Newspaper Page Text
April 20, 2022
•Reporter
Ogletree question cop at Kynette Park
Stroud,
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
A city councilman and a
Monroe County Sheriffs
captain became involved in
a routine check at Kynette
Park on April 12 according
to a report released by the
Forsyth Police Department.
The incident report said
Cpl. Jeremy Malone was
patrolling on Kynette Street
around 8:38 p.m. when he
noticed a vehicle backed
up next to a gazebo in the
park and saw two men,
Michael Ogletree and Sed-
rick Crowder, sitting in the
gazebo. Malone could smell
marijuana but was unable
to determine where the
odor was coming from.
Malone explained to the
men that the park closed
at dark, and they could not
be on the premises. They
told the officer they didn’t
know they weren’t allowed
there after dark, so Malone
showed them a large sign
about 20 feet away from
where they were sitting. He
then ran both men’s infor
mation through the Na
tional Crime Information
Center (NCIC) and wrote
them a warning for being
in the park after hours.
Ogletree and Crowder left
the area.
Then at 8:57 p.m., 19
minutes later, Malone was
again patrolling on Kynette
Street when he saw Capt.
Mike Ogletree of the Mon
roe County Sheriff’s office
in a truck parked in front of
the sign displaying the park
hours. Ogletree identified
himself to Malone and said
he was there to see the sign
and that he had never seen
it before. Malone replied
that the sign had been there
since he had been working
for the city, for at least three
years.
Ogletree asked Malone
questions about the sign
and the incident that had
taken place earlier in the
park with his son, Michael.
After speaking with Ogle
tree, Malone went to go
back to his patrol car.
Councilman Julius Stroud
then pulled up in his ve
hicle, approached Malone
and began questioning him
on why he was doing his
job the way he was and why
he didn’t just tell people to
leave instead of running
them through the NCIC.
Stroud also told Malone he
seemed to target this area
and harass the people living
there. After going back and
forth with Malone about
what he expected him to
do as an officer, Stroud be
came frustrated and walked
off. Chief Eddie Harris then
arrived and spoke with the
councilman.
School board changes optional retirement plan
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Valic financial advisors, who
provide retirement options for
Monroe County School System
employees, proposed to the
Board of Education that it design
the program as opt-out instead
of opt-in. That is, employees
will be automatically signed into
the program and can ask to be
taken out of it rather than vice
versa as it is now. The board also
discussed matching employee re
tirement contributions. It voted
to approve making the program
opt-out but asked for additional
information about the expense
to the school system before
deciding on whether to match
contributions.
Superintendent Dr. Mike Hick
man said that about 375 Monroe
County School System employ
ees are included in the Teacher
Retirement System (TRS), which
isn’t optional for them. Teachers
are required to put 6 percent of
pay into TRS and what they can
expect to draw in retirement is
well defined.
Approximately 300 Monroe
County Schools employees aren’t
included in the state TRS plan.
The Valic retirement plan is
available to all of the employees,
including those also covered by
TRS, but is probably most valu
able to those who aren’t covered
by another retirement plan.
With Valic the basic deduction
is 3 percent of pay, and the board
is considering matching that 3
percent. Jamie Story, a Valic rep
resentative, said it is often hard
for employees to think 20-plus
years to retirement. He said oth
er school systems, such as Peach
County and Houston County,
that have gone to opt-out plans
have seen a large increase in par
ticipation. Matching incentives
have also increased participation.
Employees still have the option
of leaving the plan at any time.
Story said the average retire
ment age is 57-58; the average
life expectancy is about 85. The
participation in the retirement
plan at Monroe County Schools
is 25 percent, and the average ac
count balance is $36,011. He said
that what happens to employ
ees who don’t save enough in a
retirement plan is that they find
they have to keep working even
after they’re eligible to retire.
Hickman said encouraging
enrollment in the retirement
plan and offering a match can
help retain employees. The
match could be any percentage
and can limit how much of the
employees’ contributions it will
match. Employees have the op
tion of contributing more than 3
percent of pay to a Valic retire
ment plan.
Assistant superintendent
Jackson Daniel said that if the
board votes to match employee
contributions to Valic retirement
plans, the estimated cost will be
included in the school system’s
budget for fiscal year 2022-23,
which begins July 1.
Board member Greg Head
asked that Daniel run numbers
for matching contributions from
3 to 6 percent for the employees
expected to enroll in the pro
gram and let the board know
the expected cost of matching
contributions. Head also sug
gested a survey of employees to
make sure they understand the
changes.
Hickman said the biggest
advantage to the school system is
that employees are more satisfied
when they have options.
“We’re just trying to improve
our relationship with employ
ees,” said Hickman.
Forsyth pays bills,
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
In her April 4 report
to Forsyth council, city
manager Janice Hall said
the plaque has arrived with
a dedication to former
council member Dexter
King and a date will be
planned to mark its instal
lation at the new city hall.
Hall said the splash pad
at the city park will open
April 8. It will be closed for
maintenance and clean
ing on Mondays, except
May 30, July 4 and Sept. 5.
Forsyth Fire Department
will be testing hydrants
starts working on next 5-year plan
so citizens may see water
running from hydrants.
Forsyth Farmers Market,
which is open on Fridays
in May-October, will be
moved from the vacant
lot on N. Jackson Street
to property near the Old
Mill Market on E. Adams
Street.
Council approved paying
a bill for $67,250 to South
ern Line Contractors with
out any discussion. The
invoice was approved by
Mike Batchelor of the city’s
electric department. It says
it is for “row trimming and
clearing approximately 3.6
miles in 4 separate loca
tions.”
The city approved con
tinuing its contract with
Terracon Consultants, Inc.
for environmental moni
toring services at the Old
Brent Road landfill for an
annual increase of $2,400,
from $30,250 to $32,650.
Hall said this was Terra-
con's first price increase in
several years and recom
mended renewing the
contract for winter and
summer monitoring and
quarterly methane moni
toring.
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