The Baldwin County Board of Commissioners met Feb. 4 to discuss land-use codes, grants, the aquatic center, and a moratorium on Log Cabin Road.
Last week, the board met to discuss the land use ordinance and edits were made based on comments made during the meeting. A few minor revisions included some deletions and updated descriptions. The board unanimously approved the land use code.
Moving to grants, Baldwin County received a Solicitor General’s Victims of Crime Acts Grant for the period of Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025 in the amount of $90,104 with no required county match. It funds two victim advocate positions for the solicitor’s domestic violence program. The board unanimously approved the grant.
Baldwin County is the fiscal agent for the Middle Georgia Area Workforce, so it must approve the Georgia Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Grant in the amount of $50,000 in order for it to go toward the dislocated workers program. The grant period is from Jan 1. - Dec. 31.
“These funds are used to assist persons who are out of work because of lay-offs or permanent plant closings,” said Dawn Hudson, assistant county manager.
The board unanimously approved both grants.
Baldwin County received a grant award from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant program. The grant is in the amount of $10,944 and the funds will be used to purchase a new server for the Real Time Crime Center. There is no county match. The board unanimously approved the grant.
County Manager Carlos Tobar informed the board that each year they must submit an application to the Georgia Department of Transportation to receive Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) funding.
“You will receive a little over $600,000 a year,” said Tobar. “The list of roads will be the TSPLOST list of roads. The LMIG fund will supplement the TSPLOST funds for this year. County Engineer Brian Woods will be submitting his list of roads to you (the commissioners) very shortly. It is to help pay for these roads in addition to the TSPLOST.”
The board unanimously approved the application and grant.
Moving into projects, the City of Milledgeville requested an amendment to the intergovernmental agreement for the Mary Vinson Memorial Library.
“The city has a shortfall for the renovations and requested the funds that were supposed to be accumulated over the Service Delivery Strategy time period through 2030 to cover the shortfall. The county, in the long run, would save $160,000 by forwarding all of this money to them now to complete renovations,” said Tobar. “The city and the Twin Lakes Library Board have already signed the necessary documentation.”
This will meet the 10-year agreement set aside by the Service Delivery Strategy for capital improvements. The total amount requested was $550,000, which will use the funds already collected for the city’s portion in addition with forwarding some money to forgo the initial total $170,000 that would be given to the city during the remainder of the contract’s period. The contract was approved unanimously.
The board moved into discussion of the aquatic center. Tobar reported that phase two costs for the aquatic center have increased, due to inflation, since the process began in 2021. Costs have been “slimmed down” to $2,116,924 million. There is currently $447,008 in grant funding for the project along with other sources. Hudson reported the remainder of the project will be covered by 2023 SPLOST funds in the amount of $2,490,000.
“We budgeted $2 million in the 2023 sales tax for phase two. As you know, these project estimates were done a couple of years in advance and there are a couple of things that have changed in our recreation budget in SPLOST that help this situation. For example, we had half a million dollars budgeted for the expansion of the pickleball courts but we now have grant funding to cover that so we can reuse those funds elsewhere,” said Hudson. “So, we do have sufficient funding to cover the overage of the project through the SPLOST funds and then some left over.”
The board unanimously approved the change order. This overage will not affect any other recreational projects.
Hudson then reported the county is currently in need of $7 million to cover cost of operations during the year until tax revenue collections come in at the end of 2025. The county received three quotes and Magnolia State Bank gave the lowest interest rate at 4.4 percent. Interest expense is estimated to be $225,000. This will be a temporary loan to pay current operating expenses from “time to time.” The board unanimously approved the resolution.
Tobar expressed concern about the capacity for more vehicles and traffic on Log Cabin Road and funding to widen it. Therefore, a request for a moratorium for six months on multifamily residential development on Log Cabin Road was brought to the board.
“This moratorium refers to the district base land use. I want to make it clear that I am in favor of the moratorium for six months but am not in support of this district map,” said Commissioner Sammy Hall.
The meeting concluded with the approval of the moratorium. The next meeting will be held Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.