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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2010
Hoschton to pay water authority for services
Chamber plans ‘business
after hours’ activities
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
HOSCHTON will pay the
Jackson County Water and
Sewerage Authority a base fee
of $75,000 to operate the city's
water and wastewater facilities
in 2010.
The authority voted unani
mously last Thursday to approve
the contract with Hoschton. The
fee does not include charges for
emergencies or after-hours ser
vices.
The authority has been oper
ating Hoschton’s water and
waste systems under a mutual
aid agreement since January
when city officials found what
Hoschton mayor Erma Denney
called “deplorable conditions” at
the city’s waste treatment plant.
Hoschton now gets all of its
water from the authority, rather
than from the city’s wells.
Authority chairman Randall
Pugh pointed out that the agree
ment is for one year.
“We will evaluate it at the end
of the year,” he told Denney, add
ing that he hoped that at some
point, “you all will be able to take
that responsibility back over.”
Denney, who was accompa
nied by councilman Scott Butler
and city clerk Cindy George,
seemed thrilled to have the con
tract.
“I don’t think I could ever
thank you enough,” she said.
“Your team is amazing to work
with. You guided us through the
worst situation.”
Denney indicated that
Hoschton's city council will
approve the contract at its April
5 meeting.
Pugh suggested that the con
tract is less than lucrative for the
authority.
“We feel comfortable we
are covering our costs,” he told
Denney. “I tell you, there is noth
ing extra in there.”
As for the city resuming opera
tion of the systems, Denney made
no promises. She told the author
ity it would be “really hard” to
get “someone of your caliber, but
we could strive for it.”
In other business, following
a 45-minute closed session to
discuss both personnel and liti
gation, the authority approved a
new employment agreement with
manager Eric Klerk under which
he will be paid an annual base
salary of $96,390 - unchanged
from the previous year.
MEMBERS OF the Jackson
County Area Chamber of
Commerce are invited to a pair
of “business after hours” events
in March and April
The first is a multi-chamber
business after hours at 5:15 p.m.
Thursday, March 18, at The
Georgia Club in Statham. It is
sponsored jointly by the Jackson,
Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Oconee,
Madison and Walton chambers
of commerce, and some 400
attendees are expected.
The event is free, but those
planning to attend are asked
to RSVB with their respective
chambers. For Jackson County,
contact Linda Foster at 706-367-
0300 or by email at linda@jack-
soncountyga.com
The second, dubbed a “busi
ness and social hour,” is set for
Tuesday, April 20, from 5 to 7
p.m. at the Comfort Suites at
Banks Crossing.
There will be food, beverages
and door prizes.
School district considering new system status
Commissioners renew Lanier
Technical College contract
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A NEW WAY of classify
ing how school systems operate
could bring some key changes.
Georgia is mandating that its
local boards of education decide
by 2013 if their districts will be
charter systems, get an Investing
in Educational Excellence (IE2)
contract with the state or remain
as “status quo.”
The designation of what kind
of school system a local board
of education picks could affect
which state laws and regulations
they'll have to follow in exchange
for increased accountability, and
what happens if they fail to meet
those standards.
The Jackson County Board of
Education heard from a retired
superintendent, Pat Stokes, about
differences in the systems dur
ing the board’s annual two-day
retreat last week.
The Jefferson City Board of
Education, which has also been
considering its options, is set to
hear the same presentation for its
annual retreat.
“By 2013, you’ve got to make
a decision,” Stokes told the
Jackson County BOE.
As a charter system, school
districts would have a perfor
mance-based contract that would
waive certain state laws, rules
and regulations in exchange for
increased accountability.
Charter systems would focus
on school-level governance and
each system would be required
to submit an annual report to
the Georgia Department of
Education.
Under IE2, local school dis
tricts work with the Georgia
Department of Education and
the Governor’s Office of Student
Achievement to create a plan that
identifies the flexibility sought
from state laws, the accountabil
ity goals in addition to federal No
Child Left Behind requirements
the district is willing to accept
at the school level in exchange
for the flexibility, and the con
sequences that will be imposed
upon the district for schools that
do not reach their accountability
goals, according to the gover
nor’s office.
The Georgia Office of Student
Achievement would monitor
each district and its schools'
progress toward meeting the
goals outlined in a IE2 contract.
Stokes said the IE2 contract
is easier than the charter system
process.
“You put together a contract,
you have some goals that are
centered around AYP (Adequate
Yearly Progress) and every year,
someone from the governor's
office of accountability comes
and inspects you,” she said.
However, school systems that
don't meet their IE2 contracts
with the state could become
charter systems with school-level
governance. Those districts could
also be operated by another, suc
cessful school system or be oper
ated by a private entity.
There is no state law outlining
consequences for a school sys
tem that doesn’t meet its charter,
but those that don’t could be
required to have their entire char
ter rewritten, Stokes said.
To date, Gwinnett County
Public Schools and Forsyth
County Public Schools have
signed IE2 contracts with the
state board of education.
Those systems that choose to
have IE2 contracts, are allowed
waivers in class size, expenditure
controls, certification require
ments and salary requirements,
Stokes said.
Those systems that choose to
be charter systems must have
in their charter if and how they
plan to use broad flexibility from
local and state board of education
policies.
And those systems that choose
to remain as “status quo” must
follow all state laws and regu
lations with no waivers, she
explained. The district would
also be required to advertise that
decision in the county's legal
organ newspaper.
One of the biggest waivers
that the Jackson County School
System uses is for its standards-
based report cards.
BYANGELA GARY
APPROVAL of the con
tract with Lanier Technical
College to operate a campus
in a county-owned building in
Commerce was one of only
two items on the agenda when
the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners met Monday
night.
In the brief eight-minute
meeting, the BOC renewed the
contract with Lanier Tech for
another year to continue to oper
ate in the former Bi-Lo shop
ping center in Commerce. The
Commerce clinic of the Jackson
County Health Department is
also located in the center.
At an earlier meeting, BOC
chairman Hunter Bicknell said
it is a very favorable lease for
Lanier Tech but it is so “by
design to encourage a higher
learning facility to locate in the
county.”
In the only other business
at the meeting Monday night,
the BOC approved an alcohol
license for BP Food Mart, locat
ed at the comer of Hwy. 11 and
Jackson Trail Road.
Also at the meeting, GIS man
ager Joel Logan reported that an
event to promote participation in
the Census effort will be held on
April 10 in Commerce. Further
details will be announced later.
Food bank hours listed
THE HOURS of the Banks-Jackson Emergency Food Bank,
located at 111 Atlanta Avenue, Commerce, are from 9:30 am. to
1:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The phone number
is 706-335-5143. The food bank provides one-time emergency food
supplies for those referred by churches or social service groups.
Maysville millage rate up slightly in Jackson, remains unchanged in Banks
BY KATIE HUSTON
THE CITY of Maysville approved
its millage rates Thursday night with
the Banks County rate staying the
same and the Jackson County rate
increasing slightly.
The Banks County rate will remain
at .810 mils, while the Jackson
County side of the city increases to
1.764 mils.
The Maysville City Council held
a meeting last Thursday on the pro
posed millage rates. No citizens were
present at the hearing, and the council
unanimously adopted the rates.
SEWER DISCUSSION
In other business Thursday night,
Maysville leaders discussed the
continued rehabilitation of its sewer
system even after stimulus funds
are spent. The city was awarded a
$750,000 federal loan for the sewer
rehabilitation project in September.
Chip McGaughey of Engineering
Management, Inc. said that there
are more problem areas in the pipes
than originally expected. He also said
there are more problems than there is
money to fix them. One of the main
issues is corroded concrete piping.
“When the sewer system was
installed, they installed concrete
sewer lines and concrete and sewer
don’t go well together,” McGaughey
said. “Because you have hydrogen
sulfite gas that the bacteria feed on
and when they feed on it, they excrete
sulfuric acid, and that's why con
crete and sewer don’t really go well
together.”
The areas where the piping is in
the worst shape include Alley Street,
Brevard Street and Sims Street.
McGaughey said that Maysville
would be a good candidate for a
Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG), which provides a
maximum grant of $500,000 to low/
moderate income areas.
The grant is a competitive one and
the city would be required to put
additional funds with it. McGaughey
recommended at least $15,000 to
$20,000, saying that the more money
the city adds, the more likely it would
receive the grant.
It’s too late to apply this year, but
the council hopes to begin the appli
cation process before the end of the
year.
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