Lee Commission approves cost of living allowance for employees
Lee Commissioners hold lone November meeting
By Gypsy Crow
LEESBURG — Lee County employees got some holiday good news at the County Commission’s lone board meeting Tuesday night. With Lee commissioners playing Santa Claus, those employees will receive a cost of living allowance effective in December.
Before the start of the meeting, Lee County Fire and EMS Chief David Forrester recognized four of the department’s personnel for exemplary service.
Honored were:
— Wendy O’Lear, Paramedic of the Year;
— Jonathan Sangster, Firefighter of the Year;
— Chandler Freeman and Richie Williams, Valor Award recipients.
The meeting room was packed with guests that included Lee County Fire and EMS personnel, their families and Boy Scout Troop 1 from Leesburg.
The Georgia Forestry Commission’s 2017 annual report for Lee County included good news. Fire activity was minimal in the county with a total of five fires reported that covered only 6.72 acres of land. That’s the smallest it’s been in more than 20 years.
A significant contributing factor to the reduction in fires, forestry officials said, was the increase in county landowner education in fire management and prescribed burning. Prescribed burning in Georgia helps clear out forest fuels that, if left uncontrolled, can ignite and spread rapidly.
Hurricane Michael damage and the trees it brought down created challenges for the Forestry Commission, and the results of the storm’s impact are still evident.
A representative from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs will come to Lee County on Monday (tentatively at 2:30 p.m.) to present the Community Development Block Grant Award check for improvements to the Greenview Estates Water System. The checks were awarded the day before Hurricane Michael.
The Lee Commission approved an authorization resolution from the Southwest Georgia Regional Commission for the rural public transportation program. The transit service provides handicap-accessible transportation around Lee County and southwest Georgia for the disabled and elderly community. Interested persons can call (229) 431-0000 for a ride.
The other board approvals included a a resolution to authorize investment funds through the county’s investment pool. Nothing has changed except the manager. A bid was awarded to WJ Kirksey Construction Construction to repair the roof of the county building at 100 Starksville Ave. North. The bid was within the cost range insurance was willing to approve.
The next commission meeting has been moved from Nov. 27 to Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Opal Cannon Auditorium of the T. Page Tharp Governmental Building.
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