Lee Commission approves budget

LEESBURG — After weeks of delays and much debate, it took Lee County commissioners about 60 seconds to approve the county’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget as originally written. The decision was made during a special meeting held on Thursday night, with only three commissioners in attendance.

Commissioners Billy Mathis, Bill Williams and Dennis Roland attended the meeting; Luke Singletary and Rick Muggridge did not.

The meeting started with the approval of previous board minutes, and a motion was made by Williams, and seconded by Mathis, to approve the budget. The commissioners present voted 3-0 to approve it.

Williams had said on a number of occasions prior to Thursday’s vote that he was confident the budget would pass without a hitch.

An ongoing dispute over costs associated with the opening of a new fire station in the north end of the county contributed to delays in approving the budget. At previous budget hearings, Singletary said he could not justify opening a station in the rural, less-populated area when growth in the south end of the county presented a greater demand for services.

Last week, Muggridge expressed his concern over the timing and cost of opening the station and suggested the funds could be better spent on roads, technology upgrades or by purchasing life-saving AED defibrillators and strategically placing them at fire stations and other locations around the county.

In a phone interview Friday, Muggridge said he was “disappointed” in Thursday’s vote.

“I am disappointed, but this too shall pass,” he said. “This is not the first time I have been on the lower end of a vote. This is how the process works. I will support the county and local government in the most cost-effective and efficient ways, and I will continue to remind (my fellow board members) of the needs as I see them.”

Muggridge said he was late for the meeting due to an issue with a client and because of heavy traffic.

“I work a job that is like running a store,” he said. “If I have clients, I wait on them. I respect my peers on the commission and did not want to hold them up.”

Muggridge said he called when he was en route to Leesburg but saw no need to continue on to the meeting because he was told a decision had been made.

“When they said they had a quorum, I saw no need for me to go on to the meeting,” Muggridge said.

Singletary was reportedly out of town Thursday night and could not be reached for comment by The Herald’s deadline Friday.

Lee officials also announced a public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 8 at 6 p.m. to begin discussions of the county’s Comprehensive Plan. The plan will be a joint effort including the cities of Leesburg and Smithville.

The current plan will expire on Feb. 28, 2019.

State law requires three public meetings during the planning process. Additional meetings are scheduled at 6 p.m. on Aug. 10, to discuss needs and opportunities, and at 6 p.m. on Aug. 13 to discuss goals and policies.

Copies of the county’s current Comprehensive Plan are available for viewing at http://www.dca.state.ga.us/development/PlanningQualityGrowth/programs/currentplans.asp

Copies of the plan are also available at the Lee Board of Commission office, or at city halls located in Leesburg and Smithville, during normal business hours.