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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. Custom Replacement Windows ALL AMERICAN HOMES Sal Balsamo Sales Representative Cell: (678) 200-2011 Office: (770) 318-8514 Fax: (770) 844-1744 209 Spring Brook Court Jefferson, GA 30549 quick, easy & affordable 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. The only local GM dealer offering Saturday Service COLD WEATHER IS COMING! 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