>> BALDWIN COUNTY
The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners listened to a presentation by CREATE Inc. and approved several contracts and grants.
The meeting began with CREATE Program Director Toyia Barnes presenting to the board about what the nonprofit is and asking if there may be opportunities for synergy between CREATE and the board of commissioners. The Center for Recreation Education Arts Technology and Enterprise (CREATE) is a nonprofit organization that provides programs to vulnerable and underserved populations within Middle Georgia. They provide a range of classes and educational opportunities from cooking to cycling.
During her presentation, Barnes highlighted a list of some of their programs and emphasized their long-distance cycling program.
According to her, one of their participants rode over 100 miles during an excursion. Their cycling program is dedicated to working with an individual’s energy level and is made to promote outdoor activities with educational lessons. For example, the cyclist went on the Harriet Tubman Freedom Ride and learned about the underground railroad.
One graduate of CREATE spoke to the board and stated the program helped him to improve himself behaviorally, educationally, and confidently. Though he no longer lives in Baldwin County, he informed the board that he stays involved with the organization because he understands its impact on the community and that he hopes the program continues to grow and change other youth, as it did for him.
After the conclusion of their presentation, Executive Director of the Baldwin County Development Authority Jonathan Jackson spoke to the board about job opportunities in Milledgeville. According to Jackson, there are about 1,000 job openings in Baldwin County from entry to professional levels.
The Development Authority has made it easier for anyone to find available jobs in the area through a direct link on its website.
By visiting developmilledgeville.com, anyone can click the ‘Need a Job?’ tab in the upper-right corner of the home page and will be transferred to the Middle Georgia Job Search website. On this website, locals may search jobs by county, job title, job category, employer name, and more. At the conclusion of his presentation, Jackson gave the board a brochure with instructions on how to use the website.
Moving into fiscal matters, Assistant County Manager Dawn Hudson informed the board about the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act Grant award for the youth program and the fiscal-agent agreement between Baldwin County and the Georgia Workforce Development Area 11. This annual agreement is signed with the workforce board for Baldwin County to be the fiscal agent.
“It (the agreement) is to facilitate all grant awards under the Georgia Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act and the agreement is for the period of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, for a fee of $150,000,” said Hudson. “The grant award is for the youth program and is for the period of March 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025, in the amount of $446,588.”
The board unanimously approved the signing of the fiscal agreement and approved the award of the grant to the youth program.
The board also unanimously approved changes to the T-SPLOST Referendum and approved the resolution. The city had requested changes to the language in the intergovernmental contract and for the listing of the roads that will be resurfaced. The roads are listed in order of length of the road, not by completion order.
The board also accepted the recommendation of Baldwin County Attorney Brandon Palmer not to use T-SPLOST Funds on the Capital Museum Project, due to state requirements.
“Georgia law only allows T-SPLOST funds to be spent on capital projects owned or operated by the county, city, a local authority, or the state of Georgia. The county has recently learned that the property the Capital Museum sits on is not owned by any such government entity,” said Palmer. “At the time the commissioners approved the list of T-SPLOST projects, Baldwin County was under the mistaken belief that a governmental entity still had possession of the property but, after the passing of the list, learned that it is in fact owned by a private entity.”
Concluding the meeting, the board unanimously approved the Land Bank Intergovernmental Contract. The next Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for Aug. 1 at 6 p.m.