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StarNews
CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA'S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED / LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER
NEWS REPORTING / NEWS RECAP / NEWS ANALYSIS
AUGUST 7,2022 • VOLUME 28 NUMBER 8
StarNews monthly traditional print publication / StarNews Online daily local news
www.starnewsgaonline.com
County clerk hired:
fills vacant position
Upper elementary county school teacher
Lynda Bingham hired as county clerk
by Sue Horn
Carroll County Board Chairman Michelle
Morgan has hired Lynda Bingham as the new
Carroll County Clerk. Bingham’s first day on
the job was Monday, July 18, 2022. She fills a
position vacant for months, replacing Donna
Lackey who had held the job briefly resigning
See NEWEST COUNTY CLERK page 21
Plant Yates coal ash threat to
nearby Chattahoochee River area
by Carol Boyd
On Monday, July 18th, the
Carroll County NAACP and
the Carrollton-Carroll League
of Women Voters hosted a pres
entation via Zoom featuring a
senior attorney for the Southern
Environmental Law C enter.
(www.SELC.org). The SELC
attorney’s presentation focused
on coal ash ponds closest to us:
the dangers of the metallic resi
dues that currently leak into our
communities; and the unjust
distribution of these sites.
Coal ash, also known as Coal
Combustion Residuals or CCR,
See COAL ASH page 4
The Carroll County Water Authority (CCWA)
5 Executive Director, Matt Windom is shown left in
the water authority building’s lobby at 556 Old 1
Bremen Road, Carrollton. He is shown with staff
members Katrina Carmona, Karli Bearden, and
Tiffany Mitchem. Photo by Wayne J. Reynolds
Post-pandemic effects: Carroll County Water Authority
to increase connection charges for first time since 2005
by Wayne J. Reynolds
The Carroll County Water Authority (CCWA) recently
announced an increase in connection charges for new
customers, the first increase for connections since 2005.
These price hikes, which will become effective
September 1st, have garnered attention. In an extensive
interview, CCWA Executive Director Matt Windom
offered insights on those increases and also how the
independent authority operates.
Raised in Carroll County, Windom joined the author
ity in 2003 as a project engineer. He was promoted to
See CCWA page 8
County school board to increase
property taxes: $158,649,954 budget
for 15,500 anticipated students
Public hearings required: Monday, Aug.l5th, Thursday, Aug. 18th
from press release
The Carroll County Board of
Education plans to increase the 2022
property taxes it will levy this year
by 3.71% over the rollback millage
rate. One of the three required pub
lic hearings has already been held.
The two remaining hearings are
scheduled for Monday, August 15th
and Thursday, August 18th.
Each year, the Carroll County
Board of Tax Assessors is required
to review the assessed value of tax-
Carroll County School System
FY2022-2023 Budget: $158,649,954
STUDENT POPULATION: 15,500
COST PER STUDENT: $10,236
able property in the county. When
the trend of prices on properties that
have recently sold in the county
indicate there has been an increase
in the fair market value of any spe
cific property, the board of tax asses-
See TAX INCREASE page 5
County commission begins process
to address problems with zoning
ordinances on subdividing land
Current ordinance wording allows county engineer to make exceptions
to ordinances with no guidance or permission from commission board
First meeting included open discussion on pros and cons of flag lots
by Sue Horn
Several employees and elected
officials of Carroll County govern
ment met on Thursday, July 21st for
the purpose of discussing ordinance
issues and seeking ideas toward the
rewriting of any ordinances. The
meeting was held in the Carroll
County Emergency Management
building, Newnan Road, Carrollton.
Also in attendance was hired con
sultant Theron Gay who is executive
director of Administration and
Special Projects with Meriwether
County. Carroll County Board of
Commissioners Chairman Michelle
Morgan said that Gay was there to
“facilitate and take notes”.
As the meeting opened, Morgan
introduced the new Carroll County
See FUTURE LOOK of
CARROLL COUNTY page 12
Public invited to ribbon cutting for
long anticipated new WGTC campus
from press release
West Georgia Technical College
will hold a ribbon cutting celebra
tion for the new Carroll campus
10:30 a.m., Thursday, August 11,
2022 at 500 Technology Parkway,
Carrollton (off the bypass). The
public is invited to attend. Campus
tours will follow after the ceremony.
“The transition from over 50
years of history evolving from the
original Carroll Tech to celebrating
a bright, high-tech future at West
Georgia Tech, in this amazing new
$66 million-dollar campus, is noth
ing short of amazing,” said WGTC
president Dr. Julie Post.
See WGTC page 19
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Gates open at 6pm - Rodeo starts at 8pm* n
2011 Carrollton/Villa Rica Highway
wS5mI$SI0N: v VIP $30 • $20 FOE ADULTS • FEES FOE 5-0 YEAES
I „ S
ADVANCED TICKETS: $15 for General Admission at Don-Rioh Ford
Food*Pony Bides*Meohanioal Buir*Roek Climbing*Bungee Jnmping*Inflatables
Kids’ Boot Scramble*Bull Biding*Calf Boping*Steer Wrestling *Ladies Breakaway
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