Matt Cole asks the Dade County Commission for funds for new bulletproof vests for the sheriff's office. Cole has taken over chief deputy duties in the absence of Maj. Tommy Bradford.
The old lefthanded compliment, “Supper wasn’t good but there was a lot of it,” seems an apt characterization of Thursday night’s monthly meeting of the Dade County Commission. Not much of any real substance emerged at the April 4 meeting but it was a long time not coming, with adjournment close to 9 p.m.
Most of what held things up was appearances. Not only did the commission hear the annual presentation of the Dade County Festival of Life (see previous article—FOL’s this Saturday!) but it also bent its collective ear to a group of Bonny-Blue-Flag-waving “motorized cavalry” rehashing the glories of the Confederacy. “We do this every year,” reminded Dade County Executive Chairman Ted Rumley, as if in reply to those who found that it seemed, somehow, more frequent than that.
On top of which there was an exhaustive presentation by the investment firm First Tryon on the world of public financing—“We prepare long-term planning for governments,” explained the presenter, Tom Woodward-- about the county’s “debt metrics,” “credit profile” and “best options.”
“You’re getting close to 15 minutes,” commented Rumley, eventually.
Then there was another specialized presentation by a representative of the Mayo Clinic about a free wellness program it could offer the county for its employees. The presenter was invited to leave literature with County Clerk Don Townsend. Eventually.
But another presentation on the agenda, one by Friends of the Future Dade County Animal Shelter, which might well have been expected to run long, was again postponed—as it had been for the March and February commission meetings.
As far as what did, in fact, happen at the meeting: Matt Cole of the Dade County Sheriff’s Office—Cole has taken over as chief deputy in place of wounded local hero Tommy Bradford—asked for and was granted $19,392 in SPLOST (special purpose local option sales tax) as matching funds for a grant for new bulletproof vests for sheriff’s office personnel. Cole explained that the vests don’t last forever but “expire” in about five years. He also elucidated that they fit closely and must be the right size, so the office prefers to use a local vendor who sends an employee out to measure everybody.
Stacy Stevens, who manages the Four Fields athletic complex for the county, asked for and was granted $4608 in SPLOST for defibrillation units for the park, senior center, Administrative Building and new courts facility.
And both Clerk Townsend and Historic Preservation Committee spokeswoman Donna Street spoke about a request for $23,994 in SPLOST for architectural and engineering design for the historic Dade Courthouse. “We realized that we had several carts before the horse,“ said Townsend. He explained that the preservation committee were now acknowledging the need to have engineers take a basic look at needs and rough out plans for each floor and a preliminary budget before contractors could be asked to bid on the work.
“As soon as we have a plan that has numbers on it, then we can begin to ask for grants,” said Ms. Street, speaking later in the meeting. “We’ve almost done this whole thing backwards.” The money was approved.
The historic Dade Courthouse has sat empty in the center of downtown Trenton since court functions were moved into the new courts facility in 2010. Some work has been done on the old building sporadically, including installation of a handicap-accessible elevator, plus window replacement funded by private donations. But concentrated renovation efforts have remained on hold pending availability of funds. The joint Trenton/Dade Historic Preservation Committee has had the city and county commissions recognized as “certified local governments” this year, and hopes as such soon to begin landing grants toward finishing the work.
And speaking of longstanding problems with long-elusive fixes, the commission also approved SPLOST funds for Stantech Engineering for remediation of the dam on Lookout Lake that has remained a bone of contention between Dade and the Georgia Safe Dams division for at least the past decade. Rumley said the state has agreed to let Dade use a minimally expensive method to drain the lake to a specified level, and that work “may” begin as early as August or September. “The permitting’s going to be minimal, really,” he said.
No one named an amount of SPLOST for this project at the meeting,but Clerk Townsend on Tuesday supplied the figure $148,500.
The commission also had the second and final reading of an ordinance declaring Dade a “broadband-ready” community. Rumley reiterated that this means when money comes down from on high to help rural communities improve internet access Dade wants in on the action. “This just tells the state…that we are ready and we need it,” said Rumley.
Dade’s newest commissioner, Phillip Hartline of District 2, presented a proposed rental policy for ballfields at the county park: For 2019, the fields can be leased out to prospective users but this year they can have them free. Then in 2020 , the cost goes up to $50 per field per day, and in 2021, $100 per field per day. “We’ve already missed the rec season this time,” said Hartline.
Hartline said he was encouraging prospective tournament organizers to look at the Four Fields. “It’s way underutilized,” he said. And he urged park goers to use the fields gently. “Treat it like it’s yours,” he said.
District 3 Commissioner Robert Goff spoke about the coming 2020 U.S. Census, encouraging all to participate because Dade needs as complete a count as possible to qualify for government funds. Rumley said the county budget process should be complete in another couple of weeks, and Clerk Townsend said a tentative proposed budget will be ready in May.
In his committee report on SPLOST, Goff reported on the downside that monthly SPLOST collections had fallen below the $200,000 mark in March for the first time in months. “The good news is it’s still near 200,000,” he said.
Reporting on the state legislative session, he said Georgia was in the spotlight for its attempts to outlaw most abortion access and for its boycott by celebrities as a result, as well as for its stance on the legality versus criminality of cannabis oil. “All I can say about it is I don’t understand it,” he said of the latter issue.
District 1 Commissioner Lamar Lowery said a new roof had now been completed on the county Justice Building for a cost of $140,000 in SPLOST. “Without it, we just wouldn’t be able to fund our way,” said Lowery of SPLOST. SPLOST of $40K would be used to roof the North Dade Fire Department, said Lowery, work he said should be completed by the next commission meeting.
Another subject of discussion—which pretty much by definition led to nothing—was the so-called “Water Wars” between Georgia and Tennessee. “You’re fixing to hear a lot more about that because they’re firing it back up,” prognosticated county boss Rumley.
As has been reiterated throughout the ensuing years, a surveying mistake in 1818 missed the 35th parallel by a mile, setting the Tennessee/Georgia line south of where it should have been and depriving Georgia of its rights on the Tennessee River. Georgia takes the matter back up periodically, more noticeably during drought periods in recent history. But the weather’s been wet for the past couple of year and up the matter has sprung nonetheless. Commissioner Goff predicted the venerable altercation would go to the U.S. Supreme Court this time.
Boss Rumley says Dade could profit from its position next door to Tennessee “if we played it right,” somehow charging a cent a gallon on water and using the proceeds to obliterate the hated property tax. “That could be one of the biggest things that ever happened in Dade County,” said Rumley. Note use of conditional tense.
Rumley in his own monthly report also gave an update on the ongoing extremely visible logging on Lookout Mountain. As usual, he stressed the county had no power to stop the logging but reported he was doing his best to persuade the loggers to show mercy.
He reported the governing board of the Dade Water Authority had hired a new manager, Jeff Pendergrass, whom he hoped to introduce at the next monthly meeting. Rumley also said he hoped to have good news on increased broadband access in the county in the near future.
Marshana Sharp, manager of the Dade County Public Library, said 996 attendees had showed up at the library’s March event, Read to Lead, and reminded all to show up for the April one, the health fair the library sponsors at this Saturday’s Festival of Life, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. She also put in a plug for the Blue Ribbon Glow Run the library cosponsors with Dade First/Family Connection to boost child abuse awareness. Preregistration for that is over but you can still just show up—it’s Friday, April 26, at Dade High. Gates open at 8 a.m. and the walk or run starts at dark, glow sticks provided.
County Agent Sarah Flowers said 4-H’s annual Ag Day is coming up May 7, a Tuesday. She didn’t know the hours but those interested in attending can call her office at (706) 657-4116.
Donna Street of the Dade Historical Society and Preservation Committee thanked all who came to the twice postponed coke ovens hike in March and said there would be another one in 3 years–it’s a lot of work getting a pilgrimage of that magnitude together, she said. Meanwhile, there will be another Historical Society Cemetery Walk on May 18. That will be at Brock Morrison Cemetery at the beginning of Creek Road off Burkhalter Gap. Watch the Upcoming Events column on the homepage of this newspaper, or Ms. Street’s periodic history columns in The Planet, for details on that walk as they emerge.
Ms. Street also announced an information symposium at the library on the area’s caves planned for Sept. 12.
In citizens’ participation, “Your Dade Helper” John Huffman--in his YDH mission Huffman helps locals with a variety of tasks for free-- pointed out that citizens agitating for the long-approved SPLOST project, a county animal shelter, had been instructed to gather signatures showing interest in it, whereas if one of the commissioners adopted a SPLOST project as his own it somehow got accomplished without need for a petition. He asked that one of the commissioners undertake to report on construction of the proposed reservoir for which the county and water board recently paid half a million dollars for land on Lookout Creek. He also asked if one of the commissioners would take up former District 1 Commissioner Mitchell Smith’s quest for information from the Joint Development Authority on what if anything it did to justify Dade’s financial support.
Finally, he encouraged boss Rumley to report on what he himself did to justify the salary the county paid him. “Please brag on yourself,” he invited.
Huffman might as well have invited the commissioners to hit him with sticks. Not only did no one step up to report on the controversial reservoir project or JDA, much less champion an animal shelter, the commissioners rounded on him pretty solidly for the suggestion they should brag on themselves. “We work as a group,” said Rumley. And: “You have a right to complain, but we are doing something right.”
Would you like your own crack at addressing the Dade County Commission? It meets at 6 p.m. the first Thursday of each month in the county Administration Building. The next regularly scheduled meeting is May 2.
