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Page 2— Wednesday, December 8, 2021, The True Citizen
Incentivizing people to stay
Recently hired Archway Professional Aaron Redman was
introduced December 2 during the community listening
session. The historic courthouse will house Redman’s
office.
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Some of Burke County’s
movers and shakers met to
discuss issues they hope will
be resolved in the upcoming
years.
Approximately 30 commu
nity leaders gathered Thurs
day, December 2 for the Uni
versity of Georgia’s Archway
Partnership morning listening
session at Augusta Technical
College. They sat in groups
and brainstormed their ideas
of the critical issues and oppor
tunities that will impact Burke
County in the future. They also
discussed what they thought
needs to be done to make last
ing change. Lastly, they looked
at local resources that can as
sist in working collectively to
achieve great things.
Downtown Development
Authority Director Don Lively
joined Councilman Bill Tinley,
Assistant County Manager
Adam Flakes and County Ex
tension Coordinator Peyton
Sapp at a table.
Lively mentioned the lack of
a good workforce as a critical
issue the county faces. Sapp
pointed out that agricultural
workers need to be retrained
in order to meet the demands
of an industry that has be
come more technologically
advanced.
“Not just anyone can get on
a new cotton picker and do an
adequate job,” he said.
Lively said all the training
and workforce development
programs do not solve the
problem of an unmotivated
workforce.
“You have to be more than
willing to go to work,” he said
“You have to have the willing
ness to participate in training
and development. There are
not enough people who are
motivated in this county to
move in that direction.”
Tinley agreed there is a lack
of soft skills in today’s em
ployee pool.
“You can go all over Burke
County and there are (help
wanted) signs everywhere and
they just can’t fill the posi
tions,” Lively said.
Flakes nodded in agreement.
“I don’t think money is the
issue,” he said. “I don’t know
what it is,but things are chang
ing.”
Lively pointed out that Burke
County has the potential to at
tract larger industries, but a
lack of available workforce is a
determent for those companies
to relocate.
That shift has also affected
the number of younger adults
who show interest in govern
mental leadership positions.
“We can’t get people to run
for positions and when we do,
you might get 400 votes out
of 5,000 registered voters,”
Lively said. “There is a lack of
a leadership pipeline.”
The group then brainstormed
ideas that might help address
the workforce issue.
Lively credited Augusta
Technical College and Burke
County Public Schools for
striving to train people to fill
local positions.
“The public high school has
programs in place to try to get
people to stay here and work
rather than seeking opportuni
ties elsewhere,” he said.
Sapp suggested that ap
prentice-type programs might
encourage future farmers to
receive training that places
them in local positions.
“We have to think outside-
the-box to do that,” he pointed
out.
A conversation ensued that
addressed the topic of specifi
cally educating students on the
function of local government
with the hope that it might
inspire an interest in local po
sitions. Lively said he would
like to see more people getting
involved in local elections.
“We just had a city council
election where a new city coun
cil person went into office with
65 votes out of several hundred
registered voters,” he said.
“You can walk down any street
in Waynesboro and knock on
10 doors and nine of them
wouldn’t know who the mayor
was and the other one wouldn’t
care who the mayor is.”
They identified BCPS, pri
vate schools, Augusta Techni
cal College and Burke Medical
Center as valuable community
assets. Lively pointed to the
hospital’s new lease agreement
with Burke Flospital Company
as a viable solution to the fa
cility’s financial woes. They
agreed the Fire Department and
EMA services add value to the
community.
The group was asked to think
of an adjective they would like
to describe Burke County in
10 years.
Progressive, ag-based, popu
lated and growing came to their
minds.
“I would just like to see it,”
Tinley said jokingly because
of his age.
Tommy Nix recognized
for academic achievement
ACCG, the state’s county association, recently awarded
Burke County Commissioner Tommy Nix with a certificate
for successfully completing the core requirements in the
Lifelong Learning Academy. Nix was honored during the
ACCG County Reconnect Conference at the Savannah
Convention in Chatham County.
Formed in 1914, ACCG works on behalf of county of
ficials and their communities by providing public policy
and legislative advocacy, leadership development, civic and
community engagement initiatives, insurance and retire
ment programs that specialize in local government needs
and other cost-saving programs.
ACCG, in collaboration with the Carl Vinson Institute of
Government at the University of Georgia, provides county
officials with supplemental training and educational tools
in the Lifelong Learning Academy. County officials have
access to tailor-made learning experiences that allow them
to excel in specific areas of expertise.
The Lifelong Learning Academy was created with in
put from county commissioners who identified courses
based on the issues and decision-making challenges they
regularly faced.
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