Dawson County Director of Elections Glenda Ferguson

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – The county’s aging voting machines are about to be replaced. The machines have been in use for 16 years and can no longer be repaired. Commissioners voted Thursday to buy 65 machines from San Diego County at a cost of $39,194.90.

San Diego’s machines have only been used once but, because their future elections will be done by paper ballots, county officials need to sell the “gently used” machines. Elections Supervisor Glenda Ferguson felt this was a good opportunity to buy replacement machines at a discount.

Commissioners also voted unanimously to accept the county audit performed by Rushton and Company that shows the county’s General Fund revenue increased by 5.41 percent from $21,054,087 in 2015 to $22,183,220 last year. At the same time expenditures rose by 6.73 percent from $20,186,557 to $21,734,253. Sales tax accounted for 40.86 percent of 2015 revenue while property taxes generated 32.3 percent.

The county has maintained a very healthy fund balance of $5,102,625 or 24.6 percent of expenditures. The Association of County Commissioners Georgia recommends not less than 15 percent.

Commissioners also approved a Parks and Recreation request for $29,966 to purchase a LED message board at the entrance to Veterans Memorial Park and Senior Services. The project came in under budget.

The Magistrate Court is asking commissioners to add $1,000 to the current budget to pay for federally mandated interpreters. The amount budgeted for 2017 was expended in June.

Commissioners agreed to renew a contract with the Bank of the Ozarks for a joint project with Etowah Water and Sewer Authority (EWSA). The county approved the financing arrangement in 1998 to provide a sanitary sewer facility to serve the Georgia 400 retail/outlet. The loan has been paid down to about $1.4 million and the current note is now due. Though the note is in the name of EWSA, the County has indirect liability on the note.

Commissioners selected County Manager David Bearden, County Attorney Lynn Frey and County Clerk Danielle Yarborough to serve on a committee that will study the commissioners’ compensation, something that has not been done in 12 years.

The board declined a request to separate code compliancy and enforcement from the Planning and Zoning Department as requested.

Allen Ferg and Peter Thomas were appointed to the Dawson County Library Board. Their terms will run through 2021.

Randy Harris was appointed to serve a one-year term on the Industrial Building Authority Board.

The board went into executive session to discuss a legal matter. Following the executive session, the board heard a summary from the county attorney of the parties and significant terms of a proposed Consent Order in the case of Dawson Forest Holdings LLC against Dawson County and its commissioners.  Following that session, the BOC voted affirmatively on a motion to approve execution of the Consent Order and presentation of it to the Superior Court.

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