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srxn.w Hearing likely last for ethics panel 'uu mui k ••> ' Forsyth Corn) ■ More than a of our | $1.00 i v * . a V 0 k vji' - I i m\ Ft - -ft, ^ * Dawgs snag awards | IB Authorities: Revelers take heed Checkpoints, extra patrols planned New Years Eve By Jennifer Sami jsami@forsythnews.com As Forsyth County residents prepare to ring in 2013 on Monday, public safety officials are urging them to put safety GOVERNMENT Officially at ease ■ £:■ >. kM JL ■' . Autumn Vetter Forsyth County News Outgoing Forsyth County Commissioner Patrick Bell reflects on his termThursday at home. Departing leader at peace with term, perspective By Alyssa LaRenzie alarenzie@forsythnews.com Nearly four years ago, looking at the “yes” and “no" voting buttons, Patrick Bell realized the weight his decisions as Forsyth County commis¬ sioner could have on residents and businesses. “That button's intimidating,” said Bell, recalling the start of his term representing the county’s northern District 4, which concludes Monday. "When you start getting into deci¬ sions that affect people, affect the property next door to people or you affect somebody’s investment ... or g§| ¥ Autumn Vetter Forsyth County News Cindy Jones Mills is sworn into office Dec. 20 using her great-grandfather's Bible. o 7 first and plan ahead. “The most important thing is to have a plan for a sober way home before you even leave the house." said Forsyth County Sheriff’s Ft. Jody Chapman. "1 think that's where people About this series These stories are the latest in a FCN multi-day series taking a look at the transition in several Forsyth County elected offices. They include coroner, commis¬ sioner and sheriff. you make a decision on benefits for 1,400 county employees, that’s when it's tough." Getting into the swing of the job didn't take long, according to Bell, but the individual decisions always held that same importance. Bell was elected in 2008 in a relishes opportunity Efficiency is priority, Mills says By Alyssa LaRenzie alarenzie@forsythnews.com Later this week, Cindy Jones Mills will take a seat in the Forsyth County commissioners’ meeting room, facing the audi¬ ence instead of watching with it. The newest commissioner has spent the months since her election to the District 4 post in August learning and getting Inside Volume 103, Number 209 C 2012, Forsyth County News Gumming, Georgia go wrong. And that's when it can turn into injuries, fatalities or arrests." Chapman said those who plan to drink alcohol New Year’s Eve should find a desig¬ nated driver, stay home or have Abby 4C Business 3B Classifieds 7B Deaths 2A Forsyth Life 1C Opinion 6A Sports IB 3A ,-Jf Resolutions for health | 1C a cab company's phone number programmed into their cell phones before having a drink. Despite law enforcement efforts to cut down on driving under the influence, Chapman said there still are people who countywide vote to succeed one-term commissioner David Richard. This year, Bell lost the district-only election in August to Cindy Jones Mills, who will begin her term offi¬ cially Tuesday. Those who follow county commis¬ sion know that Bell can get fired up in a meeting, but he looked calm on a recent morning wearing a cotton shirt and white socks, recalling the ups and downs of his time in office. Bell said he’s proud of the consis¬ tency in his “thoroughly conserva¬ tive" voting record of four years and See EASE 15A ready to begin her four-year term. “(I'm prepared] as much as you can be ahead of time." she said. “1 look forward to working with the men that are on the board. 1 think they all have much more experience than me, and I think they have all been very helpful in mentoring.” See MILLS 15A 4A DNR informational to hold meeting on hunting. will drink and drive. That’s why the office will he in full force Monday night. “Our HEAT unit and DU I task force will he out in the evening and into the wee hours in the morning,” Chapman said. “We'll have some of our other extra uniform patrols out and See CARE 15A ROADWORK Impact of change is minimal Failed referendum won’t affect funding By Jennifer Sami jsami@forsythnews.com When residents in Forsyth and the other 12 counties that make up the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission rejected a proposed 1 -cent sales tax in July, it appeared they also left local governments responsible for contrib uting more funding to toad projects. The Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or TSPLOST, failed in Forsyth’s region, as well as eight others across the state. As a result, those counties will have to pony up a 30 percent match for any local improve¬ ment giants from the Georgia Department of Transportation. • Conversely, the three regions of the state where the sales tax passed will be responsible for a 10 percent match. According to state and local officials, how¬ ever, most cities and counties in regions where the referendum failed won’t see much of a dif¬ ference as a result of the funding arrangement. District 23 state Rep. Mark Hamilton said the percentage, which lawmakers built in to the measure, was “not meant to be a punish¬ ment, this was meant to be ^carrot, a financial incentive” for communities to pass the trans¬ portation tax. Both he and DOT spokeswoman Jill Goldberg say that despite the way the change appears, it’s unlikely to have much impact on what counties pay toward improvement proj¬ ects. In fact, director of engineering John Cunard said there likely will be no difference for Forsyth, since it currently contributes 30 per¬ cent. “Typically, our resurfacing contract will be anywhere from $4 to $3 million a year, so our total project costs will be well in excess of the 30 percent match anyway," Cunard said. He noted that in-kind work, including right of-way purchases and improvements handled by engineering departments, can be absorbed in the 30 percent match. The county can also make up the difference by using “our own county crews to do deep patching and shoul¬ der building." Goldberg said most local governments are in the same position and likely “spend way more than 30 percent on their projects any¬ way.” The funding changes are being made through a new DOT program called LMIG, short for Local Maintenance Improvement Grant. Goldberg said there are huge changes from when the program was previously called State-Aid and LARP. Key among them is that governments will receive the funding up front instead of as a reimbursement. See IMPACT 15A | Ex-South star ready for Georgia Techs bowl game. \ \ I s •< ' t x 46/29 Forecast 12A