Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2018
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 7A
Barrow County Board of Commissioners — District 6
Age: 64
Immediate family: Wife,
Ellen; two children and four
grandchildren.
Occupation: Employed
with Gwinnett County Gov
ernment, 13 years as a cor
rections officer, and the last
11 years as the county’s fuel
manager.
Hometown: I have lived
in Barrow County since
1991.1 consider Winder and
Barrow County my home.
Education/special train
ing: Associate degree in
criminal justice. After grad
uating high school, I decid
ed to join the military. I
served for 24 years in the
U.S. Army, retiring as Tank
Platoon Sergeant and Com
pany Master Gunner.
BNJ: Why have you
decided to run for re-elec
tion? What has been the
board’s biggest success
while you have been in
office?
Hendrix: I have decided to
run for re-election because
there are some things that
I would like to see through
to completion, primarily
the completion of the West
Winder Bypass. I also enjoy
being a public servant and
feel that public service is a
way to give back something
to the community. I was
raised to believe that if you
have been blessed, then you
should try to give something
back.
The board’s most recent
success was the re-open
ing of the Ed Hogan Road/
CSX railroad crossing along
Georgia Highway 8 near
Walmart. This intersection
had been closed for many
years due to a derailment.
As a board, we are also
seeing an increase in local
revenues though our LOST
and SPLOST taxes. We are
also seeing things pick up
since the Great Recession of
2008. Building permits and
housing starts are increasing
from where they bottomed
out at that time. Commer
cial growth is also expand
ing, with new restaurants
and other businesses open
ing throughout the county,
especially along the High
way 316 and Highway 81
intersection.
BNJ: What do you con
sider to be the three big
gest issues Barrow County
is facing, and how would
you address them as a
county commissioner over
the next four years?
Hendrix: I believe that our
biggest challenge during the
next four years and beyond
is public safety. Our citizens
expect immediate response
to emergency situations. If
someone calls for a deputy,
fireman or an ambulance,
they need to know that they
can depend on quick and
efficient response. The pub
lic’s safety has to be our
biggest priority. If govern
ment can’t take care of this
issue and do it well, we have
a serious problem. We must
continue to hire and retain
great employees in the sher
iff’s department and in our
fire and EMS service. I am
committed to offering com
petitive salaries and benefits
for these personnel, which
is why I fully support the
pay study and compensa
tion package that the sher
iff has proposed. We also
gave the firefighters and
EMS personnel a pay raise
last year. Additionally, we
must continue to furnish our
public safety personnel with
safe and effective vehicles
BEN HENDRIX
REPUBLICAN
INCUMBENT
and equipment to do their
jobs. I realize that this cre
ates a major impact on our
budget, but we owe it to our
constituents to ensure their
safety.
Our second biggest chal
lenge is fostering better
relations between the coun
ty and city governments.
Our citizens expect us to
get along with each other;
they really do! We all serve
the same constituents. Com
promise is the key. We must
start by reaching out and
talking with each other.
Many people I talk with are
tired of the current inability
for the two governments to
get along. We must estab
lish trust, the winners in
the end will be our constit
uents! I propose that we
begin by scheduling a joint
meeting between the Board
of Commissioners and the
city councils.
Our third biggest chal
lenge going forward is
managing residential and
commercial growth. Our
citizens expect us to plan
for and manage sensible
and responsible growth. We
have started this process
by beginning to update the
Comprehensive Land Use
Plan, and we are also plan
ning to revise the Unified
Development Code (UDC)
in the near future. Both of
these are great tools for the
staff and Board of Commis
sioners to use in managing
growth and development.
As we do these revisions,
we must not forget to
address traffic, public safety
issues and housing densi
ty. We should also educate
and train up our Planning
Commission members and
other staff personnel. We
have good, quality people
serving on the Planning
Commission as well as on
staff, and we owe it to them
to train them to a high level.
The Carl Vinson Institute
in Athens and the ACCG
both have the resources to
come in and give classes
on these subjects. We are
beginning to see increases
in our LOST and SPLOST
revenues after recovering
from the Great Recession.
We need to stay the course.
Lastly, we need to ensure
that we are reasonable in
approving variances ... we
need to use common sense.
BNJ: There has been
much discussion recent
ly about the amount
of money the county is
spending on overtime
wages, particularly to
pay law enforcement and
emergency workers as
those departments face
several staffing vacan
cies. What can be done
to raise the level of pay
to keep these departments
competitive with the sur
rounding market, but also
maintain a balanced coun
ty budget without signifi
cant tax increases?
Hendrix: I believe that we
need to continue to closely
monitor overtime spending.
We also should prioritize
the hiring of personnel to
NOTICE
The quarterly meeting for the Barrow
County Board of Health will be held on
Friday, May 18, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. in the
conference room of the Barrow County
Health Department located at 15 Porter
St., Winder, GA.
fill existing vacancies. This
will in many cases relieve
the overtime spending by
creating a full up work
force. Managers and super
visors at all levels must be
involved in this process of
monitoring overtime spend
ing. We all have to be good
stewards of our tax dol
lars. Everyone must be a
team player in this regard.
By approving the pay and
compensation study that
the sheriff has proposed,
we will go a long way in
addressing this issue.
BNJ: What should the
county be doing to foster
more economic growth in
the area?
Hendrix: We need to
advertise for and hire a new
director of economic devel
opment since we now have
a vacancy in that position. I
believe that we should also
work more closely with
the Chamber of Commerce
and the other cities in this
regard. We have many good,
smart business owners in
our county whose ideas
should be heard on this
issue as well. No one person
has all the answers on the
subject of economic growth.
I would support forming a
committee composed of city
and county officials, local
business owners and other
stakeholders to sit down and
discuss this issue and put
together a plan for Barrow
County and the future.
BNJ: County voters are
being asked this month to
approve a referendum for
up to $100,000 to be spent
studying consolidation of
county and some munic
ipal governments within
Barrow. Do you support
such a study?
Hendrix: I voted along
with several other commis
sioners to place this ques
tion before the voters as a
referendum question on the
upcoming ballot. While I
don’t personally think we
should spend $100,000 for
a study like this, I do believe
that our citizens should have
a say in this matter. Our
seven-member Board of
Commissioners shouldn’t
have the final say so on
this matter; all of our voters
should have input, because
at the end of the day, it will
affect us all.
BNJ: The City of Wind
er’s application with the
state for a separate EMS
service from the county
has been the subject of
litigation between the city
and county. Do you sup
port the county stationing
an ambulance in the city
limits, or would you be in
favor of the city starting
its own EMS department?
Hendrix: I fully support
stationing an ambulance
within the city limits of
Winder and have for many
years. I have had numer
ous discussions with other
commissioners and Wind
er City Council members
on this issue. My personal
opinion is that the county
has a responsibility to act on
this issue.
Other commissioners and
City Council members I
have spoken with have indi
cated that they think there
is room for compromise on
this subject. This could be
the first step in beginning
better relations between
the county and the City of
Winder. I believe we owe it
to our constituents to try and
work through this problem.
BNJ: Why have you
decided to run for elec
tion to this office? What
makes you better suited to
the office than the incum
bent?
Lynn: Our county needs
leaders that are commit
ted to high-quality growth
and providing services at
a level that our citizens
expect. I am participating
in the Comprehensive Plan
update meetings and the
majority of our citizens sup
port higher-quality housing, better roads and
quality recreation programs in the county.
The incumbent has voted against subdi
visions with higher-priced homes and voted
in favor of adding hundreds of apartments
to the county. Barrow County needs leaders
that understand the connection between
land use, zoning decisions and the cost of
providing services to our current and future
citizens. We need balanced growth, not the
high-density residential growth which my
opponent has always supported.
The incumbent also voted in favor of
spending millions of dollars on land pur
chases during Doug Garrison’s administra
tion which weighs heavily on our taxpayers.
Every year the county spends $2.1 million
for land that still sits vacant. This debt for
the land purchased has not benefitted our
citizens and it has increased their property
taxes.
I look forward to representing the citizens
in District 6. I have the ability to make
effective business decisions for the county. I
will support quality growth. I am committed
to following the Comprehensive Plan, and
I will work to make sure Barrow County
achieves the results our citizens expect.
BNJ: What do you consider to be the
three biggest issues Barrow County is
facing, and how would you address them
as a county commissioner over the next
four years?
Lynn: Our three biggest challenges are:
•Improving the condition of our local
roads and addressing traffic congestion.
•Providing all the services our citizens
expect without increasing their property
taxes.
•Creating a favorable environment to
attract business and industry: low tax bur
den, reasonable utility rates and access to a
highly skilled workforce.
I believe Barrow County needs balanced
growth. The county has seen a lot of resi
dential development since the great reces
sion but we are still lagging in quality
industrial growth which will increase our
tax base and bring high-paying jobs to the
county. Balancing our property tax digest
with quality commercial and industrial
growth will increase our sales tax revenues,
which will reduce the property tax burden
on our homeowners.
BNJ: There has been much discussion
recently about the amount of money the
county is spending on overtime wages,
particularly to pay law enforcement and
emergency workers as those departments
face several staffing vacancies. What can
be done to raise the level of pay to keep
these departments competitive with the
surrounding market, but also maintain a
balanced county budget without signifi
cant tax increases?
Lynn: Implementing effective and com
petitive salary levels is the first step. All
governments in the area are competing
for quality employees. Currently there are
workforce shortages in some of the crit
ical public safety profes
sions. Our human resource
departments need to step
up their recruitment efforts.
Many metro counties are
recruiting outside of the
local labor market, advertis
ing in rural Georgia where
wages are lower and bring
ing in employees willing to
relocate for quality jobs and
higher wages. We are in a
situation of high demand
and low supply. Increasing
wages alone may not be
effective; new methods of recruitment are
also important in the current labor market.
BNJ: What should the county be doing
to foster more economic growth in the
area?
Lynn: Economic growth takes place
where there is a favorable business climate.
Barrow County needs to strive to provide
high-quality services, maintain a low tax
burden, ensure reasonable utility rates and
have a skilled workforce. This pro-business
environment is not created by the economic
development department. It’s shaped by all
the decisions made by the Board of Com
missioners. Every department in the county
should have specific goals that support the
county’s economic development objectives.
BNJ: County voters are being asked to
approve a referendum for up to $100,000
to be spent on studying consolidation of
county and some municipal governments
within Barrow. Do you support such a
study?
Lynn: I support the citizens being allowed
to decide. The “advisory referendum” is
their chance to have their say. The study
would provide the answer to whether or
not tax dollars can be saved by consolidat
ing county and municipal governments in
Barrow County. I think there is a benefit
to having the facts, having accurate infor
mation, on whether or not consolidation
would reduce government cost and improve
services in the county. I support the will of
the voters on this issue.
BNJ: The City of Winder’s application
with the state for a separate EMS service
from the county has been the subject of
litigation between the city and the coun
ty. Do you support the county stationing
an ambulance within the city limits, or
would you be in favor of the city starting
its own EMS department?
Lynn: I think EMS ambulance units
should be stationed where they achieve the
lowest response times. EMS is a critical
public safety service and should be provid
ed based on data and facts. Guessing about
where ambulance units are stationed is not
advisable. If an ambulance is moved and
placed inside Winder, we need to moni
tor response times to assure that change
resulted in an improvement in emergency
response times.
I think there should be one provider.
Duplication of service usually drives up
the cost for everyone. The cities and county
have been negotiating the Service Delivery
Strategy. One of the reasons the state put
the SDS law in place was to eliminate the
costly duplication of services. I’m not sure
duplicating EMS providers in the county is
the answer. We should make sure our ambu
lance response times are going to ensure we
save lives.
When someone is hurt, injured or expe
riencing a health crisis, they need quick,
high-quality healthcare. Saving lives is the
bottom line.
DEBORAH LYNN
REPUBLICAN
CHALLENGER
Cox continued from 6A
BNJ: Barrow County voters are
being asked this month to approve
a referendum for up to $100,000 to
be spent studying consolidation of
county and some municipal govern
ments within Barrow. Do you sup
port such a study?
Cox: I personally do not support
spending $100,000 on a study for this.
I do support asking the voters for their
opinion on spending the money.
As a commission, I believe that this
was the right thing to do before spend
ing the money.
BNJ: The City of Winder’s appli
cation with the state for a separate
EMS service from the county has
been the subject of litigation between
the city and county. Do you support
the county stationing an ambulance
in the city limits, or would you be
in favor of the city starting its own
EMS department?
At the candidate forum. I answered
no to this. I believe that if there is a
need in the city, the service should
provided. The current response times
are listed online and are below the
national average.
That does not mean we cannot
improve them. In the past, the county
placed an ambulance unit in the city
and it was vandalized.
The county and the city have grown
since then. I would like to hear both
sides of the argument so that I can
make a better, more informed decision.
Town of Carl
The Town of Carl regular
meeting is May 17, 2018
at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall.
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