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Barrow Journal
www.BarrowJournal.com •r Read all over...
Wednesday, June 24,2009
Vol. 1 No. 35 20 PAGES 3 SECTIONS A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 250COPY
•In the kitchen with a
Cook of Barrow County
page 1C
•Auburn looks at
school annexation
page 2A
•Plane has rough land
ing at airport
page 2A
Opinions:
•Ins and outs of Winder
budget hearing
page 4A
•DOT looks for the
right turn
page 4A
•Winder moves in
right direction on bud
get process
page 4 A
•Readers voice their
thoughts: Letters to the
Editor
page 7A
Sports:
•Barracudas continue
summer season
page 1B
•2009 football sched
ules are released
page 1B
•Race season contin
ues at WB Speedway
page 1B
Also Inside:
•Classifieds
page 6C
•Church News
page 5B
•Public Safety
pages 6A, BA
•Obituaries
pages 4-5C
To subscribe,
call today:
770-867-NEWS
(6397).
The Barrow
Journal is
delivered
every
Thursday.
BOC votes to chop salaries
Some depts. merged
to help cut expenses
BY SUSAN NORMAN
The Barrow County Board of
Commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday
night to cut the salaries of more than
half of the county’s 244 employees who
don't report to the sheriff. In addition,
several county departments were com
bined resulting in demotions for some
staff members, but also a handful of
promotions and raises.
Commissioner Ben Hendrix was the
lone “no" vote while commissioner
Billy Parks was absent from the meet
ing.
The combination of demotions, pay
cuts and layoffs are expected to save the
county about $1.4 million in the fiscal
year that starts Oct. 1.
Tuesday’s vote overturns many of
the large pay increase county employ
ees got several years ago when the
previous BOC administration aggres
sively implemented the Archer Study
pay scales.
Under the new plan, 132 county
employees are getting pay cuts.
Inside:
•See more coverage of BOC budget
decisions on page 3A.
According to a list made public Tuesday
night, the cuts range from a low of $278
for a fire department lieutenant with
four years of experience to $10,833 for
the fire department’s chief of educa
tion and safety, who came to work for
Barrow County last year.
Most of the cuts are between $1,000
and $5,000, but several are in excess of
$5,000.
While firefighters were spared in las
week’s layoffs, they did not escape the
salary cuts.
“The Chairman has already directec
us to schedule a meeting with the
Interim Fire Chief Mark Melvin so tha
we can discuss the pay regarding hi;
department as we cannot afford to lose
the expertise that some of these people
have,” said HR director Norma Jear
Brown. “This is something the Boarc
did speak about that was not completely
addressed last night.”
continued on page 3A
Suspension appeal
Healan defends
CFO at hearing
Round two set for this Friday
BY SUSAN NORMAN
For the first time in recent
memory, the Winder City
Council held a public hearing
on the city's proposed budget
last week.
The watershed meeting
June 18 led to an apparent
breakthrough in the recently
troubled relationship between
city officials and some local
residents.
In place of what some per
ceived as arrogance during
previous encounters, city
officials demonstrated mutual
respect - and even cordiality.
Mayor George “Chip”
Thompson III, other coun
cil members and city staff
listened intently as residents
spoke. Some took notes and
the mayor pledged to take
into consideration all that was
expressed.
Thompson and finance
director Leslie Ginn also
responded immediately to
questions and comments in
a back-and-forth exchange of
views.
And at the end of the hear
ing, everyone including the
council’s most vocal critic,
retired schoolteacher Kay
Pierce, walked away satisfied
and smiling.
“This is the first time I am
leaving a meeting where I’m
not going to be crying when
I get home,” she said. “I felt
like (Thompson) was really
willing to listen to my con
cerns, which made me feel
better. It makes me feel like
I do have a voice, that he’s
willing to listen to me now,
and I think he was sincere.”
PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION
The meeting in the Winder
Community Center was the
second hearing on the bud
get for FY2010, which begins
July 1.
The first hearing May 26
did not meet state require
ments for budget hearings
because it was not advertised
seven days in advance and
the mayor and city council
did not attend. The only city
representative at that hear
ing was the finance director,
who distributed a one-page
spreadsheet of budget num
bers rather than a complete
budget document.
When questioned by the
Barrow Journal about plans
for the second hearing, city
officials initially said there
would be no changes in their
procedures. But city leaders
later amended that stance and
complied fully with the provi
sions in Georgia law.
The mayor said that while
he didn’t necessarily like
what had been published
about the issue, he had hoped
more residents would dem
onstrate their interest in the
budget process by attending
the hearing.
In a brief exchange with a
reporter prior to the meeting,
city administrator Bob Beck
noted that even that limited
turnout represented more than
the combined attendance at
all budget hearings since he
has worked for the city. He
said that with the newspaper’s
continuing coverage of bud
get issues, the turnout should
be larger next year.
“Next year you’ll have
twice as many people here,”
he said, “thanks to the Barrow
Journal.”
continued on page 6A
BY SUSAN NORMAN
A personnel review board
hearing is usually a low-
level legal proceeding, but
there was high drama at
the county annex build
ing last week when former
county commissioner and
lawyer Bill Healan spent
eight hours taking on the
county government in his
legal defense of county
CFO Beth Horacek.
A nine-year employee of
Barrow County, Horacek,
is attempting to restore her
professional reputation by
appealing a 40-hour sus
pension for allegedly havng
been “untruthful" to the
Barrow County Board of
Commissioners last win
ter about the reason for a
health insurance cost over
run in the current county
budget.
The hearing before the
Barrow County Personnel
Review Board is slated to
resume Friday at 9 a.m.
in the BOC meeting room
on the second floor of the
county annex.
At issue in the case is
whether Horacek was
“untruthful” when she told
the BOC at public meetings
in January and February
that county health insur
ance costs were over budget
because of the increased
number of employees or
dependents joining the
county plan after the bud
get was adopted — and did
not initially disclose that a
HORACEK REVIEWS
NOTES AT HEARING
7.64-percent premium hike
of at least $250,000 had not
been budgeted.
County attorney Angela
Davis said the review board
would have to decide if
Horacek’s explanations at
the two winter meetings
had been true and if the
county chairman had been
justified in suspending her
“to ensure truth and the
integrity of financial deci
sions."
Davis said that with the
county’s ongoing budget
crisis, Horacek’s position is
“the single-most important
position in the county right
now." She added that as the
commissioners are mak
ing decisions as “drastic”
as cutting employees’ pay
and jobs, they have to be
able to rely on “good, accu
rate, forthright information
about finances.”
Healan countered by
focusing on the budgeting
process that excluded the
premium increase from the
FY2009 budget.
Treading water
FORT YARGO SEIGE
The Seige on Fort Yargo competition was held this past Saturday. The competi
tion involves numerous events including paddling of which these competitors
seemed to be struggling with. See page 1C for more coverage of the event.
Photo by Jessica Brown
Winder hears from public on budget
PUBLIC HEARING
(Top) Citizens review budget documents during last
week’s meeting. (Bottom) The mayor and all council
members attended. Photos by Susan Norman
continued on page 2A
Vandals strike Carl Park
BY KATIE HUSTON
Vandalism at the Town of Carl’s city park was the major
topic of discussion at the town's city council meeting last
week.
Two weeks ago, vandals removed signs on both the men
and women's bathrooms and vandalized the sign for the
gazebo.
The acts came after renovations to some of the park’s
facilities. Mayor Dave Brock said that it happened the very
next night after renovations were complete.
“I was out there kicking mud clots, I was so angry,” he
said.
The security cameras were running at the time of the
incidents, but the council wasn’t sure if the footage was still
available for viewing.
The council discussed adding infrared cameras and more
lights.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other city business, a representative from C.A.S.A.
(Court Appointed Special Advocates) was present at the
meeting to brief council members about the organization.
Mayor Brock, while taking no official motion on the matter,
agreed to help the organization with advertising by mention
ing it in city brochures.
C.A.S.A is a national organization that aims to reach out
to abused or neglected children.
O
