The Wayne County Commission met in regular session on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at the County Administrative Building. County Executive Jim Mangubat called the meeting to order. Commissioners in attendance were Tom Mathis, Logan Shull, Kathryn Staggs, Tyler McDonald, Sherrie Powers, Colby McDonald, David Martin, Vickie Petty, Jeremy Heard, Stan Hanback, and Rickey Kelley. Also in attendance were County Clerk Stan Horton and County Attorney Andy Yarbrough. Commissioners Patrick Butler, Stephen Pevahouse, and Alvin Creecy were absent.
County Clerk Horton offered the invocation, and the Pledge to Allegiance was recited by all.
Commissioner Kelley made a motion to approve the minutes from the previous commission meeting as presented. Commissioner Hanback seconded the motion, and the minutes were unanimously approved.
Commissioner Kelley next made a motion to approve the minutes from the various committee meetings. Commissioner Staggs seconded, and the committee minutes were unanimously approved as well.
County Clerk Horton presented the following to serve as notaries: Tonya Gallian, Kelly Duke, and Corey Strait. Commissioner Powers made a motion to approve the notaries, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Tyler McDonald. The notaries were unanimously approved.
Budget amendments were next on the agenda. Line-item amendments from the Board of Education budget were presented for approval. Commissioner Kelley made a motion to approve the amendments as presented, and Commissioner Hanback seconded. The motion passed unanimously on roll call vote.
Next under old business was a water update. County Executive Mangubat said that he had again been in contact with West Lauderdale, AL concerning the maintenance and service of the water lines on Highway 69. Their statement to Mangubat was that according to their attorney, it would be unethical for them to take over those lines and service those customers. County Attorney Yarbrough is going to look at the legal issues before the next commission meeting.
The HVAC system at the Administrative Building was next on the agenda. County Executive Mangubat stated that the contractor is working on the installation of piping, but no date of completion has yet been given.
A statement of current bills due at Boyd Cottages Assisted Living was distributed to the commissioners in their packets for review. Commissioner Mathis made a motion to pay the statement as presented in the amount of $14,835.96. Commissioner Martin seconded, and the motion passed on roll call vote. Voting “yes” were Commissioners Shull, Mathis, Hanback, Petty, Martin, and Kelley. Voting “no” were Commissioners Heard, Powers, Staggs, C. McDonald, and T. McDonald.
After the vote, it was requested once again that a monthly financial statement from Boyd Cottages be presented to the commission. This has been asked several times before, but commissioners said they have not consistently received them. County Executive Mangubat said that he would let Boyd Cottages Director Gina Skelton know about the request.
Commissioner Mathis stated that he had been in contact with Jamie Odle, purchaser of Boyd Cottages, concerning the sale. Mr. Odle reportedly told Commissioner Mathis that he is in the process of getting a survey description of the property. He also said that he has insurance secured and is waiting on the Certificate of Need. Once everything is in place, the closing should take place quickly.
First under new business on the agenda, Ms. Darlene Turnbo presented a request to the commission for help getting into a family cemetery. She said that the landowner of the surrounding property is not being cooperative in allowing access to the cemetery, and that it was recommended that she present all information concerning the situation to the County Attorney to see what the county may or may not be able to do to help. County Attorney Yarbrough said that he would need much more information but would look into the matter.
Next, Sheriff Shane Fisher addressed the commission, stating that he was required by the state to make a presentation in the form of a Public Hearing concerning the workhouse project. The project allows inmates from the Wayne County Jail to work at jobs in the community. Highway Superintendent Chuck Moser and Mitchell Skelton from Waynesboro Health & Rehab both stated that the work crews at their facilities were doing a great job.
Department reports were next on the agenda. Sheriff Fisher gave an update from the Sheriff’s Office and Jail, stating in part that two new deputies would be graduating from the academy in just a few weeks. He also mentioned the new Sheriff’s Office computer/phone app, stating that it is a great tool.
The sheriff then asked for approval of a resolution for the usage of a new license plate reader camera system in the county. He assured the commission that the cameras will be used as investigative tools only, not for speed monitoring and tickets. Commissioner Powers made a motion to approve the camera system, and Commissioner Hanback seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Lindsay Ross from the Solid Waste Department and Director of Schools Dr. Ricky Inman next gave reports from their respective departments. Dr. Inman thanked Sheriff Fisher and the School Resource Officers for making a huge positive difference in the schools’ atmosphere.
Highway Superintendent Moser addressed the commission next and spoke about the ongoing and costly damages to road signs around the county. The commissioners discussed the possibility of increasing fines for vandalism to signs, but County Attorney Yarbrough said that the fines were set by the court and could not be adjusted by the county. There was further discussion about how the county could get restitution from vandals, if they were caught, to pay for the damaged signs.
Next, Jeff Minatra of Collier Engineering presented the recommendation report for the best way to process wastewater at the county’s Industrial Park. Consultants were paid through a grant to recommend a master plan for the best way to process and dispose of waste if and when a new company chooses to build at the Industrial Park. Three options were given, with the consultants recommending Option #3 in the report as the most feasible as well as being the least expensive. Option #3 was estimated to cost $1.1 million. Before making a final selection for which option to include in the master plan, Commissioner Martin made a motion to table the decision until more research could be done. Commissioner Mathis seconded, and the motion carried. Wayne County JECDB Director reminded the commission that this decision was not one to proceed with the construction of any of the wastewater options, nor would it cost the county any money at this time. The decision for the best option is solely to be used in the master plan that will be presented to any companies or businesses showing interest in the Industrial Park.
A request was then presented to the commission for the county to be the pass-through agency for a grant application for the Beech Creek Fire Hall. The proposed grant would be in the amount of $80,000 and would be entirely refunded back to the county if approved. Commissioner Powers made a motion to approve, and Commissioner Colby McDonald seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Two ladies from the community, Ann Scott and Jessie Welch, next addressed the commission regarding permission to host a Farmers’ Market on the inside of the square on select Saturdays from April through October. They also requested the waiver of any fees for the first year to allow time to see if the market would be successful. It was unclear whether the City of Waynesboro would charge vendors a peddler’s fee, and the issue of insurance would also need to be resolved. The Farmers’ Market topic will be discussed further at the March commission meeting.
Under “other” on the agenda, Commissioner Mathis stated that he had recently spoken with the warden at Turney Center concerning the cemetery cleanup program. Inmate crews from Turney Center used to come out and clean up area cemeteries, which was very beneficial to the county, but the program has been inactive for quite some time.
Commissioner Mathis went on to mention the Natural Bridge property being for sale, and said that it would be a good idea for everyone to contact our State Representative and State Senator about the possibility of purchasing the property for a State Park site.
With no further business to come before the commission, Commissioner Kelley made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Staggs seconded, and the meeting was adjourned.
