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Lee County, Get Behind Carden! Early Voting Now!
RE-ELECT * CARDEN H
SUMMERS
STATE SENATE
CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN
The Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Joe Lamkin
Volume XLIV- Number 35
Leesburg, Georgia - - May 11, 2022
Fifty Cents
Volunteers Participate in the
Great American Cleanup
Special to the Ledger
by David Dixon
Recently Leesburg par
ticipated in Keep Amer
ica Beautiful’s “Great
American Cleanup”. This
year the volunteer group
concentrated on the Vet
eran’s Park in downtown
Leesburg. The group was
led by City Councilwom-
an Judy Powell and Lt.
Hank Vick of the Lees
burg Police Department as
well as the Leesburg Law
Enforcement Explorers
and other citizens.
The cleanup consisted of
trash removal, monument
cleaning, and general lawn
and garden maintenance.
Even though it was a cold,
windy spring morning,
the small group had fun
helping beautify our city.
Thanks to all who came
out to participate in this
excellent project.
City of Smithville forfeited
$118,239.31 LMIG funds
As the county com
missioners consider
the percentage of Lo
cal Option Sales Tax
(L.O.S.T.) that each of the
three local governments
will receive, additional
information has surfaced
concerning Smithville
forfeiting $105,501.34 in
LMIG funds according to
figures from the Georgia
Department of Trans
portation and the city
council approving pay
raises for themselves and
the mayor.
Smithville forfeited
$105,501.34 in LMIG
funds from 2013 to 2022.
according to estimated
Smithville LMIG de
posits (based on percent
increase/decrease in
county deposits). The
Local Maintenance and
Improvement Grant
(LMIG) is awarded annu
ally by Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation to
counties and cities across
the state. The amount of
grant funds received by
each local government is
based on population and
maintained road mileage.
In 2013 Smithville for
feited $9,973.35. In 2014,
$10,750.68 was forfeit
ed, in 2015 $10,722.77
was forfeited, in 2016,
$10,667.44 was forfeit
ed, in 2017, $13,897.18
was forfeited, in 2018
$14,634.43 was forfeited,
in 2019 $14,898.32 was
forfeited,in 2020, and
$14,342.64 was forfeited
and in 2021 $14,342.64
was forfeited. In 2022
Smithville applied for
$15,859.03. The Total
estimated amount un
claimed was $105,501.34
by the City of Smithville.
Mayor Vincent Cutts
stated that he was un
aware that the City of
Smithville was not apply
ing for the LMIG funds
until he was contacted by
the county manager. He
then requested the city
clerk to process the ap
plication for submittal for
2022. Vincent Cutts, who
became mayor in 2020,
said the virus pandem
ic impacted Smithville
along with the rest of the
world. Mayor Cutts noted
that everything operated
in a survival mode and
the council meetings
were held virtual. He
highlighted many of the
things that are occurring
now in Smithville includ
ing a reestablished police
department and grant
funding for new water
meters.
In 2009, the General
Assembly reorganized/
renamed programs for
road paving and repairs
into one program called
Local Maintenance Im
provement Grant(LMIG)
Program.
The annual LMIG
allocation is based on
the total centerline road
miles for each local road
system and the total pop
ulation of each county or
city as compared with the
total statewide center-
line road miles and total
statewide population. The
LMIG program allows
local governments greater
flexibility and quicker
project delivery and fund
ing match requirements.
Eligible projects
included preliminary
engineering work,
construction supervision
and inspection, patching,
leveling and resurfacing a
paved roadway, grading,
drainage, base and paving
existing or new roads, re
placing storm drain pipe
or culverts, bridge repair
or replacement, sidewalk
adjacent and roadway
signs.
At a recent Smithville
City Council meeting, the
council approved a salary
increase for themselves
and the mayor. The
increase in annual salary
will be effective starting
January 1, 2023.
Mayor Vincent Cutts’
yearly salary will in
crease from $3000 to
$4000. Council members
James K. Champion,
Dwight Hickman, Ilean
Bady and Shalnica
French will each receive
an annual salary increase
of $1000 from $2000 to
$3000.
8 10499 02456 8
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Smithville
City
Council
will meet
Monday,
May 16 at
6:00 p.m.
at the
Community
Building
Muggridge To Vacate
County Commission Seat
Rick Muggridge will vacate
his position on the Lee County
Commission effective May 15
when he moves from his current
residence. Mr. Muggridge rep
resents District 4 on the county
commission.
Mr. Muggridge has served on
the county commission for 14
years and is in his fourth term
on the commission. He had pre
viously served as chairman.
Commissioner Muggridge said
that he is proud of the county
staff and the financial stability
of the county. He is proud of the
public safety department and
feels that cross training of fire
and EMS personnel has been
very beneficial to the citizens.
The Muggridge family will
remain in Lee County in a new
home that they built. Although
Rick Muggridge will be moving
out of the current District 4, his
new home is within the newly
redrawn county district lines for
District 4, but the new district
lines will not take effect until
the next commission election
for Districts 2, 3 and 4 in two
year.
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