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Vol. 143, No. 20 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - $1.00
Keysville mayor refuses to show how public funds were spent
Last month, Keysville citizens ex
pressed confusion during the council
meeting when it was announced
by Councilwoman Maggie Terrell
that Mayor Linda Wilkes borrowed
approximately $54,000 from road
funds to help pay for the construction
of a second well without the City
Council’s approval.
After the meeting, Wilkes stated
that Terrell was incorrect and the
$54,000 didn’t come from the roads
account, but rather a different ac
count instead.
Further confusion stemmed from
the mayor previously exclaiming
the city already had the funding in
the bank to finance the $397,000
project. During a February 14,2023
meeting, Wilkes made a point of
stating the city’s financial health was
headed in the right direction. The city
had the money in the bank and they
had saved up enough to purchase a
second well, she said.
“That’s $397,000,” Wilkes is
quoted as saying in a February 14,
2023 article in The True Citizen .“We
don’t have that kind of money lying
around. That took a lot of saving and
lot of money management to even
get to that point.”
Flowever, Wilkes has changed the
story of how the well was getting
paid for a few times. Last month,
she promised citizens during the
public meeting the well would be
paid for using SPLOST IV funding
and a $197,000 grant attributed to
Senator Raphael Wamock’s congres-
sionally directed spending requests.
She claimed that the
dispersing of SPLOST
IV funds was holding KEYSVILLE,
up the financing of the 9
Linda W. Wilkes
Major
Keysville Mayor Linda Wilkes
ip'
— — 1
The FCA group at the Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo
travels to
“If I had to choose a favorite
part about the trip, it would be
impossible,’’said Faith Christian
Academy student Kaden. “Ev
erything was equally great...
this trip will be in my memory
forever as the best trip ever.”
When Michelle Bureau took a
teaching position at Kaya Junior
High in Yosano, Japan, she had
no idea that it would impact
students in Waynesboro in a life-
changing way.
Michelle taught English in
Yosano for two years. A year
after her return to the U.S., she
joined the staff at Faith Christian
Academy as an English teacher.
Students knew from the mo
ment they walked into her class
room and saw it decorated with
scenes from Japan that she was
passionate about Asian culture.
However, as Ms. Bureau con
nected with her students, she
realized how little the students
knew about it. She approached
Principal Amy Grubb about or
ganizing a school trip. Michelle
announced the trip in 2021 which
partnered with Education First, a
global organization which plans
tours for students and teachers.
The travelers would spend
nine days in Japan, traveling
from Tokyo to Kyoto to Nara
and Osaka, not far from where
Ms. Bureau had spent her years
teaching.
Michelle organized fundrais
ers to assist with the cost: yard
sales, cookie decorating classes
and bake sales. Students began to
register for the trip and families
jumped on board with the fund
raising. By the start of the 2023
school year, Ms. Bureau
had 15 travelers for her
trip and most students
had raised over five hun- ’
dred dollars each to help ^ ®
ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL:
Sheriff says no to
compromise with BOC
This is the final part of a 3-part
series looking at the depletion of
detention center salary funding.
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams has
made it clear that his department is
not going to find the money to pay
the depleted detention center salary
funds within his budget, thus leav
ing it to the BOC to make up the
difference with public funds in their
possession.
“The commission will have to find
the funding to pay for inmate hous
ing and detention center salaries,”
he stated in a June 14 email. “I do
not expect that they will allow any
employee to work without pay.”
Why the BOC keeps approving
over budgeted expenditures
In 2022, Judge Jesse Stone denied
the Sheriff’s mandamus petition ask
ing that the Board of Commissioners
turn over payroll administration and
funding to his department. Judge
Stone ruled it essential that the BOC
fulfill its role as fiscal agent to ac
count for the use of funds and county
property.
The law mandates the BOC gives
the Sheriff a budget but does not
allow them to tell him how to spend
it. However, the BOC has to ac
count for how public funds are spent.
They have sent numerous letters to
the Sheriff in recent months asking
him to curb his spending and warn
ing him about how over-budget his
department will be by the end of the
2023 fiscal year. One of the most
recent letters dated June 13, 2023,
and signed by all the commission
ers except Lucious Abrams, pointed
out that if spending continues at the
same rate, the Sheriff’s office will be
$750,145 over budget by September
30. The Detention Center is tracking
to go over budget by $305,862.
“That is more than $1 million over
the budget approved by the Board,”
the letter states.
Although the BOC suggested the
Sheriff implement a hiring freeze
until the next fiscal year to conserve
money. Williams refuses to take the
panel’s advisement to any degree.
Last month, the Sheriff promoted
the ranks and raised the pay for eight
personnel effective July 2 and hired
at least five new deputies and cor
rectional officers. He created two
new Colonel positions not previously
included in the County’s pay plan.
In response to the promotions and
newly created positions, the BOC
asked the Sheriff to hold off until the
next fiscal year in a letter dated June
23. The letter was signed by the com
missioners , except Lucious Abrams.
“The problem is, as we have warned
you in writing for three months
straight, you are on a trajectory to
run out of money in your budget in
possibly August before the new bud
get year begins on October 1,2023,”
they stated. “These promotions and
new positions at this time will only
cause the drain to quicken and your
budget to be depleted sooner rather
than later. If you must implement
these increases, please consider them
taking effect on October 1 when your
will have a new budget.”
Ignoring the BOC’s suggestions,
Williams continues to
refuse to take his own SEE
advice. SHERIFF,
“I guess we will keep g
Local heroes played a role in the Revolution
During the Revolutionary War,
two clashes between Tory and Patriot
forces occurred on Burke County
soil.
In December of 1778, the British
began their Southern strategy with
the attack and capture of Savannah.
In Waynesboro, a group of Patriot
officers met at the Burke County jail.
The meeting on January 14, 1779
was a Council of War and included
at least 14 Burke County natives. It
also included Patriot leaders James
Ingram, Francis Pugh, John Twigs,
Benjamin Few and William Few. The
location of the old jail is unknown;
however, it is not the site of the his
toric jail on Old Herndon Road, con
structed in 1939, but rather thought
to be located about a mile from the
center of present-day Waynesboro.
The jail was built by Patriot John
Sharpe and used to house captured
loyalists.
The Council of War group issued
a proclamation giving inhabitants
three days within which to come to
the jail and pledge allegiance to the
American cause. They also rallied
for the arrest of Tory leaders who
had recruited people to join the Brit
ish crusade.
“...Be it therefore known to all
the good people of this State, that all
those that will repair to the American
standard at Burke jail, take the oath
of allegiance and take up arms within
the space of three days after seeing
this shall be deemed as friends of
their country and be protected in
their persons and properties...” the
proclamation stated.
Lt. Col. Archibald Campbell led
Tory troops on a march to conquer
Augusta. When news of the Burke
County jail meeting spread, Ar
chibald sent a detachment of men to
take the patriots gathered at the jail.
Lt. Col. James Ingram and Col.
Pugh manned the first Burke County
scourge and were joined by Col. John
Twiggs as the British troops marched
to the jail. The Tories attacked the
approximate 300 Patriot men, and
though the Burke County men de
feated them, the Tory troops did not
give up. With reinforcements from
South Carolina, they attacked the
Burke County men again the follow
ing day. However, the British were
defeated once more. Capt. Joshua
Inman was credited with killing three
of the enemy men “at three succes
sive strokes with his saber.”
The British successfully occupied
Augusta by January 31, 1779 and
evacuated the city February 14,
1779.
Looking for a better fortified posi
tion, the British landed at Hudson’s
Ferry, about 15 miles below the
mouth of Brier Creek. Approxi
mately 1,700 Patriot troops posi
tioned themselves on Brier Creek
in southern Burke County to better
protect the upper part of Georgia.
They set up camp
at the junction of SEE
Brier Creek and REVOLUTION,
the Savannah