Newspaper Page Text
July 27, 2022
Page 5A
ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN by Don Daniel
No response on
right of way poison
O f course the Executive Director of the Central
of Georgia EMC and our local state director
of the Georgia Department of Transportation
failed take my offer of offering each a drink
of water from directly under where their crews sprayed
the “killer juice” on the foli
age of their right-of-ways. As
a matter of fact, we have heard
nothing, just being ignored. I
guess their business philosophy
is if you ignore it long enough
all the leaves will fall off and the
hideous look will disappear.
If you want to know the
truth, I knew they were going
to ignore my offer either
because they are afraid of
embarrassing themselves
or just ignoring what they
have done having convinced
themselves the killer juice is totally safe.
Their motto is “Damn the look! Spray again if neces
sary’
WELL, I filed an Open Records request for the
expense reports of the Forsyth city officials who at
tended the soiree of the Georgia Municipal Association
down in Savannah a couple of weeks ago. Although
hotel/motels weren’t included in the reports, here are
a few, the mayor’s, and couple of council member’s
reimbursement for mileage getting there and their per
diems: Mayor Eric Wilson got a check for $359.30.
Councilman Greg Goolsby’s reimbursement and per
diem check was $323.46. Councilman Mike Dodd’s
reimbursement and per diem check was for $423.80, the
highest amount. The lowest amount, $156.81, went to
Councilman Julius Stroud which included a charge of
$42.69 at the Aqua Star. From what I can decipher from
the expense reports, parking was $35 a day and tele
communications (using the hotel telephone) was $4.95
a day.
As of this writing, I have not received copies of ex
pense reports for councilmen John Howard or Chris
Hewett.
I HAVE worked for federal and state governments and
what I have heard and read in reference to the “situa
tion” involving our county zoning officer is often typical
in government. Instead of being fired, reprimanded or
suspended, a promotion is given, or a new job, even a
new title.
What is ironic, obviously a “new job” was created for
the zoning officer with a hefty raise applicable for the
“new” job. Since a new job was created, why was the
“job” not properly advertised/posted for others, includ
ing the zoning offer, to apply? The answer is a lack of
transparency by a few local commissioners and admin
istration.
THE COUNTY zoning board on Monday recom
mended against allowing a waste facility to be built on
English Road. The board is not the final decision maker,
that job is going to be the responsibility of the county
commissioners at the Aug. 2 meeting where they will
have the final decision.
IN RESPONSE the question “Customer Service Mak
ing A Comeback?” my answer is a resounding NO! Our
two major name grocery stores have fewer cashiers and
more ‘credit card” checkouts. And Ingles is going the
same way with more credit card check-out aisles than
face to face with a real live check-out person.
Both local grocery stores admit it is cheaper to have
scan-check outs because they are finding the “scan-
checks” cheaper than paying a “Eve employee”. I abso
lutely despise the scan check-outs.
WOW, FORSYTH is being discovered. We now have
two Starbucks. Wonder how long it will be before we
have two or more Burger Kings or McDonalds. We now
have four liquor stores and beer being sold at all local
gas stations.
There used to be a law, maybe still is, that at gas sta
tions, when a single beer was purchased, it had to be put
in a bag before walking out. That is a joke just like the
law talking on a cell phone when driving. What about
loud mufflers? Used to be a law but is absolutely ignored
not only by drivers but also law enforcement officers.
Wonder when the last ticket was issued for loud muf
flers. And what about “busting slack”? You know when
the belt line is almost down to the knees either showing
or not showing underwear? Wonder how many arrest
the local gendarmes have made on mufflers, busting
slack or beer in a sack?
IT IS beyond my conception that where the city’s
Christmas decorations are placed would be influenced
by race. Forsyth councilman John Howard has not said
that’s the case directly, but he’s made the insinuation.
Wish he would take the opportunity to explain.
HERE’S THE question which I am now taking from
this week’s paper, the one you’re holding: who is the
biggest owner of Units 1 and 2 at Plant Scherer? First
correct answer after 12 noon on Thursday gets the
certificate for a single cone at Scoops, carwash at Big
Peach, Dairy Queen Blizzard, dozen Dunkin Donuts,
slice of Shoney’s strawberry pie and fried green tomato
at Whistle Stop and a slice of Jonah’s Pizza.
ON THE lighter side from “High As A Cat’s Back,
Low As A Snake’s Belly”: You will never get lost again
if you remember this: no matter where you go; there
you are. One more: the price of gasoline is going down,
when they make shorter pumps.
Don Daniel founded the Reporter in 1972. Email him
at tullaybear@bellsouth.net.
^Reporter
EDITOR’S KID by Park Davis
College may be easier than registering for it
A ^Thile I knew being
% j\ / a UGA student (or
1/ 1/ college student in gen-
T T eral) would be tough,
I didn’t realize that just registering
to be a college student would be so
stressful.
I’m not anywhere close to being
100% sure about what I want to
major in, so that makes register
ing for classes hard enough. Two
English classes are required to
graduate, and I had the first one in
my schedule in a good spot. And
of course the one time I pass
an AP exam in high school,
it’s English, which exempts me
from that first English class.
Back to the drawing board.
Two English classes are enough for
me (no, readers. ..Iam not following
in my dad’s footsteps). I was super
happy to not have to take that first
English class, until I figured out that
I couldn’t find a spot for the second
English class on my schedule. This
puts me under the minimum hours
required.
Now, I am stuck, trying
to find a class to fill the
hole left by that the first
English class. This only
adds to the other 20,000
things I still have to do:
I have to get a parking
spot because apparently,
first priority are the
people with more col
lege credits, not who
signs up first. This
is extremely flawed
and most likely false (I’m sure being
a white male had something to do
with it).
I didn’t get to take dual enrollment
because I transferred to FPD the year
before it was offered there. And I was
already behind on AP classes at FPD.
I did all I could, but the number of
college credits I could get was more
limited.
I have many modules to complete
about social and progressive impor
tance (which I just let sit until I can
move onto the next page).
In conclusion, it’s all stressful. Put
ting it all in the hands of God is the
most important thing. Trusting Him
will be how I make it through college.
But if I start to lose hair like my dad,
y’all will know why.
A graduate of FPD heading to the
University of Georgia in August, Park
Davis of Forsyth is the summer intern
for the Reporter.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Raise, promotion not tit for tat
To the Editor:
R ecently, there was an article
headlined “Fortner reward
ed after rallying for
Hedges.” It appeared
that the promotion proposal
and decision was a result of
the letter Mrs. Fortner wrote.
Actually the proposal dated
May 23 was in an executive
session package the commis
sioners received prior to the
proved.
I understand that without the
executive session information that
it could appear the rally for
support letter by Mrs. Fortner
prompted the promotion so I
asked for and received permis
sion by the commissioners to
disclose the contents of the
June 7 executive session. With
the disclosed contents now
available the correct timeline
June 7 meeting. This proposal was
not discussed at the meeting on the 7
as the executive session was cancelled.
The proposal was resubmitted for
executive session on July 12 and ap-
ROWLAND
of events is:
• May 23 - promotion proposal
drafted by County manager.
• June 7 - proposal submitted to
commissioners for executive session
but not discussed.
• June 10 - letter titled “Hello all
employees” sent by Mrs. Fortner
(All employees did not get the letter
including but not limited to commis
sioners)
• July 12 - proposal brought back to
commission in executive session and
approved. I wanted to submit this in
formation to make sure the timeline
of events was clear and accurate.
Eddie Rowland
Forsyth
Eddie Rowland is the Monroe
County District 2 commissioner.
POLICE
Continued from Front
ing a job at the Georgia Public Safety
Training Center (GPSTC).
Harris said he wouldn’t want to work
for the department either given all the
turmoil in the department.
“It’s a sad day” said Harris. “People
see what’s going on in the paper and
on the news. Would you want to work
for a department going through this
turmoil?”
After fielding complaints, city
manager Janice Hall had interviewed
all city officers in the spring and given
Harris some things to change as a
result. Those included taking the 2020
Chevy Tahoe police car he was driving
and giving it to investigations. The
police department was also in the news
when city councilman Julius Stroud
confronted officer Malone for ordering
Stroud’s nephew to leave Kynette Park
when he was there after hours.
As more officers left this week, Harris
was in Savannah attending the Georgia
Association of Chiefs of Police annual
conference with Maj. Alexander Dan
iels. That means Sgt. David Asbell is the
acting chief this week while they’re out
of town.
A 38-year veteran of the Forsyth Po
lice Department, Harris was asked if he
was ready to retire given the turmoil.
Harris said the department has been
good to him and that he has some
loyal employees, emphasizing the word
“some”, who still have his back.
“I want to get the Forsyth Police
Department back on track before I do
anything,” said Harris. “I don’t want to
leave the PD the way it is now:’
Harris said he would take full respon
sibility for the department’s problems if
he had caused them, but said it’s not his
fault. He said people want to take over
the department and won’t let him rim
it the way he wants.
City manager Janice Hall and mayor
Eric Wilson had no comment about
the police department situation.
Monroe County sheriff Brad Free
man noted that the vast majority of
law enforcement agencies are short-
staffed right now. He said as always the
sheriff’s office stands ready to respond
to calls inside the city of Forsyth if
needed.
Scherer, annual
megawatthours
JL DOWNLOAD
— Net generation-all primemovers-
eia 1 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
This graph from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows how Plant Scherers us
age plunged as the price of natural gas fell in 2018, and only slightly recovered in 2021.
SCHERER
Continued from Front
reliability and resiliency of our overall
power supply’ said Marsh. “To date,
MEAG Power has not identified a
more economic resource to provide
the 500 MWs of capacity and energy
that meets these important attributes.
Therefore MEAG Power plans to
continue to invest in and operate
Scherer Units 1 and 2.” Marsh did offer
one word of caution. “As environ
mental regulations and energy policy
requirements change over time, the
economics of these units will be reas
sessed through our integrated resource
planning process.”
MEAG also said it expects that Geor
gia Power, which owns 8 percent of
Units 1 and 2, will continue to operate
it for them.
The statements from MEAG and
Oglethorpe stand in contrast to
Georgia Power, whose plan to close
all the coal emits it controls by 2028
(except for two at Plant Bowen in
North Georgia) was approved by the
state Public Service Commission (PSC)
last Thursday, July 21. The approval
had been expected and means Plant
Scherer’s Unit 3,75 percent of which is
owned by Georgia Power, will close by
2028. As for Plant Scherer’s Unit 4, the
Florida power companies that own it
had already shut it down. So by 2028,
Plant Scherer will be down to just Units
1 and 2.
But 90 percent of those units are
owned by MEAG and Oglethorpe,
with Georgia Power owning a mere 8
percent of each. While they’re in the
same business as Georgia Power, the
companies are very different. MEAG
serves mostly small cities around the
state and Oglethorpe Power serves
EMCs that provide power to rural
areas. Those companies have not
shown the same zeal to abandon coal
as Georgia Power. Georgia Power’s
parent company Southern Company is
publicly-traded on the New York Stock
Exchange and more vulnerable to anti
coal political trends. But Oglethorpe
and MEAG are controlled by board
members from the rural counties and
small cities they serve, now including
Forsyth Mayor Eric Wilson. Wilson
was appointed to the MEAG board
last month. George Weaver, CEO of
Central Georgia EMC, which serves
northern Monroe County, is on the
board of Oglethorpe.
For either unit 1 or 2 to close, MEAG
and Oglethorpe would both have to
agree to do so. It takes at least 75 per
cent of the ownership of a unit agreeing
to make any changes in its usage.
If, as it seems, Units 1 and 2 will
remain open for some time, that would
be good news for Monroe County tax
payers. Plant Scherer is currently val
ued on the property tax books at $443
million, so the plant’s owners paid $5
million in taxes to the county govern
ment and school board last year. It’s not
clear what closing two of its four units
will do to Plant Scherer’s value. The
state Department of Revenue, rather
than the local county assessors, sets tax
assessment values for power plants. But
state officials said they can think of no
coal plant in the state that has closed
only some units for comparison.
Georgia Power completely shutdown
coal-fired Plant Branch in Putnam
County around 2015. At its peak in
2013, Plant Branch was valued at
$419 million and paid $2.9 million in
taxes. After closing in 2015, the plant’s
property value fell by 75 percent to
$ 113 million in 2016. Its tax bill went
from $2.9 million per year to just $1.2
million.
Putnam County commissioners told
the Reporter that when they learned
Plant Branch was going to close, they
started saving money to be ready when
it happened, which meant they didn’t
have to jack property taxes as much.
“It was painful,” Putnam County
commission chairman Billy Webster
told the Reporter. Webster said Put
nam County at the time, like Monroe
County now, had boasted of having
one of the lowest property tax rates in
the state.
But it appears Monroe County won’t
face the worst case scenario for several
years to come at least.