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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2009
Water authority sets policy on water lines
Police departments look
Water bill dispute topic at JCWSA meeting
By Mark Beardsley
SCOTT AND Michelle MacKinnon face an uphill
battle in a water bill dispute with the Jackson County
Water and Sewerage Authority.
The residents of Shamus Way, Jefferson, plan to
appear before the authority Thursday night to con
test a $364 September 2008 bill. According to their
water meter, they used 45,000 gallons that month.
To win that appeal, they’ll have to overcome the
facts that their water meter was tested at the factory
and found to be more than 99 percent accurate, and
prior usage suggests that the figures for the contested
month are not out of line.
“We are 100 percent positive the water went
through the meter,” said Stacey Jenkins, water ser
vice manager, at the authority’s work session last
Thursday. “She (Mrs. McKinnon) doesn’t have a leg
to stand on. It’s not for me to say where the water
went, but we know it went.”
According to Jenkins, the MacKinnons have a
large pool. It is not known whether they have an
irrigation system, but they’ve had bills in the past for
60,000 gallons and 48,600 gallons — both during
summer months.
In her notification of dispute, Mrs. MacKinnon
wrote that they were “concerned with the enormous
increase of (the) bill. April and May averaged $65,
and then we shot up to the $300s.”
Last year, the authority employed state-mandated
“conservation rates,” designed as the name suggests,
to promote the conservation of water. Under the
rates, the cost escalates as the volume increases. One
result is that high water usage in 2008 was a lot more
expensive than the same usage in 2007.
By Mark Beardsley
BURNED BY past decisions,
the county water and sewerage
authority is tightening the pro
cess by which it decides where
some water lines are laid.
The Jackson County Water
and Sewerage Authority expects
to approve a new petition pro
cess Thursday night. It meets
at 6 p.m. at its headquarters on
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in
Jefferson.
Decisions to locate major lines
are based on hydraulic needs of
the system and the potential for
adding new customers. The pro
posed policy deals more with the
add-ons, lines installed because
residents petition the authority
after wells run dry or have other
problems.
Typically, a group appears
before the authority, gets a peti
tion of property owners who sup
port the project, and the staff
and engineers consider the cost,
feasibility and need in making a
decision.
But sometimes, the people who
sign the petition don’t actually
accept county water. Recently,
all 12 residents of Deerbrook
Road signed a petition seeking
county water due to problems
with the community well. Once
the funds were committed via a
change order to a SPLOST (spe
cial purpose local option sales
tax) water project and the line
was under construction — at a
cost of $62,000 — only two actu
ally signed on for water.
Not only is the revenue from
the tap fees and monthly use
insufficient, but also the low
usage makes maintaining water
quality on the 1,100-foot section
more costly.
The authority gave manager
Erie Klerk and his staff the go-
ahead to create a new policy for
their consideration.
Among the proposed changes:
•More than half of property
owners must agree to buy meters
before the project will be con
sidered.
•The tap fee will be the full
$1,500, not the $750 half price
charged on SPLOST projects.
•The authority will validate
the petition. If signatures cannot
be validated, they will not be
counted.
•All signatures must be wit
nessed by the person conducting
the petition.
•The authority’s engineer will
create a cost estimate and do
a cost/benefit analysis to see
whether the project will be self-
supporting.
ANTI-TAMPERING
POLICY PROPOSED
Another policy proposal on the
agenda for Thursday night is a
tightening of efforts to deter tam
pering with authority meters.
Among the provisions are a
$250 tampering fee on the first
offense; and a $500 fee on the
second, plus removal of the
meter and a $200 fee to have it
reconnected.
Water authority approves $370,000 budget
Talmo OKs
comp, plan
BY SHARON HOGAN
THE TALMO City Council
approved a resolution for its com
prehensive plan at the council
meeting Feb. 3.
The Georgia Department of
Community Affairs approved
Talmo’s comprehensive plan.
Approval of the plan gives the
town Qualified Local Government
(QLG) status.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•the council adopted a reso
lution supporting the American
Cancer Society Relay for Life
season, Feb. 1 through May 31.
•the council approved a budget
amendment due to sales tax reve
nue being down.
•the city’s new zoning map that
was completed in January, 2009
was approved.
•the library report was presen
ted. Some 94 books were chec
ked out in January, 104 books
were returned, 30 books were
renewed, 96 patrons came to the
library and 54 people used the
computer. The Braselton Library
donated three boxes of books to
the library, most were duplicates
it was reported. A majority of
these books have been added to
the free books shelf. The rest
were sent off to be cataloged.
The next regularly scheduled
council meeting is set for 6:30
p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, at
Talmo City Hall.
THE NICHOLSON Water
Authority has approved its 2009
budget. The $370,000 budget
includes $80,000 for repairs and
maintenance, $30,000 for oper
ating supplies and $75,000 for
salaries and wages.
The authority members voted
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE GEORGIA Bureau of
Investigation is still waiting for
toxicology results that could
determine how a 14-year-old girl
died in Hoschton.
Jim Fullington, special agent
in charge at the GBI’s office in
Athens, said Tuesday that the
By Brandon Reed
THE ARCADE City Council
voted unanimously Monday
night to adopt the Quad Cities
Land Use Management Code
in regards to sign regulations.
The item had been previ
ously tabled to allow council
members to address issues with
the ordinance.
The ordinance didn’t pass
without some comments from
mayor Doug Haynie regarding
the ordinance’s regulations on
electronic signs.
“I think this is much ado
about nothing here,” Haynie
unanimously to approve the bud
get.
The authority also learned that
bids are being obtained to refur
bish the system’s 75,000-gallon
water tank. Two bids are being
sought for the work.
The authority members also
results haven’t been completed.
It was expected that results
would take 4-6 weeks to com
plete after Brittane Nichole
Brown was found dead on Dec.
27 at a house on White Street in
Hoschton.
The GBI said an autopsy
showed no signs of foul play
said. “I hate to see us take
technology away from a busi
ness that needs to attract cus
tomers.”
Council member Ron Smith
added, “When the sign, no mat
ter what it does...distracts the
driver because of brightness,
that’s what’s important to me.”
Haynie added, “I think the
ordinance was originally about
non-conforming signs, and I
think that’s what the ordinance
needs to be about as far as
we’re concerned,” Haynie said.
The council voted unani
mously to approve the ordi-
leamed that they will be present
ed with a packet of proposed ser
vice rules and regulation changes.
They include a new service con
tract, disconnect procedures and
fees as well as contractual agree
ments between customers and the
authority.
or other physical indications of
death.
Brown was a student at Jackson
County Comprehensive High
School, where she participated
in basketball. She also enjoyed
spending time with her friends,
dancing, listening to music and
track, according to her obituary.
nance.
Also at Monday night’s
meeting, the council:
•voted to authorize the
Jackson County GIS depart
ment, through the QUAD
Cities Planning Commission,
to update the city’s zoning
maps
•voted to approve a resolution
adopting the Comprehensive
Plan Community Agenda.
•entered into a closed meet
ing for 36 minutes. No further
business was taken up after
the council returned to open
session.
GBI waiting for toxicology report on teen
Arcade approves QCPC sign regulations
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at cost-saving measures
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
IT’S THE little expenses — not
just the big costs — that Hoschton
police chief Dave Hill says he’s
trimming from his department’s
tight budget.
And that includes turning off
unnecessary lights in the police
department, reducing the amount
of paper and not cleaning patrol
vehicles.
“One difficult thing that I’ve
been having is that I’ve been cut
ting and cutting, and been doing
without for many years,” Hill said.
“So, I really haven’t had much to
cut from.”
With the lean economic times,
public safety departments are also
keeping a close eye on their bud
gets by trimming costs and shift
ing resources.
Braselton police chief Terry
Esco said his department is mini
mizing the amount of overtime
pay unless an officer has to attend
court proceedings in criminal
cases.
“We’re on target with our (bud
get),” he said. “What little bit of
slack we do have has to do with
(assistant police chief Lou Solis)
and I filling in the gaps, because
we’re straight salary to keep the
overtime down.”
Instead of paying overtime,
the department is offering comp
time for officers, Esco said. The
Braselton Police Department is
not considering furloughs.
The Braselton Police
Department has 12 officers,
although there is one open posi
tion. The town isn’t actively seek
ing an officer to fill that vacant
job, he said.
“We try to hold it down all we
can,” Esco said. “It’s going to
affect everyone before it’s over.”
The Hoschton Police
Department has five full-time offi
cers and two-part officers. Two
officers recently said they are
interviewing for jobs in the other
police departments.
“There are definitely plans to
fill those positions,” Hill said.
“Those positions are budgeted, so
I will be filling those positions.”
Hill said he is notifying the
city council when an officer dis
cusses the possibility of leaving
the department. And if an officer
leaves the city, the police depart
ment wants to be prepared to fill
the position quickly.
Hoschton is controlling its
overtime pay except in certain
cases — such as the investigation
into the death of a 14-year-old girl
in December, Hill said.
And to reduce additional over
time costs, Hoschton is asking the
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
to provide coverage in the city on
specified days, Hill said.
Another cost-saving measure is
maintaining equipment costs.
“The equipment, other than
manpower, is probably the most
expensive,” Hill said.
Hoschton has no plans to
replace its vehicles and some
equipment, he added.
Braselton purchased 12 new
patrol vehicles last year with
seized drug funds and by trad
ing existing vehicles. Esco hopes
those vehicles will last at least
three years.
A sharp decrease in gas prices
compared to last year has also
saved Braselton at least $30,000.
Esco said.
“I think the gas coming down
helped us a lot,” he said.
However, town officials recent
ly said Braselton’s municipal
court is putting more offenders
on probation because they can’t
afford their fines.
Those offenders are now pay
ing their fines in installments over
a 12-month period. That, in turn,
delays when the town receives its
payment from police fines.
Braselton budgeted $425,000
in court fines in the current fiscal
year, but had collected $119,875
halfway through the budget year
at the end of December.
Politics aside, Braselton and
Hoschton police help each other
when needed during certain calls,
Esco said.
“We’ve got to work together
— that’s what it’s all about,” he
added.
WJFD
The West Jackson Fire
Department hasn’t faced some
of the budget shortfalls of other
emergency agencies during the
tough economy, according to
chief Ben Stephens.
“Since we only depend on tax
money — we don’t depend on
tap fees and things like that — we
don’t have to estimate what our
income will be,” he said. “We
know from the tax commission
er’s office what it will be each
year.”
The WJFD budget is $664,900
this year, compared to last year’s
$632,100. In previous years, the
fire department’s budget was
increased by $90,000 each year.
The department opted to roll
back taxes this year due to the
economic downfall affecting
property owners, Stephens said.
The department may review
the possibility of three employees
available 24 hours a day in 2010.
The department has six full
time paid employees, 10 part-time
employees and five volunteers,
Stephens said.
Talks for a new, second station
in West Jackson are just that — as
the department is still discussing
plans for another facility.
“Right now, we’re doing the
same thing as we did last year,”
he said.
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