Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 140, No. 27 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - $1.00
County proposes $86 million budget
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
After several weeks
of discussions and work
sessions, the Burke County
Board of Commissioners is
preparing to adopt its budget
for fiscal year 2021.
The $86,812,593 proposed
budget is a 5 percent drop
from 2020 - a difference
of just under $4.7 million.
Though initially not included
in the original proposal, the
final version does include
a 2 percent Cost of Living
Adjustment (COLA)
for county employees,
added after a budget work
session at the urging of
commissioner Tommy Nix,
totaling approximately half
a million dollars. Last year,
county employees received
a 2 percent COLA in the
amount of $520,500. COLA
is in addition to merit raises
received as part of the county’s
step increase system.
Nix recommended
the county-wide increase
following several requests
for salary increases from
different departments that
were not approved. Public
Works Director Jesse Burke
put in a step increase request
for 42 employees, and Burke
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams
asked that the commission
consider giving a differential
pay for night shift who work 6
p.m. to 6 a.m., indicating that
this type of incentive would
help recruit, hire and keep
quality employees. He also
proposed a College Incentive
Pay to reward employees who
already have or will earn a
college degree. The proposal
consisted of three options and
would require an immediate
stipend to 29 employees with
an estimated cost of $15,400-
$25,000. Additionally, the
sheriff proposed increasing
the salaries of nine road
patrol deputies to a base
pay of $40,000. The facility
maintenance department
requested to add a $70,000
position for an IT director as
well as $8,000 and $13,000
increases for the salaries of
the network and systems
administrators, respectively.
Rolene Rowell, director of
the Burke County Recreation
Department, asked the
commission to consider
moving the pay grades of
three managers who all have
college degrees or 25-plus
years in a supervisory role.
Elected officials including
Sheriff Williams, Tax
Commissioner Marian
Jackson and Clerk of Superior
Court Radeta Smith each
requested
a $15,000 SEE
supplement to BUDGET, 3
their salaries.
I
cc
<
Q
Lakeview Restaurant, a staple in the Burke County food community for several decades, has been fully remodeled and
now boasts waterfront seating. Owner Russ Drake and staff opened the doors to the public Tuesday afternoon, following a
nine-month facelift that included doubling the size of the kitchen, removing the buffet/salad bar and adding special touches
throughout the established, like “Kathy’s Kitchen” (a memorial to Drake’s mother) and photographs of special landmarks
in Burke County. While the menu has also undergone quite a change, offering a variety of everything from salads to
hamburgers and sandwiches to seafood, many familiar dishes remain, including the hamburger steak that helped put the
restaurant on the map many years ago. See page 2 for related story
Applications being accepted
for People’s Law School
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
Inequality is the last thing
Andrew Palmer wants citizens
to experience when dealing
with the legal system.
“I encountered it firsthand,”
the attorney/chief magistrate
judge said from his office in
the Burke County Judicial
Center. “Eve seen people
rendered hopeless because
they did not know where to
go or what to do to get help
for their legal issues.”
Now, Palmer plans to solve
that problem with People’s
Law School.
The school is a free
program run by the Burke
County Magistrate Court
and offered to local residents
interested in learning more
about Georgia’s court system.
“The People’s Law School
will be a general overview
of our civil and criminal
court process,” he explained.
“We will engage the class
with reading assignments and
Socratic style questioning
while inviting questions and
engagement from the class.
I really want this to be a
discovery process of what the
law has to offer.”
Topics of discussion
include Torts, post judgment
collection remedies, the
criminal process from arrest to
sentencing and constitutional
freedoms. Classes will begin
Monday, Sept. 14, with two
sessions at 5:30 p.m. and
6:30 p.m. and will continue
the subsequent three Monday
evenings: Sept. 21, 28 and
Oct. 5. Participants may not
miss more than two sessions.
Those selected for the school
will be notified by the end of
August.
Palmer recalls that
throughout his career, he
has observed times people
distrusted judges, lawyers and
the legal system in general.
“This distrust often amounts
from a lack of understanding
due to a lack of positive
interactions with the legal
system,” he said. “The media
tends to glorify negativity
surrounding our court systems
and law enforcement. I want
our citizens to know that our
courts are a place to help, not
hurt, and to know where to go
to get answers for their legal
issues.”
After realizing people who
could not afford an attorney
had no one to turn to because
no one in the community with
legal training offered free
legal assistance, Palmer knew
he had to step up. “I went to
law school and returned to my
community to help fill that
void,” he said. “People need
knowledge in order to prosper.
As the holder of an office of
trust, I have dedicated myself
to seeing
that the a
citizens LAW SCHOOL,
of Burke 6
Census deadline
approaching
Counters making in-person visits
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal @ gmail.com
Burke County citizens have
approximately a month to
make sure they are counted
for the 2020 Census.
Currently, the county has a
total completion rate of 58.3
percent (with 45.9 percent
of those being counted as
self-response). The state as
a whole reports 62.5 percent
compete (with 59.8 self
response).
“The Census Bureau is
doing everything they can
to ensure Georgia is counted
fairly,” said assistant county
manager Adam Flakes, who
has worked closely with
Burke County’s Complete
Count Committee since
its inception. “There is no
question that Burke County is
leaving a ton of money on the
table with a current response
rate of just over 45 percent. As
of right now, this community
has just over 30 days to make
a difference for the next 10
years.”
Door-to-door enumeration
(in-person visits/counting)
has been canceled for many
counties throughout the
state due to the COVID-19
pandemic, but Burke has not
been designated as a “red
zone,” and residents who
have not yet completed their
Census should expect a visit
between now and Sept. 30,
when the counting and self
response period ends.
“America has answered
the call and most households
responded to the census
online, by phone or by mail,”
said Census Bureau Director
Dr. Steven Dillingham.
“To ensure a complete and
accurate count, we must now
go door to door to count
all of the households we
have not heard back from.
During this phase, you can
still self-respond online (at
2020census.gov), by phone
(at 844-330-2020) or by
mailing your completed
questionnaire.”
The Nonresponse Followup
(NRFU) operation is the
final stage of conducting
the count, and though those
that responded already will
not need to be visited to
obtain their response, this
does not mean the system is
flawless. Many local folks
have reported receiving visits
from Census workers and
were concerned because
they’d already completed
their response either online or
by mail. “The enumerators are
just getting started and may
have a small learning curve,
which may be the reason they
are going to houses that have
already filled out their 2020
Census,” said FaCount Bly
Jr., partnership specialist for
the Census Bureau. “That
should be mitigated over
time.”
Another local man reported
he received a threatening
phone call from someone
claiming to work for the
bureau. “I
had them tell SEE CENSUS,
me they were 6
Burke County’s virus rate
higher than state average
ROY F. CHALKER JR. • rchalker@bellsouth.net
The Georgia Department of Public Health reported
Tuesday that Burke County has a test positivity rate for the
coronavirus almost double the state average.
With a cumulative total of 633 cases of COVID-19, Burke
County’s percentage of positive tests over the last two weeks
is 19.9 percent, while the state average is 10.7 percent.
The county has added an average of 8.3 new cases per day
over the last two weeks. There have been seven fatalities
from the virus since the beginning and 72 residents have
been hospitalized.
At this point, one out of every 36 Burke County citizens
has contracted the virus.
C 2020 Ford
FI 50 XL
SUPERCAB s
Startins At M
Stk #15790
Requires FMCC Financing
DEALER BIT AIN S DEBATE PLUS U19 DEALER FEE. TVAT HE, GA WARRANTY RIGHTS FEE, TITLE AND TAG
706-554-2114 www.mizellford.com Waynesboro, Ga.