About StarNews. (Carrollton, GA) 20??-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2010)
project pl . W I »f Athens vja www.startiewsga.com ‘Wo/y'ws/ what happened - but what matters 1 for local news dally goto 47 www.starnewsga.com enter user name & password then bookmark us! 770-214-9900 • P.O. Box 680/961 Maple Street, Carrollton, GA 30117 JUNE 6, 2010 500 StarNews monthly publication /StarNews Online www.starnewsga.com VOLUME 16 NUMBER 5 NEWS BRIEFS Water authority reports on Snake Creek Reservoir repair options by Prissi Sullivan The Carroll County Water Authority executive director Matt Windom has reported that Schnabel Engineering completed the prelimi nary study for repair alternatives for the spillway at the Snake Creek Reservoir. Option 1 would involve filling in the eroded area, while option 2 would extend the spillway. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has only agreed to Option 1. However, Windom will go back to FEMA and ask them to consider Option 2. FEMA will fund up to $635,000.00, with CCWA paying 15%. The problem with Option 2 is that, at this time, the unknown amount of rock that would have to be dealt with. Windom will return to the board after further research. for full story go to: www.starnewsga.com County schools: 111.5 jobs subject to RIF by Prissi Sullivan Newly hired superintendent Scott Cowart officially presided over his first board meetings during the Carroll County School Board Work Session on May 10 and the regular meeting on May 13, while retiring superintendent John Zauner observed from the audience. The budget and fiscal issues took center stage, as Chief Financial Officer Greg Denney wrestled with balancing the budget, saving the jobs of as many employees as pos sible, and funding construction costs. His goal is to work with a reduction of $7,716,628.00 in reve nues and still meet all expenses without having to raise the millage rate. 66 and one half certified posi tions and 45 classified positions will be subject to a RIF (Reduction in Foree).for full story go to: www.starnewsga.com Chairman presents balanced, smaller budget: up to board to review and approve by June 30th by Chuck Wanager The Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted to advertise the fiscal year 2011 budget that was presented by Chairman Bill Chappell. The proposed budget is down just a few thousand dollars from last year at $47,259,248, ver sus approximately $47.3 million for 2010. Chairman Chappell stated that the budget would be less than last year’s because less revenue is expected in the coming months. Board members are to review the budget and meet during June to dis cuss, work out any issues, and then adopt a budget by the June 30th deadline. In other matters, the low bid by local contractor J&R Construction and Development Inc., Carrollton - - for $16.9 million -- for the new county justice center was approved by the commission board by an unanimous vote of the seven com missioners during their meeting held June 1st. The selected bid included two alternates to the base bid for the building, which includes an unfin ished fifth floor and demolition of the current courthouse annex after the justice center is completed. Chairman Chappell indicated that work should begin soon. He said when paperwork is completed with the local contractor, the county would have the go-ahead to begin Candidates for District 2 commission seat give their thoughts/opinions on issues by Cfiuck Wanager each of the four candidates tc by Cfiuck Wanager With the July 20th primary elec tion approaching, the StarNews and StarNews Online (at www.stamewsga.com) are focus ing on the one county race in which there is opposition for the incum bent: District 2 of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners. In that race, the current commis sioner, Vicki Anderson, a Fairfield Plantation resident, is being chal lenged by three candidates, Jorge (pronounced “George”) Hernan dez, also a Fairfield resident, and Villa Rica’s Joseph “Joey” Kelley and Scott Henrichsen. Most likely, with four candi dates, there will be a runoff since one candidate must have 50 per cent of the total vote plus one vote to win. A runoff election will be held three weeks after the election on August 10. For this article, the Star asked to answer three questions that would assist District 2 voters in making their commissioner choice: — In your opinion, is the county headed in the right direction? Give two examples why or why not. — What are the top two issues you think are most important for the county to address during the next four years? — What makes you particularly qualified for this job? This newspaper emailed the questions to all four candidates, giving them a deadline to reply. We received responses, via email, from three of the candidates. The incum bent, Anderson, did not respond. Responses are published here verbatim. Editing was done only to comply with the style of this news paper. We begin our review with Henrichsen: See CANDIDATES page 31 construction. Board members also gave the go-ahead, in an 5-3 vote with all members in attendance, for the county to switch to a new computer aided dispatch (CAD) system. The current one just has too many glitches, according to Trisha Orr, county Emergency: 911 director. This was her third trip to the board to alert them of the system’s prob lems as sending rescue units to the wrong addresses. The problems were extensive, she said, and only by starting over with an entirely new system would the county finally be rid of the root cause of See COMMISSION page 14 county fcmergency ytl director. See COMMISSION page D Technology cited as reason for rising medical costs by Carole Scott Since World War II, medicine has advanced more than it did through all the rest of recorded his tory. As a result, the pain and suf fering the average person experi ences in their lifetime has been vastly reduced, and average life time has been vastly extended. In 1850, life expectancy for a new born, white girl was 40.5 years. For boys it was 38.3 years. By 2004, the life expectancy for a white, newborn girl had risen to 80.4 years. The much shorter average lifetime in 1850 was largely the result of so many people dying See COSTS page 17 “Obamacare”: Medicare to expand; new taxes to emerge During World War II, the federal by Carole Scott Since 1962, the share of the United States’ economy accounted for by health care has risen from 6 percent to about 17 percent. Today’s third party payer domi nated health care system became entrenched after World War II. government promoted third party payment for medical services by offering tax subsidies to employer- sponsored health care insurance. Since 1965, when it created Medicare for seniors and Medicaid See OBAMACARE page 34 Physician shortage on horizon: Due to expansion of coverage to tens of millions more people; career now less financially appealing by Carole Scott For many years it has been feared that, as a result of the rela tively slow growth in the number of primary care physicians and the huge Baby Boomer generation starting to turn 65 years old in 2011, the nation faces a large future shortage of primary care physi cians. In March 2010, Congress magnified the size of this shortage by passing legislation that will enable tens of millions more people to obtain health care insurance - thereby increasing the demand for more physicians. Primary care physicians include both family practitioners, whose job is to provide primary health care for the entire family, and inter nists. Internists diagnose and treat See SHORTAGE page 32
