Local Leaders Give Update on State of Cities and County
for improvement.
Local authorities in Lyons, Vidalia, and Toombs County informed citizens of the current operations of the governments and upcoming projects during the annual State of the Cities and County luncheon, which was hosted by the Greater Vidalia Chamber on Thursday, September 5.
This event is sponsored each year by the Chamber’s Public Policy Council, which serves to raise civic IQ among local citizens, encourage the community to vote, and advocate continued from page
for issues important to community development.
The City of Lyons addressed the public first, as Mayor Willis NeSmith and City Manager Jason Hall spoke on the city’s mission, growth, partnerships, and obstacles.
According to Hall, city employees recently came together to form a mission statement to create a unified approach to city operations. “Several months ago, our city staff went through an exercise to create and define what our city mission was. They came up with a great mission [statement, which reads], ‘A job worth doing, success worth reaching for, providers with a passion to serve and strive for excellence today to build the community of tomorrow,’” he remarked. “That mission statement has gone through our core and our bloodline into our day-to-day operations.”
Hall continued, “I want to talk to you today a little bit about what we’re looking for, and how we are going to take that mission and our core values as we move forward over the next 5-10 years. Over the next 5-10 years, the face and the landscape of Toombs County and the counties surrounding it are going to change drastically. We know what’s coming. We know things are going to change, and as a city, we are looking for tools that we can put in our tool belt to make sure we take advantage of those opportunities for growth and development when it comes.”
One of the tools for growth which Lyons is currently looking into is the possibility of a tax allocation district, which he explained is a way for the city to attract, encourage, and help developers come into the area. Hall stated that the legislation is still in the works, and that more information on the topic will be available in the near future.
Hall also stated that the Lyons is reviewing zoning and developing ordinances to see how growth may be better organized. “Our goal as City Council and management and staff is to make sure that we are encouraging growth, but we are also protecting our existing developments – both residential and commercial – with a really intense focus on the character of our downtown,” he explained. “Downtown Lyons has a really unique character, and we are striving to uphold that character and keep it where it is through these changes. I hope that when we announce these public hearings for these zoning ordinance changes and these development changes, that we get a wealth of attendance because civic IQ is important, especially when it comes to zoning and development ordinances.”
The City of Lyons is also seeking to create a hospitable space for development by partnering with private and public entities to compile a list of resources and information to provide developers. This guidance is being offered in hopes these developers will encourage other developers to invest in the area.
Permit costs are being reviewed to ensure they are fair and attractive to investors.
Blighted, vacant, abandoned, and absentee landowner properties are being reviewed and required to comply with code guidelines. “That is not a simple thing to do, but it is necessary because for managed growth and growth in general, we need to make sure that the properties are maintained correctly and that property owners are made to care,” Hall emphasized.
Mayor NeSmith shared that several partners work closely with the City, including the City of Vidalia and Toombs County governments, Toombs County School System, Toombs County Development Authority, Lyons Development Authority, Memorial Health Meadows Hospital, and the local recovery community.
To emphasize the importance of these collaborative efforts, NeSmith shared a quote by Mother Teresa, which reads: “I can do things that you cannot do. You can do things that I cannot do. But together, we can do great things.”
He added, “I think that really is a testament to Toombs County because of our partnerships and the way we all work together. We’ve got so many great partners that we work with, and we are so grateful. It is great to work with y’all.”
He explained that several regional projects were attracted to the area because of the collaboration between city and county governments in Toombs County, and that the partnership with the schools has allowed Lyons to provide each school with a school resource officer.
According to Ne-Smith, the partnership with the hospital helped to attract a behavioral health specialist to work with the Lyons Police Department, which has been a great asset for dealing with mental health issues within the community.
The mayor commented on his admiration of those within the recovery community who volunteer with the City of Lyons, as he announced that the Gardens of Hope Recovery Community Organization recently informed him that 36 individuals in long-term recovery have found work in the community. “It is great working with them. We welcome them here. They have done so much in our town through people getting out and doing projects. We want them here, we need them here, and they do an excellent job.”
City Manager Hall then spoke on the obstacles which the city is facing, most of which he hopes to turn into opportunities.
One large issue which the City of Lyons faces is the national perspective on law enforcement, which Hall said the city is working to change locally. If you watch the news, if you read anything, you know that law enforcement is an obstacle in America right now and we are working to overcome it. Just so you know, if you live in Lyons or work in Lyons, we have put our best foot forward in making sure our officers have the best equipment. They have state-of-the-art computers in their cars; they are able to network with the Flock camera system. The Flock camera system has been something that has helped our officers not only solve crime, but deter crime in our area.”
He noted, “Our Council is not afraid to invest in the future of our law enforcement. What we need from our community is to make sure that when things come up nationally about law enforcement, make sure that you let everyone know that it is different in Toombs County. It means a lot to our officers,” he explained.
Another obstacle within the city is homelessness, which authorities hope to help remedy through the creation of a local resource facility. “We are striving really hard to make sure that by the end of the year, we have a resource center in our community to help those that need help with their housing situations. We are working with partners across the state to get this to our community. It has been a battle, and we have figured out there are no easy answers, but we are working to get more resources in our area for those that are looking for help with their housing situation.”
The issue of population growth has also caused the city to struggle with housing, but both Hall and NeSmith shared that those struggles will soon have some solutions, as a developer is currently planning to break ground on a new residential area near Bulldog Road in December. This neighborhood will feature 27 new homes for families in the community. In addition to this, another developer is looking at investing in the area through the creation of a cottage area close to downtown Lyons in the future.
City of Vidalia
Mayor Doug Roper and City Manager Josh Beck addressed the audience next at the event, as Beck shared information on infrastructure, public safety, codification, and youth within the city, while Roper spoke on the municipality’s current projects.
“Our foundation is that we are principled and service-driven as we work for the taxpayers. You are our boss, and we are going to listen to you. We are going to have high standards and a focus on relationships,” Beck began.
He continued, “The elephant in the room is that I am the new guy – I’m the new city manager. But there has been a lot of turnover in City Hall and we are not going to hide behind it. There have been a lot of leadership changes – finance directors, we’ve rolled through them; city managers, we’ve rolled through them; utility clerks, we’ve rolled through them. When you have that kind of turnover, relationships can be strained. They have been strained, and we are working to repair those relationships. We are going to make that a top priority.”
Infrastructure
Beck told the audience that regarding infrastructure, the city is currently working to address brown water concerns that have been at issue for several years. “We have replaced over 6,000 water meters with a technology that gives real-time consumption rates for us and the homeowner. So, if the resident has a water leak, they can call us, we will pull up the home address, pull up their consumption rates, and find the leak’s origin,” he told attendees.
In addition to these new water meters, the city also has replaced over 3 miles of water lines, and is looking to change out more of these pipes throughout the future.
Over 5.5 miles of road have been paved, according to Beck, and more is expected to be paved this year along Broadfoot Boulevard.
He informed the audience that a Georgia Environmental Finance Agency loan had been secured to repair the current sewer lift stations within the city, which will cut down on spillages and prepare for future growth along U.S. Highway 280.
Beck included information on housing in his infrastructure report, as he stated, “Housing is an infrastructure in my mind. I spent 15 years at the Vidalia Housing Authority trying to help low-income residents. It is a need.”
According to the city manager, five developers are currently in preplanning stages for developments that could result in the creation of over 200 residential units in the city. “That could be huge for our community,” he emphasized.
Public Safety
Beck stressed his focus on public safety to the crowd, as he said, “When we meet every day, I tell our chief of police, ‘Golf courses are wonderful. Streets are great. Sewer is great. Downtown is wonderful. None of that means anything if we are not safe.’ Public safety is our top priority.”
Currently, the city has 22 police officers, and hopes to have a total of 29 officers by the end of September. Beck stated that this is a large change from recent years, when the department only had around 13 officers. “Public safety has to be addressed. We have to attract quality police officers with hearts that align with our hearts. We can no longer afford to sit back and wait and continue with the status quo of things. We have to be aggressive with how we recruit and our messaging, and we have to enforce our laws. We will enforce our laws and get better at public safety,” he remarked.
To help ensure public safety, the Vidalia Police Department is creating a traffic division, which will cut down on drug trafficking in the area and will help to free up patrol officers to respond to other cases, and a K-9 unit, which will help both city officers and the Vidalia City School System. Over 20 Flock cameras, which record surveillance on roadways to keep track of travelers, will be installed within the city through a partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Codification
Beck commented on the recent public forums for potential city ordinances. “When I took office, it was going fast and I was new and trying to wrap my mind around everything. We slowed the process down for two reasons: so I could digest what we were about to make law and for public transparency,” he explained. “We all live under the laws we are proposing. I think it’s pivotal that we have public participation and forums to allow people to voice their concerns because I think in some areas, we can get it wrong. But we are able to correct that through public participation.”
According to Beck, after listening to the public’s concerns, the new proposed homelessness ordinance will not charge churches or anyone who seeks to feed, provide clothing, or do other things deemed as ‘homelessness services’ a conditional use permitting fee. Also, as proposed by the public, the potential Building Codes ordinance is now under review by a committee of local experts, such as architects, contractors, HVAC experts, and others.
Youth
Because of the large increase in youth involvement within the city, Beck said that the city is working to improve recreation programs. “If you look at the City of Vidalia, you can judge our health by our youth,” he said. “We are continuing to build on what many generations before us have built: excellence in the City of Vidalia.”
The Future
Mayor Roper spoke on the future of the city, which he said is exciting because of the amount of current projects within the area. “If you look at the last 18-24 months we have had in the City of Vidalia, it has very much been a project-heavy time period. When I came in office, I really feel like we put the gas pedal to the floor board,” he remarked.
He thanked interim Finance Director and interim City Manager Bill Bedingfield for his service to the city throughout the recent year, and complimented Beck on his work thus far. “It takes a certain mindset and skill set to continued from page
come into this role at the pace we were moving, and Josh has done an incredible job,” he added.
According to Roper, two of the biggest projects currently going on in the city are the construction of the Warmouth Sands Golf Course and the renovation of the Vidalia Regional Sports Complex on Ezra Taylor Road.
“We did not just want to get golf back; we wanted to see how we could use golf to boost economic growth in the city,” Roper emphasized. “We did not know that the opportunity would come to also renovate the Ezra Taylor Complex across the road.”
He informed the attendees that the Sweet Onion Golf Authority planned for the new golf course to be open next Fall, as irrigation is currently being installed. The facility will feature a full course, a unique driving range, and a 1,600 square foot clubhouse.
As for the sports complex, the city has received a grant to transform the facility to allow it to host soccer and football games. This renovation will include five multipurpose fields, which will alleviate the amount of wear on the current Ed Smith Complex, and will allow opportunities to host travel soccer and football tournaments.
Another large project the city is currently undertaking is the creation of a new Vidalia Onion Museum, which will be located at the old Vidalia City Hall on Jackson Street. “One of the things that was a positive shock to me when I became mayor was just how much traffic the Vidalia Onion Museum has. There are an incredible number of people that come here to visit just because of that museum,” he said.
The new museum is currently being designed by the Savannah College of Art and design. More information will be available on this facility in the future.
Toombs County
Toombs County Commission Vice Chairman Darriel Nobles and County Manager John Jones spoke at the event about the history of Toombs County, and services the county provides.
Nobles explained that Commission Chairman David Sikes was unable to attend the event because of being in Atlanta to work with the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, as he is the organization’s current president. In his absence, Nobles provided facts about the history of the county.
County Manager John Jones spoke on the duties of the County government and facilities.
The Courthouse
He began by addressing the new courthouse, which was completed this year. “This courthouse was built because of cooperation between the county and cities, otherwise it never would have been able to be built,” Jones shared. “It is a testament to what has been occurring over the past decades.”
The surrounding park and parking lot of the facility is expected to be completed by the end of this month, as the picnic tables and benches have been installed, and landscaping is currently being completed.
Millage Rate
Jones spoke on the growth of the tax digest in the county and its effect on the millage rate and property taxes, as he informed the citizens that the tax digest had recently experienced 60% of inflationary growth and 4% of true growth.
“Why that is important is because as the digest grows, more money comes from the governments here to be able to do the things that we need to do. If that digest is not growing, then we will not have the money to accomplish what we need to do,” he stressed.
The county manager stated that the larger the digest remains, the more millage rates are able to go down, as sales tax and other revenues help to alleviate the responsibility of the taxpayer. “Creating sales tax creates money for capital projects and a rollback on your tax rates dollar-for-dollar,” he remarked. “When we see the government doing the things that they are doing, I assure you that it is to increase the digest and sales tax in some form or fashion.”
Current Operations
Jones shared that the county currently has 190 full-time employees and 50 part-time employees to help the government run smoothly.
According to Jones, the Toombs-Montgomery EMS service is overseen by the county and runs around 600 calls a month, which averages 20 calls per day.
The County runs two construction crews – the public works crew and the landfill crew – which use leased machinery to complete their jobs. These leases allow the county to trade out machinery on a regular basis and save costs on maintenance.
The landfill is run by nine employees, five of which are certified landfill operators. This is a rarity, as normally a landfill facility only has one to two certified operators, according to Jones.
Future Plans
The County plans to pave Hammonds Church Road and finish the paving and widening of Old Normantown and Cedar Crossing-Alston Roads. Aimwell Road and Extension is scheduled to be repaved in 2025.
The County also is seeking to expand space for the sheriff’s office and emergency management agency, as Jones explained they had outgrown current facilities.
IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIPS – Lyons Mayor Willis Ne-Smith emphasized the importance of partnerships between the city and other local organizations.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
Photo by Makaylee Randolph
REBUILDING RELATIONSHIPS – Vidalia City Manager Josh Beck shared that the city is currently working to rebuild relationships with the public and other partners after a period of turnover.Photo by Makaylee RandolphA TIME OF PROJECTS – Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper told the audience that they had been in a steady state of projects throughout his tenure as mayor.
INCREASING THE DIGEST – Toombs County Manager John Jones stressed the importance of increasing the tax digest, as he stated it decreases the amount of property taxes for each homeowner.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
HISTORY OF THE COUNTY – Toombs County Commission Vice Chairman Darriel Nobles provided the public with information on the history of Toombs County.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
