Jeffrey “Jeff” Dean Ezell has been hired as the new director of Grady County Animal Control and will replace veteran director Shawn Mobley, who resigned earlier this year.
Ezell will begin his new duties effective April 1, according to Grady County administrator J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III.
Following a brief closed door session Tuesday morning, the Grady County Commission voted 4-0 to employ Ezell as the new animal control director at a starting salary of $38,000. Commissioner Ray Prince abstained from the vote due to a potential conflict of interest.
Ezell is the pastor of Long Branch Baptist Church, and is currently a bus driver for the Grady County Board of Education and a part-time worker for Cole Prince of C&R Farms.
From 1995 through 2016, he was employed by Southern States Agriculture and continued to work with the firm until the Cairo branch was shuttered.
“We are pleased to have Mr. Ezell join our team. The board and I have plans to improve how our animal control division operates and we believe Mr. Ezell can help us achieve our goals,” the county administrator said Tuesday.
Ezell and Andy Barber make up the Animal Control department of county government.
In other business Tuesday, the board:
Approved the probation services agreement between Grady Superior Court and Judicial Alternatives of Georgia Inc. JAG is the current probation services contractor and based on the recommendation of Chief Judge J. Kevin Chason, the firm will continue to serve in that capacity through Dec. 31, 2025.
Accepted the lone bid of $65,250 from CalMart Inc. for 1,200 tons of lime rock and 750 tons of crushed asphalt for the new Bunn Lane manned garbage site located just west of Whigham.
Approved the fee of auditor Perry L. Henry, LLC to conduct the 2021 financial audit of the county at a cost not to exceed $44,095, which administrator Johnson said is less than in previous years.
Reappointed Steven Childs and Eric Cohen to the Grady County Lake Authority, both for a three-year term.
