Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009
City planners recommend approval of zoning changes
Arcade approves business license
BY BRANDON REED
BY ANGELA GARY
THE JEFFERSON-
TALMO Planning
Commission recommend
ed approval of two zoning
requests when it met on
Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the
Jefferson Civic Center.
The commission recom
mended approval of a request
from Ricky Roberts to rezone
property at 1428 and 1444
Mountain Creek Church Road
from A-2 (Agricultural Rural
Farm District) to C-2 (City)
(Highway Commercial) for
the purpose of a contractor's
establishment. Roberts said
he wants to locate his exist
ing business in a building on
the property.
The Talmo City Council
will take final action on the
request when it meets at 6:30
p.m. at city hall.
In other business at the
Sept. 15 meeting, the plan
ners recommended approval
to a request from Mike and
Wendy Mahaffey to rezone
property located at 303 Legg
Road from A-2 (Agricultural
Rural Farm District) to R-l
(Single Family Residential
District) for the purpose of
residential use.
The Jefferson City Council
will consider the request
when it meets at 6 p.m. on
Monday, October 12 at the
civic center. The voting ses
sion of the Jefferson City
Council will be held on Oct.
26.
THE ARCADE City Council
voted to approve a business
license during the Monday
night meeting.
Russell Davis requested the
license to open and operate
Davis Design and Inspection at
266 Trotters Trace.
Davis spoke to the council
members, saying he would be
operating a home office from
the address.
The council voted unani
mously to approve the request.
The council also heard the
monthly police activity report
from chief Randy Williams dur
ing the meeting. During the
past month, officers patrolled
5,500 miles, making two fel
ony arrests, two misdemeanor
arrests, filing 24 incident reports
and one accident report.
Maysville from 1A
not legislate morality. This is
about the potential of this town
to grow and thrive ... Brandy
and I are trying to do this the
legal way. If you sell more food
than alcohol, it is not likely
you will have problems... This
debate has gotten mean.”
OPPOSITION
While those voices supported
the idea, most of those who
have attended meetings on the
issue have been opposed.
Among those speaking this
week in opposition to beer and
wine sales was Amory Hall, a
long-time Maysville resident,
who said businesses can be suc
cessful without offering alco
hol.
‘‘If you serve good food, have
good service and have good
prices, you can be successful in
Maysville without selling beer
and wine,” he said. “Let's keep
Maysville a safe place to raise
our children.”
Comments from some of the
others who spoke in opposition
include the following:
•Gladys Cochran: “I don't see
why Maysville has to change
just because a few people think
they can come in and change
things.”
•Trent Strickland: “I will
work just as hard as Mrs. Atkins
to see that this is defeated ... If
you go by the pleasure of the
people, it will be denied.”
•Richard Presley: “Please
consider the risk and liability
to the town ... The majority of
the people have spoken a loud
no that we don't want alcohol
in our town.”
•Bud Klugh: “The folks in
Maysville don’t want beer and
wine sold in Maysville. You (the
council) have to lay aside your
personal opinions and follow
what the citizens of Maysville
voted you in office to do.”
•John Lewallen: “I felt threat
ened tonight. When someone
says they will not stop (until
they can sale beer and wine), I
take that as a threat.”
•Melody Stancil: “Allowing
a pouring license will not revi
talize the town ... It is a mis
guided effort.”
•Joy Hardy: “Listen to the
people and the town and vote
no.”
•Nell Hooper: “I love the
town and I don’t want to see
beer and wine in Maysville.
I would rather see the build
ings stand like they are or fall
down instead of having beer
and wine.”
•Larry Presley: “I encourage
you to represent the majority
of the people instead of just a
few.”
•Todd Cosper: “The people
of Maysville have spoken loud
ly ... I encourage you to do
what is right.”
WORK SESSION
On Thursday night, a coun
cil meeting was held with
council members reviewing
the proposed beer and wine
ordinance and making chang
es. Approximately 30 citizens
attended but no public input
was taken. Mayor Jerry Baker,
as well as council members
Lynn Villyard, Stephan Lewis
and Clay Dorsey were pres
ent. Council member Rebecca
McNeely was not present.
One change to the proposed
ordinance was that the busi
nesses with a pouring license
must have 60 percent of their
profit from food sales, with a
limit of 40 percent coming from
beer and wine sales.
Another change to the pro
posed ordinance was the fee,
which was listed as $500 for
a beer license and $500 for a
wine license, with an additional
$300 administrative fee.
A third change was to
decrease the number of required
parking spaces for businesses
from 50 to 25. Villyard said
she is concerned with putting a
specific number of spaces if it
is not attainable because of the
limited space in the downtown
area.
“You shouldn’t pass an ordi
nance that no one can comply
with,” she said.
Villyard said she looked into
costs of auditing the receipts of
businesses to insure they comply
with the ordinance. She said the
Georgia Municipal Association
provides this service at a fee of
$125 per hour.
There was also some discus
sion on the cost of additional
police officers that might be
needed if the ordinance passes.
Police chief Clarence Sullens
said the cost of two additional
officers, two patrol cars and
related expenses would be
$159,000. Councilman Lewis
said one full-time officer, one
part-time officer and one patrol
car would be $97,000.
Dermatology has arrived...
in Commerce
GEORGIA SKIM CAMCER
Sx Aesthetic Dermatology
Specialized Medical Care for Your Skin
Ross M Campbell AAD, FAAD
Jonathan Nix, PA-C
Now Commerce has the closest
fellowship trained Mohs Surgeon and
Dermatologist to Northeast Georgia
County budget from 1A
proposed cuts would elimi
nate the projected $3.5 mil
lion shortfall for 2010.
“We have revisited all of
the revenues and all of the
expenditures, but those are
the big items in the bud
get that we have changed,”
Hulsey said.
Hulsey estimates the coun
ty will save over $600,000
by eliminating contribu
tions to the county’s defined
contribution plan and save
$700,000 by implementing
12 furlough days for coun
ty employees in 2010. The
county will save an addi
tional $1.2 million through
debt refinancing.
The budget will be pre
sented at the September 21
meeting of the Board of
Commissioners. The board
will also propose a millage
rate to fund the 2010 bud
get.
Hulsey estimates the final
budget could be adopted as
early as October 15.
In other business, the
BOC approved the appoint
ment of Jack Legg as the
District 2 representative on
the Jackson County Historic
Courthouse Restoration
Committee. Fred Alke was
appointed to the Jackson
County Comprehensive Plan
Steering committee as the
Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority repre
sentative.
Monday night, the BOC
also discussed:
•a contract between
Jackson County and Blue
Frog construction for the
re-roofing of the Jackson
County Historic Courthouse
with pre-finished Terne
Metal Roofing. The amount
of the contract will not
exceed $282,925.
• a contract with Blue Frog
Construction to complete the
restoration of the windows,
exterior doors and build
ing exterior at the Jackson
County Historic Courthouse.
The contract amount will not
exceed $515,006.
• a request to deviate from
standards in order to allow
a manufactured home to be
moved from 6691 Jefferson
River Road to 11238
Jefferson Road.
• a request that the plan
ning staff be allowed to re
write portions of the Unified
Development Code to add
the “Public Institutional”
land use category.
• an agreement to allow
the Georgia Center for Local
Government to provide cell
tower management services
for the county at no cost.
• a request to purchase
two truck scales with soft
ware and support equipment
from Controls and Weighing
Systems for $127,475.
• a contract with the
Northeast Georgia Regional
Development Center for the
transportation of senior citi
zens. Jackson County’s por
tion of the expense would be
$3,634.
• a contract with the
Northeast Georgia Regional
Development Center to pro
vide nutrition and wellness
services to senior citizens.
The minimum matching
funds contribution from the
county is $14,411.
• an agreement with the
Jackson County Certified
Literate Community Program
to provide community ser
vices for the Jackson County
citizens at a cost of $10,280.
• codification of an ordi
nance to allow Jackson
County to charge a five per
cent franchise fee for state-
issued cable or video provid
ers operating within county
boundaries.
• a state aid contract with
the Georgia Department of
Transportation in order to
receive $499,998 for Phase
I of the Zion Church Road
project.
These items will be placed
on the agenda for a vote at
the September 21 meeting of
the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners.
Health Coverage Made Easy.
Call 706-543-5858 for an appointment
www.georgiaderm.com
Commerce • Athens • Gainesville
Get tk local school, chinch, sports and other community news delivered to your home each week!
Just clip the coupon below to begin saving today over the newstand price!
Name
Address.
City
State
.Zip.
Subscription rates for The Jackson Herald are as follows:
$19.75 per year for Jackson and adjoining counties; $17.75 per year for senior citizens in Jackson and adjoining
counties; $38.85 per year for delivery elsewhere in Georgia; $36.85 per year for delivery elsewhere in Georgia
with senior citizen discount; $44.50 per year for delivery out of Georgia; $42.50 per year for delivery out of
Georgia with senior citizen discount; $42.20 per year for the military with APO address.
Enclosed is my check for!
Expiration
Phone
or □ MC or □ VISA #
MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
33 Lee Street, P. O. Box 908 Jefferson, GA 30549
706-367-5233 Fax: 706-367-8056
Website: www.mainstreetnews.com
Annexation ad Rezoning Applications:
Notice of Public Hearing
City of Nicholson, GA
Please take notice that the City of Nicholson has received the
following application for annexation and applications to amend the
official zoning map of the City of Nicholson. The Nicholson City
Council will conduct a public hearing on these applications on October
5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., at the Community Center, 129 Lakeview Drive,
Nicholson, GA.
RZ 2009-02 Rezone: James Ronald and Gail S. Maxwell, property
owners, to rezone 5.357 acres with 514.27 feet of frontage on the
west side of U.S. Highway 441 which is a part of Map/Parcel 013/021,
from ARR1, Agricultural Rural Residential District, to C-1, General
Commercial Business District. Proposed Use: Storage Buildings.
RZ 2009-03 Annexation and Rezone: Stan Patrick Hodsdon,
property owner, to annex part of Map/Parcel N01 004, and to rezone
two contiguous parcels constituting 4.68 acres more or less, property
fronting on the west side of U.S. Highway 441 (5044 U.S. Highway 441
South. That unincorporated part of Map/Parcel N01/004 is proposed
for annexation). Map/Parcel N01/004 is proposed for rezoning from
A2 (Agricultural Rural Farm District) (Jackson County and R-1,
Residential District to (that part in city limits) to C-1, General
Commercial Business District. Map/Parcel N01/004A is proposed for
rezoning from R-1, Residential District, to G1, General Commercial
Business District. Proposed Use: Commercial (storage buildings and
convenience store).
Interested persons are invited to attend the public hearing.
Complete applications are on file and available for public inspection in
the Office of the City Clerk in City Hall, City of Nicholson, 175
Lakeview Drive, 30565, during normal business hours. For more
information, please call 706-757-3408.
J