The wiregrass farmer. (Ashburn, Ga.) 1984-current, October 22, 2008, Image 3

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The wiregrass farmer., October 22, 2008, Image 3

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Newspaper Page TextThe Wiregrass Farmer, October 22, 2008 - Page 3 County puts delay on new employee health insurance Turner County Sheriff by Ben Baker Editor Getting a job with the County now means you’ll have a 90 day wait before you can get on the County’s health insurance plan. The Commission voted unanimously to change the pro gram, which had allowed peo ple to sign up for insurance on the first day of the next month after being hired. County Manager Charles Kinney said the change was recommended by the County’s insurance carrier in part because a terminally ill person was hired a while back and almost immediately went on the insurance program. Mr. Kinney said the Commission had no direct control over the hiring of that person. He said postponing insur ance availability will let the County examine the person as an employee a little better. The County has a six-month probation period before a new employee is considered perma nent. In discussion, Commissioner Greg Hudgins suggested setting a 6 month period before insurance was available. “It used to be six months,” said Commissioner Joe Burgess. Chairman Daryl Hall asked if the Commission could do that. “You can set whatever you want,” Mr. Kinney said. “They (the insurance company) rec ommends 60 days. Six months is a long time.” Commissioner Mike Geoghagan also questioned the 6 months time frame. “Attracting employees is the only (issue) I can see,” he said. “But it would certainly be a savings to the County.” County Attorney John Holland said a six-month delay in getting insurance could be an issue for someone consider ing a job with the County. He said the County could do 6 months. “That’s the way it should be. They may not be hired (in) six months. Why put insurance on them?” Commissioner Burgess asked. “It’s up to you,” Mr. Holland said. In regular session, Mr. Hudgins gave a motion to set the insurance period at 180 days. Mr. Burgess gave the sec ond. “60 days or 90 days, I can see that. I can also see where TCMS FFA attends Expo in Moultrie FFA officers attend training conference in Tifton The officers of the Turner County Middle School FFA Chapter were part of the over one-hundred twenty chapter officers representing sixteen FFA chapters from across the southern part of Georgia that attended the 2008 South Region Chapter Officer Leadership Training Conference. The 2008 South Region COLT conference was held on August 28 at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center. This year’s COLT theme was “Recipe for Success.” Chapter officers were challenged to understand their role as leaders in their chapters and communities. Jonathan Brown, Hannah Rooks, DeAndre Holton, Colby Giddens, Austin Hollis Patrick Poore, and Jacob Reeves. Flu shots available at Health Department Each officer team attended workshops that will help them create their Program of Activities for the coming year. These workshops encouraged students to set goals and pro vided them with a variety of ideas for recruitment, commu nity service, public relations, and fundraising. “For chapter officers, there is no better way to start the year than with COLT confer ence,” says State FFA Vice President, Jared Wozny. “We challenge these officers to work together and to empower the other members of their chapter.” The officers from the Turner County Middle School FFA chapter who attended the COLT conference were: Colby Giddens, Hannah Rooks, Jacob Reeves, Jonathan Brown, Austin Hollis, DeAndre Holton, and Patrick Poore. The Georgia FFA Association is the third largest state association in the nation, with over 28,000 members. The FFA makes a positive dif ference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, person al growth, and career success through agricultural education. we would lose some good employees who would expect to take a job with the County,” Commissioner Deral Dukes said. He pointed out some people in Turner County have full time jobs and yet drive school buses to get health insurance. He said the School System allows employees to get health insur ance almost immediately after being hired. “Two months, three months, you ought to know if a man is going to be there,” he said. A long delay for insurance “puts a hardship.” Mr. Burgess said the Commission should then con sider changing the 6 month probation period. Mr. Holland said the County can leave the 6 months probation time and give insur ance in 60 days. “I think we would be penal izing some people who want a job with the County,” Mr. Dukes said. “180 days is a long time to wait. I’d be comfortable with 90 days,” Mr. Geoghagan said. Mr. Hudgins and Mr. Burgess amended the motion to now allow insurance in 90 days after being hired. In other business: • The Commission held a closed session to discuss per sonnel. They took no action when coming back to open ses sion. • Mr. Geoghagan gave the invocation. • Health Department fees and regulations were updated to reflect changes required by the state. exhibits they learned several agricultural facts. Did you know that Sylvester is known as the peanut capital of the world, laptops use 90% less energy than desktop computers, and that Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has two new Bachelor of Applied Science degrees. These are just some of the questions the FFA scavengers had to find out. The members also took the time to scout out different careers in agriculture, from biodiesel, horticulture, aquaculture, and many other agricultural fields. The follow ing FFA scavenger hunters included: Colby Giddens, Evan Joyner, and Jacob Reeves The Turner County Middle School FFA members would like to thank all who supported us on our discovery trip to the Sunbelt Ag Expo. Our next dis covery trip planned will be traveling to the Agrirama in Tifton. The Turner County Middle School FFA Chapter is under the advisement of Sharon C. Reeves. The Turner County Middle School FFA Chapter attended the Sunbelt Ag Expo at Moultrie, Georgia on October 15, 2008. The Middle School FFA members were involved in an Educational Scavenger Hunt which comprised of 10 ques tions that have been provided by exhibitors. The student must figure out which exhibitor the question came from and then visit the exhibit display in order to seek out the answer to the question. While visiting different Evan Joyner, Colby Giddens, and Jacob Reeves lockin’ Cinemas ELECT Ronnie WHEELER Superior Court Judge Turner • Irwin • Worth • Tift With 28 years as an attorney - 14 years as a prosecutor -1 have tried hundreds of cases. I am a seasoned veteran of the courtroom and I am ready to go to work for you as judge of YOUR Superior Court to learn more visit www.ronniewheeler.com The 2008/2009 influenza (flu) season is quickly approaching and health offi cials are encouraging South Georgians to get their flu shot as the first and most important step in protecting themselves against this serious disease. The flu vaccine is now available at your local health department and will cost $20. Cash, Medicare and Medicaid will be accepted for payment for the flu shot. For more infor mation please call your local health department. Each year approximately 5% to 20% of the United States population gets the flu and 36,000 people die from the flu. “The flu vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your family against seasonal flu. There is no shortage this year and South Georgians should take full advantage of the availability,” stated Lynne Feldman, D., District Health Director. Beginning with the 2008/2009 flu season, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends all children ages 5-18 years begin getting a flu shot annual ly. Children in schools and day cares are a major source for flu contamination. Not only will receiving the flu shot protect a child from becoming sick, it will protect other children from getting the flu from him/her. We buy, sell and crack pecans Sycamore Feed 1043 S. Main St. - Ashburn 567-3968 We’re open 8 am-5:30 pm (912)384-8880 www.rockin8.com ,1/2 mile East of Walmart - DOUGLAS- Next to Sonic 8 Auditoriums • All Stadium Style -«'■—rr'g All Rocking Chairs g VOTE NOV. 4TH (Advanced Voting Now thru Oct. 31st) While our nation's government is presently bail ing out the big Banks and Wall Street, who is going to help the everyday working citizen and taxpayers? Property owners of this county are dealing with higher value assessments which bring higher taxes. Our economy is declining which in turn forces each of us to tighten our belts. Also, unfortunately with these hard times, crime seems to steadily rise even more. If elected Sheriff, I plan to be tough on crime & work hard every day to get the job done while at the same time implementing my plan to reduce the spending deficit and stay within budget. I will strive to make all efforts to reduce burdens on the taxpayers of this county. I ask the voters to compare my enforce ment record to that of my opponent's and return to the polls to cast your vote for me as your next Sheriff. ROY WILEY Mark