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Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall
Gi* £
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
Wednesday, March 5,2008
Vol. 3 No. 46 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com 22 pages, 3 sections
Inside
JACKSON COUNTY
•Questions raised about
county contracts
page 2A
•Benton to seek full
time state court
page 2A
Sports:
•Mill Creek baseball off
to strong start
page 1B
Turn your clocks forward
an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday
when Daylight Saving Time
begins.
Opinion:
• ‘What’s the goal of
“straw vote’”
page 4A
Public safety:
•Hoschton police start
ing ‘clean sweep’ cam
paign
page 6A
•Church events
page 8A
•Obituaries
page 7A
Madison to serve 6 years in prison
Pleads guilty
to theft charges
BY ANGELA GARY
It was the lack of an apology that
apparently angered the judge the
most. Superior Court Judge Robert
Mallis strongly chastised former
District Attorney Tim Madison for
not apologizing to the young assis
tant he pulled into his theft scheme
before he sentenced the former
District Attorney to serve six years
in prison. Madison will likely serve
the time in a federal prison.
“What you have done to this coun
ty is insignificant compared to what
you have done to Brett Williams,”
the judge told Madison. “What I
was hoping to hear in this hearing
today was about Brett Williams.
You apologized to everyone in this
courtroom... to your family and
friends... to this circuit... but not
one word about Brett Williams...
You used one of your own assistant
district attorneys... a young man
who I'm sure respected you as a
person of the highest integrity and
honesty... You have destroyed the
career of a young lawyer.”
Madison was also given six years
probation and ordered to pay $40,000
in restitution for the money he took
from the Piedmont Judicial Circuit.
The majority of the funds were
taken from Banks County. Madison
must also serve one year in an alco
hol treatment program.
The state sought an eight-year
sentence for Madison, in addition to
probation and restitution. Madison's
attorneys asked for no prison sen
tence. Instead, they asked for a two-
year stay at an alcohol treatment
center, such as the one he is current
ly living at, as well as community
service and restitution.
“This is a very tragic day for the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit... and for
a person who had a brilliant career
in the circuit and was well respected
by most everyone he came into con
tact with,” the judge said.
Mallis said he received many let
ters of support about Madison that
included “glowing statements on
See MADISON on page 8A
JAIL TIME AHEAD FOR FORMER DA
Former district attorney Tim Madison (left) is shown with one of
his lawyers, Ed Tolley (right), during Tuesday’s sentencing.
Photo by April Reese Sorrow
Read Across America Day
VOLUNTEERS READ AT SCHOOL
Ken Moates reads a selection from Disney’s adaptation of Uncle Remus to Melinda Wallace’s class
at West Jackson Middle School Friday. Guest speakers were placed in classrooms throughout the
school reading to students in honor of Read Across America Day. Photo by April Reese Sorrow
Former Hoschton clerk working part-time
Two clerks given 25% temporary pay increase
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Hoschton’s former city clerk is still on the
city’s payroll — but she’s doing a reduced
workload, according to the mayor.
Mayor Bill Copenhaver said Monday that
former city clerk Cindy Edge is helping
Hoschton’s two remaining clerks on a part-
time basis.
Edge submitted her resignation letter on
Feb. 18, which was effective immediately.
The city council accepted her resignation on
Feb. 20.
“When she gave notice, she also said she wanted to
help out, but not full time,” Copenhaver said.
EDGE
Edge’s
Edge will help assistant city clerk Karen
Butler and administrative assistant Teresa
Heath “however long she’s available,”
Copenhaver said. Butler was named the inter
im city clerk until a replacement is hired.
Meanwhile, the city council approved a
25 percent wage increase for Butler and
Heath until a new city clerk is hired. The pay
increase can be extended up to four weeks
after the new clerk is named.
Council member Tom Walden said that with
departure, the remaining clerks were completing
See CLERK on page 5A
Hoschton sues developer over sewer pump station
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Hoschton has fded its second law
suit in the past month — this time,
the issue centers on ownership of a
sewer pump station in a new subdi
vision.
The city filed the lawsuit against
Horizon Communities, LLC, Gary
and Olsson Properties, Ken Gary
and Kelley O’Brian Gary last week
in Jackson County Superior Court.
The city also filed a lawsuit in
February against its former engineer.
claiming he improperly designed
additions to Hoschton’s wastewater
treatment plant.
The latest lawsuit centers on a
new sewer pump station to handle
wastewater from Brook Glen, an
88-lot subdivision located between
Broad Street and Jefferson Street.
The Village at Hoschton is near the
property.
Horizon Communities is devel
oping Brook Glen. Ken Gary is an
officer and employee of Horizon
Communities and Gary and Olsson
Properties. Kelley Gary is an offi
cer and employee of Horizon
Communities, according to the law
suit.
The Hoschton City Council
rezoned the 29.24-acre property in
June 2005, and approved a final plat
for the subdivision in May 2007.
One of the conditions of zoning
states that the developer will be
See LAWSUIT on page 2A
Three killed in wreck
Police: incident was not a ‘chase’
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Three people died in a head-
on collision on Ga. Hwy. 211 in
Barrow County on Sunday, after
Braselton police said one of its
officers tried to stop a speeding
vehicle.
Braselton assistant police chief
Lou Solis said a town officer was
patrolling at the intersection of Ga.
Hwy. 124 and Hwy. 211 in the town
limits shortly before 10 p.m. when
he noticed a black 1993 Camaro
driving more than 100 m.p.h. on
Hwy. 211, toward Winder.
The officer then noticed that the
Camaro was passing vehicles on
the left side of the road as it sped
down the state highway, Solis.
The Braselton officer started
his blue lights and followed the
Camaro while driving an estimated
85 m.p.h. Solis said the officer
asked dispatch several times for
authorities in Barrow County and
Winder to assist him.
But just a short distance after
the Barrow County School’s
See WRECK on page 8A
Digest to be flat this year in Barrow
BY KRISTI REED
Barrow County Chief Appraiser
Cecil Whitehead said last week that
the slowing economy could hit the
county’s tax digest during 2008.
Whitehead told members
of the Barrow County Board of
Commissioners Friday that residen
tial lots are not selling well and
that would affect the growth of this
year’s tax digest. He said he hopes
the increase in commercial proper
ties will offset any devaluation in
lot values.
“I can’t see the digest going up,”
he said.
More Inside
Barrow County commis
sioners discuss top issues
during retreat meeting
See page 3A
Whitehead was among county
officials who participated in a BOC
retreat last week in Commerce. He
told the BOC that a primary concern
See DIGEST on page 2A
Yates working on overlay
district for West Jackson
BY ANGELA GARY
Jackson County commissioner
Bruce Yates is meeting with citizens
interested in the development of a
zoning overlay district along Hwy.
124 and Hwy. 53 in West Jackson.
Yates reported on the proposed
overlay district at the Jackson County
Board of Commissioners meeting
Monday night. Among the issues
to be addressed are guidelines for
architecture, lighting and landscap
ing. Yates said the goal would be to
“protect values along the corridor.”
Yates, a former Braselton city
councilman, will be meeting with
homeowner’s associations, Braselton
and Hoschton officials and other
interested citizens. A proposed zon
ing overlay district will be presented
to the BOC for final action.
“We have a large number of citi
zens who are concerned and want
some initiative taken now,” Yates
said.
On another matter, Yates asked
county staff to look into a revision
to the unified development code con
cerning the sign ordinance. He asked
for the staff to review the code and
make note of any weaknesses and
recommend improvements.
Yates also asked for a monthly
report to be given on the status of
the update of the county comprehen
sive plan. Planning consultant David
Sutton is overseeing this process for
the county. He will be presenting a
written monthly report on the status
of the update.
