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NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION TO CONSIDER A ONE (1%) PERCENT SPECIAL LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES TO: THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE BEN HILL COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the 16th day of March, 2021, a special election will be held at the regular polling place in ALL the elections districts of the Ben Hill County School District, at which time there will be submitted to the qualified voters of Ben Hill County, Georgia (which encompasses the School District), for their determination the question of whether an additional 1% special purpose local option sales tax for educational purposes (1% E-SPLOST) as follows: “Shall the special 1 percent sales and use tax for education currently in effect in Ben Hill County be continued for a period of time not to exceed 20 calendar quarters and for the raising of not more than $16,000,000.00 for the purposes of: (1) replacement of schools and/or construction of new schools, including any necessary demolition; (2) adding to, renovating, repairing, improving, furnishing, and /or equipping existing school buildings, including the central office, transportation and maintenance facilities, including necessary demolition; (3) adding to, constructing, renovating, furnishing, and/or equipping athletic facilities; (4) acquiring equipment, instruments and/or materials for the fine arts, vocational, physical education and athletic departments; (5) renovations, additions, and/or improvements to parking, traffic access facilities and transportation department, including paving and any necessary site work; (6) acquiring instructional and/or administrative technology equipment and materials; (7) acquiring safety, security, and/or fire protection equipment; (8) acquiring buses, vehicles, and/or transportation equipment; (9) acquiring property; and/or (10) retiring the current general obligation debt with respect to capital outlay projects of the School District (collectively, the “Projects”) ?” ( ) YES ( ) NO All qualified voters desiring to vote in favor of the continuing of the special 1% sales and use tax for education (the “Special 1% Tax”) shall vote “Yes” and all qualified voters opposed to levying the Special 1% Tax shall vote “No”. If more than one-half of the votes cast are in favor of continuing the Special 1% Tax, then the Special 1% Tax shall be imposed beginning January 1, 2022, or the first day of the calendar quarter immediately following the quarter in which the Special 1% Tax now in effect is terminated. The maximum period of time for which the Special 1% Tax shall be imposed shall be twenty (20) consecutive calendar quarters (five years). The maximum cost of the capital outlay projects for educational purposes described in the above ballot question to be funded with Special 1% Tax proceeds shall be $16,000,000.00. To the extent available, the Ben Hill County School District may combine available funds from any state or federal government al source to which the Ben Hill County School District may be entitled to pay the costs of its capital outlay projects, and the Board of Education may choose what capital outlay projects to undertake or not undertake or to delay until additional funding is available to the extent that the proceeds of the Special 1% Tax is insufficient to complete any of the capital outlay projects. Plans and specifications for the capital outlay projects described in the above ballot question have not been initiated and bids have not been received. Depending upon acquisition and construction costs and available funds, the Board of Education may add to, modify, or delete specific projects. The several places for holding said election shall be at the regular and established voting precinct s of the election districts of Ben Hill County, Georgia, and the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the date fixed for the special election. The last day to register to vote in this special election shall be February 16, 2021. Those residents of Ben Hill County, Georgia, qualified to vote at such election shall be determined in all respects in accordance with the election laws of the State of Georgia. This notice is given pursuant to a resolution of the Board of Education of Ben Hill County and a resolution of the Ben Hill County Board of Elections and Registration. /s/ Gary D. Smith, Chair Board of Education of Ben Hill County /s/ David Walker, Chairman Ben Hill County Board of Elections and Registration
Effectively immediately, we are limiting access to the public for all county buildings. All doors will be locked and monitored. We encourage you to continue doing business through e-mail, internet, or phone when at all possible. If an in-person transaction is required, please contact the appropriate department for an appointment.
The Ben Hill County Commission is responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of our community. We are taking the above-mentioned action based on guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Social distancing is the best way to prevent the spread of germs. While these actions are temporary, we feel this simple precaution is in the best interest for the community and our employees.
Thank you for working with us for a healthier Ben Hill County.
You can view a copy of the official, signed notice here.
To view a sample copy of the notices posted at each office location, click here.
For contact information, please visit our Contact Us page.
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Ben Hill County is committed to providing people with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from all the programs, services and activities the County provides or supports (e.g. employment, recreation, health care, social services, courts, voting, and public meetings.)
The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of or admission to its programs, services and activities; as required by the Title II ADA and Section 504 regulations.
Ben Hill County Manager Mike Dinnerman is responsible for insuring compliance with this policy. He can be contacted at the Ben Hill County Administration Office, 402-A East Pine Street, Fitzgerald, GA 31750, or by phone at (229) 426-5100. The alternate point of contact is Human Resource Manager Pamela Turner, at the same location.
Visitation day and time will be determined by the first letter of the inmate’s last name.
Males: Saturday
Females: Sunday
An increasing awareness of the concerns surrounding the disposal of prescription drugs has spurred a local effort to provide Ben Hill County residents with a safe place to deposit unwanted medicine. To handle the growing need, the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office has set up its own secure prescription drop box in the department for use by residents looking for a way of getting rid of medication.
Leaving expired prescriptions around the house can pose a health risk if mistakenly ingested, and parents are increasingly diligent to keep drugs out of children’s hands. Meanwhile, throwing medicine away leaves them vulnerable to animals or even humans sorting through trash. And more and more people are getting the word that flushing prescriptions down the toilet has the potential to contaminate water sources.
The drop box is located at the Sheriff’s Office 24 hours a day and is a way they can offer a secure convenient method of disposal for our citizens.
Don’t call 911 to ask when the power will be restored during outages or to report power outages.
Don’t call 911 to ask for weather reports.
Don’t call 911 for school reports such as closings.
Don’t call 911 to ask about scheduled events in Ben Hill County such as fireworks or the times of Halloween.
Don’t hang up when you call 911 in an emergency. If you get a recording stay on the line until the dispatcher answers. Hanging up will only delay the answering of your call further.
Don’t hang up if you dial 911 accidentally. Dispatchers have to call the numbers back and if no contact is made a police officer will be dispatched to your address to ensure your safety.
Don’t play with 911 or make false calls. It is a violation of the law to do so.
Don’t call 911 to request directory assistance. 411 is the correct number.
Don’t call 911 to arrange for ambulance transportation to a medical appointment.
Don’t call 911 to discuss legal problems, legal issues or questions on laws.
Don’t call 911 to ask for directions.
Why does the 911 operator ask so many questions? If I call with an emergency, time is crucial. Isn’t the operator wasting time by asking for so much information?
What if something happens to me and I can’t speak? How can 911 help me?
I have a hearing impairment and cannot communicate over a regular telephone line. What should I do if I need help in an emergency?
Can I call 911 from my cell phone?
Something else to remember about wireless 911 calls is that your location is not automatically displayed like it is from calls placed by traditional phones. Cellular technology does not yet provide for your location to be pinpointed by the 911 systems. If you are not familiar with your exact location, it is crucial that you give as much information about your surroundings as possible. If you have access to a traditional telephone in an emergency, use it. Although wireless telephone providers, the FCC, and 9-1-1 organizations are working together, we are still a few years away from making cellular 911 as effective as traditional 911 services.
Why am I charged a 911 subscriber fee on my telephone bill?
When calling from a cell phone your location is not readily known.
The following guidelines should be followed when asking for assistance or reporting an incident within Ben Hill County.
When to dial 9-1-1:
The citizens of Ben Hill County may call the Non-emergency number (229) 426-5111 to report non-urgent incidents that require a police response.
When to dial the non-emergency number:
The same dispatchers who answer the 911 calls also answer the non-emergency number, so be patient. 911 calls will be answered first then the non-emergency phone.
When to call the Sheriff, Police or Fire Departments directly.
Follow these procedures to use 911 properly.
If you would like to apply for a position with the Elections office, you can fill out this application and submit it online. You can get a physical copy of the application by contacting the elections office at the number below.
If you have questions you can contact us at (229) 426-4152.
Veterans can also apply online at the Office of the Secretary of State. The application is available here:
Poll Worker Application – Veteran