Long County rescinds $10 surplus truck sale and delays health-board appointment after public objections

Members of the public prompted the Long County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 18 to reverse two prior unanimous votes and to reconsider process for certain administrative actions.

County Manager Chuck Scragg told the board a surplus 1995 Ford F‑150 had been inoperable for about six years and fell below the value threshold requiring a public auction under Georgia law; he requested approval to sell the vehicle to the county’s chief mechanic for $10.00, and Commissioners initially approved the sale. The county also initially appointed Taylor Hodges to the Long County Board of Health to fill a consumer‑representative vacancy.

During the public‑comment period, Gloria Sweet "questioned the fairness and transparency of selling a surplus vehicle to the County's Chief Mechanic for $10.00" and said prior cases had required HOA approval before Board consideration. Following her remarks, Commissioner Gerald Blocker moved to rescind the sale and instead put the vehicle out for bid; the motion passed unanimously.

Later in public comment Lisa Ruise said the Board of Health vacancy had been advertised through Nov. 21, 2025 and that voting to appoint before the application deadline was premature. The commission then rescinded the Hodges appointment by unanimous vote. The hardship request to place a small building at 171 Deerfield Drive had been approved earlier; the county attorney said there was no clear evidence an HOA exists and that the county is not legally bound by any HOA, and the board took no action to rescind the hardship approval.

The board did not adopt a new process in the meeting but removed both the direct sale and the appointment from the record and redirected the surplus vehicle to be handled via public bid.