduled on the FY25 CIP schedule (Project ID PARK05 $175,000).
The original bid asked for pricing for “pour in place rubber surfacing.” Three vendors went to Mill Creek to look at the playground and measure. Each asked about the rubber buffering under the turf. It was their suggestion that we replace it as well due to the inconsistent depth of buffering after testing it with a probe. As a result, an addendum was issued to the bid packet.
All vendors then submitted two bid prices in their bids:
- Option one would be to just replace the turf with EPDM pour in place rubber surfacing per specs in the bid.
- Option two would be a total replacement which would guarantee the proper thickness of rubber buffering, meet ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards, and be IPEMA (International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association) certified.
- Also included was a warranty section in the specs that states vendor must provide a guarantee against defects in the materials and workmanship for a period of 5 years from the date of completion. The warranty shall provide material and labor to repair and replace defective materials.
Five bids were received for the project. After a thorough review of the bids, it is the recommendation of Tony Morgan, Parks & Recreation Assistant Director, that we accept Option 2 bid from Playworx Playset LLC in the amount of $172,690 for removal of existing turf and rubber buffering, and installation of new rubber buffering with pour in place surfacing.
Playworx Playset LLC has installed over 100,000 square feet of surfacing for Savannah Chatham County Public Schools. We contacted their Senior Project Manager, Nicole Callahan, and she spoke very highly of the company and their work.
Approve a Nondisclosure Agreement with the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority(GECA)
The agreement will allow Emanuel County to purchase and install equipment on Bulloch County’s Two Chop communications/radio tower. This is how, under normal operations, they will send their radio signal through us to Savannah. The same type of equipment is present on the Landfill tower in Effingham County to deliver radio signal to the master site in Savannah.
New Business
Approve an Amendment to Article VI of Chapter 8 of the Code of Ordinances of Bulloch County, Georgia
These rules and regulations are administered and enforced by the Bulloch County Health Department. The reason that the rules and regulations are incorporated into a County ordinance is to provide the Health Department with another enforcement option because the Magistrate Court has jurisdiction over violations of County ordinances, whereas without a County ordinance the Health Department would be limited to administrative enforcement through the State. The Georgia Department of Public Health has recently revised the rules and regulations for body art studios and body artists, and therefore the ordinance needs to be amended to reflect those revisions.
Approved unanimously.
Approve an Amendment to Sections 2-25, 2-26, 2-27, and 2-28 of Article II of Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances of Bulloch County, Georgia
This amendment would revise the local ordinance on when the public can speak at commission meetings.
Commissioner Nick Newkirk inquired to Akins about the county’s move to put public comment at the end of the meeting, as opposed to the beginning of the meeting as was done for a decade, in 2023. Akins said he could not remember,
Newkirk made a motion to allow the public to comment on the proposed ordinance, which was seconded by Commissioner Anthony Simmons, and approved unanimously. No one from the public offered comments.
With no Commissioner comments on the matter, Newkirk made a motion to approve the proposed ordinance, which was seconded by Commissioner Ray Davis. The proposed ordinance was approved unanimously.
Deleted text is blue strike through and new language is in red font.
Motion to approve and ratify the use of Sand Creek Land Construction
Public Works had Sand Creek Land Construction hauling material, for the week of Jan 27th to Jan. 31st; at a
cost of $20,632.50. Their services are aiding in the continued repairs using the Debby emergency fund.
Approved unanimously. Commissioner Toby Conner recused himself on the matter due to a conflict of interest.
Motion to approve and ratify the use of Sand Creek Land Construction
Public Works had Sand Creek Land Construction hauling material, for the week of Feb. 3rd to Feb. 7th; at a
cost of $15,198.75. Their services are aiding in the continued repairs using the Debby emergency fund.
Approved unanimously. Commissioner Toby Conner recused himself on the matter due to a conflict of interest.
Public Comments
Marcus Toole spoke on his trip to Washington D.C. for Habitat on the Hill and issues pertaining to blighted property.
Commission & Staff Comments
Commissioner Anthony Simmons shared that he and Commissioner Ray Mosley traveled to DC for the Habitat on the Hill event. Mosley echoed what they learned from the event.
Dee Cosby from Parks & Rec thanked commissioners and staff for their support in the week prior when they lost a fellow staffer, Wayne Davis.
Assistant Public Works Director Robert Seamans provided an update on debris collection. Contractors are nearing completion of the first round of debris collection. They anticipate that will happen around March 1. They will quickly begin their final round of debris collection under the FEMA guidelines for local reimbursement. County residents are asked to have their storm debris gathered and at the right of way (adjacent to a county-maintained road – paved or dirt road) by February 28. This will help maximize the amount of collection we can get covered by FEMA.
324,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected, far beyond the estimated 250,000, with another 75,000 expected before the completion. The county is averaging 28 haulers per day for a rough total of 4,500 cubic yards per day.
Interim County Manager Cindy Steinmann shared that the county is now at a 25% out of pocket cost for debris removal as FEMA is only reimbursing at 75%, so the longer the process is drawn out, the more expensive it will be for the county.
Steinmann also commended the Recreation Department for their work last week in the wake of the loss of Wayne Davis.
19 well mitigation committee (advisory board) applications were submitted and she asked for guidance on committee selection. Bennett shared his inclination was to have the interview and selection process in the open for the public to see.
Chairman Bennett asked EMA Director Corey Kemp to discuss assessing home damage from Debby and Helene. Kemp shared that the county has been using the FEMA standards. The county is still assessing county property through April 1, 2025.
