In a 3-2 vote, the Habersham County Commission failed to approve leasing a house to the Parks and Recreation Director Brooke Whitmire. Commissioner Bruce Palmer made the motion to approve the lease agreement, with Commission Chairman Ty Akins seconding the motion. However, Commissioners Dustin Mealor, Jimmy Tench, and Bruce Harkness were the dissenting votes.
The denial came during the commission’s regular meeting on Monday night. The house is located at 4336 Toccoa Highway and is adjacent to the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center.
The lease agreement was on the agenda but not for discussion. It was within the consent agenda portion of the agenda that commissioners typically approve without any discussion. Tench had an issue with the contract being on the consent agenda and stated that he needed more information. Mealor made the motion to strike the executive session from the agenda and to move the lease agreement as an item for discussion under new business. The motion carried 5-0.
Akins explained to the commission that they had decided to lease the property until they decided what they were going to do with it. He stated that they thought they had it leased a few months back to the Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA), but that deal fell through.
County Manager Alicia Vaughn explained that the county had a business interested in leasing the property but “It was not in the shape that they wanted to move forward; it definitely had some challenges.”
Harkness asked Vaughn, “Did we advertise it for rent?” Vaughn responded, “No, we did not advertise it for rent.” She explained that the county would not have had to advertise it had the SRWA rented the property since they are a non-profit agency that provides services to county citizens but if a commercial business had wanted to rent it, the county would have had to advertise the property for rent.
After those deals fell through, Akins explained that Whitmire expressed interest in renting the property and agreed to make repairs and improvements while she lived at the house.
Vaughn stated, “Us providing housing for an employee, it’s completely appropriate for us to do that and we also have really expanded services at Parks and Rec. We have a lot of after-hour events, so I think it is absolutely beneficial for us to have Brooke right there next to the aquatic center.”
Vaughn explained that it is difficult to find affordable housing in the area and this is something that would be reasonable for the county to do. She advised the commission that Whitmire still lived in Banks County.
Harkness made a light-hearted statement, “You know what they say about renting to employees and family members.” Vaughn asked, ”What?” He replied, “It’s dangerous.” Those who attended the meeting laughed at the comment.
The terms of the lease state that Whitmire would have leased the property for $600 a month. However, over the course of the two-year lease agreement, Whitmire “shall contribute $3,000.00 during the term of the lease for renovations to the space and provide documentation of same” to the county. The contract also allowed for a one year extension to the lease agreement should the county not need the space. The lease agreement would have begun at the beginning of November.
The county would have been responsible for any maintenance issues with cost estimates under $500.00, such as a malfunctioning toilet, leaking drain or faucet, etc. during its normal operating hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. All after-hours maintenance would have been the responsibility of Whitmire. The county would have also provided ground maintenance and tree services for the property.
Whitmire would have been responsible for all utility services at her own expense. She would have also been responsible for providing property insurance in an amount that exceeded the appraised value of the premises.
The county purchased the property this past spring for the cash price of $140,000. The closing date was March 13, 2023. The county commission discussed purchasing the property during their February 20, 2023 meeting.
