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Where learning begins, but the fun never ends WELCOME BACK-TO-SCHOOL LET’S WORK TOGETHER TO PREPARE OUR CHILDREN FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL TERM. O 04 ■'3- O 04 03 GO Vol. 143, No. 24 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, August 2, 2023 - $1.00 Vogtle money dissipates as construction workers move on SHELLIE SMITLEY thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com As Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 draw nearer to completion, people are beginning to feel the money crunch. Georgia Power announced Mon day that Unit 3 has entered com mercial operation and is now serving customers and the State of Georgia. They announced Friday, July 28 receipt of the 103(g) finding from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Vogtle Unit 4. No further NRC findings are necessary for Southern Nuclear to load fuel or be gin the startup sequence. The team at the site continues working diligently to make final preparations for Unit 4 fuel load, initiate startup testing and to bring the unit online. A Southern Nuclear Company spokesperson confirmed Unit 4 is still projected to enter service in the late fourth quarter of 2023 or the first quarter of 2024. However, as Plant Vogtle moves closer to completing construction of Unit 4, the victory brings a sense of uneasy anticipation of less revenue for the county and local businesses. In February 2020, Georgia Power announced the project workforce had reached an all-time high with approximately 9,000 workers on site. Today, the current project workforce continues to fluctuate. However, there are still several thousand in volved in construction. The nuclear power plant is expected to sustain only approximately 800 permanent jobs once Units 3 and 4 begin op erating. How does Plant Vogtle generate revenue for the county and why will it decrease? One way the county gains revenue is through property taxes on Plant Vogtle. As the units are constructed, the utility digest increases, peaking at the time they are commissioned. After that, the units are ex- VOGTLE pected to depreciate at approximately 3 % ^ Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Highlights General Fund Revenues ■ 2022 Actual ■ 2023 Bud*ct ■ 2024 Budget This slide presented by Director Michael Wiseman during budget talks July 26 shows the trending decrease in sales tax revenue. Happy 100th Birthday Mr. Robert Lowry SHELLIE SMITLEY thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com The Burke County Senior Center hosted a birthday party for Robert Lowry that included members of his family. Pictured here with Robert is his niece Jean Jenkins. Robert Lowry turned 100 years old Monday, July 31. He was bom in Dunbar, South Carolina to parents Leloa and John Lowry. However, Robert grew up in Waynesboro after the family moved to Georgia. Beginning at the age of 18 Robert served in the U.S. Army and traveled to England, France and Japan. In his early twenties, he moved to Miami, Florida where he worked in the construction industry. He moved back to Waynesboro approximately a year ago to live closer to family, including his nieces, Jean Jenkins, Bobbie Rivers, Mary Scott and Shannon Scott, and his nephew, Probate Judge Ashley Moore. Since moving back, Robert has become fond of visiting with new friends at the Burke County Senior Center. He also rides the stationary bike at the center every other day for 5-25 minutes. When asked if he rode a bicycle in Florida as part of a regular exercise routine, he is quick to point out that even seniors can benefit from beginning a new exercise regimen. “Nooooo,” he said laughing about his previous exercise routine. “It’s never too late.” Born in 1923, he said he has witnessed a lot of societal changes. The most surprising changes in his eyes, involve the advancement of Black Americans. Robert recalls vividly the days the U.S. struggled with desegregation. Blessed with a remarkable mind, Robert also recalls a funnel cloud that touched ground in the mid-1920s. He felt fortunate his home was not affected by the tornado. As far as the secret to living a long, healthy life, Lowry has no answers. However, he suspects a diet that includes fruits, vegetables and meats may have con tributed. SEE LOWERY, 13 Sheriff requests “urgent” meeting SHELLIE SMITLEY thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com A non-public meeting Monday, in which Commissioners Art Lively and Evans Martin met with Sheriff Alfonzo Williams, might pave the way for a productive public budget work session later this month. “There were no commitments made,” County Manager Merv Wal drop said of Monday’s meeting. “It was productive in that it was civil. I don’t know that it moved anything one way or the other, but at least we are talking.” In a July 25 letter addressed to Chairwoman Terri Lodge Kelly, Sheriff Williams requested an “ur gent” meeting with the Board of Commissioners. Williams said he wished to discuss the BOC’s recent decision to hold off on funding recent promotions in his department. However, Monday’s discussion revolved mainly around Williams’ insistence that his department needs more than the approximate $12.5 million budget that Waldrop’s office has recommended. Nearly $1 million over budget, the Detention Center’s payroll funds are currently exhausted and the BCSO is slated to run out of funding later SEE this month, according MEETING to Waldrop. g Still, during Mon- Man dies after deputies tase him SHELLIE SMITLEY thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Force Investigation Team is investigating an incident that led to the death of Freddie Walker after he was tased by Burke County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Shortly after midnight Friday, July 28, the Burke County EMArequest ed the assistance of the BCSO when Walker refused to be transported by a family member to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. “Mr. Walker became combative, jumped out of the vehicle and at tempted to raise his fist at a para medic in an attempt to strike him,” a BCSO press release states. “After attempting a second time to get Mr. Walker safely in the car, he became combative, jumped out of the ve hicle again, and raised his fist while aggressively advancing toward the deputy in an attempt to strike him.” Initially, a deputy de ployed their taser unsuc- cessfully, and then another TASED deputy on the scene de- 8 Shining a light on the Open Meetings Act SHELLIE SMITLEY thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com Editor’s note: This is part two of a two-part series on Georgia's open records and open meetings laws. It is published to help local government agencies and entities, as well as the general public, understand how to follow the law. Public policy in the State of Geor gia requires that all state agencies conduct business in the open and maintain records that are available to the public. Georgia’s Open Meet ings Act requires that state and local governmental bodies conduct their business so the public can review and monitor elected officials and others working on their behalf. The law requires that government meet ings are open to the public. The law also requires governmental bodies to provide reasonable notice of all meetings. Which entities must transact business in the open? Under the Open Meetings Act, each of the following must transact business in the open: city councils, county commissions, regional devel opment authorities, library boards, school boards, planning commis sions, zoning boards and hospital authorities. Most meetings covered by the Open Meetings Act must be open. Whenever the minimum number of members are present at a meeting, enough to make the proceedings of that meeting valid, the meeting must be open to the public. Even meetings conducted by telephonic, electronic, wireless or other virtual means must be open. Any official action of any type taken at a meeting that is not open is invalid and may be set aside if an action is brought promptly. When are meetings exempt from the law? The Open Meetings Act provides exceptions that allow certain closed meetings and some confidential ac tions . However, a government entity may close a meeting only if a specific statutory exception applies. Addi tionally, a meeting can be closed to the public only by a majority vote taken during a properly noticed and open meeting. The most commonly used exceptions are for personnel matters (but only for discussion and deliberation by the governmental entity, not for votes), attorney-client discussion of actual or potential lawsuits or claims and discussion of real estate transactions. In a closed meeting, an agency may take pre liminary votes regarding real estate, but a transaction does not become binding until a public vote is taken. How must government provide open access and adequate notice of meetings? The public must be given full ac cess to all open meetings and may make video and audio recordings SEE of all open meet- RIGHT TO KNOW, ings. In addition 3