Firefighter Jaden Lee unloading fire hose from Engine 11
Strategic Plan 2023
Throughout 2023, the Camden County Board of Commissioners, in collaboration with the staff, actively worked on implementing policy and management agendas specified in the 2023-2028-2038 Strategic Plan. Additionally, staff made progress in bringing major projects and ongoing management initiatives closer to completion.
Learn more about the 2023-2028-2038 Strategic Plan on the Camden County website at: camdencountyga.gov/StrategicPlan.
Goals 2023-2038 Financially Sound County Providing
Board of Commissioners
District 1 Commissioner and Vice-Chair Lannie Brant, District 2 Commissioner
Martin Turner, District 3 Commissioner Trevor Readdick, District 4 Commissioner
Jim Goodman, District 5 Commissioner and Chairman Ben Casey
The mission of Camden County Government is to deliver DEFINED COUNTY SERVICES with EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE in a FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE and TRANSPARENT MANNER.
Team Camden,
I encourage you to spend a few moments reading through our latest County Administrator’s Brief. This quarterly publication aims to provide you with a glimpse into the activities of your county government.
As you review the pages, kindly note the links that direct you to various sections on the Camden County website for additional details about our ongoing efforts.
Sincerely,
Shawn M. Boatright, MPA, CPM
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHTS
In June, the Camden County Board of Commissioners recognized Captain Travis Swann and EMT Ryan Shavers with Camden County Fire Rescue for their incredible work saving a pregnant mother in distress. First Coast News covered the story, and our first responders were able to meet baby Elania and reunite with mother, Katie, for the first time since responding to her E911 call weeks earlier.
In April, the Planning & Development Department’s Senior Building Inspector Petie Kemp was named Employee of the Quarter. In his multiple nominations, Petie was described as a hard worker, a happy presence, and a valuable asset for Camden County. Additionally, Petie has also earned multiple certifications through the International Code Council (ICC).
Also in June, Emergency Management Director Chuck White and Deputy Director Bill Carreira received a well-deserved surprise orchestrated by Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay representatives during a tour of the soon-to-beopened Resiliency Operations Center. Captain Christopher Bohner presented Chuck and Bill with Letters of Appreciation for their exceptional service, swift response, and emergency preparedness training. This was a significant recognition and an opportunity to highlight the partnership shared between the county and Kings Bay.
Claire Alfree (First Coast News), EMT Ryan Shavers, Captain Travis Swann, and Deputy Chief Lisa Boyett
Deputy EMA Director Bill Carreira, Captain Christopher Bohner (NSBKB), and EMA Director Chuck White
ELECTIONS SPOTLIGHT
Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, visited Camden County to recognize Camden County Elections & Registration as an EAGLE Award Recipient.
The Georgia Election Administration Golden Leader in Excellence (EAGLE) Award honors the innovations, achievements, and best practices of county election offices to ensure that safe, secure, accessible, and accurate elections are provided to Georgia’s voters.
The EAGLE Award is presented monthly in 2024 to counties that have exhibited excellence in their operations, recognizing achievements in Election Security, Innovation, Accuracy, Accessibility, and Voter Education.
2024 is a busy year for the Elections & Registration staff. Through the first half of 2024, staff completed a Presidential Preference Primary, a General Elections Primary, and a General Election Runoff. This is in addition two separate Special Elections added to the existing primaries.
The next scheduled election is the General Election on November 5, 2024. Early Voting begins in October.
From Left: Assistant Elections Supervisor Rockney Carter, Elections Technician Dennis Irvin, Elections Supervisor Shannon Nettles, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Elections Assistant Leona Fields, and Elections Assistant Deborah Felix
PUBLIC SAFETY
CAMDEN COUNTY FIRE RESCUE AND EMS
1,039 EMS Patient Transports in 2nd Quarter 2024
8 Stroke Alerts in 2nd Quarter 2024
Average Number of Daily Calls by Month
HURRICANE SEASON PREP
Camden County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) works year-round to prepare our community for potential natural and manmade disasters.
The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season is expected to be highly active. Leading up to the start of the season on June 1 and continuing on, EMA staff has been collaborating with community partners to prepare for potential impacts. In May, EMA spearheaded efforts to recognize nationwide Hurricane Preparedness Week.
The Camden County Incident Management Team (IMT) met in May to discuss preparations for the season. In June, EMA released their 2024 Hurricane Guide.
Also in June, EMA hosted a crucial meeting, bringing together emergency management and partner agencies from all coastal Georgia counties as preparations continue for the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season. This collaborative event focused on sharing best practices and discussing ongoing projects, aiming to enhance regional preparedness and response strategies.
Additionally, the meeting featured an informative hurricane season briefing from Al Sandrik of the National Weather Service Jacksonville, Florida. This briefing provided the latest updates and forecasts, equipping attendees with essential information to better prepare for and respond to potential hurricane threats.
ANIMAL CONTROL
Over 300 cats have received services through Camden County Animal Control’s Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) Program.
TNVR is the most effective and humane method of controlling feral cat population growth. TNVR should not be used to create cat colonies but should instead be used as cat colony prevention, reducing overall numbers over time.
EMERGENCY
During National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Camden County E-911 recognized Ashley Reed (below left) as Dispatcher of the Year for her hard work and dedication. Lauren Strickland (below right) received the Rachel Hodge Award for her good attitude, work ethic, and professional growth.
Above: Some of these friendly faces were offered through our NO COST adoption program.
E-911 Calls by Month
Camden County GIS updates the Planning & Development Dashboard each month. Visitors are able to see information about the number of new building permits, land use permits, accessory permits and manufactured home permits issued. Additionally, users may view the number of inspections completed and occupational taxes issued. This information is available in the Planning & Development section of the website.
Residential Final Inspections
Camden County GIS provides maps, like the Zoning Map (above) for unincorporated Camden County.
PUBLIC WORKS
FLEET SERVICES, ROADS & BRIDGES, MOSQUITO CONTROL
Blade Miles of Road Graded
Public Works personnel spend hours each month maintaining 127 miles of unpaved and 173 miles of paved public roads in unincorporated Camden County.
Heavy Equipment
Operator Justin Padgett, received Employee of the Month recognition for his positive attitude and outstanding performance in the County’s right-ofway brush clearing program.
Justin operates a boom arm mowing tractor, which can be seen throughout the County.
Fleet Services Technicians completed 152 repairs on county vehicles and equipment during the 2nd Quarter of 2024.
ENTERPRISE FUNDS
CURBSIDE COLLECTIONS, SOLID WASTE, TWO RIVERS GUN RANGE
Starting July 1, 2022, Meridian Waste, the new curbside collection contractor, began collections for unincorporated residents. Since then, customer complaints related to waste collection issues have significantly decreased compared to the previous waste provider. In the second quarter of 2024, only three (3) complaints were received.
Camden County's landfills cater to the disposal needs of municipal solid waste (MSW), as well as construction and demolition (C&D) and industrial waste.
The Solid Waste department is working towards an expansion of the MSW Landfill. Construction began during the 2nd quarter of 2024 and progress continues on the new cell.
2nd Quarter Fees by Location
at
and
Combined Tonnage at MSW and C&D
Combined Fees
MSW
C&D
Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Two Rivers Gun Range has a 10% off discount on guest passes for members and 10% off day passes for non-members for certain groups on specific days.
“Awesome range and Awesome staff! All employees willing to help sight in your rig to help you have the most accurate time!“ - Google Review
Tuesday - Ladies Day • Wednesday - Senior Citizens Day (Ages 55+) Thursday - First Responder Day* • Friday - Military Day* *Active or retired with credentials
1006 GA Hwy 110 1 Mile North of the GA 110 and GA 40 Intersection 912-510-4050 camdencountyga.gov/TwoRiversGunRange
DEPARTMENTAL HIGHLIGHTS
Registered Voters
36,425 active voters were registered with Elections & Registration in June 2024.
Open Records Portal
In the 2nd Quarter of 2024, 50 Open Records Requests have been completed through the portal.
Photo Contest
In June, Camden County announced the opportunity for local residents to enter the latest Showcase Camden County Photo Contest.
New Public Works Director
Jared Beaudoin joined Camden County Public Works as Director in May.
County Conversations
County Administrator Shawn Boatright, joined by CCFR leadership, visit personnel at county firehouses.
Citizens’ Academy
13 local residents completed the 2024 Camden County Citizens’ Academy. County Departments and some Constitutional Offices participated in the 11-session course.
Benefits Fair
Human Resources held the annual Employee Benefits Fair in May. County employees received valuable benefits and wellness information.
FINANCIALS
REVENUE
Hotel Motel Tax, LOST, and SPLOST are all collected one month in arrears.
Hotel Motel Tax collections for July 2023-May 2024 total $115,517.
Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) collections for July 2023 - May 2024 total $5,638,217, and are at 95.2% of the FY 2024 budget.
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)
VIII collections for July 2023 - May 2024 total $12,112,228, and are 100.9% of the FY 2024 Budget. SPLOST VII collections began on July 1, 2019, and will cease on June 30, 2025.
Ad Valorem Tax collections as of June 2024 total $23,452,237, and are 89.3% of the adopted FY 2024 budget. Throughout the months of February through November, the county typically does not collect a significant dollar amount on property taxes.
Ad Valorem Tax Revenue
$200,000 $400,000 $600,000 $800,000 $1,000,000 $1,200,000
$0
FUND BALANCE
Fund Balance is often referred to as “reserves” or “rainy day” funds, but is defined as the difference between revenues and expenditures of the general fund. At the start of FY 2024, Camden County’s beginning Fund Balance was $16,273,648, or 38.04% of the adopted FY 2024 budget.
GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES
General Fund expenditures totaled $43,993,650 for July 2023 - June 2024. This is 98.33% of the FY 2024 Budget.
General Government includes, but is not limited to, Board of Commissioners, Elections & Registration, Finance & Budget, Human Resources, Information Technology, Insurance, Tax Assessor, and Tax Commissioner.
It is important to note insurances are more than 50% of the General Government total for any fiscal year.
FY 2025 BUDGET
The Camden County Board of Commissioners, with help from the Finance & Budget Department, approved the FY 2025 Budget in late June. The FY 2025 Budget is available to view online.
17 total funds comprise the FY 2025 Budget, totaling $87,008,327. The five largest funds include:
General Fund - $46,480,821
SPLOST VIII - $15,924,174
Solid Waste Authority - $8,919,287
American Rescue Plan Act - $4,797,934
Unincorporated Tax District - $3,728,929
The FY 2025 Camden County Adopted Budget is available on the Camden County website at camdencountyga.gov/Finance.
The Camden County Board of Commissioners is a recipient of a $750,000 Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
This funding will provide for the development of the Camden County Joint Comprehensive Transportation Plan. This plan seeks to identify crucial infrastructure projects essential for the future. The project will create an inventory of existing conditions, assess future infrastructure needs, formulate recommendations, and produce a final transportation plan document for the community.
Camden County has many areas that pose safety risks due to narrow shoulders, poor lighting, heavy traffic, and commercial truck traffic on rural roads. The plan will include a safety audit to document known safety concerns and identify future safety risks based on projected growth. The plan will also include a public outreach process where citizens will be able to identify gaps and challenges for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Camden County is 1 of 7 projects funded in the State of Georgia and 148 funded across the country, totaling $1.8 billion. To date, over 550 projects with a cost of more than $7.2 billion have been funded through the RAISE Grant Program.
Continuing Education
In April, members of the Board of Commissioners and staff attended the ACCG Conference to gain valuable insights, complete continuing education courses, and network with county leaders to enhance our community's growth and development.
To stay at the forefront of geospatial innovation, attending the ESRI Conference is a must for GIS professionals. We are proud of GIS Manager Michael Mazih for attending and presenting at the conference. He introduced our very own Camden County GIS dashboard.
Continuing Growth
In mid-April, the Camden County Board of Commissioners, joined by other local leaders, celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Camden County Department of Health facility.
The groundbreaking event, attended by key stakeholders including representatives from the Coastal Health District, Camden Board of Health, Southeast Georgia Health System, the State, and the cities of Kingsland, St. Marys, and Woodbine, along with state and local representatives, marked the beginning of an important chapter in Camden County’s efforts to enhance public health services and accessibility for local residents. The new Camden County Department of Health facility will serve as a cornerstone in the community, providing essential healthcare services, preventative care, and health education programs to residents of all ages.
