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Barrow Journal
www.BarrowJournal.com •r Read all over...
Wednesday, July 1,2009
Vol. 1 No. 36 24 PAGES 3 SECTIONS A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 250COPY
• Paintball another
summer activitity
page 3B
•Barrow prepares for
July 4th
page 1C
•FDIC issues order on
CB&T
page 2A
Opinions:
•'King of Pop' will
never be matched
page 4A
•State pinches pen
nies, local govts suffer
page 4A
•Was anyone telling
the whole truth?
page 4 A
•Readers voice their
thoughts: Letters to the
Editor
page 5A
Sports:
•WBHS players work
for new season
page 1B
•Barracudas set new
personal bests
page 1B
•Race season contin
ues at WB Speedway
page2B
Also Inside:
•Classifieds
page 5B
•Church News
page 7B
•Public Safety
pages 6A-7A
•Obituaries
pages 6C-7C
To subscribe,
call today:
770-867-NEWS
(6397).
The Barrow
Journal is
delivered
every
Thursday.
Drug sweep nets 41 arrests
BY SUSAN NORMAN
A six-month undercover operation
by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office
and the Auburn Police Department cul
minated in the arrests Monday of 41
people on drug and other charges.
The drug-related arrests were for the
possession, sale or trafficking of mari
juana, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin,
methamphetamine and controlled pre
scription drugs.
Some suspects were charged with
other offenses ranging from prostitu
tion to child molestation.
Ten local, state and federal law-
enforcement agencies participated in
the countywide sweep, said Sheriff Jud
Smith.
Assisting the sheriff’s office were
the Auburn, Statham and Winder
police departments: the Walton County
Sheriff’s Office and the Monroe Police
Department; the GBI and the Georgia
State Patrol: and the U.S. Marshalls
Service and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms. Together, they
provided 75 law-enforcement officers
during the day.
The operation began at 5 a.m. with
a briefing of 50 officers in the gym
of the Performance Learning Center/
Alternative Education Program School
on Mulberry Road.
The facility is adjacent to the sher
iff’s office annex that houses the crimi
nal investigations division.
"We went early because we wanted
not only to protect the officers, but also
the suspects and the public,” Smith
said. “We knew if we got there early,
we would really catch them off guard
and there would be no way for them to
fight or run.”
At the end of the 30-minute briefing,
the officers formed five, multi-agency
teams.
continued on page 2A
ANOTHER OPERATION
An undercover operation by the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office
and the Auburn Police Department resulted in 41 arrests Monday.
An undercover officer is also shown with their identity concealed,
(right). Photo courtesy of BCSO
CFO suspension upheld
More controversy surfaces
THE APPEAL
Bill Healan (L) represented Barrow County CFO
Beth Horacek (R) during her appeal.
Photo by Susan Norman
BY SUSAN NORMAN
Although the Barrow
County Personnel Review
Board upheld the county's
suspension of county CFO
Beth Horacek, the contro
versy has only grown in the
days since the decision was
made.
The June 26 written order
seemingly sent a mixed mes
sage, affirming Horacek's
suspension, but also saying
she was not “untruthful”
and questioned the severity
of her discipline.
County chairman Danny
Yearwood said simply,
“There is no winner in this.
It doesn't matter who won.”
Yearwood attended the
proceedings only when he
testified as a witness. But he
said he is concerned about
some of the testimony that
has been reported to him.
“I haven’t had time to sit
down and go through the
repercussions of this thing
and see what needs to be
done,” he said. “I think
some damage has been done
and I haven’t had a chance
to sit down and see what the
damage is."
QUESTIONS RAISED
ON CONTACTS
In addition to the mixed-
message ruling, one of the
members of the personnel
board abruptly resigned
Friday, saying he felt that
during the process there had
been improper contact via
e-mail and phone between
the review panel and county
representatives.
“Several incidents took
place during the Beth
Horacek hearing that
make it impossible for any
Barrow County employee to
get a fair and just hearing
before the Barrow County
Personnel Review Board,”
Johnny Smith wrote in his
June 26 letter of resignation
to the board of commission
ers (see other story.)
THE BOARD’S
RULING
The personnel board made
its decision Friday during
a closed session following
the second day of testimony.
The actual vote tally was
not officially disclosed, but
Smith said the vote was 3-1
and that he cast the only
“no” vote.
Only four of the five board
members voted. Colleen
Jenkins did not attend the
second day of the hearing
due to employment obliga
tions.
Those voting in addi
tion to Smith were Allyson
Summerour, human resourc
es manager at Peoples Bank;
Jim Litchford, executive
director of Athens Regional
Physicians Services/
Regional First Care; and
retired businessman Robert
Akin.
The order states the coun
ty met its burden of prov
ing that county procedures
were followed in Horacek’s
suspension and that the per
sonnel action was based on
“a legitimate, non-discrimi-
natory reason and that it is
consistent with the policies
of the Barrow County Civil
Service System.”
However, the document
said the panel “does not
believe Beth Horacek was
untruthful” to the board
of commissioners, though
“she failed to provide all
the information that she had
available.”
And the order adds that
while some form of disci
pline was appropriate, the
board members would have
considered first “a written
reprimand versus a suspen
sion." Though the order
acknowledges merit in both
sides of the case, the county
attorney said the bottom line
is that Yearwood’s decision
was upheld.
continued on page 3A
Barrow BOE passes FY2010 budget
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
While one Barrow County Board of
Education member had some pointed words
about one aspect of the system’s proposed
FY2010 budget, the BOE passed the new
budget Tuesday night during a called board
meeting.
The new budget, which is approximately
$99.1 million in the General Fund, passed
7-1 with veteran member Lynn Stevens in
opposition due to the school system accept
ing approximately $3 million in federal
stimulus funds.
Even before the vote was taken, Stevens
said she was not going to vote for the pro
posed budget, terming it “manure.”
“We should send a message to the federal
government to stay out of the education busi
ness,” Stevens said. “It's blood money on the
backs of all American taxpayers.”
The total budget, including capital projects
and debt service funds, totals $143 million.
It is the General Fund, however, which is
the largest share and gets the most attention
since it funds general school operations and
is the most revenue sensitive.
Even with the $3 million in stimulus fund
ing, the school system will have to eat around
$3 million of its $9 million in reserves.
Barrow is in better shape financially this
year than many other school systems in the
area, but officials believe that the next few
years may be more difficult than FY2010 in
funding.
continued on page 3A
Unemployment rate
back up for county
After a two-month respite, the unemployment rate in
Barrow County moved up in May to 10.7 percent, the sec
ond highest rate so far this year.
Barrow hit a high of 10.9 percent in February, but that
dropped to 10.6 percent in March and April.
May’s slightly higher rate means that some 3,600 Barrow
Countians are out of work, according to the Georgia
Department of Labor.
Barrow’s unemployment rate is the highest in the immedi
ate area and has been above 10 percent for five months in
a row.
May Unemployment Rates
Barrow
10.7%
Jackson
10.1%
Hall
8.9%
Gwinnett
8.9%
Madison
8.1%
Banks
7.3%
Clarke
6.8%
Oconee
5.8%
‘Highlights ’ added
Winder council officially
approves FY2010 budget
BY SUSAN NORMAN
The Winder City Council at a called meeting Monday
adopted its budget for fiscal year 2010.
Distributed at the meeting was a new document of budget
highlights developed in response to public comment at the
June 18 budget hearing. Former school board chairman Bob
Dixon asked that an overview be included in the budget.
Councilman Mike Mingus worked with finance direc
tor Leslie Ginn to prepare the information, which briefly
addresses 14 areas of the budget.
Mayor George “Chip” Thompson III said such highlights
would become a permanent part of future budgets to help
local residents understand any proposed changes from year
to year.
The highlights address projected revenue in several catego
ries and other topics.
Also discussed was another issue brought forward at the
recent budget hearing.
Councilman Sonny Morris said he has been asked by
several people recently why the city council meetings aren’t
televised on the public access channel on Comcast.
The city spends about $200,000 a year for the opera
tion of the station, which produces some local program
ming including meetings of the Barrow County Board of
Commissioners.
Retired schoolteacher Kay Pierce raised the question at the
budget hearing.
A couple of council members said they liked the idea.
“It provides another service to the citizens that can’t get
here,” Mingus said. “It would let them see how their govern
ment operates.”
The mayor appeared less enthusiastic about the idea, say
ing the cameras could change the tone of the meetings, but he
said the issue could be taken up at the July 6-7 meetings.
In other budget-related business Monday, Mingus asked
Ginn to provide an overview of year-end budget amendments
for the FY2009 budget. The council approved the amend
ments in a unanimous vote.
continued on page 2A
