Newspaper Page Text
February 25, 2009
PAGE 7A
^Reporter
Forsyth
riw ; r !' 11 i >T
The vote wasn’t even close as locals over
whelmingly chose Option B among three design
choices for the new fence around Tift College.
The fence will be erected after campus work is
completed next year. (Courtesy DOC)
Brian Owens told
community leaders at
the meeting
Thursday that the
first building, the
Rutland Student
Center, will be com
pleted in April. And
three dorms that will
house prison guard
trainees will be ready
by the end of June.
Meanwhile, after
getting input from
locals through a straw
poll, the DOC has
selected the fence
that will surround the
campus (at right)
once work is done.
And, Owens said legisla
tive efforts to secure the
final $15 million in bonds
to complete the last phase,
the administrative head
quarters, are going well.
He said the entire DOC
move to Tift College should
be completed by October
2010. With the move get
ting closer, corrections offi
cials introduced Dr. Wes
Wynans of the Carl Vinson
Institute at the University
of Georgia. Owens had
Wynans lead a discussion
among local leaders to
gauge their views on the
DOC move to Forsyth and
address any potential prob
lems. He started by asking
them to guess headlines
about Forsyth from 2014.
Berry said everyone he
talks to is excited about it.
"I don't think I've heard
anybody say anything neg
ative about the
Department of Corrections'
move to Forsyth," said
Berry. "The department
has handled itself extreme
ly well. It's been a very
positive thing."
Tiffany Andrews, director
of the Forsyth-Monroe
County Chamber of
Commerce, said they're
especially excited that the
DOC will inject 400 more
employees, with a $24 mil
lion per year payroll, into
town. "That will
help our small busi
nesses," said
Andrews.
Andrews did add
that she's a little
concerned about
how to get 400 peo
ple to and from the
campus every day.
But commission
chairman Vaughn
said he doesn't
think that'll be too
big of a problem.
"We're on the
biggest road in the
state between two
exits," said Vaughn.
"How bad could it be?"
Vaughn said Forsyth can
stand a little bit of extra
traffic. He said one of the
big stories five years from
now may be that a big risk
taken by the county has
paid big dividends. Vaughn
noted that the commission
ers (before he took office)
were brutalized for selling
Tift College to the state for
half what they paid for the
campus ($11 million). He
said the public fumed
about it, but it appears the
move will pay off.
Local leaders said they
were also relieved to learn
the DOC will have pedes
trian access to the campus
Guns
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Gun permits in Monroe County shot up 75 per
cent in 2008. (Graphic/Denzil Hansford)
477
2005 2006 2007 2008
2005, the county issued
264, in 2006 it went down
to 236, and in 2007 it was
273.
But in 2008, it shot up to
477.
Janet Hencely, who han
dles the permits as deputy
clerk of the probate office,
said people give her a vari
ety of reasons. Some have
cited the election of Barack
Obama, who's seen as more
supportive of gun regula
tion. More recently, many
have cited their
own fear given
the news about
Bowdoin's
encounter with
a home invader.
After just two
months in 2009,
the county has
issued a whop
ping 184 per
mits. If that
pace continues,
the county
would issue
about 1,000
permits in
2009.
Bowdoin said the way
crime is now, you have to
have a gun close by. He
said he will renew his per
mit when it's up in July.
Bowdoin said the National
Rifle Association inter
viewed him about his
encounter and they asked
him what he thinks about
the anti-gun people.
Bowdoin responded the
anti-gun folks should put a
sign in their yard that they
don't have a gun inside
and see how that works.
The cost of a concealed
weapon permit is $43.
Residents fill out an appli
cation and then must
undergo a criminal back
ground check and be fin
gerprinted. Permits are
usually mailed to residents
two weeks after they sub
mit an application. The
permit is good for five
years. Some applications
are rejected, such as when
the person has a felony
conviction, said Hencely.
Sheriff John Cary Bittick
said he can tell his office is
processing more permit
applications. He said he
supports gun rights for any
law-abiding citizen. Bittick
said Bowdoin would have
been in serious trouble
from his would-be
assailant without his gun.
Bittick said the increas
ing number of gun permits
doesn't bother him because
most people who get a per
mit are law-abiding citi
zens, not the type that
deputies have to accost.
Raises
continued from the front page
West Main Street.
Commissioners are expect
ed to give it final approval
at their regular meeting at
6 p.m. on Tuesday, March
17.
County departments
have been in limbo since
January as commissioners
waited much longer than
usual to set a budget.
Commissioners decided not
to work much on the budg
et in 2008 since it was an
election year and new com
missioners might be taking
office in January.
Most of the 3 percent
increase in spending comes
in the form of an addition
al $300,000 to cover the
raises for the county's
some 200 full-time employ
ees. The raises would be
retroactive to January. So
county employees can
expect to get a bump in
their first check after the
budget is approved, proba
bly on March 17.
County commission
chairman James Vaughn
said they were able to
afford the raise because
last year's budget factored
in gas prices at more than
$4 per gallon. Since fuel
has gone down, the county
had some cushion.
Otherwise, commission
ers appear to be tightening
the county government's
belt.
"The commissioners
worked very hard to put a
sound budget together,"
said Vaughn. "There is
very little increase in any
line items that didn't have
a really good explanation
for it."
In fact, most depart
ments will have smaller
budgets in 2009. But that's
in part because commis
sioners are moving the
costs for retirement and
workers compensation out
of each individual depart
ment, instead lumping
those costs together in the
commissioners' budget.
Here are the budget
changes for some of the
biggest departments:
• The sheriffs budget is
down 5 percent to $3.2 mil
lion. However, Sheriff John
Cary Bittick's request for
$311,000 to buy a jail van,
two cars for investigators,
one car to serve civil
papers and five patrol cars
was moved to capital con
tingency. That means it's
in the budget but Bittick
must come back to com
missioners to have the
spending approved.
Finance officer Kim
Romine said it's a way for
commissioners to keep an
eye on their cash flow
before they spend the
money.
• Moving all workers
compensation and retire
ment benefits into their
budget, commissioners'
spending plan is up from
$1.4 million in 2008 to
$2.7 million in 2009.
• The road budget is up
from $2.4 million in 2008
to $2.6 million.
Commissioners put into
contingency a request for
$68,500 for a flatbed dump
truck.
• The jail budget is down
2 percent to $2.5 million.
• The fire-EMS budget is
down 11 percent to $2.2
million, which is what the
department requested.
Commissioners put into
contingency $30,000 EMS
requested for a new ambu
lance.
• The tax assessors budg
et is down 2 percent to
$637,000 in 2009.
Commissioners moved into
capital contingency a
$43,000 request to buy two
cars for field appraisers.
• The recreation budget
is up 3 percent to
$608,000.
• The zoning department
budget is down 34 percent
to $75,000 with the elimi
nation of Anita Buice's
zoning assistant position.
Buice was promoted to
county clerk in January
and finance officer
Barbara Baswell was
offered the position.
However, Baswell turned
down the position, instead
taking a job offer to handle
finances at the sheriffs
office. So the position was
cut.
continued from the front page
from Johnston Street,
allowing employees to walk
downtown for lunch and
shopping.
Owens said he wants to
make sure Forsyth doesn't
lose its historic character
and charm. He said when
he lived in Newnan, rapid
growth turned one side of
town into what they called
the Gwinnett side of
Newnan, referring to areas
of quick but not necessarily
attractive development.
Forsyth's former Better
Hometown director JoAnna
Banks, now with the state
Department of Community
Affairs (DCA), noted the
DCA has already helped
the city adopt corridor
restrictions to curb
unseemly development.
She said they would be
available to help the city
adopt more rules that
would "give you the look
you want."
Wynans suggested local
leaders form a steering
committee to meet regular
ly and work with DOC dur
ing the transition period.
Participants seemed to
agree that was a good idea
and DOC officials said
they'd be in touch on the
formation of the commit
tee.
continued from the front page
Monroe County’s big
jump in gun permits mir
rors those of the rest of the
state and nation. Gun per
mits in Georgia were up 79
percent in 2008. And gun
and ammo sales have been
up significantly since the
election.
For more information
about getting a concealed
weapon permit, call the
probate office at 994-7036.
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We at Georgia Dermatology are proud to introduce
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(L to R) Dr. Mark Bonner, Deborah Moore, PA-C, Misty Banknell, PA-C