Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Area N e ws
Jackson Countv
Barrow Countv Board of Education
Bell not to seek re-election as chairman
Superintendent’s evaluation process reviewed
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Jackson County Board of Commission
chairman Pat Bell announced this week that
she will not seek re-election.
“Four years ago, when you elected me as
commission chairman, I ran on the platform
of who I am, the former county extension
agent, county commissioner and state repre
sentative who had a desire to instill honesty,
integrity and openness in our county govern
ment,’' Bell said. “I believe together we have
accomplished this while performing the duties
of this office. The county's business will never
be finished. A great and growing county like
BELL
leaders to address. I encourage anyone who
has a passion to serve their fellow man and
desire to shape the direction of our county to
come forward and serve."
Bell offered thanks to the county employ
ees she worked with during her time in office,
as well as her fellow commissioners.
“My chairmanship will conclude in
December of this year and I pledge to transi
tion my knowledge of this office to the new
chairman for the betterment of the county,”
Bells said. “Thank you for placing your con
fidence in me and I look forward to having
ours will always present challenges and opportunities for the opportunity to serve you in the future.”
Elrod to seek 6th term as county tax commissioner
Long-time Jackson County tax
commissioner Don Elrod will be
seeking his sixth term in the upcom
ing election in November.
Elrod has been a resident of
Jackson County for 50 years, hav
ing moved to the county at the age
of nine from North Carolina. He is
a graduate of Jefferson High School
and attended Gainesville College,
before serving with the U.S. Navy
Seabees from 1969-1972.
Elrod is married to Janice Nabors
Elrod and they have a daughter,
Amy Phillips, and a son, James.
They have three grandchildren with
another due in May.
Elrod and his wife are members of
Bethany United Methodist Church,
where he has served on numerous
committees. He is currently serving
as chairman of the board of trustees
and treasurer of the Bethany Men's
Club.
He retired from the Jefferson
Volunteer Fire Department in
January 2006, after 27 years of ser
vice, having last served as chief. He
is a member of the retired Georgia
Firefighter'sAssociation,
the Constitutional
Officer's Association
and the Georgia Tax
Officials Association,
where is currently serv
ing as second vice presi
dent in charge of train
ing.
Elrod started his polit
ical career in 1985, after
being elected Jackson
County coroner. He
served one term before running for
tax commissioner in 1988. He took
office and has served in the role
since that time. He has run unop
posed in each election since then.
Elrod states that he has seen a lot
of changes in the office over the last
20 years, including most recently
having to police insurance enforce
ment for motor vehicles and ensur
ing that sales tax has been paid on
out-of-state purchases.
“As the population continues
to grow, so do the digest values,”
Elrod said in a statement. “The
1989 digest (taxable value) was
290,668,448, while the
2007 digest net tax
able was 1,821,801,784.
We sold approximately
32,000 tags and had
approximately 13,250
tax bills in 1989. At
that time, the office
had a full-time staff of
four with two part-time
ELROD employees working from
October through April
tag deadlines.
“In 2007, the office sold 57,950
tags and mailed 34,500 property tax
bills and 3,300 mobile home bills
with a full time staff of nine. Over
the last few years, the office has
also started collecting taxes for the
City of Commerce, Commerce City
Schools and the City of Pendergrass.
Last year, we also added the City of
Jefferson and Jefferson City Schools
to the collection,” he added.
Elrod states that with God's help,
he will always endeavor to treat
everyone like someone and continue
to run the office as economically as
possible.
Jackson Co. moves to take over ‘puppy mill’
BY ANGELA GARY
Allegations of neglect at a Nicholson
puppy mill led to warrants being issued
for the arrest of the four operators of
L.D. Farms and Kennel.
Marie, Jennifer and Ronnie Hughes
and Brandy Stone will all be charged
with misdemeanor and federal ani
mal cruelty charges. The action comes
after a former employee filed a com
plaint about the conditions at the ken
nel, including lack of proper food,
shelter and care for the almost 300
puppies and dogs on the 23-acre site
on Sanford Road in Nicholson.
“All in all, this place is a puppy
mill,” the woman wrote in the report.
“They breed dogs until they die.”
The woman worked at the kennel
two days before quitting because of the
conditions of the animals. She said she
repeatedly asked that the sick puppies
be taken to a vet but was told that this
is not done because of the cost.
The situation at the site led to an emer
gency called meeting of the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners
Tuesday morning where the board dis
cussed the ramifications to the county
of shutting down the facility.
County attorney Jane Range said
after charges are filed, an impound
hearing will be held. Leaders of the
Jackson County Humane Society
promised that they would find homes
for all of the puppies. The Atlanta
Humane Society, the United States
Humane Society and the Best Friends
Sanctuary have already been contacted
about assisting in finding homes for
the animals.
BY KRISTI REED
T he Barrow County Board
of Education met in
work session Thursday
to discuss how Superintendent Ron
Saunders should be evaluated.
The board was recently recertified
as a School Board of Distinction
through 2009. In order to retain this
accreditation, the Georgia School
Boards Association (GSBA) requires
that the board use one of two meth
ods for evaluating the superinten
dent.
The GSBA recommends that mem
ber boards use the “Superintendent
Evaluation Instrument Option 1.”
This form includes eight specific
areas in which a superintendent is
evaluated based on evidence speci
fied to measure achievement or prog
ress towards indicated goals. The
form includes a ninth area which can
be tailored to measure performance
in any area not covered in the eight
designated tasks.
The second method would allow
the board to continue to use the
revised 2002 Georgia Superintendent
Evaluation Instrument as long as at
least one of the eight tasks outlined
in the recommended evaluation form
was incorporated.
Assistant Superintendent Roy
Morgan explained why GSBA want
ed school boards to use Option 1.
“It forces the board and super
intendent to sit down together and
say ‘If we’re going to expect you to
do this, then let’s agree on what we
want you to show in terms of evi
dence that will prove to us that you
have met this goal',” he said.
Board Chairman William Bramlett
said the GSBA implemented the
policy to address arbitrary evalua
tions by school boards. Bramlett
suggested the board continue to use
the existing evaluation form and
incorporate one task from the GSBA
recommended form - a “catchall”
task that measures how well the
superintendent has assisted the board
in the “continuous improvement of
the school district.”
“Of those eight standards they
are wanting us to implement, we
are in pretty good shape on every
thing really,” he said. Bramlett pro
posed incorporating the one task
with the existing form in order to
meet GSBA standards “simply and
without investing massive amounts
of time.”
“We can continue to use an instru
ment we’ve been comfortable with
for decades,” Bramlett said. “One of
the things I don’t think the Georgia
School Boards has recognized yet is
that to get a school board to sit down
and agree on any point is difficult,
but to agree on eight categories with
multiple points would be very dif
ficult.”
Board member Mitch Churchill
said the transition to the new form
was most likely inevitable and mem
bers should go ahead and make the
change.
“I think the focus in doing this is
on us giving the best feedback we
can give to our executive officer,”
he said “It’s about helping him run
our school system better. It’s about
giving the most effective feedback
to him.”
For the upcoming year, the board
has tentatively agreed to a compro
mise which would use the existing
form and include three of the eight
superintendent tasks from the GSBA
recommended form: assisting the
BOE in the continuous improve
ment of the school district: provid
ing leadership to the BOE in policy
development and implementation;
and meeting established require
ments in developing and conducting
board meetings.
The board will meet at a later
date to establish criteria for meeting
these goals. The next regular board
meeting is scheduled for March 4
at 7 p.m. at 179 W. Athens Street in
Winder.
Barrow County Planning Commission
Proposed impound yard faces opposition
BY KRISTI REED
The Barrow County Planning Commission has rec
ommended approval for a special use permit which
would allow an impound yard to be operated on
Chandler Road.
Applicant Robbie Hearn requested the permit in
order to operate a towing service on his property
located at 446 Chandler Road. At Thursday’s meeting,
Hearn told commission members he believes there is
a need for another towing service in the area. Hearn
owns 7.5 acres on Chandler Road and would like to
designate an acre of his property for the impound
facility.
Neighbor Glen Graham opposed the request citing
concerns about increased traffic and road damage.
Graham told the planning commission that Chandler
Road is unpaved and not well maintained. Graham said
he is concerned that the tow truck traffic would cause
further deterioration to the roadway and would present
a safety concern in the primarily residential area.
Hearn assured commission members that his prop
erty is located only one eighth of a mile from the main
road and would not pass the majority of the eleven
homes on Chandler Road.
The planning commission voted 4-1 to approve the
request with District 2 representative Wayne Alexander
voting against issuing the permit.
In other business, the planning commission:
•recommended approval for a request to rezone 5.2
acres on Pierce Road from AG to R-l for the purpose
of constructing a four home subdivision. The homes
will have a minimum of 2000 square feet.
•recommended approval of a special use permit
which would allow manufacturing of pre-cast stone
at 670 Enterprise Drive in Auburn. The 20,000 square
foot warehouse is currently used for storage.
The requests will go before the Barrow County
Board of Commissioners on March 25.
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