Finance Committee Meeting Minutes

Glynn County Board of Commissioners

4:00 P.M., Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Third Floor Conference Room

W. Harold Pate Courthouse Annex

Brunswick, Georgia

 

Present:

                        Committee Members:   C. Johnson, U. Keller, & T. Thaw

Other Commissioners: 

Staff:  J. Bruner, W. Davis, P. McNicoll, B. Rowell, S. Santee, A. Sapp, W. Worley

Press:   K. Laing

Others:  K. Bass, J. Jones, T. Thomas, B. Tipton

 

 

1.      Consider approval of the Consent Agenda.

 

a)      Approve the April 18, 2006 Finance Committee Minutes. 

b)      Deny a request from Ms. Judy E. Pflum that $237.97 paid in penalties and interest on her 2005 property taxes be refunded. 

c)      Deny a request from Mr. Jim Hornbuckle that $286.46 paid in penalties and interest on his 2004 property taxes be refunded. 

d)      Approve the real property corrections to the 2003, 2004, 2005 Digest(s), as recommended by the Board of Assessors and/or the Chief Appraiser at their April 12, 2006 meeting. 

e)      Adopt the proposed FY 06-07 addendum to the contract between the County and the Golden Isles Visitors Bureau as presented by staff and authorize the Chairman to sign the agreement. 

 

The following motion made by Commissioner Thaw and seconded by Commissioner Keller passed unanimously. 

 

Recommend approval of the Consent Agenda items a, b, and d.  (Vote:   3-0-0)

 

1(c)      This item was pulled from the consent agenda at the request of Commissioner Thaw because Mr. Hornbuckle is a friend of his.  The following motion made by Commissioner Keller and seconded by Commissioner Johnson passed with Commissioner Thaw abstaining.

 

Recommend denial of a request from Mr. Jim Hornbuckle that $286.46 paid in penalties and interest on his 2004 property taxes be refunded.  (Vote 2-0-1)

 

1(e)      This item was pulled from the consent agenda at the request of Mr. Will Worley, Asst. County Attorney.  The Attorney’s Office requested that the addendum to the 1988 contract be rewritten as a contract which will be renewed each year.  Mr. Worley stated that the Visitor’s Bureau may not be a legal entity and Mr. Bill Tipton, Executive Director of the Visitors Bureau, stated that they were an operation of the Chamber of Commerce.  The following motion made by Commissioner Keller and seconded by Commissioner Thaw passed unanimously.

 

Recommend approval of the proposed agreement between the County and the Golden Isles Visitors Bureau as presented by staff with appropriate adjustments to be made by the County Attorney concerning a change from an addendum to an annual contract and a reference to the relationship between the Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce.  (Vote 3-0-0) 

 

2.      Consider accepting RJ’s Underground Utilities, Inc. Change Order No. 1 for the Golden Isles Parkway Sewer Project in the amount of $31,030.00 with funding to be provided by SPLOST IV.          

 

This item was pulled at the request of staff and no action was taken by the Committee. 

 

3.      Consider authorizing staff to advertise a public hearing to increase the campground rates at Blythe Island Regional Park with the following rates to become effective July 1, 2006:

 

               

Mr. Wesley Davis, Recreation Director, presented this item and stated that the fees requested were in line with fees charged at other camp sites in the area.  Commissioner thaw questioned whether the monthly fees include electricity and Mr. Davis stated that the fee was inclusive of all utilities.  He also stated that the monthly fees were not changed in most cases because they were already set at a rate that was competitive with other campsites.  The following motion made by Commissioner Keller and seconded by Commissioner Thaw passed unanimously. 

 

Recommend authorizing staff to advertise a public hearing to increase the campground rates at Blythe Island Regional Park with the following rates to become effective July 1, 2006:

 

  (Vote:   3-0-0)

 

4) Consider

a)      approving the agreement between Glynn County Board of Commissioners and Norfolk Southern Railway Company relating to the Hwy 341 Water and Sewer project, subject to approval by the County Attorney;

b)      authorizing payment by Glynn County Board of Commissioners of a risk financing fee of $1,000 to Norfolk Southern Railway Company for the addition of the Highway 341 Water and Sewer Project to the Norfolk Southern Railway Company Master RR Protective Liability Insurance Policy; and

c)      awarding a contract to R J’s Underground Utilities in the amount of $5,106,535.00 to perform all work associated with the Highway 341 Water and Sewer Project per IFB No. 00560 with funding to be provided by the Hwy 341 Water and Sewer SPLOST #4, Tier II Project in the amount of $3,650,000 and $1,456,535 to be borrowed from GEFA or another source, depending on the market, to be repaid from SPLOST V. 

 

Mr. Jim Bruner, County Engineer, presented this item and stated that bids were opened on April 18, 2006 and the County received bids from three construction companies.  RJ’s Underground Utilities submitted the lowest responsible and responsive bid and staff recommended that the bid be awarded to them.  The following motion made by Commissioner Thaw and seconded by Commissioner Keller passed unanimously. 

 

Recommend

a)      approving the agreement between Glynn County Board of Commissioners and Norfolk Southern Railway Company relating to the Hwy 341 Water and Sewer project, subject to approval by the County Attorney;

b)     authorizing payment by Glynn County Board of Commissioners of a risk financing fee of $1,000 to Norfolk Southern Railway Company for the addition of the Highway 341 Water and Sewer Project to the Norfolk Southern Railway Company Master RR Protective Liability Insurance Policy; and

c)      awarding a contract to R J’s Underground Utilities in the amount of $5,106,535.00 to perform all work associated with the Highway 341 Water and Sewer Project per IFB No. 00560 with funding to be provided by the Hwy 341 Water and Sewer SPLOST #4, Tier II Project in the amount of $3,650,000 and $1,456,535 to be borrowed from GEFA or another source, depending on the market, to be repaid from SPLOST V.  (Vote:   3-0-0)

 

5)      Consider authorizing staff to advertise a public hearing for a 6.25% increase in County water & sewer rates for FY 07. 

 

The following motion made by Commissioner Keller and seconded by Commissioner Thaw passed unanimously. 

 

Recommend authorizing staff to advertise a public hearing for a 6.25% increase in County water & sewer rates for FY 07.  (Vote:   3-0-0)

 

6)      Consider transferring $293,186.86 from the St. Simons Water and Sewer Capital Fund be approved to pay for the rehabilitation of two manholes on Frederica Road. 

 

Ms. Becky Rowell, Assistant County Administrator, stated that this project had been brought before the Committee in February at which time staff requested that the Board reject all bids for the replacement of two manholes on Frederica Road.  United Water was then directed to proceed with the rehabilitation of the manholes and staff is now requesting that funding be provided from the retained earnings in the St. Simons Water & Sewer Capital fund. The following motion made by Commissioner Keller and seconded by Commissioner Thaw passed unanimously. 

 

Recommend transferring $293,186.86 from the St. Simons Water and Sewer Capital Fund be approved to pay for the rehabilitation of two manholes on Frederica Road.  (Vote:   3-0-0)

 

7)      Request that Chairman Johnson identify the Finance Committee items which should be included as consent items in the Commission’s Meeting Agenda.  

 

Commissioner Johnson identified all items except items #2 and #4 as Consent Agenda Items.  Item #2 was pulled from the Finance Committee agenda.   Item #4 is on the Board of Commissioners agenda for May 4, 2006 as a General Business item.