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Vol. 143, No. 18 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, June 21,2023 - $1.00
Taxpayers foot the bill as salary funds dwindle
This is part 1 of a 3-part series that
examines the depletion of detention
center salary funds.
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams has
made it clear that his department is
not going to find the money to pay
the depleted detention center salary
funds within his budget, thus leav
ing it to the BOC to make up the
difference with public funds in their
possession.
“The commission will have to find
the funding to pay for inmate hous
ing and detention center salaries,”
he stated in a June 14 email. “I do
not expect that they will allow any
employee to work without pay.”
The cost of inmate housing
The Board of Commissioners
approved another $50,000 request
during the June 13 meeting to move
funds budgeted to cover Detention
Center salaries. The money will
be used instead, to cover the costs
of housing inmates in Jefferson,
Jenkins, Washington and Glynn
Counties. Last month, the BOC
approved a budget amendment that
moved $208,111.78 from the salary
funds to cover inmate housing and
medical costs
“We will already be short after
making the July 20th payroll by
approximately $2,140,” County Fi
nancial Director Michael Wiseman
told The True Citizen last week. “In
other words, we’re not sure it will
even make the 7/20 payroll, but it
will be really close (within $2,000).”
The deficiency in salary funding
will leave the BOC to figure out how
to cover the remaining five weeks
of paychecks left in this fiscal year,
averaging $57,600 per pay period
for a total of $288,000. That total
could be higher if the BCSO submits
anymore inmate housing or budget
amendment requests next month.
Williams said he sounded the alarm
last year during budget talks about
insufficient funding and has sent the
BOC several letters asking for work
sessions to address the deficiencies.
The Sheriff told The True Citizen
that housing inmates outside of the
detention center is nothing new.
The BCSO has always housed ap
proximately 10 inmates in Jefferson
County in a “switch off’ agreement.
Emanuel County has always worked
with the department as well. Co
defendant, gang member, behavioral
and classification issues lead to the
need for relocation.
“We have always traded off and
tried to do an even ex- g^
change with it when we
could,” Williams said. FUNDS,
“We have (also) had to 5
Last week, Marcus Mogel sold fresh lemonade directly behind Burkehaven
Corner Store in order to raise funds for an upcoming trip to St. Augustine,
Florida. Waynesboro Police Chief Willie Burley enjoyed a cup while he
was out-and-about.
Chief Burley responds after
Sheriff rescinds deputization
In a June 20 letter addressed to
citizens and team members, Waynes
boro Police Chief Willie Burley said
his agency will continue to work
with the Burke County Sheriff’s
Office and that there is no animosity
between the two agencies.
This comes in spite of the fact, that
according to a June 16 letter from
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams to Burley,
members of the WPD had broken
the Sheriff’s trust and respect on
multiple occasions. As a result, he
rescinded the deputization of WPD
officers, allowing only Burley to
operate outside the City of Waynes
boro. Additionally, the Sheriff has
mandated that any matters pertaining
to investigations, that may require
WPD officers to work in the County,
must be vetted by a supervisor and
assigned to a deputy to investigate.
Most of the WPD had been depu
tized.
“I want each of you to know, I
have one hundred percent faith in the
integrity and work ethic of each of
my team members. Our number one
priority is the professional service
and safety of the citizens and visitors
of the city of Waynesboro,” Burley
said in his statement
letter. “The deputy SEE
status change will not BURLEY,
affect our city's service g
or the law enforcement
If
\
i.
James Coble voiced his opposition to the Board of Elections requiring
Gough residents to vote in Vidette.
BOC just says “no”
to polling site changes
The Board of Elections decision
to merge polling sites was met with
opposition during the Board of Com
missioners meeting June 13.
During the public meeting, the
Board of Elections revealed their
plan to merge Blakeney into North
Waynesboro with voting taking
place at the Senior Citizens Center
at the Office Park. Gough will merge
into Vidette and voting will be at the
Vidette City Hall. Scott’s Crossroads
will merge into Mid-
ville and voting will
be at the Community
House.
SEE
POLLING,
5
Waynesboro rejects trash service, asks for kickback
As Burke County prepares to
implement curbside trash pickup, the
City of Waynesboro has requested
their share of the tax money that will
fund the service.
Scheduled to begin early next year,
everyone in the County will benefit
from curbside service at no cost to
the residents, with the exception of
Waynesboro. Homeowners within
the city limits currently pay $22 per
month for garbage, leaf and limb and
bulk pickup.
“There is nothing wrong with the
city system,” said Mayor Bill Tin-
ley. “We didn’t need to correct our
system and we didn’t need to change
anything. The county system was
what needed to be corrected.”
Currently, the City of Waynesboro
picks up 1,580 once-a-week poly
karts and 2 poly-karts twice-per-
week. Waynesboro has purchased
two CNG trash trucks in the last
two years, one of which should be
delivered soon.
The BOC has agreed to pay Ry-
land Environmental $21.89 per
residence serviced. Tinley said the
city is requesting a “partnership”
with the county that allows the city
to continue handling their own trash
with reimbursement from the county
that closely matches the $21.89 per
residence they are paying Ryland.
Additionally, they are asking to use
the transfer station with a waiver of
tipping fees.
“The county said they are going to
contract it out and to pay for every
body’s garbage collection,” Tinley
said. “We just want to be treated like
citizens out in the unincorporated
area.”
However, Waynesboro had the
option of accepting the same no-cost
trash service that people outside the
city will receive. They decided not
to participate. Even if the BOC elects
to pay Waynesboro the $21.89 per
residence that they service themself,
Tinley said homeowners are still not
likely to receive the trash service for
11 cents per month. The city would
reduce only a portion of the $22 the
Waynesboro residents are paying,
thereby double dipping.
“We are still responsible for leaf
and limb and bulk pickup, so we
will still have to charge something
for that,” Tinley said. “But we want
the county to treat our citizens like
they do the citizens in the county.”
Tinley said the city already tried
privatizing trash services previously.
When it didn’t work out the city had
to re-invest in equipment to do it
themselves.
“Back in the old days, you could
probably do that without too much
trouble,” Tinley said. “But this last
garbage truck that we just bought
took us a year-and-a half to two years
to get. You can’t drop out of the busi
ness and get back into the business in
just a short period of time.”
Tinley predicted that the city can
offer better customer service to
their citizens than Ryland, who will
be servicing approximately 836 sq.
miles, compared to the city’s ap
proximately five sq. miles. The BOC
is considering the city’s request and
has made no decision yet.