Henry County Update-Newsletter

August 5, 2022

Board of

Commissioners

Roundabout Complete at State Route 20 and Turner Church Road

Regular Meetings August 16, 4:00 p.m.

(Special called meeting) August 16, 6:30 p.m.

September 7, 9:00 a.m.

(Wednesday, moved due to holiday) Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings air daily on Henry TV Charter Channel 180 at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

Please visit

henrycountyonline.com for more viewing options including Facebook and YouTube.

Henry County SPLOST opened the nearly completed roundabout at the intersection of State Route 20 and Turner Church Road this morning. The area is now open to traffic, as crews continue to finish the aesthetics of the project with landscaping and marking.

The roundabout will help relieve traffic along what has become a busy eastwest connector for of SR 155 and SR 20 for those looking to bypass downtown McDonough. SPLOST Transportation Project Director Roque Romero says this is a great show of progress in a short amount of time.

“The intersection at first had stop signs and then a temporary signal, however this new roundabout facilitates improved traffic flow and makes the intersection safer as well,” said Romero.

Installing the roundabout was made a high priority when the project list was put together for the ongoing Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST V).

Continued on page 3

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August 5, 2022 PUBLISHED BY Henry County Communications & Public Information Department Henry County Government

EDITORS Nicholas Ivey Melissa Robinson

GRApHIC DESIgNER Meredith Butler

LAYOUT DESIgNER Meredith Butler

CONTRIBUTORS Melissa Robinson Nicholas Ivey

SEE CLICK FIX

henrycounty-ga.com/SeeClickFix

henrycounty-ga.com

Roundabout- continued from page 1 The County began collecting funds for the SPLOST in April of 2020. Staff had to then complete design work for the intersection and work with local property owners to acquire the right of way before breaking ground.

Romero believes that the speed and quality of the build shows how seriously Henry County is taking its promise to voters to deliver on the current SPLOST. He said the project took just under a year, and crews were able to save months of time by working with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to close SR 20 for nine days, instead of keeping the road open and working in sections.

“We are grateful to our residents and drivers for their patience during these last few weeks and we appreciate the collaboration with GDOT to expedite this project,” said Romero. “By closing the road completely last week rather than allowing for limited traffic we took what would have been an additional four months and turned that piece of the project one in which we were able to complete in a matter of days. .”

Construction on the $1.9 million SPLOST project was completed by McLeRoy, Inc.

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August 5, 2022

Board Approves Development Fee Increase The Board of Commissioners approved an increase in the County’s Development Impact Fees following a 4-2 vote at Tuesday’s meeting.

Impact fees are a one-time fee by a local government on a new or proposed development project. The proceeds are used to fund capital builds.

In Henry County, impact fees are applied to parks and recreation, public safety, and, as of this year, transportation projects. Money only goes towards new growth rather than maintenance of existing facilities.

This is the first time fees have risen since 2003. The decision to do so came following a one-year study by Ross & Associates. It incorporated input from numerous organizations representing affected parties such as the Homebuilders Association, Atlanta Apartment Association, and Council for Quality Growth.

For warehouses and manufacturing developments, fees can range anywhere from roughly $2,000 to over $1.5 million based on the square footage of a facility (based on a rate of about 1.7 percent of costs). For buyers of residential properties, fees are rising from $1,661 to $3,544.

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The Dept. of Public Health Partners with Henry County to Debut Kiosk for COVID-19 PCR Testing

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is offering COVID-19 PCR testing at kiosks placed in communities across Georgia, including one located at the Henry County Public Safety Annex building located at 108 S. Zack Hinton Parkway in McDonough.

Pre-registration for testing at the kiosk is not required but is available at https://register.testandgo.com.

Individuals may also register at the kiosk by using a mobile phone to scan the QR code on the front of the vending machine.

The kiosk, which resembles a vending machine, offers access to COVID-19 PCR testing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There is no out-of-pocket cost for the tests provided through a DPH kiosk, but for those individuals with insurance, their insurance will be billed for the test. In many cases, individuals will receive notification of their test results by email or text within 48 hours of specimen collection.

COVID-19 testing is one of many prevention measures— along with vaccination and booster doses, masking, and physical distancing—that protect you and others by reducing the chances of spreading COVID-19. For more information about COVID vaccinations or boosters, visit www.dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.

After a person completes a brief online registration form, the kiosk dispenses a test kit that includes a nasal swab, like other at-home tests, and instructions on collecting the specimen. Once the specimen is collected, it is safely packaged back into the kit and placed in the kiosk. The specimens are picked up daily and sent to an accredited lab for PCR testing.

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August 5, 2022 Upcoming Events

Henry County Fire Rescue is once again hosting the Citizens’ Fire Academy! It will takes place from September 1- October 27 on Thursday evenings from 5:30 pm -7:30 pm. Slots are limited.

For more information or to register, contact Torrie Story at 770-288-6641 or tstory@co.henry.ga.us.

henrycounty-ga.com

Parks and Recreation Hosts Chess Summer Open

Henry County Chess Summer in McDonough.

62 competitors

Parks and Recreation hosted its Open on July 20th at Heritage Park The eight hour tournament featured from across the Southern Cresent

competing in a five-round bout that tested skill, knowledge and speed. The Chess Fall Open will take place on November 5 at 11 a.m. at Heritage Park.

Registration is open to the public at www.hcprd.org.

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August 5, 2022 Board Approves Agreements and Purchases

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved several resolutions at the July 19 Commission meeting. Items approved include: • Courts resolution: A grant award from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in the amount of $135,750 to fund Functional Family Therapy during FY23.

• Financial Services resolutions: For the purchase of 150 2022 Ford Utility Police Interceptors from Wade Ford of Smyrna, Georgia in the amount of $7,526,198 for the Police Department through a state contract using SPLOST V Fleet Replacement Funds.

• Police Department resolutions: An amount of $2,000 from the United States Secret Service for the

henrycounty-ga.com

Henry County Police Department’s participation in the Electronic Crimes Task Force and approval of the accompanying budget; Approved Bid Award #22-61 to Celebrity Fencing, Ellenwood, GA for fencing and gating for the Henry County Public Safety Complex in the amount of $105,500 to be paid out of Seized Fund Account.

• Stormwater resolution: Authorized payment to The Metro North Georgia Water Planning District for annual dues in the amount of $60,178.

For a full list of items passed or to view the meeting in its entirety, visit co.henry.ga.us/watchTV or log on to the Henry County Facebook page.

Board Approves FY22 Action Plans for Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership Plans

At its Tuesday meeting, the Henry County Board of

Sagnot also noted that an additional $190,224.48

Commissioners unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2022

was being reprogrammed from a previous allocation of CDBG

Action Plans related to the Community Development Block

specific to COVID relief. The County initially over-estimated

Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership (HOME)

the costs of administration and are now re-dedicating those

programs.

funds to public services.

Both CDBG and HOME are funded by the U.S.

While Henry has been given CDBG dollars since

Department of Housing & Urban Development, with the

2012, this is the first year it has received funding through

County’s annual allotment determined through a formula

HOME. Of the $512,877 awarded, nearly half will be used

that takes population, income levels and housing stock into

for down payment assistance. Other funds will go to tenant

account. This year, Henry received $1,042,369 and $512,877

based rental assistance as well as assistance to community

respectively as part of the two initiatives.

housing development organizations.

The Board heard a presentation from the County’s

County Chair Carlotta Harrell noted the importance

Director of Community Development, Shannan Sagnot. In

of getting these much-needed dollars into the hands of

her remarks, she outlined spending line items.

residents facing rising costs in a down economy.

Infrastructure improvements for things like water,

“You have a lot of individuals that are renting, and

sewers, sidewalks and streets constitute $603,896 of the

when it’s time to renew their lease, they are going up on the

$1,042,369 CDBG allotment. What remains will go to façade

rent $100, $200 or even $300,” said Harrell. “If you are on a

improvements for small businesses, public services such

fixed income or have a minimum wage job, $100 makes a

as food bank and rental assistance, as well as the costs of

difference on whether you can stay in your apartment or

administration.

home.”

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August 5, 2022

CDBG Action Plan - continued from page 5

District IV Commissioner Vivian Thomas added, “If we are going to be of assistance getting people to a better place, we need to give them the opportunity to rebuild. We will help them with this step so they can absorb new costs.”

Sagnot believes that the down payment assistance set aside will be key in helping Henry residents purchase a home. She also lauded the programs flexibility.

“The big difference [compared to other grant programs] is that individual households are not limited in home henrycounty-ga.com

selection,” she said. “They get to look on the open market…we’ll have a list of approved banks they can go through.”

The last topic of conversation was homelessness.

Specifically, District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons wants to see the County grow its commitment in this area.

“I would like to see that Henry County is doing something for the homeless population,” she said.

Federal guidelines restrict spending of HOME funds to permanent or transitional housing. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is more flexible. The County may be able to use some of its ARPA allotment to invest in homeless services.

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