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PAGE 2A
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2010
Kemp speaks at chamber of commerce breakfast
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
BRIAN KEMP didn't cam
paign for re-election overtly as
he addressed the Jackson County
Area Chamber of Commerce last
Wednesday, but used the oppor
tunity to tout his brief tenure as
secretary of state.
Kemp, a former state sena
tor. was appointed secretary of
state in January to replace Karen
Handel — who resigned to run
for governor.
Since then, Kemp told his
audience, he’s worked to cut red
tape, to make the secretary of
state’s office more accessible and
to solicit ideas for improving ser
vice. And if he appeared to see
himself as the right person for the
job, well, he is in the middle of a
re-election campaign.
Kemp,who wontheRepublican
primary, will face either Gail
Buckner or Georganna Sinkfield
in November, depending on the
results of Tuesday’s Democratic
primary runoff election.
Kemp said he was running for
re-election because he “felt like
people really wanted a govern
ment that would do what it says
it was going to do, and they
wanted leaders in office who had
the experience to do the job and
would actually fulfill what they’d
been talking about once they got
in office.’’
Thus, said Kemp, he’s worked
to streamline the office, cut red
tape and save money while still
providing the essential services.
As part owner of Specialty
Stone. Hoschton, Kemp says he
understands what the small busi
nesses who use his office are up
against.
“We’re not worried about mak
ing money right now.” he said of
his business. “We’re just worried
about keeping the dang doors
open and paying the bills.”
Kemp said one of his first
changes was to create a “cut
red tape website” his first week
in office. Through that, citizens
can email ideas on “how we can
get rid of ridiculous, redundant,
outdated rules, regulations and
laws,” and he promised to vet the
suggestions.
He also said he made improve
ments in the corporations section
of the website to make it easier
to renew corporations or start
corporations online and instituted
an email verification system to
protect business owners against
someone changing their corpo
rate information.
“We’ve had several people
who let us know that because of
that system people had gone in
to try to change their information
and we were able to notify them
and stop that from happening,”
Kemp said.
In addition, Kemp said his
office has increased the num
ber of professional licenses one
can get online and outsourced
some of the exams so license
applicants don’t have to come to
Macon to take them.
Other changes include a
requirement that every regula
tory board must appear at least
once every seven years before the
Georgia OccupationalRegulatory
Review Committee “to basically
justify their existence.”
“We’re going to be asking, do
we still need these boards or are
they keeping people from enter
ing these fields?” Kemp stated.
On the elections front, Kemp
said he’s worked to improve the
voting process for military per
sonnel stationed abroad and has
started a My Voter Page (MVP
Page) on the secretary of state’s
website to provide voters with
information. There, he said, a
voter can enter his or her name,
county of residence and date of
birth, and receive information
about his precinct, directions,
request an absentee ballot, see a
sample ballot and access links
to the websites of all candidates.
“We’ve had a great response
from local elections officials on
that,” Kemp said. “People com
ing into local offices and wanting
information, they just give them
the website.”
Kemp said his office created
a Stop Voter Fraud website to
which voters may report fraud or
suspicious activity by e-mail or
a 1-800 number. The site result
ed in a GBI investigation into
possible voter fraud in Brooks
County in the primary, according
to Kemp.
Kemp explained the state’s suit
against the Department of Justice
over Georgia’s lack of compli
ance with the Help America Vote
Act as an attempt to get the
state’s voter verification process
approved.
“My number one job as sec
retary of state is to make sure
our voter rolls are secure and we
have secure elections,” he said,
“and I don’t want to have a non
citizen that’s voting in a Georgia
election that would take away
your vote.”
Jefferson council approves variances for business
Larger signs will be allowed at site near 1-85
BYANGELA GARY
A BUSINESS locating on
Hog Mountain Road near 1-85
in Jefferson will be allowed to
use a larger sign than the code
allows in order to direct traffic to
its new site.
The Jefferson City Council
unanimously approved three
variance requests Monday night
that will allow for larger signs to
be placed at the Systemax com
plex on Hog Mountain Road,
which will house a retail outlet,
sales center and warehouse.
Systemax Inc. is the parent
company for TigerDirect.com,
Comp USA and Circuit City,
and is a retailer of personal com
puters, notebook computers,
consumer electronics, computer-
related accessories, technology
supplies and industrial products.
“We need the variances to get
proper signs so people can rec
ognize the building from 1-85
and easily identify the three uses
of the site,” Allen Schaeffer said
when presenting the requests to
the city council Monday night.
“Our request is to have signage
that can be seen and easily rec
ognized.”
Councilman Roy Plott had
concerns about the request.
“We appreciate you bring
ing the business to town, but
it concerns me that the sign is
three times more than what is
allowed,” he said. “I am real
concerned that these variances
are really large.”
Plott initially said he couldn’t
support the variances, but he
voted in favor of the requests
after other council members
pointed out that larger signs
should be allowed in that area.
“I feel like businesses that
locate on 1-85 need visibility
and they need to let people know
they are there,” Mayor Jim Joiner
said. “It’s time we look at the
1-85 corridor and see if we want
to make some adjustments.”
Councilman Bosie Griffith
said the council needs to amend
its sign ordinance to allow larger
signs in the 1-85 corridor.
“They don’t want to locate
if you can’t see the sign from
1-85,” he said of businesses that
come to the area. “We need to
go back and have two sign ordi
nances.”
OTHER ZONING ISSUES
In other zoning business, the
council reviewed several pro
posed amendments to the city
codes to address recent changes
in state laws. These include:
eliminating age restrictions for
mobile homes; no longer requir
ing larger businesses to have
separate parking lots for employ
ees and visitors; allowing factory
built homes that are inspected by
the department of community
affairs to be treated the same as
stick built homes; being more
flexible in requirements for ame
nities at subdivisions.
The council will vote on these
recommended changes when it
meets at 6 p.m. on Monday,
Aug. 23, at the civic center.
At the Aug. 23 meeting, the
council will also vote to send the
future land use plan map to the
region and state for approval. If
the region and state approve the
map, the city can officially adopt
it. It will likely be October or
November before the map comes
back to the city for action.
Election continued from page 1A
Maysville in the red
But has reserve fund
ALTHOUGH Maysville ended
2009 in the red, the town has a large
amount of reserve funds on hand.
Maysville had a $879,000 fund bal
ance at the end of 2009. more than
125 percent of its annual budget
amount.
In 2009, Maysville took in $660,600
in general fund revenues. Of that.
$250,000 came from sales taxes and
$91,500 came from fines.
On the expense side, the town’s
police department cost $277,800
while the general government expens
es topped $209,700. Before transfers,
the town spent $29,250 more in its
general fund than it took in.
Maysville also lost money in its
water and sewer fund with an oper
ating loss of $89,800 and a total
loss of $148,100. The city transferred
$164,800 into the fund from other
departments to cover the shortfall.
dropped out of the Republican primary
campaign.
Ginn spoke to the Madison County
Republicans shortly after re-entering the
race, tearfully recalling a note his son
wrote at school about how proud he was
of his father for running for office. He
said he re-entered the race after reading
that note.
“I was overwhelmed with the support
I had when I got back in the race,” said
Ginn Wednesday morning. “I knew my
wife supported me and my daughter. But
last night I felt my son smiling on me. He
was the one who wanted me to do it.”
Ginn has served in county and city
manager positions, but had never run for
office prior to the senate campaign. He
noted that the Republican primary race
was contentious and a hard thing to get
through.
“I really have a new respect for those
who run for public office,” he said.
The Republican candidate said he plans
to take a few days to relax before hitting
the campaign trail for the general election.
He said he feels he and Riley can both
campaign in a positive manner.
“I hope it will be (positive),” said Ginn.
“I’ve only met him (Riley) one time, but
he seems like a nice guy.”
STATE RACES
On the Republican ballot, a majority of
Jackson County voters selected Nathan
Deal over Karen Handel in a 3,919-2,047
vote. Statewide, Deal was also the top
vote-getter.
In the attorney general race, Sam Olens
was the top vote-getter in Jackson County
over Preston Smith in a 3,050-2,203 vote.
State-wide, Olens won the race.
In the insurance commissioner’s race,
Ralph Hudgens was the top vote-getter in
Jackson County over Maria Sheffield in
a 3,908-1,661 vote. State-wide, Hudgens
won the race.
In the public service commissioner
race, Tim Echols was the top vote-getter
in Jackson County over John Douglas in
a 3,154-1,993 vote. State-wide, Echols
won the race.
On the Democrat ballot in the secre
tary of state race, Gail Buckner was the
top vote-getter in Jackson County over
Georganna Sinkfield in a 101-86 vote.
State-wide, Sinkfield won the race.
NWA gives illegal raises
THE NICHOLSON Water Authority met in an illegal closed meet
ing Monday night to apparently give raises to its employees.
It is the second closed door meeting the group has held recently.
Raises to staff members cannot legally be discussed in secret by
local governments, nor can local governments vote in closed door
sessions.
On Aug. 3, the group met behind closed doors to discuss a tree that
had fallen on private property which the owner said was caused by a
faulty water line.
In other business, the NWA voted unanimously to move forward
with a project to replace all two-inch water lines in the system outside
of the city as part of the projects paid for by recently obtained GEFA
funds.
Once the project is done, engineers from Peoples and Quigley will
look at what other projects can be accomplished with the remaining
GEFA funds.
The water authority also voted to stay with its original contractor on
the project, although the cost of materials has increased.
More budget talks in Jefferson
BYANGELA GARY
HEAVY equipment for the
street department, a sprinkler
system for the museum and new
directional signs for the down
town area are among the items
on the proposed budgets present
ed to the Jefferson City Council.
Proposed budgets for the street
department, Crawford W. Long
Museum and planning and zon
ing were presented to the coun
cil Monday night. Last month,
budgets for the library, police
department, fire department,
civic center, recreation depart
ment and city administration
were presented.
Public works director Jeff
Killip presented the proposed
$845,842 budget for the street
department, which is up three
percent over the current budget
of $819,907. Killip said a new
street department facility and
heavy equipment are among his
recommended additions to the
budget.
Research assistant Vicki
Starnes presented the proposed
$117,049 for the museum, which
is up slightly over the current
budget of $115,607. Starnes
said additions include a copier
maintenance fee and a sprinkler
system.
MainStreet manager Beth
Laughinghouse presented the
proposed $93,555 budget, which
is up over the current budget
of $89,274. Additions include
directional and welcome signs
for the city and education and
training for new members of the
downtown development author
ity.
City manager John Ward pre
sented the proposed $158,167
budget for the planning and zon
ing department, which is down
35 percent over the current bud
get of $243,536. The change is
due to a decline in projected
revenue.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business Monday
night, the council:
•heard from Hasco Carver of
the Northeast Georgia Regional
Commission on the federal
stimulus grant the county and
city are seeking for economic
development. The $300,000
grant would go to H.W. Wilson
Manufacturing, which was heav
ily damaged in a fire earlier this
year.
•heard a report from finance
director Amie Vaughan, who said
that local option sales tax revenue
continues to exceed last year’s
revenue and is up $95,439 so far
this year. She also reported that
there is approximately $109,963
in 2009 taxes that have not been
collected yet.
•heard an update from police
chief Joe Wirthman on code
enforcement. An officer will be
handling code enforcement on a
weekly basis.
•heard from MainStreet man
ager Beth Laughinghouse on the
streetscape project which is on
schedule to be completed in the
next six to nine months.
•heard from Barbara Johnson
that the Jefferson Heritage
Tree Council has received a
$13,895 grant from the Urban
and Community Forest Grant
Program. This is the third year
the city has received a grant from
the program.
•heard an update from pub
lic works director Jeff Killip
on road projects, including Old
Pendergrass Road improvements
which are expected to be com
pleted by Sept. 8.
•met in closed session to dis
cuss land acquisition. No action
was taken when the meeting was
opened to the public.
Talmo to build city pavilion
THE CITY of Talmo is look
ing to spruce up its park with
the addition of a new pavilion
adjacent to the area.
It was announced at the city’s
council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 3,
that the pavilion will be a 20 x 20
building. Talmo is accepting bids
for through Aug. 31.
In April, the council discussed
making some additions to its park
after noticing an influx of visitors.
The pavilion will be paid for with
SPLOST (Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax) funds.
Also at the meeting last week,
the city approved and adopted
an Intergovernmental Agreement
for animal control with Jackson
County. The agreement is set to
be approved at the county level
on Aug. 16. After approval,
Talmo will be covered by Jackson
County for the service.
A public hearing was held
to approve amendments to the
Land Use Management Code
(LUMC). All amendments were
recommended by the Jefferson-
Talmo Planning Commission.
A final hearing will be at the
September meeting.
County furlough day ahead
THE JACKSON County government offices and courthouse will
be closed on Friday, August 13, due to a furlough day.
The voter registration office will be open until noon on Friday.
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