Commissioners preview upcoming projects

County Commission Chairman Jim Sherrod called a busy June meeting of the Emanuel County Board of Commissioners to order Monday evening, June 16, at 6 p.m. Attorney Richard McNeely offered an invocation, and Commissioner Timmy Oliver led the room in the pledge of allegiance. A special moment highlighted the start of the meeting as Genesis Reese, (Gigi) a lo-cal participant in the Track and Field activities of the Emanuel County Recreation Department was recognized. The recent achievements of this young star cornered multiple wins and titles at recent Track and Field competitions and brought well-deserved credit to Ms. Reese and our local recreation department and staff. Following this, attention returned to business and the minutes of the June 9, 2025, workshop meeting and the May 19, 2025, regular meeting were presented and approved. In the public hearing segment of the meeting, a retail alcohol license was granted to Ricky Hooks, Jeremy Faircloth and Greg Bennett for The Hooks Stop store for the sale of beer and wine. An alcohol license was also granted for beer and wine consumption and liquor by the drink at the Oaks at Hooks Farm for Gail Greenway. Under new business, the naming of an Associate Probate Judge was authorized by the commissioners to deal with an increased level of duties and volume of service in the newly organized Probate/Magistrate office. The motion was carried 4-0 with Chairman Sherrod abstaining in order to avoid any conflict-of-interest issues due to connections to that office. Also in new business, the commissioners voted unanimously to continue its contract with the Heart of Georgia Regional Commission in support of the local Senior Center. Next, roads once again took the spotlight as commissioners voted to receive supplemental funding from the Department of Transportation to complete a series of county road resurfacing and repair projects. Commissioners also agreed to allocate approximately $15,000 to complete contracts and green light projects on other county roads. In another area, public interest will undoubtedly be high in the county as a new provision dealing with assistance to timber owners who suffered catastrophic economic damage by hurricane Helene. Special temporary help is being offered for five quarters of 2024 and 2025 in the form of waived timber tax and other accommodations by the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Georgia Department of Revenue. In consideration of this, commissioners voted unanimously to pass the timber tax waiver relief plan for Emanuel County. Details on additional points of the plan will be available from the Office of the Board of County Commissioners in conjunction with the Office of the Emanuel County Tax Collector. The final issue of the even-ing’s business dealt with the possibility of Sunday sales of alcohol in Emanuel County. The process for such action would begin with commissioners either voting in favor of, or against placing a Referendum Resolution on the ballot. Should they do so, the voting public would then make a yes or no decision on an upcoming ballot. There will be readings of the proposed resolution at upcoming commission meetings and consideration by commissioners as to whether the question ever makes it that far. As the meeting neared closing, Administrator Singletary gave a quick update on various projects now approaching groundbreaking. The three projects at the Emanuel County Recreation Complex are all scheduled to go out for bids in a matter of days, not weeks. These include the gymnasium project, the new eight lane swimming pool project and the new softball complex. All three of these projects are largely funded through grants received by the county. Also, the long-anticipated county emergency communication network is scheduled to “go live” within days, uniting law enforcement and other public safety agencies throughout Emanuel County with a comprehensive system coordinating those services as never before. Following this, on motion, the commissioners then moved into Executive Session for purposes of discussion of legal issues.