About The Millen news. (Millen, Jenkins County, Ga.) 1903-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2024)
Ml f ml l VOL. 118 NO. 03 Millen, Ga. 30442 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY SINCE 1903 Wednesday, July 17, 2024 • 750 County is victim of postal theft DEBORAH BENNETT Millen News Editor Jenkins County has joined the ranks of postal customers who have fallen prey to postal theft. The incident was reported by County Administrator Grady Saxon during a recent meet ing of the Jenkins County Commis sioners. Saxon said a county check for ap proximately $13,000 was mailed to a vendor in the Atlanta area. The check was passed from post office to post office, never delivered to the vendor. “So, I checked our bank statement, and sure enough the check had been cashed. But, it wasn’t the check we wrote. It was a forged check made out to an individual,” Saxon said. The manner of the forgery was very sophisticated, he indicated. The inci dent was reported to law enforcement, the county attorney, and the postal service. Saxon said he is investigating possible avenues to recover the funds. “This is the 27th incident of report ed forgery since the new postal center opened in Palmetto,” Saxon said. The postal service has come under fire in recent months for delayed delivery and disrupted delivery of mail across the state since the Feb ruary launch of regional processing center in Palmetto. The restructuring plan was paused until next year amid complaints. U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff led congressional efforts to address the issue. In a recent report released by the U.S. Postal Service for the second quarter of 2024, Georgia ranked at the bottom of the states for the 2-day delivery of mail SEE with a 63.70% on time THEFT, delivery. The national on 3 Following the Sun! Sunflowers are known for their beauty, as is evident is this locally grown field. But, they were first cultivated as a food source with early Americans. The seeds were crushed into flour for bread or eaten as a quick snack. The stalks were often used as building material. In the USDA’s October sunflower production report, 2023 production was forecast at 2.19 billion pounds nationally. That’s a lot of seeds! Commissioners approve SPLOST agreement DEBORAH BENNETT Millen News Editor Local citizens will have the op portunity to vote on the extension of the present one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST #7) in the November General Election. The Jenkins County Commission ers approved an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Millen at their July 9 meeting and a resolution that will place the issue on the ballot. The agreement outlines a revenue split of 65% for the county and 35% for the city. The agreement includes a Tier 2 project for $950,000 for reno vations to the Pal Theater. The total estimated revenue for the SPLOST 8, should taxpayers give approval in No vember, is predicted to be $4,750,000. The county will receive $13,194 monthly off the top for the Tier 2 project with any overage subject to the 65-35% split. Once the funds for the Tier 2 project are raised the revenue will be split as agreed upon. Sheriff Robert Oglesby called atten tion to the need for additional space to secure prisoners brought to the Jenkins County Courthouse for court proceedings. “I have a plan I would like to dis cuss with you,” Sheriff Oglesby said. It was agreed Sheriff Oglesby and the commissioners would arrange a meet ing at a later date to discuss the matter. Sheriff Oglesby also asked approval for the purchase of two vehicles for the Sheriff’s Department from Duval Ford for $41,457.21 each. His request was approved. Field Director Jason Oglesby called attention to changes in the manner the building inspection fees are cal culated. He explained that HB 461 eliminates the ability to calculate fees for renovation and other construc tion projects based on the cost of the projects. “The bill requires that we use the square footage of the structure for fee calculation. The going rate seems to be 45 cents per square foot,” Oglesby said. “The change does not apply to structures valued at over $75,000.” It was noted that the county needs to implement the change as soon as pos sible since HB 461 is already in effect. Oglesby also requested approval for the purchase of two vehicles for the Road Department from Daniels Chevrolet for $45,900 and $57,938. His request was approved. Saxon reported a 43% increase in the renewal policy for the county’s property and liability insurance with Chatham Insurance. He indicated the increase was due to increases in the replacement values. The renewal cost was reported to be $185,272.32. He also reported a 13.5% increase in the renewal of the health insurance policy with Anthem. The monthly bill was reported to be $49,456.80. Saxon noted that 13 of the 21 de partment head credit cards have been locked down due to fraud attempts. There was no loss to the county, and new cards are on the way. In other business, the commission ers approved the Solid Waste Man agement Plan, following the required public hearings. Also, approved was the low bid from Shockley Plumbing for $160,000 to repair a culvert on Paramore Hill Road. The appoint ment of Mary Young to the Jenkins County Development Authority was approved. She will fill the position held by Roy Cook who is retiring. Approval was given for the 2025 Lo cal Maintenance Improvement Grant application for $1,006,018.94. If ap proved, the funds will be used to pave Joe Waters Road. Under personal appearances, Shanelle Carr with Citizens Rally Against Violence in Neighborhoods reported on the local activities planned for the National Night Out Against Crime. The event will take place at the Millen Community House from 5:30-8 p.m. on Aug. 6. She reported on the supporters of the event and solicited the support and attendance of the commissioners. “Our focus is to get the community actively involved in fighting crime,” Carr said. County joins Kroger opioid settlement DEBORAH BENNETT Millen News Editor The Jenkins County Commission ers have given approval to joining the Kroger opioid abatement settlement. The action came during the group’s meeting last week. The grocery store has been ordered to pay more than $1.2 billion for ille gally Filing opioid orders and failing to investigate red flags. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed suit against the grocery chain in December 2022. Georgia is set to receive $1.4 mil lion in the settlement with funds to be divided among those that join the settlement by Aug. 12. The resolution will resolve Ferguson’s legal claims against Kroger. Attorney Charlie Aaron, in the absence of county attorney George Rountree, explained that Jenkins County is eligible to join the settle ment. “The amount the county will re ceive is unknown. But, there is money to be gained, and you have nothing to lose,” he said. Lawsuits were filed against two other pharmacies, Albertsons and Rite Aid, at the same time.
