Habersham County commissioners must make several key decisions when they gather for their monthly meeting on Monday night. Among the most pressing are filling vacancies on the county’s Board of Tax Assessors and moving forward with the new animal shelter.
The Habersham County Clerk has posted the agenda and the commission packet online for public view.
Board of Tax Assessors
Over the last seven weeks, three members of the county’s five-member Board of Tax Assessors have resigned, leaving the board without a quorum. At the beginning of April, Curtis Shedd resigned to care for family members. At the end of April, Amy Sgro and Michael Larson resigned without explaining why.
The board must have three active members to make decisions. According to Habersham County Clerk Brandi Carnes, at this time, only Jimmy Dean and Bill Terry remain on the board.
The county commission may have to suspend normal protocol to appoint at least one member to the board so it can have a quorum to continue to conduct business for the Tax Assessor’s office.
The Board of Tax Assessors requires a significant amount of time for appointees to the board. Board members meet twice a month. New appointees must take a 40-hour course in their first year to become certified. Each member must receive 40 hours of training over a two-year period to remain certified.
The Board of Tax Assessors was created to ensure that all taxable property within the county is filed and assessed for taxation at its fair market value and that taxpayers only pay their proportionate share of taxes. It also ensures that new appraisers are trained and that existing appraisers receive continuing education.
Animal Shelter / Central Fire Station buildings
Voters approved the building of a new animal shelter and central fire station in a 2020 SPLOST referendum. However, location and design changes over the last couple of years, coupled with increased construction costs, have delayed the projects. County staff concluded that the best approach to moving forward with both projects was to hire a Construction Manager at Risk to assist in the design process of each project and value engineer each building to reduce costs before construction.
County staff is recommending that Sunbelt Builders of Covington, GA, be approved as the Construction Manager at Risk to move forward with both projects at a cost of $489,870 for project management. The first project to begin will be the animal shelter. According to Public Works Director Jerry Baggett, should the commission approve the Construction Manager at Risk, the county anticipates breaking ground for the animal shelter in August.
The Construction Manager will assist in designing and value engineering the central fire station. However, the county does not anticipate that the project will move forward until late 2025 or early 2026.
Engineering Pool / Payment increase
The county recently issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for civil engineering demand services. Based on the responses to the RFP, county staff have selected a pool of civil engineering firms to provide engineering services for the county.
The three firms selected are Rochester & Associates, Thomas & Hutton, and Hussey Gay Bell. The pool of firms will provide demand services for various projects within the county. Three contracts will be presented for commissioners’ approval.
An increase in the threshold payment for those services will also need approval. Currently, the county manager has the authority to approve up to $20,000 without commission approval. County staff have recommended to the commission that the threshold be increased to $50,000 for the County Manager and the Chief Financial Officer.
FY 2025 Budget delayed
For the second year in a row, the commission will not discuss the annual operating budget during the May meeting. Last year, the operating budget was delayed until June due to a delay in receiving the tax digest. County officials tell Now Habersham the same is true for this year.
Also, as part of the delay, staff have not had an opportunity to meet with each commissioner to receive their input regarding cuts or additions to the budget since the department head budget hearings at the end of March. Those meetings are expected to take place over the next several weeks.
According to Carnes, the budget hearings are forthcoming but have not been scheduled.
“We will inform the media of those dates and issue a public notice as soon as we can confirm the dates and locations,” she says.
The Habersham County Commission will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, May 20, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Jury Assembly Room at the Habersham County Courthouse, 295 Llewellyn Street, Clarkesville.
