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Barrow Journal
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Wednesday, April 8,2009
Vol. 1 No. 24 24 PAGES 3 SECTIONS A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 250COPY
— Inside —
Barrow CFO suspended for lying
Area news:
• Prom Night for
Apalachee High School
page 1C
•In the kitchen with a
Cook of Barrow County
page 1C
BY SUSAN NORMAN
The chief financial officer of Barrow
County’s government was suspend
ed Monday morning for twice being
“untruthful” to the board of commis
sioners.
Beth Horacek, who has been the
CFO since 2005, was suspended with
out pay for 40 hours, according to the
notice of suspension that the Barrow
Journal obtained under the state open-
records act.
The notice states that Horacek gave
an “untruthful answer” when asked at
two board meetings why employees’
health insurance premiums this year
are over budget.
“Both times you gave an untruthful
answer and particularly omitted the
fact that you failed to budget for the
increase in insurance premiums,” the
notice states.
Horacek said at the BOC meet
ings that the approximately $250,000
jump in premiums was due mostly to
the addition of a greater number of
dependents than had been anticipated.
But privately, she acknowledged to
at least one board member she didn’t
budget the increase at the direction of
her former superiors — chief admin
istrator Keith Lee and BOC chairman
Doug Garrison.
“While we understand that you take
the position that the former Chief
Administrator and Chairman directed
you not to budget for the premium
increase, please understand that you
are not being disciplined for the fail
ure to appropriately budget the item,
but for the misrepresentations made
to the Board on an issue of paramount
importance to the County,” the notice
states.
With the county’s current financial
struggle, it is “critical” that the com
missioners be able to rely on what she
tells them, the notice states.
“You have breached that trust, and
any future behavior of this sort will
be grounds for additional disciplinary
action, up to and including, termina
tion.”
Horacek is the second department
manager in the past few weeks to be
disciplined, at least in part, for alleg
edly lying to county leaders.
Former fire chief Robert Post was
suspended March 16 for violating
some directives and for claiming
some recent firefighter training had
been state-mandated. BOC chairman
Danny Yearwood discovered later that
the training was not state-mandated
and, with the BOC’s approval, quickly
suspended the chief.
continued on page 9A
Easter time
In Winder
•County audit misses
deadline
page 2A
•Residents voice con
cern over landfill
page 3A
Opinions:
•Giving us a blanket
of freedom
page 4A
•Consumers didn't
get much from this ses
sion
page 4A
•Driving and texting
don't mix
page 4A
Sports:
•AHS, WBHS baseball
reach region midway
mark , D
page 1B
•WBHS track competes
at Alcovy
page 1B
•WB Speedway begins
new racing season
page 3B
Also Inside:
•Classifieds
page 6C
•Church News
page 8B
•Letters to the Editor
page 5A
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Obituaries
pages 4-5C
EGG HUNT
Thivault Nichelson, 5, has a basket full of goodies during Saturday’s Springfest/
Egg Hunt held in Auburn. The event took place at James Shackelford Memorial
Park with more than 700 people in attendance, officials said. See more photos
on page 3A. Photo by Jessica Brown
Bible literature course path cleared
‘We need to bring this back to another genera
tion. This nation is slipping away from us.’
—BOE member Larry Ballard
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Following some emotional
debate, the Barrow County
Board of Education opened
the door for the future teach
ing of a history and literature
elective class using the Bible
as an instruction book.
But that doesn’t mean the
classes will be offered.
In a 7-2 vote at Tuesday’s
April meeting, the BOE
gave the OK to the class
should the county’s two high
school principals decide
to request the class in the
future. Superintendent Ron
Saunders made the recom
mendation for board mem
bers to give their approval
for the class before any addi
tional studies or background
work was undertaken.
In the future, the BOE
would still have to work to
approve what resources, bud
get and materials would be
used for the course at Winder-
Barrow and Apalachee High
School.
Board member Larry
Ballard had championed
adding the course as an elec
tive. Toward the end of the
debate he stressed again
why he believes the class is
important.
“It is a cornerstone of our
nation,” Ballard said. “To not
pursue this when the inter
est (from students) is there,
is wrong. To pursue other
courses that has not had the
impact of this book is wrong.
We need to bring this back
to another generation. This
nation is slipping away from
us.
“I walk though the malls
and hear students talking
about the Bible in ways you
wouldn't believe. When I
ran for this position (on the
BOE) I supported putting
this in our schools. I made
it no secret to anyone whose
door I knocked on. We’ve
been brainwashed into think
ing we can't do this. At one
time it was a mainstay.”
Board member Lyn
Stevens, who voted against
the proposal along with Dan
Cromer, attempted to coun
ter Ballard at this point.
“I can’t believe I’m sitting
here and that a board mem
ber is blaming schools for
what is wrong with society,”
Stevens said.
At this point board chair
man William “Bill” Bramlett,
who voted for the proposal,
told Stevens the discussion
was over.
continued on page 9A
Natural gas rates
cause concern
BY SUSAN NORMAN
A retired schoolteacher is
taking City of Winder offi
cials to task over the city’s
natural gas rates.
Green Valley Drive resident
Kay Pierce told the Winder
City Council Monday night
that nobody at city hall could
answer specific questions
about billing and pricing.
And she said city officials’
attempts to justify the pricing
were inadequate.
Pierce said city adminis
trator Bob Beck told her she
was paying a higher price per
therm because she was using
less gas due to energy-saving
home improvements she had
made and that a $12 service
charge was spread across
fewer therms, she said.
“Fve invested in 21 win
dows, insulation and new
energy-saving appliances.
To tell me that because I
invested that money and use
less gas, I’m paying more
per therm, doesn’t make any
sense.”
Pierce said her quest for
answers about the city's nat
ural gas pricing began after
reading an article that Beck
wrote in March attempting to
explain them.
The city was charging
its customers a $12 service
charge plus $1.33 per therm
(100,000 British Thermal
Units), according to the arti
cle in December.
But when Pierce checked
her bill for that month, she
did some simple math to fig
ure out that she was paying
42 cents per therm more than
that.
Her bill
also didn’t
show a $12
service
charge.
She said
she has
been a cus
tomer of
Winder’s
gas ser
vice for 38
years and that the city until
recently did not charge a ser
vice fee in addition to the
charge for actual consump
tion.
“This $12 service charge
is double dipping,” she said.
“I want to know where that
$12 goes.”
‘NOTHING
ACCOMPLISHED’
In response to Pierce's
questions, city officials
had representatives of the
Municipal Gas Authority of
Georgia at the work session
to explain how natural gas is
priced.
MGAG officials said
“hedge” pricing is used,
which entails locking in pric
es over a period of months
prior to the winter season in
order to protect against large
price spikes.
Sometimes the hedge
pricing provides credits on
consumers’ bills when the
locked-in price is lower than
gas on the variable “spot”
market.
However, Winder cus
tomers currently are being
charged a hedge adjustment
because the locked-in price
was higher than the current
market.
continued on page 2A
PIERCE
Statham votes to up
water, sewer fees
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Bethlehem passes do tethering ’ ordinance
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
In Bethlehem, your wallet can continue to
be on a chain, but your dog cannot.
The Bethlehem Town Council approved
a “no tethering” ordinance Monday night
which will prevent dog owners from chain
ing or tying their pets to trees. The action
was requested by mayor Sandy McNab, who
patterned Bethlehem's ordinance after the
one already in effect in Statham.
“It’s something I thought about after see
ing dogs tied up choking while they are
chained to trees,” McNab said. “People put
dogs on chains and just leave them. I think
we need to take a different approach than
what the county ordinance is.”
Barrow County allows tethering as long as
it is done in a “humane” manner.
The “no tethering” ordinance, which is
now in effect in Bethlehem, requires dog
owners to provide at least 150 feet of space
per dog.
Initially there was some discussion among
council members about how it would be
enforced, but the mayor did not foresee that
being an issue.
“It would be no harder to enforce than
anything else we have on the books,” McNab
said. “Barrow County Animal Control would
enforce it.”
Council member Scott Morgan said he
also hated to see dogs treated in the manner
that McNab spoke of.
Morgan said he would like to see a provi
sion added to the ordinance that allowed for
dogs to be placed on cable runs provided
they were at least 50 feet in length.
continued on page 9A
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
In a 3-2 vote, the Statham City Council voted Tuesday to
increase water, sewer and garbage rates.
The increases will be effective immediately. The increase
will help repay Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority
loans, city officials said.
Private citizens inside the city limits will now pay a
minimum of $16 while commercial customers will pay a
minimum of $27.
Outside the city the minimum charge will now be $24 for
private citizens and $37 for commercial.
The rates previously were $12, $21, $18 and $28, respec
tively.
Homes in the city limits using the minimum amounts of
water for sewer will now pay $12 and commercial buildings
inside the city would pay $22.
Outside the city, residences would pay $34. Currently the
prices are at $9, $20 and $14.
Garbage collection prices also increase from $12 to $15.
Additional collection cans will now be $7.50.
continued on page 9A
