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DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I OCTOBER 12, 2022 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
County budget centers on personnel costs
Julia Fechter Dawson County News
Chairman Billy Thurmond presents Dawson County's pro
posed 2023 budgets to the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 6.
Majority of increase will go toward 5% COLA
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Employees will be at the fore
front of proposed fiscal increases
if Dawson County’s 2023 bud
gets are passed later this year.
During his Oct. 6 presentation,
Board of Commissioners
Chairman Billy Thurmond said
six part-time firefighter EMT
and paramedic positions-three
each-would be changed to full
time roles, a “cost-neutral”
endeavor, if the 2023 budgets
pass.
Thurmond elaborated that he’s
“not really proposing new posi
tions at this time” based on the
27 vacancies in full-time posi
tions that the county currently
has.
“It’s imperative that we work
to continue to fill those,” he said.
The chairman acknowledged
that some departments may con
tinue to be in need of more help
next year, so after the first quar
ter, he and the board should “see
where we stand” in terms of
each office’s needs.
“Then we can go back, look
and see what positions are high
priority that we need to fill,” he
added.
Overall personnel costs,
including salary and benefits, are
expected to be $28,931,238 in
2023, a 9.8% increase from
2022.
Last year, the board approved
$3-per-hour raises for DCSO
and $2 for other first responders
and public works employees.
The majority of the budget
increase for staff will go toward
the 5% COLA increases that the
board approved in September
and a $1 million contingency for
starting the move to a merit-
based system pay, Thurmond
said.
See Budget 14A
‘This is my passion, this is my love’
folk A<4
Photos by Erica Jones Dawson County News
Tracey Burnette, owner and operator of Around Back at Rocky's Place art gallery, stands in front of some of the
art in the original building on her business's 20th anniversary.
Around Back at Rocky’s Place celebrates 20 years in Dawson
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This weekend, local folk
art gallery Around Back at
Rocky’s Place celebrated
20 years in Dawson
County, complete with a
special anniversary ribbon
cutting with the Dawson
County Chamber of
Commerce.
Tracey Burnette, owner
and operator of the gallery,
said that opening an art gal
lery came out of a dream
she had several years ago.
“Rocky was my five-
pound Pekingese; he had a
traumatic experience and
he passed away,” Burnette
said. “I had a dream one
night, and in my dream I
was going to open a gallery
and it was going to be a
folk art gallery, and it was
around back of the house
and it’s at Rocky’s Place.
Here we are 20 years later;
this is my passion, this is
my love.”
Art has always been
close to her heart, she said,
and it has been “her thing”
all the way back to child
hood.
See Rocky 18A
Dawson County Chamber of Commerce members, friends
and family help cut the ribbon in a special 20-year anni
versary ribbon cutting ceremony for Around Back at
Rocky's Place.
Downtown
development
head named
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This week, Amanda Edmondson official
ly started her new position on the City of
Dawsonville’s staff as the city’s new
Director of Downtown Development,
Tourism and Preservation.
In her new role, Edmondson will work to
enhance the downtown community and to
steer the development in a way that makes
the downtown area even better for existing
residents and businesses.
“As we make changes we want to
enhance the community and support our
existing population and not just focus on
growth and trying to bring in people but
increasing quality of life for the people
who already live and work here,”
Edmondson said. “I think when you focus
on that, any necessary growth that you
See Edmondson 13A
Departures
of Fire, EMS
leaders cause
public alarm
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Multiple command staff for Dawson
County Fire and Emergency Services have
left or will leave their leadership roles in
the near future, according to news that
broke over the weekend.
The realization concerned numerous area
residents, many of whom commented on
See Departures 110A
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Volume 8, Number 36 t ]
© 2022, Dawson County News °
Dawsonville, Georgia Opinion
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