The Wilkes County Board of Commissioners adopted a plan which will aid the county in acquiring federal and state funds for disaster relief both before and after any disaster that might occur affecting the local population.

The Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) identifies potential problem areas or areas of need and is designed to shift some of the expenditure of funds from use after a disaster to prevention and preparedness before a disaster. Wilkes County Emergency Management Agency Director Alan Poss said, for example, that the recurring repair or replacement of certain “dirt roads, bridges, and culverts after a disaster can be avoided by paving or upgrading before a disaster. Having the HMP in place will allow for the availability of money for such purposes much more expediently.

Poss introduced Jason Heard who had spearheaded the preparation of the plan and presented it to the members of the board. Heard explained that the plan is required in order for the county to continue to maintain a certified EMA eligible for help from the federal and state levels. He also said the plan is necessary in case of a disaster if the Federal or Georgia Emergency Management Agencies (FEMA or GEMA) open up assistance funding.

Heard explained that the plan grew out of requirements based on the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and that even though the Act was passed five years ago, this phase of the planning is on schedule. He further explained that the county’s plan must now be approved by FEMA for the process to be complete and that regular updates will be required in the future.

The requirements and benefits of the plan are somewhat complicated but Heard said that while failure to adopt the plan in place would not prohibit the county from applying for disaster relief, having it in place would facilitate funding for projects whether they are listed in the plan or not. He said that certain post-disaster funds could be withheld if the plan was not adopted. He further pointed out that a local committee had studied the proposal and had listed a number of needs for the county.

Among the needs identified for Wilkes County are a National Weather Service transmitter (which is already in the application process); warning sirens for tornados, severe thunderstorms, etc.; antiflooding projects and the identification of problem areas; and a sewer system upgrade.

Serving on the committee were Jack Davis, Mike Davis, Mike Es kew, David Garrard, C.J. Gilland, Jerry Hackney, Jerry Huck, Jennifer Jackson, Mark Justice, Richard McAvoy, Alan Poss, Phil Robb, John Scott, Blake Thompson, Kevin Tucker, David Tyler, Bernard Welborn, and Tim Wright.

“I understand the importance of being proactive rather than reactive,” said Commissioner Donna Hardy, “but I can’t vote for this having never seen a copy of the plan before this meeting.”

She was the only vote in opposition to the adoption of the HMP.

All of the commissioners; Divenski Lee, J.M. Sherrer, Chairman Sam Moore, Jerry Stover, and Hardy were present for the regular December meeting of the board as were County Attorney Charles LeGette, County Administrator David Tyler, Heard, Poss, and a number of visitors.

William J. (Billy) Hopkins appeared before the board to request resolution to what he called an “unfair tax appraisal in relation to his neighbors.” He claimed that his tax bill was nearly five times as much as his neighbor who “has almost the same amount of land.

“This is an appraisal issue and this board does not have the power to serve as an appraiser,” LeGette pointed out. “The commissioners have no jurisdiction over this – there is an appeals process in place for valuation issues,” he explained.

Frustrated, Hopkins said he was “just jumping through the hoops he was told to.”

Moore explained the process of appeal, reiterating that it is not lawful for the commissioners to set values.

“If you feel like you are unfairly taxed, you need to take your research to the assessor’s board and then as far as the Superior Court,” he said.

Hopkins said he didn’t have a problem paying his bill “but this is not a fair assessment and if it’s not checked, it will go on year after year.”

In other business:

Tyler reported that $80,555.69 in local option sales tax for the month of September had been received and that $124,025.90 in special purpose local option sales tax had been received for the same period.

Dr. Gene Pollock was reappointed to a term on the Wilkes County Board of Health.

Randee Barry, Dr. David T. Kirk, and Donna Hardy were reappointed to the Wills Memorial Hospital Authority. Danny Cosby was appointed to replace Martha Hall on the Authority. Mrs. Hall had sent word that she was grateful for her opportunity to serve on the board for the past few years but due to a number of concerns, she wished to decline reappointment.

Divenski Lee and Melissa Scott were reappointed to the Washington Wilkes Parks and Recreation Department board.

Commissioners accepted the low bid of $64,962.00 from Thyssenkrupp Elevator of Macon to renovate the courthouse elevator. Tyler reported that upon completion, the elevator would be in virtually new condition except for the hydraulic jack which is currently still in good shape. Renovation is expected to begin following the February term of Superior Court and will take about six weeks. One other bid, in the amount of $97,329.40, was received from Elevator Specialists of Atlanta.

A contract for work on four bridges, one on Scull Shoals Road, one on Quaker Springs Road, and two on Stoney Ridge Road, was awarded to Gregory Bridge Company in the amount of $93,383.00. It is expected that the state will pay about half of the total amount.

Wilkes County Emergency Medical Agency Director Blake Thompson reported that his teams had been “real busy” with 77 calls in the first six days of December and that they had answered about 2,400 calls in the past year. He said that his trucks average about 88,000 miles per year and asked for a remount on his 1997 truck which has over 179,000 miles on it now.

Thompson explained that a new truck would cost $80-85,000 but the cab and chassis for a remount would be only about $26,000. He further indicated that it would cost about $20,000 to “redo the box” so the savings for a remount would be about $40,000. He said he would delay a request for a new heavy duty ambulance until a later date.

Payroll Development Authority Executive Director David Jenkins reported that the PDA is busy on several projects and that over 1,300 inquiries, more than had been expected, had been generated from recent tourism advertising.

The CSRA Regional Development Center will be asked to assist with the preparation of the county’s Solid Waste Management Plan which must be updated by June 2007.

Commissioners approved the addition of Veterans Day to the list of holidays to be observed by the county. The move came at the request of several departments who reported that it is difficult for them to work when state and other county offices are closed. The addition brings the total number of county holidays to 10.

The commissioners approved the awarding of a contract in the amount of $25,200 for the construction of a Flight Center add-on to the FBO hangar at the WashingtonWilkes Airport.

Tyler reported that two new dump trucks had been ordered at a savings of about $3,000 off the expected cost.

Moore reported that the Legislative Conference will be held February 6-7, 2006, in Atlanta.

The next regular meeting of the commissioners will be on January 12, 2006, at 7 p.m. with a work session in the chairman’s office beginning at 6:30 p.m.