MOULTRIE, Ga. (WALB) — Members of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Airport Authority voted to keep former Chairman Mike Boyd on as a member, nearly one year after he apologized for not disclosing what he called a “vested interest” in a company the authority paid for using T-SPLOST funds.

WALB previously reported that in October 2024, the authority entered into a “verbal contract” with WoCo Enterprises LLC for spraying and mowing services. The authority’s then-attorney told the board on June 5, 2025, that he had learned Boyd had been listed as an organizer of WoCo on the Georgia Secretary of State’s website.

Boyd voted in for another member’s term

According to a meeting summary from the authority’s June 4, 2026, meeting, Boyd “was the only authority member whose term was expiring at the end of June.”

Authority members decided to vote on his position, even after some raised questions about advertising the opening first.

“I’m not going to serve out a full term,” Boyd said during the discussion of refilling the expiring seat. “I won’t guarantee you a full term. I won’t do it.”

Boyd added he would stay long enough to train his replacement as chairman.

A board member asked whether Boyd would consider training his replacement in his role as a county commissioner, rather than as an authority member, but Boyd said, “I think you need to be here and a part of the board to direct it,” according to a recording of the June 4 meeting.

Another meeting attendee was nominated for the member-at-large seat but did not receive enough votes to replace Boyd. Boyd has been chairman of the airport authority since 2018, according to the Thomasville Times-Enterprise.

Authority forms committee to research potential audit

Also, during the June 4, 2026, meeting, the authority created a committee to research a potential forensic audit. This follows county commissioners’ recent discussion of an audit, citing questions raised by the public after WALB’s previous reporting.

Commissioners also discussed amending the authority’s Enabling Act to prohibit county commissioners from serving on the authority due to possible “conflicts of interest.”

Commissioner Lester Castellow said commissioners discussed the difference between a standard audit and a forensic audit, including concerns about cost and the level of detail reviewed.

“My concern is it’s going to be really, really expensive,” Castellow said, adding he expected a forensic audit could “look at every single transaction rather than just taking random transactions.”

During the discussion, members floated a cost range, with one saying, “I’m thinking 50,000 to 100,000…,” though no formal estimate was presented at the meeting. The County Commission previously said it would not pay for the audit.

Boyd wanted the forensic audit to examine at least the last two years, but the authority members said they hoped the audit would go back through the entire T-SPLOST period, which dates back to 2022.

Boyd said he agreed but said, “You gotta remember, we’ve got to watch the budget too.”

Castellow also tied the issue to the next countywide T-SPLOST cycle, emphasizing public confidence: “We’ve got a new T-SPLOST coming up next year, and the commissioners don’t have to give the airport authority anything,” he said, adding it would be important for the authority to show it is being “good stewards of the money.”

Boyd calls WALB’s earlier story “half the truth,” saying he felt targeted. Boyd said he supported an audit to show funds were used properly, but criticized how the situation was presented publicly.

“When this article pulled out T-SPLOST, that was half the truth, as I call it,” Boyd said, arguing the authority’s funding and spending were being misconstrued, according to the June 4, 2026, meeting recording.

Boyd also suggested the issue had been reignited intentionally: “Somewhere along the line, somebody crawled to Channel 10 and put me as a target,” he said. “And I was… That hurt me. That hurt my family... It hurt this airport authority and this county.”

Editor’s Note: WALB previously reported the funds paid under the verbal contract to WoCo came from T-SPLOST because that is what was reflected in the authority’s meeting minutes and recordings from October 2024 and June 2025. In the June 2025 meeting recording, when asked how WoCo was paid, Boyd said the money would have had to come from T-SPLOST, rentals or ad valorem taxes, but said it likely was not from rentals because “that’s maintenance for the field.” The October 2024 meeting minutes explicitly stated “spraying and mowing are paid for through TSPLOST funds.”

Board leadership changes

According to the June 4, 2026, minutes, the authority voted to re-elect officers ahead of the new fiscal year.

When Bobby Blank was nominated for chair, Boyd said he would suggest “someone younger” and proposed Brent Maule for the position, clarifying it was “nothing against Bobby,” as they were nearly the same age.

Boyd said the “Maule last name” would mean something when seeking funds for the authority due to Maule Air’s status in the community. Maule received the most votes for chairman. Blank was immediately re-elected as secretary.

Spraying and mowing contracts: advertising and bid details discussed

The June 4, 2026, meeting also included a discussion about future bids for spraying and mowing services—the same services tied to Boyd’s earlier controversy.

Boyd said future bid specifications should be more detailed. He said vegetation and spraying affect the authority’s ability to maintain and inspect airport perimeter fencing and said spraying near lights matters because ants can damage LED fixtures.

The board decided to start the bid advertising process now “so that we don’t have immediate votes,” one member said, pointing to the process they used when voting on members and officers earlier in the meeting.

Castellow offered to help draft a request for bid proposals, noting the authority does not have staff dedicated to procurement and would need board input on “specific requirements.”

The authority’s audit research committee is expected to present its findings at the next scheduled meeting. This story will be updated as that research is reviewed. Stay with WALB for updates.

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