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StarNews
"Faithfully Reporting on What Matters"
JANUARY 2018 • VOLUME 24 NUMBER 1 CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA';; ONLY LOCALLY OWNED LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER
c ° m StarNews monthly t (ulitioiui/ print publication/ StarNews Online daily local news
Farm &
Commerce
“How wildlife biologists
predict deer rut”
Page 12
Urban
Honey Bee
* Project
Deadline to submit
Georgia
Tech
application is Feb. 22nd
Page 16
“Villa Rica City Council:
Grinches who stole
Christmas (again)”
Prissi Sullivan - columnist
Page 20
“Two Irishmen”
A short story on how
public servants can get along
despite differences in philosophy.
Jason Swindle - columnist
Page 21
Local blood drive
Friday, Jan. 19th
“The need is constant”
Page27
Restaurant inspections
Marriage licenses
Pistol Permits
Cattle Sales
Page 25
Records set for jobs and workforce
State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler stated that 2017
was a “banner year for Georgia"
from press release
State Labor Commissioner
Mark Butler said that Georgia’s
jobs, employment and labor force
numbers continued to grow in
November and unemployment
insurance claims fell.
The only number not improving
in November was the state’s
unemployment rate. But even it
remained unchanged at an already
low 4.3%. Butler said 2017 has
been a banner year for Georgia as
a jobs producer and for its resi
dents finding good jobs. Georgia,
Butler noted, finally shook off the
effects of Hurricane Irma.
See BANNER YEAR page 22
Master Gunsmith
Cody Lawrence holds a rifle which has made its way into
his repair shop at Shot Spot in Carrollton. Lawrence has
been working on firearms since he was a child, and now the
20-year-old Master Gunsmith is making a name for himself
as Carroll County’s go-to guy for firearms repair. Read full
story beginning on Page 9. Photo and story by Sam Gentry
Special Election to be held March
20th to fill unexpired term for
county commission seat District 1
Trent North attended last meeting as county district
commissioner in December ending 25 year run
by Sam Gentry
The Carroll County Board of
Commissioners met on December
5, 2017 at 6 p.m. in the commis
sion chambers located at the his
toric courthouse in downtown
Carrollton. Chairman Marty
Smith, District 1 Commissioner
Trent North, District 2
Commissioner Vicki Anderson,
District 3 Commissioner Tommy
Lee, District 4 Commissioner
Michelle Morgan, and District 5
Commissioner Lee Powers were
in attendance, with District 6
Commissioner George Chambers
absent.
It was a memorable night as the
longest serving commissioner on
the board, Trent North said good
bye. North, whose first commis
sion meeting in Carroll County
was on January 12, 1993, was
recently named superintendent of
Douglas County Schools. During
his time as a county commis
sioner, North was elected Vice
Chair a total of thirteen times.
Smith turned leadership of the
See SPECIAL ELECTION page 22
Temple council and new mayor
approve 2018 budget: S6.15M
by Prissi Sullivan
Temple City Council and newly
elected mayor approved the
recommended $6,151,190 budget
for the 2018 fiscal year at their
January meeting by unanimous
vote of 4 to 0 - Council Member
Todd Rothwell (Ward 3) was not
present - overturning former
Mayor Lester Harmon’s veto.
Present were Mayor Michael
Johnson, and council members
Terron Bivins, Ward 1; Howard
Walden, Ward 2; Tom Wallace,
Ward 4; and Richard Bracknell,
See TEMPLE BUDGET page 23
Villa Rica council approves
2018 budget: S20.49M
Budget will run January 1 through September 30, 2018
Fiscal year will then change October 1, 2018 through September 2019
by Prissi Sullivan
Villa Rica City Council
approved the 2018 budget at their
December council meeting. This
budget shows revenues totaling
$19,713,506, while expenditures
add up to $20,497,292. This defi
cit is due to the end of the fiscal
period before the majority of reve
nues are collected. This budget
will not be for a full calendar year:
it will encompass January 1, 2018
through September 30, 2018. In
the future, Villa Rica’s fiscal year
will run from October 1 through
See VILLA RICA BUDGET page 23
Long time/repeat Temple Mayor Lester Harmon exits with promise to return
by Prissi Sullivan
Lester Harmon presided over his last meet
ing as Mayor at the December 2017 Temple
City Council meeting. Harmon chose not to
seek re-election due to his wife’s illness, but is
determined to return when her health is
restored. Prior to his current four-year term,
Harmon also served as Mayor of Temple from
2002 until 2006. “I will definitely return to
expose over-spending”.
Harmon feels a lot has been accomplished
during this term; specifically, the exposure of
information pertaining to the issues surround
ing the sewer bond debt being called and the
re-negotiation of the debt at a higher interest
rate.
In addition, the re-modeling of the “alb
atross of a building was stopped. A new City
Hall facility and Police Department Building
were purchased and paid for.” In 2006, the
City had purchased the Sewell Building to use
as an Administrative Complex.
From April 2006 through December 2012,
major repairs and renovations were done,
including installation of a new roof and asbes
tos abatement. In December of 2012, the city
council voted to demolish the building and
construct a new one. In February of 2013,
$68,000 was earmarked for design of a new
building and an agreement with Benchmark
Tuscany for the project was contracted. In
March, 2014, under the leadership of Harmon,
the city terminated the contract and paid a
$135,835 termination fee.
At that time, the city’s investment totaled
$651,769 for a vacant lot with a now assessed
tax value of $66,900.
Hannon also states that when he was elected
in 2013, the Temple Police Department had
written $500,000 worth of citations that year.
“The police department should serve the citi-
See LESTER HARMON page 5
