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bers Debra Gay and Pete Ward, incumbent Commissioners Ginger Morris and Clarence Thomas — run for a two-year term upon re-election to offset the election schedule.

In preparation for upcoming elections, the County approved the contracting of LLC Consulting to perform mapping services for the Montgomery County Board of Registrars to help in the execution of elections within the new districts. The County has a contract with the same company to provide mapping services for the Montgomery County Board of Tax Assessors to continue to deal with redistricting.

Board of Elections Update In its February 10 work session, the Commission also discussed the upcoming decisions that will arise because of the recently-signed legislation, specifically the location of the Board of Elections office.

The Commission was informed that the grant that funded construction of the Adult Literacy Center, located at 251 S. Richardson Street in Mount Vernon, terminates its stipulation in October 2022 that the building be used for instructional purposes. The building was first constructed through a partnership with Southeastern Technical College to provide local education to help those area residents gain skills and knowledge needed for employment.

Commissioners are now debating the decision to place the Board of Elections offices in the building once the grant stipulation is lifted, which Commissioners Ginger Morris and Chad Kenney said is plausible because the building currently functions as the polling location for the Mount Vernon district. “People already associate this building with elections because they come here to vote,” Morris commented.

Kenney added, “It would also be very easy for whoever is in the office to be able to set up the polls in this building because of all the equipment already being located there.”

All of the commissioners agreed that for this move to occur, security systems would need to be installed within the building to help protect the integrity of the equipment and election. No decision was made regarding this discussion and the topic will be revisited throughout the next meetings.

Sheriff’s Office, EMS Building Project At the work session, commissioners spoke with SP Design Group Architects & Engineers, Inc. representative Mike Parker, who is currently overseeing the planning for the construction of a new Emergency Management Services building and Sheriff’s Office. The Commission approved a contract with SP Design Group for architectural services of the new EMS and law enforcement buildings at its regular meeting on February 14.

Parker told the Commission that he felt it best to go forth with the planning and construction process rather than attempt to gain any sort of high-risk construction management firm. “The EMS building project was a candidate for this type of construction management, but once we began looking into things, we realized that the best option was to go ahead and proceed without it. I think it is best to handle the

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Sheriff’s Office the same way.”

Commissioners agreed with Parker’s advice and encouraged the company to proceed with the project.

“State of the County” Address

During the work session, Montgomery County Development Authority Director Joe Filippone addressed the Commission with what he described as a “State of the County” speech regarding economic development.

Filippone said the Great Wall Chinese Restaurant located on Highway 280 between Friendly Gus and Dollar General in Mount Vernon had closed permanently. He shared he is actively working to find another restaurant to fill this space. Commissioners and Filippone also discussed the need for the creation of a gravel road to create access to and revitalize the County’s abandoned industrial park in Ailey. No decision or details were made regarding the road, and it is expected the discussion will continue throughout further meetings.

Other Business

Also, during the work session, the Commission approved an agreement with Air Med Care Network to provide all nonelected employees with a membership, which protects them from financial burden if airlifted during an emergency. This decision comes after the Commission learned that Sheriff Doug Maybin provides this service for his deputies at an annual cost of $65 per person. The County will provide this service as part of healthcare benefits to 30 employees, totaling a $1,950 investment. The service protects the employees and their families.

Road and Public Works Departments Director Milton Fountain informed Commissioners of the hiring of three employees to help tackle a large workload. The Commission also approved the purchase of a John Deere Tractor for $78,300, which will be funded through the Capital Projects Fund. Recreation Department Director Kendall Bennamon, who was unable to attend the February 10 work session or February 14 meeting, sent a message to the Commission expressing gratitude to Courtney Anderson Joiner and her law firm for donating participation costs for 15 underprivileged children to be able to take part in Recreation Department baseball and softball programs. Bennamon also expressed his excitement that families are crossing county lines to take part in the activities of the Montgomery County Recreation Department.

Commissioners closed out the work session with comments on Broadband, which is well underway throughout the County. The Commission plans to request an update on progress and a plan from Altamaha EMC so they can inform constituents on when they can expect to receive the Internet services.