McDuffie County meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

McDuffie County Board to weigh street lighting, water fees, and FY27 budget

McDuffie County officials this month took up a range of items, including a proposed street lighting ordinance, water and sewer connection fees, and a work session on the fiscal year 2027 budget. The Board of Commissioners also held a public hearing on disaster recovery funding. Minutes for these meetings have not yet been published, so the outcomes of the discussions are not available.

Board of Commissioners: street lighting, water fees, and more

At its Aug. 18 regular meeting, the Board of Commissioners was scheduled to consider a first reading of Ordinance 2026-004 on street lighting. The agenda also included a change order for a football tower, approval of a food service agreement, and an agreement with Jefferson County for work detail. The board was also set to discuss water sewer connection fees and to enter executive session for personnel, real estate, and potential litigation.

The meeting included a public hearing and a period for public input, according to the agenda.

FY27 budget work session

Also on Aug. 18, the Board of Commissioners held a work session dedicated to the fiscal year 2027 budget. No other substantive items were listed on that agenda.

Public hearing on disaster recovery funding

On Aug. 14, the board held a public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. The hearing was the sole item on the agenda and took place at 10 a.m. in the Government Complex Commissioner Room.

Forward McDuffie Board hears agency updates

On Aug. 11, the Forward McDuffie Board met for a procedural session with no new business. The board heard updates from the Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Development Authority, the County, the City, and Archway. The agenda also included approval of minutes.

Recreation Department discusses director position

On Aug. 12, the Thomson-McDuffie Recreation Advisory Board met to approve its agenda and June minutes, receive a staff report on recent and upcoming programs, and discuss recommendations for the Recreation Director position. The discussion covered preferred vision, direction, qualifications, and compensation for the role.

Coming up

No upcoming meetings are listed for the next 14 days.

McDuffie County board addresses CDBG-DR funds, audit, and infrastructure in recent meetings

Over the past two weeks, the McDuffie County Board of Commissioners and other county bodies held several meetings covering disaster recovery funding, the annual audit, infrastructure, and administrative items. Minutes for all recent meetings have not yet been published, so official outcomes are pending.

Board of Commissioners work session (Aug. 3)

The board met in a work session to review a resolution related to Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, SPLOST reimbursements for the Town of Dearing, the FY 2025 annual audit, and water and sewer infrastructure updates. No votes were taken at this session.

Board of Commissioners regular meeting (Aug. 5)

At its regular meeting, the board considered approving Resolution 2026-015 for CDBG-DR funds and received a presentation on the FY 2025 audit. Other items on the agenda included an Animal Control Officer report, disposal of county fleet property, a work order for Atlas, and a special event permit for the gym parking lot on Sept. 16, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The agenda listed these as consideration items; no vote results are available.

CDBG-DR public hearing (Aug. 14)

The board held a public hearing on Friday, Aug. 14, at 10 a.m. in the Government Complex Commissioner Room. The sole agenda item was the CDBG-DR public hearing; no other business was listed.

Other recent meetings

• **Board of Assessors (Aug. 7):** The board approved its agenda, minutes from July 10, 2026, an administrative error and release report, and the ACO Report. No other substantive items were listed.
• **Forward McDuffie Board (Aug. 11):** A procedural meeting with no new business. The board heard updates from the Chamber of Commerce (Rodney Reeves/Kenya Calhoun), CVB (Amy Sutter/Elizabeth Vance), Development Authority (Steve Dwyer), County (Brandon Burton), City (Teresa Smith/Ed Darby), and Archway (Sarah Adams), and approved minutes.
• **Recreation Advisory Board (Aug. 12):** The board approved its agenda and June minutes, received a staff report on recent and upcoming programs (including DYB Allstar recap, project updates, fall season, registration numbers, and addition of fall baseball/softball), and discussed recommendations for the Recreation Director position, including vision, direction, qualifications, and compensation.

All of these meetings were listed as agenda-only, with minutes not yet published.

Coming up

• **Board of Commissioners regular meeting (Aug. 18):** The board will hold a public hearing and consider a first reading of Ordinance 2026-004 on street lighting, a change order for a football tower, a food service agreement, and an agreement with Jefferson County for work detail. The board will also discuss water sewer connection fees and enter executive session for personnel, real estate, and potential litigation.
• **Board of Commissioners budget work session (Aug. 18):** A separate work session will discuss the FY27 budget. No other items are listed.

McDuffie County board takes up budget, disaster recovery funds; minutes pending

The McDuffie County Board of Commissioners held two work sessions and a regular meeting over the past two weeks, addressing the FY27 budget, a disaster recovery grant resolution, and the FY 2025 audit. Official minutes have not yet been published, so no final votes or decisions are available at this time.

Budget work sessions

The board met July 27 for a work session dedicated to the FY27 budget, with no other new business listed. A second budget work session is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Disaster recovery and other business

At an Aug. 3 work session, commissioners reviewed several items, including Resolution 2026-015 related to Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, SPLOST reimbursements for the Town of Dearing, the FY 2025 annual audit, and water and sewer infrastructure updates.

The regular meeting on Aug. 5 included on its agenda:

• Consideration to approve Resolution 2026-015 for CDBG-DR funds
• FY 2025 audit presentation
• Consideration to dispose of county fleet property
• Consideration to approve a work order for Atlas
• Consideration to approve a special event at the gym parking lot on Sept. 16, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

No vote tallies or dollar amounts were listed in the available agenda materials.

Coming up

• **Aug. 11** – Forward McDuffie Board meeting. Procedural, with updates from the Chamber of Commerce, CVB, Development Authority, County, City, and Archway, plus approval of minutes.
• **Aug. 14, 10:00 a.m.** – CDBG-DR public hearing in the Government Complex Commissioner Room. Sole agenda item is the CDBG-DR public hearing.
• **Aug. 18** – FY27 budget work session for the Board of Commissioners.

Residents interested in the county budget or the disaster recovery grant process may want to attend the public hearing or the budget work session.

McDuffie County Board to consider $2 million school gym renovation award; recent meetings await minutes

McDuffie County residents have several government meetings to track this week, with the most consequential item coming up July 21 when the Board of Commissioners considers awarding $2 million for a school gymnasium renovation funded through the CDBG-DR program.

None of the county's recent committee and board meetings have published minutes yet, so outcomes from those sessions are not available. What follows is based on the published agendas.

Board of Commissioners — July 21

The Board of Commissioners has the busiest upcoming agenda. Items scheduled for discussion or action include:

• **Award of $2 million for CDBG-DR school gymnasium renovation** — the largest dollar item on any current agenda.
• **Variance application for 3630 Bethany Court, Dearing** (parcel 0065D031, R-2 zoning) to allow construction of a storage structure on a parcel without an existing primary structure. The Planning Commission took up the same variance request at its July 7 meeting; minutes from that session are not yet published.
• **Temporary one-day alcohol license** for the 32nd Annual Blind Willie McTell Festival.
• **Use of Government Center Grounds** for the Camellia City Festival on Oct. 24, 2026.
• **Verida DHS Subcontractor Agreement for FY27.**

Rock House Preservation Advisory Committee — July 7

This committee met to discuss old and new business. Agenda items included parcels for acquisition, a road update, an RFP, and a grant submittal. No minutes have been published, so it is not yet known what actions were taken on any of these items.

Planning Commission — July 7

The Planning Commission's only new business item was the variance request for 3630 Bethany Court in Dearing, the same item now appearing on the July 21 Board of Commissioners agenda. The parcel is zoned R-2. Minutes are not yet published.

Land Bank Authority — July 9

The Land Bank Authority was scheduled to approve meeting minutes from May 14, 2026, and review May and June bank statements. The agenda also included an update on funding, with no specifics provided, and an update on tax properties — none were reported. No property sales or acquisitions were listed.

Board of Assessors — July 10

The Board of Assessors was scheduled to consider several property assessment and exemption items, including:

• A homestead exemption recommendation retroactive to 2025, pertaining to James Bridges.
• Approval of the WinGAP 2026-2027 annual membership invoice.
• Conservation use land values approval list.
• Forest Land Protection Act land use values approval list.
• 2026 real property notice of assessment approval list.

Minutes are not yet published, so it is not known which items were approved.

Coming up

• **July 21 — Board of Commissioners:** The $2 million CDBG-DR school gymnasium renovation award and the 3630 Bethany Court variance are the items most likely to affect residents directly. The meeting also covers festival licensing and grounds use for community events later this year.

Residents seeking confirmed outcomes from the July 7, 9, and 10 meetings should watch for published minutes, which were not available as of this report.