Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 - The Wiregrass Farmer, November 15,2017
Council announces top 2 contenders for Fire Chief job
The Ashburn City Council has
again narrowed the list of candidates
for Fire Chief to its top selections.
The Council split on whether or
not to list two or one people for the
job. Howard Jordan offered a motion,
second by James Burks, to select one
candidate for the post.
Mr. Jordan said his motion was for
Jamie Turner as the only candidate.
State law requires the Council to
announce the names of the top three,
or fewer, candidates for office and
“disclose ... all the information you
have gathered to the press - the pub
lic,” said City Attorney Tommy Cole
man.
Mr. Coleman also said all the
Council had to vote on the motion.
“The motion passed. Now the
nomination. I am going to step out on
a limb here and say this has to pass
by 4 votes. We are not really select
ing” two candidates, he said.
The City Charter requires depart
ment heads receive 4 or more votes to
get the job.
The Council vote was not enough
to limit the selection to Mr. Turner.
Rhonda Walker, Andrea Pierce
voted no. Cebo Bateman, Mr. Jordan
and Mr. Burks voted yes.
Mayor Sandra Lumpkin voted no,
effectively making it a tie vote.
Since it was a tie, both top candi
dates move forward. The Council will
hold a called meeting to choose be
tween the men.
This time to the two chosen are
Jamie Turner, interim acting chief and
longtime member of the fire depart
ment and Adrian Hairston, a fire
fighter from the Metro Atlanta area.
The Council held a closed session
to discuss the applicants and came out
to open session to announce these two
men are the top candidates. The
Council has reached this point before.
Ms. Walker said the Council needs
more time to research Mr. Hairston’s
background.
“How much research do you want?
We’ve been doing this for 7 months,”
Mr. Jordan said.
Operation Christmas Child is underway; get those boxes ready to go
by Shirley Kelley
Grab those shoeboxes and
get ready for Operation Christ
mas Child (OCC)! Yes, Na
tional Collection will be here
before 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 col
lected and delivered more than
124 million gift-filled shoe-
boxes to children in more than
150 countries and territories.
Samaritan's Purse works with
Joseph Ezekiel said the
County should have done more
to help people after the storms
earlier this year.
Mr. Ezekiel lives on the
south end of the county. When
the hurricane came through, he
local churches and ministry
partners to deliver the gifts and
share the life-changing 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 monu
mental to not only receive
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 children and
had downed limbs and one tree
at his house. He said he pushed
the tree into a ditch.
"I thought the County
would come by and pick it up,"
he said. "The County Road De
partment don't do yard work"
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 Build
ing at First Baptist Church.
Dates to drop off the Show-
boxes at the Family Ministry
Building 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
but he thought some help
might be offered.
"It didn't happen. That is a
little low. I am disappointed on
it," he said.
Toys for Tots
Ashburn Primary Care is
the first Diamond Sponsor for
the Turner County Toys for
Tots program. The clinic con
tributed $500.
Contributions of any
amount are tax deductible and
may be sent to The Wiregrass
Farmer.
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 aroleafreeman @ gmail .com.
Our Veterans
Danny Murphy
Thanks to Jaimie Dill
(right) for coming to our
school Friday as we hon
ored our military kids.
TCES set up a special
table with special treats to
recognize our students
who have immediate fam
ily members who currently
serve. Jaimie is shown
with her daughter Darcus
who is in 3rd grade. She
also has a son in 1 st grade
and an infant daughter.
DOT work no effect on City
The Department of Transportation is working on sewer facil
ities at the rest areas in Turner County.
The City of Ashburn supplies sewer services to the two rest
areas with a pressurized pipe. The DOT installed the pipes some
years ago and then handed that over to the City.
City Manager Sedric Carithers said the DOT work at the rest
areas does not affect Ashburn.
County should have done more
WATER
(Continued from Page 1)
ANOTHER IDEA
Mr. Galt-Brown proposed,
but did not offer a motion, to
place a single water meter at
the entrance to the property.
The person who owns the
properties would then pay the
bill. How he handled billing
the residents is up to him,
under this idea.
Mayor Wayne Woodruff
asked what about the lots
which are owned the residents
living there.
Mr. Galt-Brown again re
ferred to the paperwork he
brought which states the prop
erty owner is responsible for
maintaining the lines.
“The City literally has no
dog in that fight,” he said.
He again called, without of
fering a motion, for putting a
meter at the edge of the prop
erty to service the whole sub
division.
The mayor asked about bro
ken lines if that is done.
“Property owner’s problem.
The City does not have a
vested interest in that,” Mr.
Galt-Brown said.
The City is losing money,
and water, any time a water
line in the subdivision breaks
and that water does not go
through a meter first.
“Any damage to the line,
the City pays through the
nose,” said Councilman Fred
Eister. “There is no water
meter until you get to the indi
vidual meters.”
Mr. Eister said the City
needs to do something to pro
tect the water supply.
“The property owner should
pay,” said Councilman Keith
Reynolds.
“He won’t,” said Mr. Eister.
“That’s his problem,” Mr.
Galt-Brown said.
“The City should not take
this on,” Mr. Reynolds said.
SINGLE METER
Mr. Eister said a single
meter could cut off water to
everyone on the line, including
the people who own the land
where their home sits. He said
that is not fair to those resi
dents.
“I cannot - it is beyond my
capacity to vote to approve a
water system that is not and
never has been in compliance,”
Mr. Galt-Brown said.
“I don’t want to get into a
lawsuit,” Mr. Eister said.
Mr. Galt-Brown said he can
find no reason for the residents
to sue over the issue because
the lines are not owned by the
City.
ONE MORE TIME
“We voted against this be
fore. Why is it back before the
Council?” Mr. Reynolds
asked.
“My problem is with one
line,” the mayor said.
Another resident in that
VOTE
(Continued from Page 1)
feated challenger Charles
Hutton 35 to 13.
Justin Hanner had no oppo
sition in his bid to fill a vacated
seat on the Rebecca council so
he took office by acclamation.
34 people voted for him.
Rickey Wilkerson, 35 votes,
and Jimmy Wilkerson, 27
votes, will take office on the
City Council as well. Neither
had an outright majority. Re
neighborhood has a meter a
distance from his house. Some
times people drive over the
place where it is buried. That
water line is so close to the sur
face, vehicles riding over it
break it.
“The meter is read on Willis
Street. He is having leaks con
tinuously,” the mayor said.
Mr. Reynolds asked who
owns that line.
“It is all on private prop
erty,” Mr. Eister said.
“The end of the matter,” Mr.
Galt-Brown said.
“We don’t do plumbing on
private property,” Mr. Eister
said.
The mayor said it is not
right for one person to be re
sponsible for that length of
water line.
“He knew that when he
bought the property,” Mr. Galt-
Brown said.
COMPLICATIONS
Adding another layer of
complication, part of the prop
erty in the subdivision is leased
to people with mobile homes.
Some of the residents own
their lots, which are accessed
by a private road leading into
the property.
“We treat Nor-Way court as
individual customers,” said
Shawn Dupree, public works
director. “It was never sup
posed to be a trailer park. It
was submitted to the Council
as a subdivision.”
REJECTED SOLUTION
The Council has grappled
with this issue before. It re
jected a Community Develop
ment Block Grant (CDBG)
application that, if approved,
would have fixed the problem.
becca is a plurality election
city. Sue Hasty had 13 votes.
Thelma Massey had 10 votes.
Dot Sparks had 10 votes.
SYCAMORE
Mayor Wayne Woodruff
handily defeated former Mayor
Larry Youngblood in the race
for the mayoral seat. Woodruff
took74 votes, about 73 percent
of the vote, to Youngblood's
27, about 27 percent of the
vote. One write-in vote was
recorded.
It has tried to find a solution in
several previous meetings.
“Why would you get a grant
now for one particular part of
the city,” Mr. Reynolds asked.
Most of the time a CDBG is
neighborhood-specific. Some
times it can be for a city-wide
use. Sycamore has used
CDBGs in the past to do work
within the City. Mr. Reynolds
supported those applications.
Mr. Galt-Brown said a grant
to install water lines would
benefit one person, the prop
erty owner. Therefore it is pro
hibited.
Not so. The City of Ashburn
recently received a CDBG for
Orchard Hill trailer park for
water, sewer and road paving.
The roads were deeded over to
the City. The work is now done
and the neighborhood has bet
ter water and sewer and good
roads. The Sycamore CDBG
was the same thing, except for
the City of Sycamore.
“The owner is not our re
sponsibility. The residents are.
I don’t want to punish them,”
Mr. Eister said.
“That is who will end up
with the bill,” the taxpayers,
Mr. Galt-Brown said.
Taxpayers are already foot
ing the bill for water leaks on
the property when the water
never goes through a meter.
THE PROBLEM
The issue is the property is
privately owned as are the
water and sewer lines. When
the lines break, the water
flows, but it never runs through
a meter. The City loses water
and money.
“Galt-Brown, I agree with
him it is a mess. It should have
Clay Harris ran unopposed
for the seat left open by the
death of his father on the
Sycamore Council. Mr. Harris
was seated at the Council be
fore the election. He had 74
votes. Two people cast a write-
in vote in this race despite no
write-in candidates being qual
ified.
Only three people qualified
for the three open Council
seats.
Incumbents Fred Eister, 62
votes, and Jim Galt-Brown, 53
been handled differently years
ago. It wasn’t. We’ve got to do
something to solve the prob
lem. Something has got to be
done,” the mayor said Monday
morning at the Wiregrass’ of
fice.
“This is not a situation that
is the responsibility of this City
Council. Because it is private
property, the issue of private
property within private prop
erty is between them,” Mr.
Galt-Brown said.
Mr. Reynolds asked why
the property owner won’t ad
dress the issue.
Mr. Eister speculated cost.
He estimated bringing the lines
to code will cost about a half
million dollars.
“That whole trailer park is a
problem on a number of lev
els,” Mr. Eister said. He listed
mail delivery, garbage service,
water lines, privately owned
lift stations as a few of the is
sues.
“There is a big enough mud
puddle in the road that you can
drop the Moon in it,” Mr. Galt-
Brown said.
Mr. Reynolds asked if the
residents were paying City
taxes.
“Some are. Individual own
ers are paying City taxes,” he
said.
The property owner of the
rental lots is paying City prop
erty taxes. In a roundabout
fashion, the residents are pay
ing property taxes too. Since
the rental property is taxed at a
higher rate than homesteaded
property, an argument can be
made that rental property resi
dents pay more in property
taxes.
votes, kept their seats. Scottie
Wilkerson, 69 votes, is return
ing to the City Council after an
absence. 6 write-in votes were
recorded.
Voters could vote for all
three, one or two of the men.
Voters did not have to vote for
all three to have their vote
count.
TURNOUT
Turner County has 4,700
registered voters. Less than
450 people voted for a turnout
of about 7 percent.
Estate Sale
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18
9:00-5:00
6415 Coverdale Hwy, Ashburn
ITEMS FOR SALE:
MCM Furniture, Dishes, Appliances, TV, Tables,
Chairs, Living & Dining Room Suite, Bedroom
Suite, Lamps, Uprights Piano, Victorola, Decor
Pieces, Pictures, Vases, Singer Electric Sewing
Machine, Pots & Pans, Christmas Decorations,
Variety of Miscellaneous Items.
AS IS CASH ONLY/ NOT REFUNDABLE
Contact H.D. Rice at 229-881-1282
AFTER
HOURS
SERVICE
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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.