Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 141, No. 26 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, August 18, 2021 -$1.00
Working
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
A frustrated Sheriff faced the
Burke County Commission August
10 demanding they adopt a reason
able budget as mandated by law,
without restrictions, limitations and
requirements concerning how it is
spent.
Speaking for more than an hour,
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams publicly
criticized County Manager Merv
Waldrop referencing him as “clerk,”
out the differences
demanding that he abide by the law
and “get out of the Sheriff’s Depart
ment’s business.”
Williams also informed the board
that he needs sufficient funding
to obtain at least 50-acres of land,
required for a training center with
a bring range at an estimated cost
of $400,000 that will be operational
prior to December 31,2021. He sug
gested that the panel allocate money
from the American Rescue Plan
Funds, already designated toward
helping to solve the broadband issue.
“We have borrowed from every
body in this county, as if we are
beggars,” Williams said of the BCSO
during the meeting and shot down
the notion of building on county land
located near the landhll. “I am not a
trash guy and I am not going to put
an office at the landhll. That is an
insult to me.”
This is not
the first time
the Sheriff
mentioned the
need for a new
SEE
DIFFERENCES,
12
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams demands control of the department’s budget
during the Board of Commissioners meeting August 10.
Austin Layer and her show partner, Best N The House
DYNAMIC DUO
Waynesboro youth and show
horse shine in the spotlight
DIANA ROYAL* jdianaroyal@gmail.com
Austin Layer may be wrapping up her time on the
youth circuit, but if her success is any indication of
what’s to come as she transitions into college and
amateur competition, this is only the beginning.
Most recently, Austin, a native of Waynesboro,
and her show partner, Best N The House, unani
mously won Level 1 in 14-18 Showmanship during
the AQHYA World Championship Show. Competi
tors from all over the world come to compete for the
coveted World Champion title, and in her division,
Austin was the best on every single judge’s card in
a pool of 138 entries.
It’s one of her biggest wins, and one she’s proud
to have earned as she closes out her bnal youth year.
“This is a harder class for us, and it has taken
blood, sweat and tears to get to this point,” Austin
says. “This was my third and bnal youth world, and
I have never gotten a ribbon there before until this
year. To come home with a win and a bnalist ribbon
was rewarding to see that hard work
always pays off in the end.”
The competition is more than
sparkling costumes and well-
groomed horses and competitors
SEE
LAYER
14
YOUR CITY
k-k-k'k'k'k'k-k'k'k'kick-k'k'k'k'k-k'k-k-k'k-k'i
YOUR VOTE
City voters to decide
on liquor sales
DIANA ROYAL
jdianaroyal@gmail.com
Waynesboro City Council adopted
a resolution Monday night to let tax
payers to decide whether they want
to allow the sale of distilled spirits
within city limits.
The decision, which did not come
without debate, passed 3-2, with
council members Bill Tinley, Willie
Williams and Dick Byne in favor.
Before Tinley’s motion to accept
the resolution, Alberta Anderson
had moved to not do so, with Vickey
Bates supporting.
The resolution allows the city to
initiate a referendum to authorize the
issuance of licenses for package sale
of distilled spirits and will appear
on the November general election
ballot as such.
Monday night was the brst and
only required reading for council to
adopt the resolution.
During an earlier bnance and per
sonnel committee meeting on Aug.
12, city manager Valerie Kirkland
provided revenue bgures from sur
rounding municipalities who grant
licensure for package sales of al
cohol. The City of Girard reported
$30,000 in tax revenue for the year
2020, and in Hiltonia a new business
reportedly garnered $1,200 in the
month of June. Louisville, which has
two package shops and four pouring
licenses, generated approximately
$20,000 in liquor sales tax while beer
and wine sales brought in $65,000.
The four package shops in Swains-
boro also generated $132,724.74.
Kirkland said that Waynesboro’s
pouring license revenue averages
$100,000 annually and that licen
sure of package sales would be
an additional revenue stream with
Tinley stating the city could use all
the revenue it can get with the large
amount of infrastructure issues the
city has. He added that since the al
cohol sales are already taking place,
the funds might as well be spent here
as opposed to neighboring counties.
Bates, who has said from the
beginning of referendum discus
sion that she did not support it,
believes the city has options other
than a package shop for generating
revenue. Tinley went on to say that
city residents would continue to
support Richmond County through
purchasing alcohol to which Ander
son replied that will happen for those
who drink and she is not one of those
who drinks alcohol. Tinley stated
while he would not be a patron of a
liquor store, he would appreciate the
revenue that would help pay city bills
and also factors that could impact
attracting other business, such as a
grocery store.
That meeting ended with the com
mittee voting not to recommend the
referendum, but it was placed on the
agenda at the request of Mayor Pro-
Tern Chick Jones.
Sheriff weighs in on Board of Commissioners split
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
“Starting October 1, we will be
ready, 100% ready to take over,
to handle our own business, to do
our own thing,” Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams told the board of com
missioners August 10. “I have been
working on this for several months
in conjunction with the Sheriff of
Banks County who has just done this
very same thing.”
Williams makes no excuses for
speaking out during the monthly
meeting.
“I have known for 4 Vi years, since
taking office and going to Sheriff’s
school, that the law is extremely
clear without any ambiguity what
soever, that constitutional officers
have complete and total control over
their budgets,” he said. “We have a
county manager who is disingenuous
to say the least, who doesn’t have
the best interest of this county at
heart because of his disdain for this
Sheriff’s Office.”
Williams said he approached Merv
Waldrop with three proposals the
BCSO thought would be benehcial
to help solve the need for a training
facility since the mandated clos
ing of the bring range in April. It
has remained closed since former
Deputy James Hollingsworth bled
a suit alleging lead contamination,
creating an emergency situation for
the BCSO, Williams said. It affected
the department’s ability to bre weap
ons and to conduct required lethal
and non-lethal training, essential to
maintaining arrest powers. The bring
range, housed in a building more than
30 years old, is “long past its shelf-
life,” he said.
The BCSO provided County Man
ager Merv Waldrop and the BOC
with a cost-analysis showing that it
is cost prohibitive to continue to run
back-and-forth, utilizing buildings
in Columbia County, Plant Vogtle
and through the school system for
training.
“Our training officer spends more
time coordinating training than he
does in a classroom teaching because
we have to juggle and work around
everyone else’s schedule,” he said.
“If they don’t provide me with a
training facility then I can’t provide
the training.”
Williams said the de-
partment’s needs for a ’
bring range and class- 8
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams believes
building a public safety building
that provides room for training for
multiple departments, would be a
benefit to EMA, WPD, and the Fire
departments.
#16157
TH, WAYNESBOR
ROADTHERA
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