April 11, 2024, Camden County Commission meeting at 10:00 a.m.

I attended the April 11, 2024, Camden County Commission meeting at 10:00 a.m.

Commissioners Gohagan and Skelton were present.

The Daniel Jones Services for 2023 Audit agenda item was removed from the agenda because Daniel Jones is already under contract with the county.

The first agenda item was Discuss Speed Limit Change for Southern Cherokee Drive-Requested by Resident.

A resident spoke before the Commission and asked that the speed limit on South Cherokee Drive be reduced to 25 MPH. It seems that there is a lady who drives recklessly and too fast on their street. She hit his mother’s dog with her car.

Presiding Commissioner Skelton observed that the unposted speed limits on county gravel roads are already 35 MPH. He wondered if posting the 35 MPH sign would encourage drivers to slow down?

The resident didn’t believe that would work. Apparently, the crazy-driving lady would be more impressed by a 25 MPH sign.

Commissioner Skelton explained that changing the speed limit on a road has to be enacted with an ordinance and the change needs to be discussed at three public meetings.

Another group of families were also present for a speed limit complaint, but they were asking for help dealing with speeders on Westlake Park. The speed limit on their road is 35 MPH, but people drive through the neighborhood at a minimum of 50 MPH.

The commissioners were sympathetic to the residents, but Commissioner Gohagan repeated that the Commission will have to hold three public meetings before anything can be done to address the matter.

The second agenda item was Remainder of Road and Bridge Spring Bids.

The commissioners voted unanimously to accept the remaining bids that were recommended by the Road and Bridge Department.

They accepted both bids for oil and fluids. They accepted three bids for grader and snowplow blades.

They accepted Howe’s bid for the engineering contract. This recommendation from Road and Bridge was partially based on the good work Howe has performed for the county in the past. Alpha Engineering submitted a bid, but the Road and Bridge recommendation noted that Alpha Engineering was not on the MODOT list for BRO projects. (I’m guessing BRO stands for Off-System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation.)

The third agenda item was Library Board Appointment – Nancy Pope.

She will be replacing former board member Bill Mundhausen who moved and now resides in a part of Sunrise Beach that is in Morgan County.

Nancy Pope was approved unanimously for the board position.

The fourth agenda item was Discuss/Approve Purchase of John Deere Equipment for Maintenance.

The Maintenance Department sold off a lot of their old equipment at the recent Camden County auction (and yes, the county did successfully sell the coffin). Maintenance wants a XUV-835M Gator and it can be purchased off the State Bid list. The price will be around $28,000.

This purchase was approved by the Commission.

The final agenda item was Discuss the County’s Contribution to National Center for Public Land Counties.

Camden County receives a federal payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) for public lands within the county. This payment is intended to offset the loss of property taxes to counties that have nontaxable federal lands within their borders. The county received $113 to offset 40 acres of public land in 2023.

Camden County also received annual payments from the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF). The National Center for Public Land Counties is asking for 1% of the money received from the LATCF as a contribution. According to the letter read by Commissioner Skelton, the county received $100,000 of these funds.

(A check of the Department of Treasury website showed that Camden County received $50,000 from LATCF in 2022 and 2023. Don’t get too excited though. $50,000 is the minimum distributed and almost every county in the United States received at least $50,000.

In fact, 2,086 local governments nationwide met the definition of an “eligible revenue sharing county.”

My cursory examination of the federal documents defining the LATCF program indicates that the LATCF was established in 2022 to provide supplemental payments to counties and other entities who receive PILT payments. While PILT only paid the county $113 in 2023, the fact that the county receives PILT lets it receive the much greater supplemental LATCF money. Participating in PILT meets the Treasury Department’s definition of “negative revenue impact due to implementation of a federal program implementation or changes to such program.”)

Further explanation of the program here.

It sounded like the National Center is positioning itself as a lobbying group for those counties that receive funds from these sources and was hoping to get some of the county’s Treasury money to pay their operating costs.

(Maybe we should give them something once they start getting us more than the minimum payment.)

The Commission wisely voted to table this and research it more before mailing the National Center a fat commission check. They probably won’t want a county check for their 1% share in thanks for getting us that big $113 PILT windfall.

And that was that.