Jenkins County property owners will soon receive their 2009 tax notices in the mail, but those notices will not include a fire protection fee. During the Tuesday, Oct. 6, meeting, of the Jenkins County Commissioners, Chairman James Henry recommended an alternative course of action to deal with a previous request from volunteer fire departments seeking financial assistance from the county.

Chairman Henry reported that funding for the approximately $50,000 needed by the fire departments was available from another source, and he recommended taking that route due to time limitations in getting the tax bills out to property owners. The possibility of imposing a fire protection fee in the future was not ruled out.

Chairman Henry suggested that each fire station be appropriated funds annually, that if not fully used, could be carried over into the next fiscal year. These funds could be used as matching local funds for grants the departments might be seeking.

After discussion of the matter, the commissioners approved allocation of the funds to the fire departments in January 2010.

In a related matter, Chairman Henry reported that he was working closely with representatives from the volunteer fire departments to develop a volunteer firefighters' contract which the entire commission would review when prepared by the county attorney. Once approved by the commissioners, the agreement would be sent to the volunteer fire departments for their review and approval.

In other action, a request from the Jenkins County Tax Commissioner for employee overtime was approved with instructions for the tax commissioner to proceed in the most economical manner and to consider the employment of parttime personnel in the future rather than seeking overtime compensation.

Angie Cooper, Georgia Department of Transportation area engineer, presented the commissioners with a new Local Governmental Services and Resources Manual.

She reported that the DOT was waiting for approval of environmental documents relating to replacement of the Herndon Bridges and that funding for the project was not scheduled until 2014. Chairman Henry noted that the commissioners were asking for reconsideration of the funding schedule with hopes of receiving stimulus funds.

Cooper said that completion of paving work on U.S. Highway 25, south of the Ogeechee River Bridges, should be completed by Christmas with both lanes of the Savannah River Parkway open to travel. Work would then concentrate on construction taking place through the City of Millen.