Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Area N e ws
Jackson County Board of Commissioners
Election
Questions raised about county contracts
T he Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
appears ready to move
forward on two large road projects,
but commissioner Jody Thompson
said Monday night that consultants
hired for the projects should not be
awarded without bids.
The BOC heard a request for
approval of a consultant agreement
with Heath and Lineback Engineers
for a contract for $266,000 for pre
liminary engineering and design of
State Route 53/Hoschton-Braselton
Bypass. The board also heard a
request for approval of a con
tract for $348,370 with Moreland
Altobelli Associates for the Zion
Church Road improvement project.
Both projects are slated to be
funded with the 2008 economic
development road program. Action
on hiring consultants is slated to be
taken at the March 17 BOC meet
ing.
But commissioner Thompson
said that he is concerned about the
projects being awarded to consul
tants without bids being taken.
“It doesn't sit well with me not to
bid out on professional services,”
he said. “...We bid out pest control,
but we don’t bid on a half a million
dollar project... How do we ensure
to our taxpayers that we are get
ting the best bang for our buck?”
Commissioner Dwain Smith said
he also has concerns about bids not
being taken.
Impact fees to be addressed at BOC meeting
BY ANGELA GARY
Jackson County commissioner Tom Crow is ready for
action to be taken on impact fees in the county.
At a board of commissioners work session Monday
night, Crow asked that impact fees be on the agenda at
the BOC’s March 17 meeting. A one-year study must be
conducted before impact fees are put in place.
“I’m concerned with the cost of it, but I'm more
concerned with the cost of not implementing it,” Crow
said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the meeting Monday, the BOC:
• heard a request from Richard Harrison, manager of
the county environmental health department, about a
recommendation from the health board to increase fees.
The BOC will take action on the request at its April
meeting.
• learned that a hearing will be held at the March
17 meeting on a recommendation to close the existing
bridge crossing over Possum Creek Road.
BOC hesitant to fund full-time State Court
BY ANGELA GARY
Rep. Tommy Benton plans
to seek full-time status for the
State Court. But the move has
been met with some reservation
by the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners. The BOC is con
cerned about funding the court on
a full-time basis.
The BOC discussed Benton's
proposed legislation Monday night
and asked county staff members to
get more data on the issue. BOC
chairman Pat Bell pointed out that
Benton could move forward with
the legislation even if the BOC
does not approve it.
The legislation calls for the sal
ary of the State Court judge to
be 80 percent of the salary of the
Superior Court judges. It also calls
for the salary of the State Court
solicitor to be 80 percent of the
district attorney's salary.
Judge Jerry Gray and solicitor
Don Moore are now considered
part-time employees.
The board asked for more infor
mation on the increase in the num
ber of hours the solicitor and judge
would work, as well as the case
load and impact on the budget.
The BOC also asked what led
Rep. Benton to propose the leg
islation. County manager Darrell
Hampton said the move was not
requested by any county employ
ee. It was not known if the solicitor
and judge, who are elected posi
tions, requested the change.
“We don't know enough,” Bell
said. “I want numbers. I want jus
tification for this.”
Last year, the State Court was
criticized for the backlog in the
cases and the number of cases
being dismissed or reduced. At
that time, the county added five
positions to the department.
Recently, the state court was the
subject of a WAGA-TV (Atlanta)
report that said the court was dis
missing or reducing over 2/3 of its
DUI cases.
Jackson County Planning Commission
Request for commercial development denied
BY JUSTIN POOLE
A request to change the allowed use of property in
Braselton to pave the way for commercial office build
ings hit a road block last week.
The Jackson County Planning Commission voted
unanimously to deny Braselton Properties' application
for the change from residential growth to community
activity center.
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will
consider the request when it meets at 6 p.m. on Monday,
March 17.
Larry Beck, applicant for Braselton Properties, LLC,
applied for an amendment for 21.132 acres located near
the intersection of Highway 124 and McEver Lane.
The current use of the property is marked as residential
growth on the map. The proposed use of the area would
be for commercial office buildings.
According to Beck, the types of businesses that would
be attracted to this location could include service indus
tries. Examples given were air condition repair and maid
services.
In response to Beck's claim that the area was unsuited
for housing due to the proximity to 1-85, planning com
mission vice chairman Don Seagraves said: “If you go
to Atlanta, you will find houses (next to the) interstate
with noise buffers.”
The members voted 5-0 to deny the application for the
map amendment change.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the planning commission:
•approved a map amendment to industrial workplace
by Athens Stonecasting Corporation. Rick Raymond &
Associates is requesting a land use map amendment for
145.96 acres located off of U.S. Hwy 441 on Richmar
Road from gateway corridor and rural places to general
industrial.
•voted to postpone addressing Sondra Davis’s request
for a map amendment until the next meeting. Davis
is requesting a land use map amendment for approxi
mately 3.42 acres, located at the intersection of Hwy
82 and Apple Valley Road, from residential growth to
industrial workplace.
Rep. Benton announces bid for second term
Tommy Benton has announced his intentions to
seek re-election to the District 31 seat in the Georgia
House of Representatives. Benton, who is running as a
Republican, is in his second term in office.
Benton is a 1968 graduate of Commerce High School
and a 1972 graduate of West Georgia College, where
he received an AB in history. He received a master’s of
education degree from Brenau College in 1983.
Benton was employed by the Jackson County Board
of Education for more than 30 years. He taught Georgia
history and government at Maysville Elementary School,
Jackson County Middle School and East Jackson Middle
School.
He was named “Teacher of the Year” twice at
Maysville, 1984 and 1990, and at East Jackson in 2004.
He has been named to Who's Who Among America's
Teachers three times. He sponsored student trips to
Washington, D.C., and New York City for more than
18 years. He has also worked on a part-time basis with
McDonald Hardware in Commerce for the past 33
years.
Benton has served as chairman of the Jefferson
Historic Preservation Commission and as treasurer of
the Jackson County Historical Society. He is a life mem
ber of the NRA, the SCV and a member of the SRA.
He served as treasurer of the 1996 Jackson County
bicentennial committee. He has been a member of the
Commerce First United Methodist Church for the past
46 years and has served on various church committees.
In the House of Representatives, Benton serves on
four committees — education (where he serves as sec
retary), retirement, transportation and natural resources.
He also serves as a delegate to the Southern Legislative
Conference’s education committee, where he serves as
vice chairman.
Benton resides on Martin Street, Jefferson, and is
married to the former Karen Compton of Athens. They
have four children and two grandchildren.
Tom Crow to seek re-election to BOC
Tom Crow, Jefferson, announced
Monday that he will seek re-election
to the District 1 seat on the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners.
He is running as a Republican and is
seeking his second term in office.
Crow is manager of Crow's Lake
Inc., a second-generation family
farm. He and his wife, the former
Nadine Morgan, have been married
for 34 years. They have two chil
dren, Brian and Jennifer.
Crow has served on the Jackson
County Water and Sewerage
Authority, the Jackson County Board
of Equalization, the Jackson County
Recreation Board and the county
greenspace committee. He has also
served as president of the Jackson
County Farm Bureau and is a char
ter member of the Jackson County
Volunteer Fire Association.
Crow is a former scoutmaster of
Troop 158 and is a charter mem
ber of the Georgia Aquaculture
Association, where he is a past pres
ident and legislative chairman. He
is active in the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce and received
the “Fireman of the Year” award
from the group. He retired from the
Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department
after 25 years of service.
DIGEST — continued from page 1A
now is getting the digest completed on time.
The tax digest is a list of all property and property
values in the county and is the basis on which property
tax is calculated.
Whitehead said residential growth in the past few
years had made it difficult to get the digest prepared.
The late completion of last year’s digest caused a delay
in the mailing of tax bills, which in turn led to delayed
revenue for the county and the school system.
Dr. Ron Saunders, Barrow County Superintendent of
Schools, said the school system was forced to pay some
vendors over 90 days late due to the delay in receiving
school tax income from the county.
Whitehead said the problem could be addressed with
an additional employee in the tax assessor’s office. An
additional employee would not only facilitate the timely
completion of the digest, but would also assist in resolv
ing appeals, he said.
SLOW PAYING TAXES
Tax Commissioner Malinda Williams said that her
office is experiencing a slower payment rate due to the
economy. Currently, the collection rate is approximately
90 percent. Williams said the rate at this point last year
was 98.2 percent.
Williams told the BOC there were 75 properties up for
tax sale a few weeks ago, but that the number has been
reduced to three. After receiving the delinquency notic
es, most people are making their payments, she said.
“Times are hard and people are just a lot slower pay
ing [taxes],” said Williams.
LAWSUIT — continued from page 1A
“responsible and pay all costs for
infrastructure sewer improvements
that serve the development.”
The condition adds that the
developer will “dedicate the new
sewer infrastructure to the city, but
reserves a right to recoup a portion
of the investment from the subse
quent development on a lot tap basis
on or before June 6, 2010.”
The pump station in Brook Glen
was designed to handle wastewa
ter from several developments,
including another subdivision. Wild
Flower, being developed by Gary
and Olsson Properties. The pump
station can also handle wastewater
from another proposed subdivision
on Jefferson Street and a mixed-use
project, Creekside, which is current
ly being developed on Ga. Hwy. 53.
Hoschton later approved $55,000
in sales tax funds for a new sewer
line to divert wastewater from a
problematic pump station on West
Jefferson Street to the new Brook
Glen facility.
The lawsuit contends that Ken
and Kelley Gary and their compa
nies claim they still own the pump
station and are responsible for its
maintenance.
The city claims that a lock was
placed around the pump station in
mid-February. Horizon Communities
says the pump station was never
dedicated to the city, according to
the lawsuit.
The Garys later provided a main
tenance bond — which is required
when a final plat is approved — for
$43,379 for the Brook Glen pump
station.
Both parties also debate how
much money the city owes Horizon
Communities for new developments
tapping into the Brook Glen pump
station, according to the lawsuit.
Hoschton will not issue certificates
of occupancy or additional building
permits until the sewer pump sta
tion issue for Brook Glen and Wild
Flower subdivisions is resolved, the
suit says.
Kelley Gary said on Tuesday that
he will decline to comment about
the lawsuit.
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