Wednesday, September 7,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A
Model aviators to hold Extreme Flight air show
Erica Jones Dawson County News
Spectators and pilots enjoy watching the model aircraft dur
ing the NGMA's 2020 Extreme Flight air show. This year's
show is scheduled for Sept. 16 through 18.
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This month, a local remote
control aviation group will once
again host its annual “Extreme
Fun Fest Airshow"’, drawing in
model aircraft pilots from across
the state to showcase their skills
and have fun flying together.
TJ Klise, president of the North
Georgia Model Aviators, said that
this year’s event will allow pilots
of all skill levels to fly with and
learn from one another at the
club’s large model aircraft field.
“This year we’re doing some
thing a littie different; rather than
focusing on the high-energy aero-
batics exclusively we have
opened it up to all types of flying,
so there will be scale aircraft
there, there will be things like
gliders and beginners flying,”
Klise said. “We’ve got some of
the best pilots in the United States
planning to attend this and those
guys will be available to help
some of the new guys who may
need some help or just haven’t
been out flying in awhile and
would like somebody to look
over their shoulder.”
The event will also feature a
training airplane with a “buddy
box system”, allowing observers
and spectators to take introducto
ry flights themselves, he added.
The event is scheduled to take
place from Friday Sept. 16
through Sunday Sept. 18, and the
club has tons of fun planned for
both those flying and those
watching, Klise said.
“We’ll have some really great
flying exhibitions on both Friday
and Saturday; we’re expecting 40
registered pilots from all over the
state of Georgia, some from
Tennessee, maybe even a few
from Alabama,” Klise said.
“We’re planning on opening the
gates Thursday afternoon at 4:30
for early arrivals or folks who are
traveling some distance and we’ll
have camping on site, then we’ll
start flying all day Friday, have
night flying Friday night and fly
all day Saturday and on Sunday.”
For pilots who are interested in
flying during the event, the land
ing fee is $25. Those who pre
register by Sept. 5 will only have
to pay $20, and pre-registered
pilots will also receive ten free
raffle tickets.
For those more interested in
watching than in flying, entry to
the event is free. A catered lunch
and dinner will be available, and
dry camping is also available on
site.
The event will also feature a
raffle, which will be a little differ
ent this year because spectators
will also be allowed to purchase
tickets.
“The raffle this year is avail
able to spectators and onlookers
as well as pilots and participants
in the event, so you can walk up
and get a raffle ticket and walk
away with some cool flying prize
that you can then come back and
fly at the field,” Klise said.
The event is sponsored by
Extreme Flight RC and Horizon
Hobby, both of which have con
tributed prizes to the raffle. Raffle
tickets are just $1 each.
According to Klise, the event is
guaranteed to be a blast for pilots
of any skill level and for specta
tors too.
“Spectators are welcome,
guests are welcome, if there are
people that have always wanted
to see what radio control aviation
was all about this would be a
good time to do that,” Klise said.
“We’re happy to help introduce
folks to the flying club and what
we’re all about; we’re always
looking for new membership and
now is a great time to do that.
Everyone is welcome; come see
us for a relaxing day of fun, fly
ing and excitement.”
The NGMA field is located at
553 Geirrein Road in
Dawsonville. For more informa
tion or to register as a pilot for the
event, visit the NGMA website at
www.ngmarc.org. For any addi
tional questions, go to the
NGMA Facebook page at https://
www.facebook.com/groups/
NGMARC/ or reach out to Klise
by email at ngmaboard@gmail.
com.
BOC approves 5% pay raises for county workers
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
When talking about staff
salaries, members on the
Board of Commissioners
got right to the heart of the
matter during discussions
before their Thursday vote.
“They can cut back on
stuff they need as far as
vehicles, equipment, desks
or computers,” District 3
Commissioner Tim
Satterfield said about
departments. “If we don’t
take care of our people, we
won’t need those items,
because we’re not going to
have anybody sitting there.”
On Sept. 1, the BOC
voted 3-0 to approve a 5%
cost-of-living adjustment
(COFA) effective the next
pay period for all staff,
meaning full time, part
time, supplementary and
probationary employees.
This salary increase will
come out of the general
fund balance and be imple
mented retroactive to the
beginning of the Sept. 3
pay period, checks for
which will be issued on
Sept. 23.
Due to a new Georgia
law going into effect Jan.
1, 2023, elected officials
will receive a pay increase
of $5,000. That amount
will have to come out of
Dawson County’s fund
balance, too. As part of the
board’s vote, the officials
who would get the $5,000
will not receive the COFA.
BOC Chairman Billy
Thurmond said Thursday’s
measure for the COFA
increases was “in an effort
to try to keep and maintain
the staff we have and make
their lives livable.”
Fast fall as part of the
FY2022 budget, the board
approved dollar-per-hour
increases for the part and
full-time employees who
hadn’t previously gotten a
raise since the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Thurmond shared num
bers from HR estimating
that that raise was probably
about 4%, so a 5% adjust
ment would balance out
with inflation.
County commissioners
have discussed the impact
of inflation and the idea of
a cost-of-living salary
increase during previous
BOC meetings. Multiple
county department heads
requested similar pay
bumps for their offices dur
ing their budget hearings
the last week of August.
The COFA vote
required a change to policy
in the Dawson County
Employee Handbook to
include probationary
employees in the salary
raises, too.
Instead of employees
having to complete their
six-month probationary
period and one year of ser
vice, they will retroactively
receive the COFA increase
for their time with the
county upon completing
the probationary period.
Now, any COFA adjust
ment for salaries would be
applied “only to those
employees specified by the
Board of Commissioners,”
said county attorney
Angela Davis.
“Speaking of the longev
ity...one reason we’re
bringing the salaries up is
to try to keep people. I’d
hate not to give it to them
and they turn around and
quit us before they’ve even
been here six months,”
Satterfield said.
“It’s not something typi
cally done in as quick of a
fashion, but I understand
why there’s a reason to do
it,” Davis said of the hand
book change. “These are
sort of unprecedented
inflationary times.”
Satterfield also said that
while other county officials
all track where money
goes, “it’s our employees”
that saved the money put
back into the fund balance
last year by watching their
offices’ spending.
“We’ve got to retain
what we’ve got,” Satterfield
added. “If we wait too
long, we’re going to be
right back in the shape that
we were in when we did
the [2020] pay study. Even
though we did a pay study,
I don’t think we went all
the way to the top...
because once we’d imple
mented the pay study, we
were behind about 5% then
with inflation going up.”
Satterfield reiterated his
preference to see a county
wide system for merit
increases, which has been
discussed at previous BOC
meetings. He also suggest
ed other anniversary and/or
longevity increases.
Thurmond clarified that
he will be presenting a
number for merit increase
funds during the upcoming
FY2023 budget hearings.
Fikewise, Thurmond rec
ommended that a commit
tee be organized to look at
potentially updating
Dawson County’s benefits
package.
“We have to be competi
tive all the way around, not
just in dollars but in other
areas as well,” Thurmond
said.
The BOC Chairman talk
ed about the need for full
teams in each department,
elaborating that the county
has “got to have bodies to
get stuff done.”
“We’ve talked about it
over and over again,”
Thurmond said. “There’s
really no need to open up
new positions if you can’t
fill the ones you already
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Julia Fechter Dawson County News
BOC Chairman Billy Thurmond, left, listens as District 3 CommissionerTim
Satterfield, right, speaks in support of cost-of-living salary increases for
county staff at the board's Sept. 1 work session.
have.” uled to hold a presentation by a series of required
The Board of on its FY2023 budget as a hearings on Oct. 20 and
Commissioners is sched- whole on Oct. 6, followed Nov. 3.
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