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County's audit shows surplus

• The Dougherty County Police Department recognizes its top officers during a county commission meeting.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — The Dougherty County Commission received an “unqualified” or “clean” opinion from the Mauldin & Jenkins CPA firm on the commission’s fiscal year 2006-07 audit Monday morning. The audit revealed that the commission had an end-of-the-year fund balance of $18.3 million.

“What the audit says is that you are doing a good job of managing the county’s money,” Meredith Lipson, a partner with the Mauldin & Jenkins firm, told commissioners during their work session.

Despite economic woes that plagued the region through the fiscal year, the audit revealed that “because of underspending and higher revenue collections than anticipated ... revenues exceeded expenditures by $952,172.”

“We’re obviously very pleased at the outcome of the audit,” Commissioner Lamar Hudgins, chair of the commission’s finance committee, said after the meeting. “I think what this does is point up the fact that we have the best staff in the world. Those guys — the administrator (Richard Crowdis) and (finance director) Karen (Goff) — are very diligent about the county’s finances.

“What the commission and the finance committee do is try our best to keep our finger on the pulse of the budget during our quarterly meetings to make sure there are no surprises. I think the economic picture over the last year makes this news even sweeter.”

Commissioners also discussed a resolution proposed by Dougherty County Police Chief Don Cheek that will bring speed limits on certain roads in the county into compliance with Department of Transportation regulations in order to obtain an updated radar permit for the county.

“We need to update our existing ordinance so that we’re allowed to use our radar on certain roads in unincorporated areas,” Cheek told the commission. “We actually had an officer who passed a car that registered 90 miles per hour on the radar, but we couldn’t make a case because we can’t use our radar on that particular road.”

Cheek addressed commissioners moments after handing out awards to DCP Officer of the Year Russ Snow, Support Staff Officer of the Year Lataria Candidate and staff “Top Gun” Clayton Bryant.

“If he yells ‘stop,’ you’d better stop,” Cheek said of Bryant. “He hits what he aims at.”

Other issues addressed by the commission were approval of qualifying fees for 2008 elections, currently set at $288 for commissioners in districts 1, 3 and 5 and $90 for Board of Education members in the same districts; the declaration of county property as surplus for online sales; appointment of several board memberships; and the renewal of employment agreements between the county and both Cheek and Crowdis.

During discussion of a one-day alcohol license sought for a fundraiser by Girls Inc., Commissioner Muarlean Edwards questioned utilizing a wine tasting and art show event to raise funds for an organization that works with young girls.

“That concerns me,” Edwards said. “If there is a fundraiser for a particular group, I would think members of that group should be a part of it. I question the wisdom of allowing an event with alcoholic beverages to raise funds for Girls Inc.

“I’d be glad to look at and consider another type of fundraiser.”

The commission also discussed a one-day alcohol license for the Downtown Merchants Association to be used during the Snickers Marathon March 1 and heard Crowdis’ recommendation of reallocating Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax III, IV and V funds to finance a portion of the Oxford Trailhead project that became necessary when a proposed $100,000 grant was defaulted due to noncompliance and $300,000 in additional funds for the county’s new Public Works facility.

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