The Milledgeville City Council met on April 9 and discussed budget proposals from the Milledgeville Fire Rescue Service and the Milledgeville human resources office.
The meeting opened with a public comment from Jay Wright. Wright discussed his concerns about the new left turn coming out of the new Publix shopping complex, which was proposed by the Georgia Department of Transportation, GDOT.
This exit turns out onto U.S. Highway 441, which according to GDOT sees around 23,000 cars per day. Wright believes that if this left turn exit is approved for construction that there will be fatalities due to the turn’s location.
After public comments, Mayor Pro Tempore Denese Shinholster announced three proclamations for the month of April. The first was to the Keep Milledgeville Baldwin Beautiful, who asked the council during the March 12 meeting to make a day in April Earth Day. Shinholster proclaimed April 22 as Earth Day. The second and third proclamations addressed proclamations to the whole month of April. The first being to the Milledgeville Exchange Club to proclaim April as Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month. The last proclamation stated April also as fair housing month.
After these three presentations, two budget presentations were discussed. The first being from the Milledgeville Fire Rescue Service.
The presentation, given by Fire Chief William Collier and Battalion Chief David Ussery, discussed the request to retitle several positions, such as six lieutenants to first lieutenants and community risk section of the fire marshals to battalion chief. They also asked that the assistant chief’s position that was previously defunded be reinstated to the department. Overall, they asked for a pay increase for the whole department. The Milledgeville Fire Rescue currently has lower salaries than the Baldwin County Fire Rescue and the Putnam County Fire Rescue. Ussery also asked the council for the same pay per rank as the Milledgeville Police Department.
This was requested last year but was denied.
Lastly, Collier requested for the funding for a burn building to help train for structural fires. Overall, the department asked the council for a $300,000 budget increase from last year.
The second budget presentation was from Sandra Witherspoon, the director of human resources for the City of Milledgeville. Witherspoon had clear objectives for this upcoming year.
Those objectives being to update the employee handbook, attract qualified employees by posting job opening on various different platforms, increase employee engagement by recognizing various different employees, continue with their wellness grant which focuses on overall wellness, healthy lifestyle changes and mental health awareness, and finally provide relevant training for employees on subjects such as sexual harassment, first time supervisor training, customer service training, and ongoing benefit training. Overall, Whiterspoon requested an increase in printing from $1,000 to $3,000, an increase in equipment rental from $300 to $2,000 and an increase in office supplies from $1,200 to $3,000.
City Manager Hank Griffeth then gave his report. Griffeth explained how the council will have called budget work sessions on Tuesdays and that there are no council meetings to be able to get through the process.
Lastly, he discussed a joint meeting that was requested by the county to discuss a round-about being constructed at Log Cabin Road and Sinclair Dam Road intersection.
There is no set date for this joint meeting at this time.
The council unanimously approved one resolution and several appointments. The resolution approved an agreement with Pyrotecnico in order for the company to provide the fireworks for the Independence Day display. The board then approved the appointment of Calvin Mapp and reappointments Yvonne Ferell, James Jones and Lindsey Goodman for the Planning and Zoning Board.
The final reappointment was for Don Parker for the Allied Arts Board.
The City of Milledgeville’s next city council meeting will be April 23 at 5:30pm.