Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 - The Wiregrass Farmer, November 8,2017
Burks rants on paper
Ashburn City Councilman
James Burks went on a rant
Thursday night at the City
Council meeting on The Wire-
grass Farmer.
Mr. Burks never identified
the paper by name, but earlier
in the meeting as the Council
discussed items on the agenda,
he held the paper up and
looked through it.
His rant came as the Coun
cil discussed pay raises for
Council members.
“This media here don’t tell
you everything. They tell you
a little bit,” he said. “You read
this, read it with a fine toothed
comb. It gives you what it
wants because it does not want
to see this Council work in har
mony.”
Mr. Burks did not explain
during the meeting what his
issue with The Wiregrass is.
After the meeting as Council
members sat at the table and
talked, Mr. Burks looked up at
editor Ben Baker and said
"Ben, I’m not talking to you.”
He then walked out of the
room.
Mr. Baker was standing by
to get copies of the resumes for
the two candidates for fire
chief.
Before the meeting Mr.
Burks both spoke to Mr. Baker
and shook his hand.
Operation Christmas
Child starts next week
Smoke rises from the ketchup-splattered remains of the semi cab. Fire retarding foam was used.
Photo Edgar Perry
by Shirley Kelley
Grab those shoeboxes and
get ready for Operation Christ
mas Child
(OCC)! Yes, Na
tional Collection
will be here be
fore you know
it! Since 2009,
Turner County
has been a Relay
Center for OCC.
Since 1993,
the Samaritan's Purse project-
-Operation Christmas Child—
has collected and delivered
more than 124 million gift-
filled shoeboxes to children in
more than 150 countries and
territories. Samaritan's Purse
works with local churches and
ministry partners to deliver the
gifts and share the life-chang
ing Good News of Jesus
Christ. Boxes can be filled
with the same items as in the
past, with the exception of
tooth paste and candy. These
items are simple to us, but to a
child who has few possessions,
it is monumental to not only re
ceive these gifts, but to know
that a stranger has prayed for
them and cared enough for
them to send these gifts. The
best part of OCC is that chil
dren and their families get to
hear the Gospel
of Christ!
National
Collection week
is Nov. 13-20.
The Turner
County Relay
Center is located
at the Family
Ministries
Building at First Baptist
Church. Dates to drop off the
Showboxes at the Family Min
istry Building, across from
First Baptist Church are:
Mon. (13th), Tues. (14th),
Wed. (15th), Fri. (17th) 11am-
lpm. Thurs. (16th) 5pm-7pm;
Sat. (18th) lOam-noon; Sun.
(19th) 3pm-5pm; Mon. (20th)
10am-noon
Will you join us as we strive
towards the goal of 1 million
shoeboxes collected through
the 2017 Shoebox Challenge?
For more information on OCC,
or if you would like to volun
teer, please contact Carole A.
Freeman at 229-567-7199 or
c arole afreeman@gmail.com.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
Pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 36-35-4, it is the intention
of the City Council of the City of Ashburn, Georgia,
to take action at the regularly scheduled meeting
of the Ashburn City Council to be held on January
04, 2018, to increase the compensation of the
Mayor of the City of Ashburn to $1,150.00 per
month and to increase the compensation of each
member of the Ashburn City Council to $850.00
per month. City Council meetings are held at
Ashburn City Hall, 121 E. Madison Street, Ash
burn, Georgia.
Effective January, five new
strategic industry programs -
Construction, Aviation, Electri
cal Line Work, Logistics and
Automotive Technology - de
livered through the Technical
College System of Georgia
(TCSG) will be added to the
HOPE Career Grant, bringing
the total number to 17 HOPE
Career Grant areas of study.
This effort is aimed at better
aligning Georgia’s workforce
with the needs of growing in
dustries and providing students
with new opportunities to learn
skills that lead to high-wage
professional employment.
“As we continue building
upon our strategic resources by
investing in workforce devel
opment initiatives such as the
HOPE Career Grant, we are
ensuring that industry leaders
remain connected to a skilled
labor pool capable of meeting
the challenges of today, tomor
row and beyond,” said Gov.
Nathan Deal.
The HOPE Career Grant
(formerly the Strategic Indus
tries Workforce Development
Grant) is designed to supple
ment the HOPE Grant and pay
the full cost of tuition for stu
dents enrolling in one of Geor
gia’s strategic industry
program areas. So far
in AY2017,14,921 individuals
have received the grant, which
introduces students to innova
tive fields and provides them
with the skills to meet the de
mands of today’s economic en
vironment.
“We are thankful and ex
cited about Governor Deal’s
approval of the additional pro
grams for HOPE Career Grant
funding. These 17 program
matic areas are very important
in training additional, skilled
employees for the companies
in Georgia’s expanding busi
ness and industry fields,” com
mented SRTC President Dr.
Craig Wentworth.
Not all HOPE Career Grant
programs are available at all of
Georgia’s Technical Colleges,
but Southern Regional Techni
cal College (SRTC) offers
many of the soon-to-be seven
teen programs including:
Welding and Joining Technol
ogy, Automotive Technology,
Construction, Practical Nurs
ing, Industrial Maintenance,
Early Childhood Care and Ed
ucation, Computer Technol
ogy, Commercial Truck
Driving, and an array of pro
grams under the Health Sci
ences umbrella.
SRTC offers over 148 de
gree, diploma, and certificate
programs that are designed to
get you quickly into your de
sired career, and 27 general ed
ucation courses that transfer to
the University System of Geor
gia institutions and 19 private
colleges and universities in
Georgia. SRTC has instruc
tional sites located in Ashburn,
Cairo, Camilla, Moultrie,
Thomas ville, Tifton, and
Sylvester.
RAISE
(Continued from Page 1)
ask for,” said Councilman
James Burks.
“Our city, we are a smaller
city than those guys. That’s
(the raise) almost twice what
we get now,” Ms. Walker said.
“If you don’t want yours,
give it to someone else,” Mr.
Burks said. “If she doesn’t
want it, can she give it to
someone else?”
“I deserve it. I am a working
TOP
(Continued from Page 1)
Hahira - $500
Pelham - $2,400
Quitman - $7,200
Vienna - $7,800
The City Council currently
gets $6,600 a year, putting
them above the median pay.
Eliminating the no-pay coun
cils and Hogansville, Ashburn
is still well above average. If
the raises pass, that will put the
Council at $10,200 a year, the
second highest in the list of
cities with similar populations.
councilman. I am up here
every day. I am up here every
day reading. I feel like the
Mayor and Council deserve it,”
said Howard Jordan.
Mr. Bateman did not offer
an opinion.
After the vote, Mayor San
dra Lumpkin said, “Thank you
Ms. Pierce. A council member
who cares.”
NO RAISE NOW
If the raise is approved, the
current council cannot get the
money. The raise only takes ef
fect after the next election. The
current Council members must
win re-election to get the raise.
“I think the people out there
should know it takes two years
before you get the raise. That
is almost absurd,” Mr. Burks
said.
State law mandates that, Mr.
Coleman said.
“Can that be challenged?”
Mr. Burks asked.
COUNCIL
PREROGATIVE
Attorney Coleman ex
plained the process to the
Council before the vote. Only
the City Council can adjust the
WRECK
(Continued from Page 1)
witnesses, it caught on fire at
the time and exploded,” Chief
Robinson said. “It could have
been bystanders hearing the
tires pop.”
Mr. McNeal’s semi was
hauling ketchup. The red splat
ter at the scene is the tomato-
based condiment. The other
truck was hauling Ensure, a
nutritional supplement.
The driver of the first semi
had minor injuries.
The State Patrol investi
gated the wreck because a fa
tality was involved. The GSP
office in Tifton was contacted
to get more information, but
the investigating trooper did
not call back before deadline.
HOPE Career grant adds more programs to Tech colleges
CITY OF ASHBURN
Mayor Sandra Lumpkin
Mayor Pro Tem Tommy C. Bateman
jp jr—i • fjjgj
Councilman James Burks
Councilman Howard Jordan
Councilman Rhonda Walker
Councilman Andrea Pierce
CHARTERED 1891
pay for the City Council. The
state Home Rule Act deter
mines that.
County Commission, Board
of Education and other elected
official pay at the local level is
controlled by the State Legis
lature.
A pay raise must be voted
on twice. This is called “read
ing” at the municipal level.
Last week was the first
reading of the pay raise ordi
nance. A second and final read
ing could be done at the next
meeting.
Mr. Coleman suggested the
Council just review the pro
posal last week, put it on first
reading December and the
final vote in January.
The Council asked if they
could do the first reading at the
meeting. Mr. Coleman said
yes.
“There is no use in us hav
ing a City Attorney if we do
not do what he says,” Mr.
PEANUT
(Continued from Page 1)
across fences and seeing
woods. Since the woods were
taken down, we’ve got a lot
more noise from the peanut
plant,” he said. The 6-foot
fence, as far as the regulations
go, that’s fine. 13-Foot trucks
riding around kills the view.
“This was not very well
thought out over there.”
“Last night at 3:30,1 woke
up and thought the fans were
running,” he said. It was the
Concordia plant. The Concor
dia buying point and ag supply
is just north of the transfer sta
tion.
Mr. Massengale said others
in the neighborhood are also
not happy. He complained
dust, noise and odor are
spreading through the subdivi
sion. He even said some are
ready to move.
County Zoning Administra
tor Mike Mastrario said Mr.
Massengale’s house is under
contract to be sold. Mr. Mas
trario said he’s spoken to the
buyers about the property. Mr.
Mastrario said the Massengale
Burks said.
Mr. Burks has pushed to go
against what Mr. Coleman rec
ommended in the past. In
2010, a road paving issue on
the west side of Ashburn a few
years ago is an example. Mr.
Coleman prepared paperwork
to let the Council pave a road
that did not meet Department
of Transportation require
ments, per Council orders. Mr.
Coleman also said it was a bad
idea, but it was voted on any
way with Mr. Burks in support.
When the vote went to a tie,
the tiebreaker voted no.
“I am so glad Mr. Coleman
explained (how the raises are
done). Let the people know,”
Mr. Burks said. He then com
plained about the local news
paper (See related story
above).
In Ashburn, 1 mil of taxes is
$50,000. The raise comes to
$64,800, more than a mil.
property was put on the market
before the transfer point rezon
ing was announced.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
When the re-zoning was re
quested, the adjacent property
owners were contacted. None
objected. A sign was also
posted at the proposed en
trance to the development.
Newspaper advertisements
were published, stating when
and where two public hearings
were set and announcing the
meetings where the rezoning
was discussed.
The legal notices were also
published online at www.geor-
giapublicnotice.com/ where
they can be read for free.
“It was in the newspaper. I
don’t get the local newspaper.
I didn’t see the signs. I don’t go
north on 41,” Mr. Massengale
said. “Folks in the neighbor
hood - safeguards to take care
of the community failed. Folks
living there don’t like it. We
feel really hurt by it.”
He said if the neighborhood
had been contacted, “I guaran
tee every one of us would have
had something to say.”