Dandy in Daisy? Not exactly when it comes to county SPLOSTs

The Daisy City Council and Mayor met on July 25 for their regular monthly meeting. All council members were present, with the exception of Donna Driggers. Mayor Inman “Junior” Brown, Scottie Rountree, Homer Sapp, Carson Sands, and Becky. Morgan were all present as was City Clerk Carolyn Brown.

Evans County residents and husband-wife business owners John and Michelle Biggers were present to discuss the possibility of outsourcing the water system contract to their company for wastewater treatment, watershed protection plans, and even billing. Mayor Brown has been collecting samples but the work is becoming too much and Brown is considering not seeking re-election. The pair’s company, Southern Water Systems, Inc., currently assists surrounding communities like Bellville, Manassas, Hagan, and Brooklet. Exact prices were not discussed.

After their departure, the meeting was called to order and opened with a prayer. The council then approved the meeting minutes from June as well as the financial report.

• General Fund: $3,478.79
• Water: $9,198.88
• Community Center: $4,090.22
• SPLOST 2012: $26,071.56
• TSPLOST: $254.54
• Money Market: $75,988.46

The City then discuss the upcoming LMIG project lists.

Mayor Brown said he attended a GDOT meeting in Claxton a few weeks prior regarding the TSPLOST funding. The City is now in the second tier, which is supposed to be on Railroad Street. Brown said 1,100 feet down Railroad Street and will span 30-feet wide. It will cover nearly the entire street.

“In the first tier, [County Administrator Casey] Burkhalter talked me into putting ours into theirs so we could get a better price. We got 585 feet in the first tier. That’s all we got for the first tier in the City of Daisy. Now, not that much difference in the first tier and the second tier, like 2 years, now we get 1,110 feet and it’s 30-feet wide. So I would suggest the next year, you all stick with GDOT, cause we got sort of kicked under the rug some. We should have gotten more than that,” Brown said.

The council then discussed the road closures and the inconvenience to 18 families who live on the closed bridge and is expected to remain closed for 180 days.

The remaining projects for the remaining TSPLOST are already in place, so at this time, no new projects are being added. Ivy Street and West Railroad Street are just a couple of the remaining projects.

Mayor Brown then request the council approve the purchase of a fan for where the generator is running for the water system to keep the smoke and diesel out of the building.

Before adjournment, the council voted to approve the budget for the upcoming year. The budet hearings were held in June. A copy of the budget is available at City Hall for anyone who would like to view it.

City Clerk Carolyn Brown also announced that Becky Morgan and Scott Rountree are both up for re-election, as is the seat for Mayor. Qualifying runs from August 21-23.

The City of Daisy has a population of about 120 people. The City does not appear on the Georgia Municipal Association website, but the Daisy City Council meets on the 4th Tuesday night of each month at 7:00 pm at City Hall