August 29, 2022 Board of Commissioners Regular Meetings September 7, 9:00 a.m. (Wednesday due to holiday) September 20, 6:30 p.m. Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular ChartermeetingsCommissionairdailyonHenryTVChannel180at9a.m.&7p.m.Pleasevisit henrycountyonline.com for more viewing options including Facebook and YouTube. 1
In reviewing the numbers, Edwards declared them to be “remarkable,” before speaking
“When you look at the dynamics of what we’ve just come through…2020 and 2021 were very tough years across this country, this globe, this area,” said Edwards. “And you all weathered the storm very nicely.”
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In fact, Henry County operated at a surplus of $77 million in the previous fiscal year. The government now holds $1.6 billion in assets. Roughly $1 billion of that is the value of existing infrastructure such as facilities and capital assets. While it holds a comparatively small $482 million in liabilities. The largest portion of that is made of outstanding revenue bonds held by the water authority followed by pension and health insurance liabilities to municipal employees.
FY21 Audit Finds Henry County is in Remarkable
Fiscal Position Miller Edwards, an Auditor with the firm Mauldin and Jenkins, presented the findings of the County’s Fiscal Year 2021 audit at the August 16 regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of the Commissioners. The verdict was overwhelmingly positive.
henrycounty-ga.com P UBLISHED BY Henry County Communications & Public Information Department Henry County Government E DITORS Nicholas Ivey Melissa Robinson G RA P HIC D ESI G NER Meredith Butler L AYOUT D ESI G NER Meredith Butler C ONTRIBUTORS MelissaNicholasRobinsonIvey August 29, 2022 henrycounty-ga.com/SeeClickFix SEE CLICK FIX
3 to what the strength of the County’s position might mean amid any future economic uncertainty. “We keep hearing about recession,” Edwards said. “You’re in a good place to weather such storms…You’ve got the capacity and financial strength to do just about anything you need to do. And that’s a great place to be.” The review was deemed a “clean audit,” meaning all documentation was in order. And for the 18th straight year, Henry County was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association. FY21 Audit- continued from page 1 Miyo
The virtual meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 12:00 PM. Advanced Registration is requested but not required.Visit the Henry County Government website to register.
henrycounty-ga.com August 29, 2022 You’re Invited to A Virtual Public Meeting
Henry County is parterning with Griffin & Strong, P.C. to complete a Disparity study to determine if inequities exist in procurement and contracting that have adversely affected qualified, interested and available Minority-owned businesses (MBES); Women-owned businesses (WBES) and Disadvantaged businesses (DBES), and to calculate the percentage of funds spent with those firms over the past four years. The purpose of this public meeting is to listen to the experiences of of the local community in doing business or attempting to do business with Henry County Government.
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Henry County to Host National Rated Chess Tournaments
“We are constantly thinking of new initiatives to make all the citizens of Henry County feel included in activities,” White added.
White also said Parks and Recreation is constantly implementing new activities for people who may have interests outside of sports.
For more information on Henry County Parks and Recreation or to register for the Chess Fall Open, please visit www.hcprd.org.
“This validated our tournaments, as it gives us the national legitimacy that makes us comparable to entities across the nation. We can now offer what other places can right here in Henry County.” said White Parks and Recreation hosts five chess tournaments per year as well as four chess opens that run concurrently with the seasons of the year. The Chess Fall Open will take place on Saturday, November 5 at 11:00 am at Heritage Park in McDonough. All are welcome.
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Thomas White, Special Events Coordinator for Henry County Parks and Recreation, recently earned certification as a Club Tournament Director for the United States Chess Federation.
Henry County can now host nationally rated Chess tournaments to continue to grow its new chess program.
henrycounty-ga.com August 29, 2022 Upcoming Events Mark your calendars! Stop in for a story time with Henry County First Responders, then see and touch real emergency responder vehicles!
• Reappointed Jessica Stormer to the Department of Families & Children Services for a term of 5 years, expiring on August 16, 2027.
• Leisure Services resolution – Bid awarded to Georgia Umpires Association for Adult Softball Umpires at Heritage Park in the amount of $51,000.
For more information or to view the meeting in its entirety, visit co.henry.ga.us/watchTV or log on to the Henry County Facebook page.
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Board Approves Agreements and Purchases
• Fire Department resolution – The purchase of Zoll AutoPulse Extended Warranty from Zoll Medical Corporation in the amount of $67,200.
• Department of Transportation resolution – Bid awarded to E.R. Snell for the Purchase of Plant Mix Asphalt for the Henry County Department of Transportation.
• Police Department resolution – Bid awarded to Mobile Communications America, Inc. for the annual contract for the Re-certification and Repair of LIDAR and RADAR Speed Detection Devices.
The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved several resolutions at the August 16 Commission meeting. Items approved include:
Johnson said the new machine has been utilized
“Monkeypox is a zoonotic virus that causes symptoms similar to, but less severe than smallpox. The virus is native to Africa, vaccines have decreased in the region and as a result the virus has begun to appear in unvaccinated individuals from the region,” explained “TheseStephens.adults will be inclined to travel causing the virus to spread to countries that did not have originated cases Monkeypoxbefore,”.is spread through close, direct contact, such as contact with infectious rash, scabs or body fluids and through respiratory secretions during prolonged face to face contact or intimate physical contact.
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According to officials, as of August 15, Monkeypox has been on an upward trend as there have been a total of 11,177 confirmed cases of Monkeypox in the United States with the Georgia Dept. of Health confirming 851 cases in the state, primarily in the metro-Atlanta area.
Meanwhile, Johnson said the county has seen a downward trend in COVID-19 since the most recent
Lead Epidemiologist Donovan Stephens explained what Monkeypox is and how the virus is transmitted.
The DPH District 4, which encompasses 13 counties including Henry, has confirmed 36 cases of Monkeypox.
“Ouruptick.current positivity rate is 25.3 percent, which is a 2 percent drop in the last seven days. Our hospitalization is averaging 20-25 patients at this time,” said Johnson.
henrycounty-ga.com
Deputy Director of Emergency Management Kevin Johnson along with Department of Public Health officials Xavier Crockett and Donovan Stephens provided an update to the County Commission at the August 16 regular meeting by providing a brief update on both Monkeypox and COVID-19 in Henry County.
County Provides Monkeypox and COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 testing is currently being offered at Red Hawk Park in McDonough as well as the new 24-hour COVID-19 vending machine located at the Henry County Public Safety Complex.
“Our current vaccination status is 51 percent which surpasses our original goal of a 50 percent vaccination rate.”
9 August 29, 2022 frequently in the two weeks since it launched and the county’s vaccination rate is higher than 50 percent.
“In the past two weeks the COVID-19 vending machine has been utilized 26 times by our citizens,” Johnson told the Commissioners.
Red Hawk Park offers COVID-19 Testing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. For more information on Monkeypox and COVID-19 as well as state services available in Henry County, please visit www.district4health.org/locations/henry-county/.
Monkeypox Update - continued from page 8
