Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8A
BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2008
County staff to keep paid holiday — for now
Audit continued from 1A
BY SUSAN NORMAN
The economic Grinch didn’t steal
Christmas for Barrow County government
employees, at least this year.
Christmas will continue to be a paid
holiday for employees of Barrow County’s
local government after the board of com
missioners removed a controversial pro
posal to save money from the agenda
Tuesday night that would have made the
holiday an unpaid day off.
With scores of employees packing the
Barrow County Board of Commissioners’
meeting Tuesday night, BOC chairman
Doug Garrison announced that the board
would not be voting on a cost-saving
plan recommended by chief administrator
Keith Lee.
Garrison said that the majority of the
board would be new in January and that
those newly elected officials should be
making the decisions about how to handle
the more than $2 million in projected defi
cits recently announced by Lee and CFO
Beth Horacek.
When he asked for a motion to remove
the political hot potato from the agenda,
every commissioner at the meeting spoke
up.
“I heard four firsts,” Garrison quipped
as laugher erupted in the audience.
Lee’s recommendations for how to deal
with the projected budget shortfall were
laid out in a Dec. 5 memo that he sent the
board. His recommended actions include:
cutting out pay for eight county
observed holidays;
•making President’s Day in February
2009 a county-observed holiday that is
unpaid;
•cutting out the overtime-scale pay scale
for anyone working on a holiday;
•filling some of the county’s 31 vacant
county positions by transferring underuti
lized employees in departments handling
the county’s sagging land development
and building services and not filling the
rest;
•eliminating $58,840 in capital expen
ditures budgeted for the current fiscal
year.
OTHERS TO BE CONSULTED
Garrison said after Tuesday’s meeting
that in addition to the newly elected com
missioners, all other elected officials need
to be consulted and that county employees
need “input and clarity” before decisions
are made.
Department heads met Nov. 18 to dis
cuss ways to cut expenses, but only two
elected officials other than Garrison and
Lampp were at that meeting. They were
chairman-elect Daniel Yearwood and out
going district attorney Rick Bridgeman.
County administrators also apparently
did not consult with the sheriff, the pro
bate judge, the clerk of court or the chief
magistrate, all of whom have employ
ees potentially affected by the proposed
changes.
Chief magistrate June Davis said after
the meeting that she came prepared to
advocate for employees in her depart
ment, as well as for employees in other
departments.
“I told mine I would take their concerns
to the commissioners,” she said. “Then
I had calls from other county employees
and they asked if I would do the same for
them. I said, ‘I will speak for you, but you
have to come.’”
Based on the size of the standing-room
only crowd in attendance, Davis estimated
that 80 employees showed up. She said
she has been surprised both by the scope
of the budget problem explained by Lee
and Horacek and by their recommended
actions.
“There are many things we can do
before we furlough employees or take
away their holidays,” Davis said. “Those
that make the least are impacted the most.
We have employees that have two jobs
and four children and are trying to make
ends meet and are living paycheck to pay-
check. They were real concerned about
taking away Christmas and holiday pay
with such short notice.”
She said the delay in the board’s action
was a good thing.
“Whatever it comes down to this
Christmas, we need cool heads and time
to think and to look at different ways we
can do it without sacrificing service,”
Davis said. “Even the taxpayers would
want us to do that. They don’t want us to
be rash, but to be very deliberate about
what we do.”
UTILITIES
The city’s utility operations
are the town’s largest sources
of overall revenues with water,
sewer, gas and other enterprise
funds netting $26.3 million in
FY08. The system had $22.2
million in operating expenses
on the year. After adjustments
for non-operating expenses and
revenues, the city’s utility sys
tem had a net of $3.5 million
on the year.
OTHER NOTES
Other items of note in
Winder’s 2008 audit;
•The city’s general govern
ment had a long-term debt bal
ance of $2 million and the
utility system had a long-term
debt balance of $27.4 million.
Long term debt payments due
in 2009 for both areas com
bined will be $1.95 million.
•New water meter installa
tions fell in FY08 to 598 from
631 the year before. While the
overall customer base for water
grew in the year to top 14,000
customers, the average daily
water plant production fell to
3.55 million gallons per day,
down from 4.37 mgd the year
before.
•New gas meters installed
also dropped in FY08 to
263, down from 301 the year
before.
• New residential permits fell
during FY08 to 138 from 166
the year before. Commercial
permits remained steady at 11
each year, however the value of
commercial construction grew
in FY08 to $8.3 million from
$3.6 million.
•Over the last five years,
the size of Winder’s general
government has nearly dou
bled, growing from $7.2 mil
lion in expenses in 2003 to
$13.7 million in FY08, a 90
percent increase. Income has
grown slightly more at a 94
percent increase over the last
five years.
•cutting out pay for eight county- the meeting that she came prepared to what we do.”
Commissioners give thumbs up to 305-home project
BY SUSAN NORMAN Several nearby residents said Commissioner Ben Hendrix with District 3 Commissione:
BY SUSAN NORMAN
When the housing market
recovers, Barrow County will
have a new 144-acre mixed-use
development at Highway 53
and Rockwell Church Road.
The Barrow County Board
of Commissioners recently
approved a rezoning appli
cation for a Master Planned
Development by Daniel Blitch,
a former board chairman of the
Barrow County Chamber of
Commerce who now resides
in Athens. The approved plan
includes up to 305 single-fami
ly homes and 19 acres of com
mercial development.
The commercial develop
ment will front both sides of
Rockwell Church Road, which
runs through the property.
Several nearby residents said
they were opposed to the density
of the development. Rockwell
Church Road resident Gwen
Hill said the development is
in the Cedar Creek watershed,
which she said is supposed to
have low-density projects, as
well as conservation and agri
cultural properties.
“Once this is changed, it is
gone,” Hill said.
But Blitch’s attorney, John
Stell, said it is likely that fewer
than 305 homes would actually
be built because engineering
and topographical studies of
the site have not been done.
A sewer line running through
the property also would affect
density, he said.
Before the vote. District 7
Commissioner Ben Hendrix
said he had received many
phone calls and emails con
cerning the application.
“Sometimes in this process,
I have felt like King Solomon
who wanted to cut the baby
in half,” he said. “I agree we
need to have Master Planned
Developments, but they need to
be quality developments.”
Hendrix said the plan
includes conditions that will
protect a historic cemetery on
the site, will slow build-out to
up to 10 years, will have some
lots that are 15,000 square feet
or larger, and will include a
section of houses restricted
to older adults, reducing the
impact on the public schools.
The board’s vote was 5-1
with District 3 Commissioner
Bill Healan voting against.
Blitch said that he has held
onto the family property for
42 years and has refused many
opportunities to sell it to other
developers because he wants to
“do it the right way.”
In other business, the board:
•an application by Sara
Gaynell Skinner to rezone 2.59
acres from AR to R1.
•an application by Bruce W.
Turner to rezone 1.74 acres
from AG to Rl.
•a joint resolution with the
Town of Carl for a grant of up
to $500,000 from the Georgia
Department of Community
Affairs for the extension of
public sewer to serve a new
industry in the town.
City outlook continued from 1A
The U.S. recession is hit
ting major sources of Winder’s
revenue.
The Local Option Sales Tax
(LOST) proceeds for Barrow
County and its municipali
ties the past two months has
declined by double digits. And
demand for Winder’s water and
natural gas services has weak
ened.
“One of our industries has
gone to a reduction in natural
gas and is using alternative fuel
available through their organi
zation,” Beck said. “Another is
doing repairs and maintenance
on their facility and has shut
down part of their operations.
Our December natural gas sales
to them will be zero.”
The mayor added: “We’ve
got several businesses - Johns
Manville, Stepan, Rodia Inc.
- that use our gas during the
summer. If they were to stop
production and lay people
off, that money is usually the
money that takes us through
the summer. Natural gas is not
sold to households in the sum
mer. Industrial use of natural
gas in the summer is extremely
important. If they lay off peo
ple, then we’re in a bind. We
can’t wait until that happens.
So we’re looking at different
options of revenue we might
have to put in place.”
Thompson said Georgia’s
unemployment rate is expect
ed to climb to 9 percent next
year.
“If it’s 9 percent statewide,
it’s going to be 10 percent in
Barrow County, from looking
at past situations. It might be
because we have a lot of people
that depend on the type of jobs
that are usually cut, which is
manufacturing.
“On the other hand, we
have Belk and Target about to
do a job fair. When they do
that, hopefully that will help
some. But it won’t be the total
answer.”
Cost-cutting measures
already in place at the city
include a hard freeze on hiring
and promotions.
As a result, the police depart
ment in 2009 will operate with
out anyone in the position of
major.
Major Robert Schuenemann,
commander of the Criminal
Investigation Division, retired
in November. Major Clifford
Poole, the patrol command
er, will retire Dec. 31. Both
have worked for the police
department for more than two
decades.
Capt. Lamar Reynolds is
now running criminal investi
gations and support services
with its dozen or so employees.
Capt. Dennis Dorsey is taking
the reins of the patrol division
with its 27 employees.
City of Winder 2008 Audit
Revenues:
Taxes
$4.5 million
Licenses/Permits
$237,300
Intergov.
$622,700
Service Chgs.
$149,300
Fines
$648,800
Interest
$327,500
Misc.
$105,000
Indirect Allocation*
$3.18 million
Total Revenues
$9.79 million
Expenses:
General Govt.
$3.2 million
Judicial
$199,500
Public Safety
$6.28 million
Public Works
$1.92 million
Housing & Devi.
$553,700
Capital Outlay
$1.17 million
Debt Service
$314,100
Total Expenses
$13.7 million
Trsfr. From Utilities
+$3.99 million
Trsfr. Out
-$1.25 million
Borrowing**
+$1.64 million
Asset sale
+$32,000
Net Change in Funds
+$527,200
*Indirect allocation reflects money that is mostly from the
city’s utility funds to defray overhead operating costs.
**Borrowing reflects a 5-year lease note with Bank of
America part of which was for a police department firearms
trailer and a vehicle.
Utility Funds 2008:
Operating Revenues
Operating Expenses
Non-Operating Income/Expense -
Net
Transfers Out*
$26.3 million
$22.2 million
$629,300
$3.47 million
-$2.88 million
*This reflects net dollars transferred out to other funds.
Read Crime
News Every
Week
in the Barrow
Journal
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Inventory
Clearance Sale
40 to 60
%
o
OFF
With deep sadness
we are closing out our
Bridal & Giftware
Departments which
have been a tradition at
Evans for over 50 years.
Closing out All China, Silver, Crystal and Giftware
Including, Waterford, Arthur Court, Lenox
and All Christmas Giftware
on %
All Diamond Jewelry,
fcy oF
Watches, Earrings,
Qtn%
Bracelets, Cultured Pearls,
I 4woff
Honora, and Lorenzo
Come In and Register for
.50 ct. Diamond Pendant*
.50 ct. Diamond Earrings*
$250. Shopping Spree*
$100. Shopping Spree*
Evans Jewel Box
Professional Jewelry & Watch Repair. In-House Service.
55 N. Broad St. • Downtown Winder • 770-867-3761
*To be given away December 21, 2008. Must be 18 to Win.
Lay-A-Way
Now for
Christmas
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.Gift Wrar
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