MORGAN COUNTY
The Morgan County Board of Commissioners met at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning for its first meeting in the month of October.
The meeting first began with board chairman Ben Riden opening the meeting by discussing the consent agenda. This included accepting information regarding the September 2022 finances to the tune of $1,229,885.11 in the General Fund, $2,238,285.35 for the TSPLOST category and $182,570.86 in the SPLOST category.
After that, the county’s planning commission came to the podium to discuss multiple revisions to local ordinances and regulations.
First, the planning commission presented revisions to the “Code of Ordinances Chapter 10.” Presented changes included regulations for livestock kept in the area.
The group also proposed changes to the Development Regulations. The new revision would classify “Family Division Subdivisions” as “Minor Subdivisions.”
The planning commission used the rest of its time to discuss multiple requests from community members about their land use.
From an animal processing facility to a private airstrip, the board of commissioners was able to hear and accept different land usage requests. That ended the planning commission’s business, and the BOC moved into its own “new business” afterward.
One of the most notable topics of the board’s new business involved potentially increasing the transit fare in the county.
The potential fare increase comes due to the “rising cost of fuel, parts and buses,” according to the board’s background description on the request sheet.
The board also stated that surrounding counties’ pricing will be looked at and taken into consideration when voting for its approval.
The fare increase would take effect on Jan. 1, 2023, and would raise prices from anywhere from 25 cents to a dollar more than the previous year’s fares.
Furthermore, the board of commissioners approved roughly $35,000 worth of fire department equipment for the county’s firefighters. The new equipment will include turnout gear for firefighters and new fire hoses on all front-line trucks.
Lastly, the BOC approved the Georgia Food Services Contract for SFY2023 requested by the Senior Center. The funding provided will come from Northeast Georgia Area Agency of Aging grants and donations.