By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Money matters: City OKs airport budget, $271K in HUD funding
Placeholder Image

The Hinesville City Council on Thursday approved its $30,031 portion of the MidCoast Regional Airport budget for fiscal year 2012.

The MCRA’s Joint Management Board, responsible for supervising the airport’s civilian operations, asked its three funding entities to approve a proposed 2012 budget of $527,795. Along with the city of Hinesville, the Liberty County Development Authority and the Liberty County Board of Commissioners had to approve the JMB’s proposed budget. The LCDA and the BOC both approved the budget in June.

Hinesville City Manager Billy Edwards informed the council the JMB managed to save the city $2,000 by having fuel filters changed by in-house labor.

The council also approved allocating a total of $271,424 in HUD entitlement funds to city housing programs and projects, with $40,713 of the total distributed to six local public service agencies. The award allocations were recommended by the Public Service Agency Application Review Board and the city’s Community Development Department.

Mayor Pro Tem Charles Frasier and Councilman David Anderson abstained from voting on funding the youth mentoring organization Eleven Black Men of Liberty County, of which they are members. The other five agencies that received funding included Liberty Regional Medical Center, for providing medical transportation to indigent individuals, Senior Citizens Inc., Kirk Healing Center, Helen’s Haven and Scott’s All Stars. Scott’s All Stars is a new youth-mentoring organization that aims to improve the grades of at-risk-youth while involving them in athletics, specifically basketball, according to Hinesville Community Development Department Assistant Director Donita Gaulden.

A seventh agency, the Grow-A-Girl Network, withdrew its request for funding because the founder plans to relocate the organization to Atlanta, Gaulden said.

In other city business:

• The council ratified a sales agreement with Savannah Communications to buy radios for Hinesville and Liberty County’s fire departments. The radios were paid for in part with a $957,068 federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant and a required match of $239,267 by Liberty County.

• The council approved submitting a grant application to the Bureau of Justice Assistance for $7,247.50 to buy 25 bulletproof vests for the Hinesville Police Department. The city’s required match is $3,623.75, which will be paid out of the 2012 general fund budget.

• Council members resolved to submit a grant application to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Service to fund a two-day "Stand Down" event, which will be held Nov.11-12, contingent on the city receiving the $10,000 grant award. The event will provide an estimated 175 homeless veterans in the community an opportunity to reintegrate into the workforce, Hinesville grant writer Michelle Lane said. Lane told council members the funds will help provide these veterans food, clothing, shelter, housing and employment assistance. "Since January 2009, the Homeless Prevention Program has served 20 homeless Hinesville veterans," Lane said.

• The council also resolved to submit a $20,536 grant application to the Bureau of Justice Assistance for five digital video mirrors to be placed in police cars and 13 wearable video cameras for police officers.

Sign up for our e-newsletters