City votes to ‘implement a spending freeze’

By
MARY ANN ANDERSON
Even with several motions approved during last week’s workshop of the Hazlehurst City Council, the meeting lasted all of 10 minutes. Last Thursday’s regular meeting was a different story, though, with it clocking in at about an hour, with almost a dozen motions passing unanimously.
Among the most critical of decisions, one made at the request of Ward 4 Councilman John Bloodworth, was to “implement a spending freeze” on all city spending except for emergencies only.
Bloodworth said that the city is more than $800,000 over budget and that a “serious problem is coming up” if the freeze isn’t put in place immediately.
While “all city spending” is broad language, Bloodworth’s motion still drew a quick second from Ward 2’s John Ramay, who added that while the freeze is a “dangerous situation,” all emergency spending should go for approval before the full council.
Questions arose about what types of events would be considered an emergency, from among others, Mayor Bayne Stone, City Clerk Vernice Thompson and Casey Williams of Southern Technologies Partners, who provides all the technological services to the city.
While it was implied that an emergency would be considered case by case, Bloodworth stated emphatically that he didn’t want the city to increase taxes, so that the freeze would help “get a jump on it to get ahead of the game.” He also said that the freeze would take place as of May 18, the date of the meeting, and would last for three months. No money at all can be spent during that time, he added, “not even small purchases.”
“We’ve got ourselves in trouble, and we have to take care of it without raising taxes,” he ended the discussion before that measure passed unanimously, as well as another motion stating that all departmental budgets were to be completed by May 24.
In other action during both meetings, the council, with Ward 3’s Diane Leggett out for the Thursday meeting ….
…. after hearing City Attorney Ken W. Smith give the second readings of the modified business license ordinance, a move that adds a penalties section to the ordinance, and the amended water and sewer ordinance, which provides for stricter enforcement of the ordinance and grease trap regulations, unanimously approved both measures.
…. okayed the 2022 watershed assessment monitoring report.
…. approved Ward 1 Councilman Dywane Johnson as ex-officio appointee for the City of Hazlehurst to represent the Downtown Development Authority and also accepted the nomination of Oscar Hulett as representative for the Jeff Davis County Health Department.
…. said yes to travel and expenses for Hazlehurst-Jeff Davis County Fire-Rescue Chief Charles Wasdin to attend the Fire Safety Symposium in Forsyth from June 4-9 and for Hazlehurst Police Chief Ken Williams and the department’s school resource officers to attend the Georgia School Safety and Homeland Security Conference in Athens from June 19-21.
…. approved a 2023 grant contract with Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission.
…. okayed an amendment for the probation service contract with Judicial Alternatives of Georgia.
…. voted to renew the annual Georgia Department of Corrections contract for 2023-24 with the Bacon County Probation Detention Center work detail at the cost of $49,318.
…. approved a slate of officers for Georgia Municipal Association’s District 9, of which the city is a member.
…. approved the previous month’s report from the Hazlehurst Police Department, minutes, departmental reports, water and sewer adjustments, financial statements and check register.
…. in the Citizens’ Comments section, heard from local citizen Chris Jones, who announced that Earth Water Beverage LLC is now available in Hazlehurst; that a senior citizens event, in a collaboration between Earth Water Beverage LLC and Cotton Patch Extreme, will be held on May 26 at Cotton Patch Extreme with all senior citizens of the community invited to join the festivities; and that he will be running for the Ward 3 council seat, now held by Leggett, in the upcoming election.
…. also in Citizen Comments, heard from Smith, who said that the bid process is in the works for selling the city-owned Twisted Pine Golf Course and Community Center and the community caboose located at South Williams and Latimer streets. The council also authorized, at Stone’s request, for Smith to handle the disposition, transfer or sale of Emerson Electric property.
…. Thompson also spoke in Citizens Comments, announcing that an employee appreciation luncheon will be held on May 26 and that signage for the historical Antioch Cemetery, also known as Old Hazlehurst Cemetery, near MLK Jr. Boulevard, will soon be put up.
…. citing conflicting dates when members of the Hazlehurst City Council and administrative staff will be traveling for training and conferences, agreed to reschedule June’s workshop to June 5 from June 12 and the regular meeting to June 8 from June 15.
…. after hearing a request from Ward 1 Councilman Dywane Johnson, agreed for safety reasons to close Stadium Drive to MLK Jr. Boulevard for a May 27 event at Mary Frazier McLean Community Park.