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PAGE 4A FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Thur»d»y, March 1», 2004 Inside ForsuthXountu s* <a '<i> I | 1 h £ $ -c, | °*"™ tolx '' _ x >4 jh<x ■ ,j ™,'| y&WHUL ■Hili ttM c F' |1 ® ™ZS “iiii “ n* BRINGING GOVERNMENT CLOSERJ.O a THE PEOPLE Popularity of on-line vehicle registration soars On-line!” registration has only been £- -4 available to Forsyth t • County resi dents for about Tk five months, but the more ML people find out about it, the Maiorano more they seem to like it. In September, when on-line registration began, the county collected SI. 171 in registration fees. One month later, that fig ure soared to $15,286. By Kreager leads Brownie Troop on tour of government District 4 Commissioner Marcie Kreager led Brownie Girl Scout Troop 3846 on a tour of Forsyth County Government last week. Troop leader Sara 64 The girls learned alot about local government. 99 Ham son said the girls were focus ing on women in careers as they work to earn the IYy-lf badge. Kreager is vice chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners and the first woman elected to serve on the Board. After a brief discussion of how county government oper ates, the first-term commissioner led the group of mostly 9-year oiU girls on a tour that included stops at the Planning and * Comprehensive land plan wins approval • Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Mike Beatty notified Forsyth County offi cwls on Friday that the retent update of the county's Comprehensive Land Use Phin has been approved. Beatty commended the county for its hard work and dedication to comprehensive planning which assists com munities in dealing more effectively with issues affect ing long-term growth and development. The benefits of your efforts can be maximized by using your updated Comprehensive Plan as a ref erence and management tool as you make decisions con cerning the continuing imple mentation of your compre hensive plan," Beauty said. With communities such as Forsyth participating in the comprehensive planning process, Georgia can look On the calendar •Mar 22 Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting, sp.m. County Administration Building, lit) E. Main St., Suite 220, Cumming. •March 30 Regional Transportation Plan and Fiscal Year 2005-2010 Transportation Improvement Plan Meeting Planning Commission Meeting, 6:30p.m. County Administration Building, 110 E. Main Street Cumming. •April 5 Board of Commissioners Called Mecting/Workshop, . sp.m. County Administration Building, 110 E. Main St.. Suite 220, Cumming. •April 12 Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting, sp.m. County Administration Building, 110 E. Main St., Suite 220, Gumming. •April 26 \ Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting, sp.m. County Administration Building, 110 E. Main St., Suite 220, Cumming. | A weekly feature page of the Forsyth County News with material provided by the Forsyth County public information office. November, it climbed to $30,518. Collections climbed to a high of $43,216 in January, then fell slightly in February, to $39,802. Matt Maiorano. accounting manager in the Tax Commissioner's Office, and the person most responsible for bringing on-line registration to Forsyth County, said the pro gram’s popularity is easy to explain. "It's very, very conven ient." he said. "People don't have to get in their cars, fight the traf fic then struggle to find a place to park. On-line registration is just a whole lot easier." Development Department, I" Water Department and Eng- | ineering Department. "Marcie was great." Harrison said. "The girls learned a lot about local govern ment." Kreager. who has | teenaged | daughters, I said she enjoyed vis- | iting with the girls and their scout leaders. "It is always a pleasure to meet with youth groups*such as this one." she said. "These young girls are our future. It was fun and it was enlightening to spend time with them and their leaders. I hope they enjoyed it half as much as I did." forward to quality, responsi ble. and coordinated growth in the future." He also pointed out that the updated plan meets the Minimum Planing Standards and Procedures of the Georgia Planning Act of 1989. As a result. the Department of Community Affairs have extended Forsyth County’s status as a Qualified Local Government through June 30. 2005. Counties are required to complete an annual update to their Capital Improvement Element and Short Term Work Program, including financial report, to remain in compliance with the require ments of the Development Impact fee Act. Forsyth County must have its updates reviewed and approved by DCA and adopt ed by the County prior to June 30. 2005. But Maiorano admits that even he is surprised by how popular on-line registration has become. "Before we initiated the prognun. 1 went to Gwinnett County to see how their's worked." he said. "I wanted to know where all the pitfalls were. But there didn't seem to be any. I knew it would catch on eventu ally in Forsyth County, but I thought it might be a little slow er than it has been. "Instead, we've had a very good response from the citi zens." It's also inexpensive. Using a credit card to make the transac- JHSI ffl H ; I A 1 -Uli" J ten w y r ' n I v AB| County purchases new fire engines ■l. Photos/Submitted County Administrator Stevie Mills presents a check to Blair Schrock of Pierce Manufacturing for the purchase of seven new fire engines and one hook and ladder for the Forsyth County Fire Department. Pictured from left are Mills. County Commission Chairman Jack A. Conway. Schrock, Lt. Jason Shivers and Fire Chief Danny Bowman Ask County Government: How can I apply for work at Forsyth County? ANSWER: Log on to our Web site at www.forsythco.com or come by the County Administration Building at I 10 E. Main Street, Suite 210 in Cummingto see our listing of job opportunities. Fill in an application form (also available on the web site). Each position you apply for must be on a separate application. Read the qualifi cations and apply for as many positions as you would like. Remember, look for the tion adds about $4.70 and it doesn't matter whether you reg ister one vehicle or 50. Upon 66 I knew it would catch on eventually in Forsyth County, but I thought it might be slower than it has been. completion of the transaction, your new reg istration is mailed within five business days. There are some limita tions, of course. If your insurance company hasn't sub mitted proof of insurance to the database by the time of registra tion. or if the address on your specific closing date at the bottom of each job posting. We cannot accept your appli cation after 5 p.m. on the closing date. Can I fax my resume to you? ANSWER: Yes. But remember, we require that all applications be fully completed. Your resume can not be accepted in lieu of this appli cation form. Both application and resume may be faxed to: Human Resources at 770- 781-2113. Renewal Notice is incorrect, then you will have to renew in person at the County Administration Building, 110 E. Main St. or Sharon Springs Park, 1950 Sharon Road. Also, if you have changed address es, you cannot renew on-line. 1980-2001 gasoline powered vehicles weighing less than 8.500 pounds require an emission inspection. Once inspected the results are Give us your thoughts “Inside Forsyth a minute to let us know. County'* is a weekly look You may contact the at your county government Office of Public provided by the Forsyth Information: County Office of Public , c . . . 110 E. Main Information and the S t„ Suitc 21() C umming. Forsyth County News. The GA .30040 goal of this page is to help inform and educate resi- ( dents about what's going on with county govern- By fax ment. (770)781-2199 If you've got an opinion email about our page, please take brjohnson @ forsythco.com 1 electronically transmitted to our database. You will not need to enter any information from your cer tificate. If your information can not be accessed, it will be neces sary for you to renew in person or by mail. You will need either a VISA or Master Card. For more information about on-line renewal, please contact rsslaughter@forsythco.com or call 770-781-2112. Maiorano projects that over SI(X),(XX) will be charged using the on-line system by the end of 2004. Photo/Submitted Members of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 3846 visited with District 4 Commissioner Marcie Kreager and Assistant County Administrator Dane Perry last week for a tour of Forsyth County Government. Pictured from left (back row) are Commissioner Kreager, scout leaders Sara Harrison and Sandy Kennedy, and Perry. (Front row from left) Natalie Howard, Allison White, Emma Harrison, Courtney Flick, Allison Hare, and Breanna Kennedy.