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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.