Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2007 - PAGE 5A
Board Of Commissioners
Thompson Questions Urgency Of
'Emergency' Commissioners' Meetings
By Angela Gary
Jackson County Commissioner
Jody Thompson believes “emer
gency” county BOC meetings are
being called that are not legiti
mate. He had asked his fellow
commissioners at the past two
meetings that a policy be estab
lished to outline when emergency
meetings are called.
The Georgia Open Meetings
Law allows meetings to be called
with less than 24 hours notice
when it is an “emergency.”
At least one called emergency
BOC meeting was cancelled after
Thompson pointed out that the
topic to be discussed was not an
emergency.
At a BOC meeting Monday
night, Thompson again asked
for a policy to be put in place.
Chairman Pat Bell said “emer
gency” meetings are called at her
discretion.
Thompson also asked for a
policy on how to alert the media
about special meetings. He said a
meeting advertised in last week’s
paper about “transfer develop
ment rights” listed that it was
sponsored by the BOC. He said
this meeting was planned by com
missioner Tom Crow and not the
full BOC.
Crow said that the BOC voted
in June to hold a meeting on
“transfer development rights” at 7
p.m. today (Wednesday, Nov. 7) at
the courthouse.
Thompson also questioned the
increasing cost of a proposed
fire training center. He said the
issue should be placed on the
ballot for a vote since the cost
is so much more than was origi
nally given.
“There are a lot of questions we
haven’t answered,” he said.
OTHER BOC COMMENTS
Other comments made by com
missioners at Monday night’s
meeting included the following:
•Dwain Smith asked staff
to provide information on tax
exemptions for senior citizens in
other counties and recommen
dations for Jackson County to
make changes. Bell pointed out
this would take legislative action.
Smith said the information gath
ered by staff could be forwarded
to legislators for consideration.
•Smith said he had received
complaints about a “dust pile” on
Old Athens Drive in Nicholson.
He asked staff to make sure all
regulations are being met at the
site.
• Bruce Yates asked that reports
on the future land use map update
be presented monthly.
County Moves To Eliminate Most Outdoor Fires
By Angela Gary
The Jackson County Board of
Commissioners approved a par
tial burn ban Monday night.
All outdoor burning, except for
cooking and campfires, has been
banned due to the drought condi
tions. The ban will include the
burning of yard debris.
EMS director Steve Nichols said
the main concern is the amount
of water that would be needed if
an outdoor fire got out of control.
He pointed out that Jackson is the
only county in a nine-district area
served by the Georgia Forestry
Commission that does not have
a burn ban.
The vote for the burn ban was
4-1 with commissioner Tom Crow
casting the only “No” vote. Crow
said there is a need for “agricul
ture burns.”
In other business Monday, the
BOC:
• approved a conservation
easement by The Knight Group
for Westcott Place Subdivision,
located off of Hwy. 124 adjacent
to White Plains Baptist Church.
On a related matter, the BOC
approved the right-of-way dedica
tion to the county for property
within the subdivision.
•approved the $285,959 bid
from Peek Pavement Marking for
striping projects on 69 county
roads.
•approved an agreement with
Moreland Altobelli Associates
Inc. to provide consulting services
for material testing and sampling
at the county jail site. The fee will
not exceed $25,000.
•declared Nov. 4 as Retired
Educators Day in Jackson
County.
•established a special tax dis
trict for street lights for Wood
Farm Subdivision.
•approved a request from
Ronnie Dean to operate a home
business at his residence at 851
Timber Ridge Drive. He plans to
breed rabbits, reptiles, rats and
mice and sell supplies for these
animals.
•approved a medical hardship
request from Danny Gaddis to
locate a mobile home on his prop-
erty to care for his father-in-law.
• approved a request from Jared
Bailey to locate a guest house
larger than the allowed 1,000
square feet at a lot in Ambrosia
Villas, located off of Jackson Trail
Road. The guest house is 6,000
square feet and is 90 percent com
pleted already. There was some
discussion on why construction
began before BOC approval was
given. It was a staff error, accord
ing to planning director Scott
Carpenter.
•approved a $1.50 charge for
a “voice over Internet protocol”
fee.
•held a closed session to dis
cuss personnel. No action was
taken.
Robert Stapleton Named New Jackson County Airport Manager
Robert Stapleton has been
named the Jackson County air
port manager.
Stapleton is a former airport
manager for the Griffin-Spalding
Airport, serving from 1988 to
2005. He served as president of
Stapleton Brothers Construction
Company and was in the United
States Army from 1963 to 1985.
He is the owner of Flint River
Valley Construction.
Stapleton has a degree in busi
ness management from Tarkio
College. He has also taken cours-
es in advanced airport safety
and operation, airport safety and
maintenance and project manager
development.
His annual salary is $62,100.
— A Halloween Experiment With The Honor System
Cont. from Page 4A
On the positive side of this
experiment, I laud those par
ents or chaperones who read
the sign to their children, and
explained or demonstrated
how the honor system works.
I laud the children who came
alone and practiced the honor
system. My box was a micro-
cosmic experience in the mac-
rocosmic universe. To take only
what we should and to share
with others is a big lesson to
learn over a box of treats. It is a
lifetime lesson.
The results of my experiment
made me think of the words
of Alexander Pope (1688-1744),
the English poet who wrote,
"An honest man's the noblest
work of God."
God bless all honest men.
Claire Gaus is a retired educator
and volunteers in the community
in a number of capacities. She
lives in Commerce.
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Citizens seeking to have a February referencum on the
Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages listen during Monday
night’s board of commissioners meeting. The commissioners
took no action. Photo by Angela Gary
—No Action On Sunday Sales Vote
Cont. from Page 1A
man for the group. “Is that not
enough? Can we not reserve
just one day out of seven for the
taxpaying citizens of Jackson
County who would like to be
able to take their families to
the restaurant of their choice
on Sunday, the Lord’s day, and
enjoy a meal in an alcohol-free
atmosphere? One day, out of
seven ... that is all we are ask
ing.”
Lawson asked that if it is too
late to cancel the referendum,
that commissioners individually
speak out against the issue and
ask citizens to vote “No.”
The pastor said he had spoken
with Chairman Pat Bell and she
said she agreed with the group,
but that she felt the citizens
should be allowed to vote.
No other citizens or commis
sioners spoke on the matter,
but Lawson received a standing
ovation from the audience after
he spoke.
The crowd had people from
various churches across the
county and included children
and adults. Many carried signs
with statements urging the BOC
to cancel the referendum.
Nicholson OK's Road Work
By Brandon Reed
Work should begin within 30
days on paving Howington Loop
after the Nicholson City Council
voted unanimously Monday
night to accept an $11,670 bid.
Mayor Ronnie Maxwell told
the council he wanted to get one
of the city’s roads paved before
the end of the year and said that
Howington Loop, which runs
through the city cemetery, is one
of the streets most in need.
Also Monday night, the coun
cil elected Wayne Holcomb as
town code enforcement officer.
Holcomb also serves as building
inspector for the city.
The council also set up a fee
structure for trash removal by
the city. The resident will pay
for the city worker’s time for the
removal, plus an additional 25
percent for fuel, as well as the
tipping fee at the landfill.
In other business, the council:
•voted to donate $1,000
to help two Jackson County
Comprehensive High School
students from Nicholson take a
school trip to Germany.
•voted to purchase a table and
additional seats as needed for
the Jackson County Community
Outreach banquet. The cost of
the table was approved at $250,
with $25 for each additional seat.
Mayor Ronnie Maxwell told the
council that the proceeds from
the Dec. 1 banquet will go to
student scholarships.
•voted to move the date of
the city’s Christmas tree lighting
ceremony to Dec. 8.
•voted to move $150,000
from the general fund to a CD
at Regions bank.
The council also held a bud
get meeting prior to the regular
meeting.
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