The Putnam County Board of Commissioners met Oct. 21 for its second of two regularly scheduled monthly meetings.
The evening opened with a zoning item, with commissioners considering whether to allow Tyler and Allie Mathis to withdraw, without prejudice, their request to rezone an acre at 166 Dennis Station Rd. from agricultural (AG) to residential (R-1). The motion passed 3–1, with only Steve Hersey of District 3 opposed.
“The motion will carry,” Commissioner Bill Sharp confirmed. “And the applicant will be allowed to withdraw without prejudice.”
The board then moved to an ordinance public hearing to define a “business day” in the county code. Hersey introduced the measure, which defines a business day as Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays.
“This is really just a housekeeping issue,” Hersey said. “Some time ago, I noticed that we had no definition for a business day, and that comes up in several instances.” He noted the change would clarify deadlines for tasks such as open records requests.
Kurt Worthington, sitting in for official county attorney Adam Nelson, suggested clarifying whether the term “holidays” referred to state or federal holidays. Sharp replied that the county already publishes its annual holiday list, resolving the issue. With no further discussion, the measure passed unanimously.
Next, resident and former commission chair Billy Webster addressed the board about dangerous conditions at the intersection of Dennis Station and Twin Bridges Roads. He presented a video showing limited visibility and urged the county to use TSPLOST funds to fix it.
“If I were in a car, the hood of my car would’ve been over the asphalt before I could see left,” Webster said. “That’s an accident waiting to happen.”
He implored the council to look into ways to improve sightlines for a safer intersection.
Later, the board approved authorizing Sharp to sign the annual ACCG Safety Discount Verification Form, which secures a rebate for the county’s insurance program.
“We usually get money back from ACCG in the form of a rebate, depending on the safety things we have to do throughout the year. This money goes toward additional safety training and classes,” County Manager Paul Van Haute explained.
All district commissioners voted in favor.
The most complex discussion of the night centered on the county’s 2025 property tax millage rate. Hersey requested the item, noting a preliminary estimate earlier this year suggested a rollback rate of 5.692 mills, but the final adopted rate was 6.001 mills.
“That’s about three-tenths of a mill; almost a million dollars difference,” he pointed out. “It came as a surprise to me that the actual rollback rate was higher than what we had discussed during budget season.”
Hersey said his main concern was transparency, adding that the millage rate was set weeks later than planned due to delays in the tax assessor’s office. The delay, he explained, stemmed from new state legislation (HB 581 and HB 1413) that required complex recalculations of property exemptions.
“It just concerns me that the preliminary rollback rate was not scrutinized more carefully,” Hersey said. “In the future, we need to pay more attention to those preliminary numbers.”
Van Haute read from a letter submitted by Putnam County Tax Commissioner Terrell Abernathy, who could not attend. The letter emphasized that only one official rollback rate — 6.001 mills — was calculated and published.
“If there was a 5.692 mill rate document anywhere, it had to have been long before the consolidations were concluded,” the letter stated, noting the earlier figure was merely an estimate used to begin budget discussions.
Van Haute reminded commissioners that he and the finance director had repeatedly said the early number was “extremely preliminary.” Sharp added that while property taxes did rise, the county’s millage rate remains among the lowest for counties that provide both fire and EMS services.
“We are still around number 10 in Georgia,” Sharp stated.
Commissioners Tom McElhenney and Richard Garrett both weighed in on how taxes affect city residents. McElhenney said he was “forcibly annexed” into the city and pays higher taxes overall.
“I would gladly trade my city taxes for the special service district increase,” he said. Garrett agreed, adding, “City residents pay for police and fire services that county residents don’t. Those annexed years ago often pay the same taxes but don’t receive the same services. It’s not a break.”
Hersey clarified he never implied city residents benefited.
“I was simply pointing out the difference in the special service district millage,” he said. “City residents do not get a break; they pay for the services that define a municipality.”
The meeting closed with a brief but notable announcement from Van Haute, who said the Georgia Writers Museum, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, will bring a six-week exhibition on voting and democracy to Eatonton next April. Initially scheduled for a city venue, the exhibit may instead be hosted in the county commission meeting room.
“Eatonton was selected as the first city in Georgia to host this event,” Van Haute pointed out. “It would tie into America’s 250th birthday celebration.”
Commissioners are expected to consider the request at their next scheduled meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 7 at the county commission building, 117 Putnam Drive, Ste. A, Eatonton.