Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
Page 2A • December 19, 2007
Region Roundup
Farm Bureau Honored
Jackson County Farm Bureau president
Greg Pittman, left, accepts an award from
state president Zippy Duvall for represent
ing one of Georgia's top county farm bu
reaus. The Jackson County Farm Bureau
was recognized as one of the top 15 Farm
Bureau programs in the state for the ac
tivities it sponsored during the past year to
promote agriculture.
Ownership Of
Water Authority
Finally Cleared Up
HOMER - Banks County
Development Authority members
approved a resolution Friday that
will clear up the ownership of the
county water authority.
Banks County Attorney Randall
Frost drew up the resolution that
reconveys all property conveyed
to the development authority in
connection with the financing of
the expansion of the water and/
or sewer system to the county. This
resolution was prepared to clear up
some confusion about the wording
in some documents that were pre
viously approved by the authority
transferring the ownership of the
water system back to the county.
DA Chairman Wayne Abernathy
said this should clear up any con
fusion over the ownership of the
water system.
“It was not our intentions (the
development authority) to get in
the water business,” he said.
At Friday’s meeting, the authority
also approved Abernathy to sign
a deed transferring ownership of
the recreation department building
back to the county since the recre
ation bond has been paid off.
Funds From '06
To Help Hoschton
Balance '07 Budget
Money carried over from the
2006 budget will give a financial
boost to Hoschton’s 2007 bud
get. The Hoschton City Council
is expected to approve amend
ments to its 2007 budget tonight
(Wednesday), following two public
hearings.
Last week, council member
Tom Walden said the 2007 budget
amendments include $92,000 in
2006 carryover in the city’s general
fund budget, and $177,000 in 2006
carryover in Hoschton’s water and
sewer fund.
The city’s departments also made
some budget cuts, while $77,281 is
slated to be carried over to the
2008 general fund budget.
For future budgets, the city should
include the previous year’s car
ryover funds to reflect that the city
already has money in the bank,
Walden said.
Despite the additional revenue
from the 2006 budget, the city
council is still projecting less
income from key revenue sources.
The council now estimates the
city will receive $22,000 in building
and sign permit fees, compared to
$40,000 it proposed in October,
when it slashed $80,000 in antici
pated revenue from such fees.
In October, the council amend
ed its 2007 budget to reflect a
13 percent drop in revenue from
the initially-proposed $923,710 to
$798,808 for the general fund.
The 2007 general fund budget is
slated to be amended to $831,858.
The 2007 water and sewer bud
get was also amended in October
from $4.05 million to $3.71 million.
That budget is now proposed for
$3.74 million, due to 2006 carry
over funds of $177,000.
However, revenue of water and
sewer installation and connection
fees is expected to drop again
— from $242,500 earmarked in
October, to $137,500 with the lat
est budget amendment.
Recently, the Hoschton City
Council approved a 2008 general
fund budget of $771,110, which
excludes $173,927 in sales tax rev
enue. The water and sewer budget
was approved for $969,528, with
out $342,738 in sales tax funds.
Banks County
Fire/EMS Gets
$300,000 Grant
HOMER -- The Banks County
Fire/EMS department received
a $299,592 Assistance to
Firefighters Grant (AFG) from the
U.S. Department of Homeland
Security’s Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA).
AFG awards aim to enhance
response capabilities and to more
effectively protect the health and
safety of the public with respect to
fire and other hazards. The grants
enable local fire departments and
emergency medical services orga
nizations to purchase or receive
training, conduct first responder
health and safety programs, and
buy equipment and response vehi
cles. AFG also supports regional
projects in which multiple orga
nizations serving more than one
local jurisdiction benefit directly
from activities implemented with
grant funds.
Danielsville
Police Chief Turns
In Resignation
DANIELSVILLE - Joe Merk has
turned in a letter of resignation as
Danielsville’s Police Chief.
“It is with sincere regrets that I
must submit to you my resigna
tion as Chief of Police for City
of Danielsville,” wrote Merk. “For
nineteen years I have served the
Mayor and Council and the citi
zens of Danielsville with dignity
and professionalism. But due to
circumstances beyond my control,
I cannot serve as police chief any
longer.”
Mayor Glenn Cross fired Merk
on Nov. 12. According to the
“change of status” form that Cross
filled out for the Georgia Peace
Officer Standards and Training
(POST) Council, Cross fired Merk
for “subordination and inefficiency
in performing duties.”
But the mayor’s termination of
Merk as police chief could not
be officially approved by the
Danielsville City Council during
its December meeting, because the
council is short a member and did
not have the necessary votes to
take the action. Council members
Barbara Dove and Roger Watson
voted for the dismissal, while coun
cil member Janice Merk, the wife
of Joe Merk, abstained from the
vote.
But the firing has now been
changed to a voluntary resigna
tion.
“After discussion between the
city of Danielsville and Joseph H.
Merk, Mr. Merk’s employment sta
tus has changed to voluntary resig
nation,” wrote Cross in a Dec. 10
letter to POST.
The city also provided this news
paper with a Nov. 6, 2007, letter
from the legal firm that handles
its workers’ compensation, Drew,
Eckl and Farnham LLP.
“Previously, we received notifica
tion from the claimant’s attorney
that the claimant would be resign
ing from his position with the city
of Danielsville,” stated the letter
from Drew, Eckl and Farnham
LLP. “Therefore, please update us
regarding the status of the claim
ant’s employment. Additionally, we
have learned from the claimant’s
attorney that due to the claimant’s
intent to resign his employment
with the city, he also intends to
pursue resolution of his pending
workers’ compensation claim.”
It's Braselton
Vs. Hoschton
Over Territory
Attorneys for Braselton and
Hoschton presented evidence
before a Superior Court judge
Monday over a legal battle between
the neighboring cities.
The case of Town of Braselton
vs. City of Hoschton centers on a
September 2006 decision by the
Hoschton City Council to annex
and rezone 124 acres located
between Maddox Road and Ga.
Hwy. 124. Hampton Homes plans
to build 302 houses on the prop
erty.
After the council’s decision,
Braselton filed a lawsuit contend
ing that the property is located in
Braselton’s water and sewer ser
vice delivery area.
State law requires that local gov
ernments in each county develop
a service delivery strategy that will
minimize inefficiencies and dupli-
cation of services, such as water
and sewer services.
Jackson County and its nine cit
ies agreed to its service delivery
strategy in 2006.
Braselton attorney Gregory Jay
said the issue centers on who is
the proper service provider for the
Hampton Homes property, based
on Jackson County’s service deliv
ery strategy agreement.
Free Legal Services
Available To
Elderly In Area
Free legal services are available
to senior citizens and low-income
clients in the area.
Services are based on case type
and financial eligibility. Georgia
Legal Service Program does not
handle criminal cases.
For an appointment, call 1-800
745-5717 or 770-535-5717 between 9
a.m. and 11 a.m., Mondays through
Fridays.
Times Are Tough
For Food Banks In
Northeast Georgia
Rising fuel prices, higher unem
ployment rates and a troubled
housing sector have combined to
increase demand for services from
area food banks.
John Becker, president of the
Food Bank of Northeast Georgia,
said his agency serves the 65,000
people living in poverty in the
northeast Georgia area. “There are
a lot of people with basic needs,”
Becker said. “Fuel prices and other
factors have put a lot of people in
that poverty region.”
Currently, the Food Bank of
Northeast Georgia has a two-day
supply on hand.
“The word doesn’t get out,”
Becker said. “[The food drives]
are what keep folks having a rough
time from suffering a lot worse.
The critical canned goods go not
only to people under poverty, but
also go to people having emergen
cies. It’s a more universal type of
thing.”
This year, the food bank has
shipped over 5 million pounds of
food. Becker said most of the food
is distributed through the food
bank’s 250 partner agencies.
Development director Tina
Laseter said the food bank seeks
organizations and businesses will
ing to host food drives.
“In very recent months, we’ve
seen an increase in need,” she said.
“At the same time, there has been
a decrease in resources. This has
made us branch out and depend
on local community support more
than ever.”
Laseter said individuals and busi
nesses can donate directly to the
food bank or to any of its part
ner agencies. The primary differ
ence between the Food Bank of
Northeast Georgia and the smaller
partner agencies is that the food
bank can accept large quantities
of both perishable and non-perish
able items.
Laseter said the food bank des
perately needs help from commu
nity members.
Businesses or organizations will
ing to host a food drive should
contact Laseter at 706-354-8191
or send an email to donations@
foodbanknega.org. Individuals may
also contact local partner agencies
including:
•Banks-Jackson Food Bank, 706
335-5143.
•Christian Outreach, 706-335
6084.
• Duds & Spuds of Zion Baptist
Church, 706-654-3205.
• First Baptist Church of
Jefferson, 706-367-8332.
•Jackson Co. Food Pantry-
Action, 706-367-9599.
•Mulberry Baptist Association,
706-824-0063.
•Romans Road Baptist Church,
706-367-2289.
•Rising Families, 706-367-2240.
•Barrow County Food Pantry
770-867-3925.
•Barrow Co. Food Pantry-Action,
770-307-3026.
•East Side Baptist Church, 770
867-5774.
•Women Walking Worthy, 678
732-6172.
•Community Food Pantry, 770
535-1471.
•Northside Family, 770-983-4100.
•Outreach Christian, 770-967
3136.
•Spirit of Joy Christian, 770-965
3333.
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PUBLIC NOTICE
Terra Renewal of Russellville, Arkansas provides
wastewater residuals management services for food
processors throughout the Southeastern U.S.,
including six permitted operations in Georgia.
Food processing wastewater residuals are land
applied via subsurface injection for beneficial use as
fertilizer.
Terra Renewal is currently working on an
application to the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources to obtain a permit to land apply food
processing residuals to farmland near Maysville and
Gillsville communities in northeastern Jackson
County and southwestern Banks County.
Terra Renewal will conduct an informal public
meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 6:00 P.M. at
the Maysville Library located at 9247 Gillsville Road,
Maysville, GA.
Members of the public and interested farmers and
ranchers are invited to attend. For more information,
please call Michael Roys at 479-567-1269 or John
Pipkin at 479-264-5383. Mail any comments to: Terra
Renewal, P. O. Box 3036, Russellville, AR 72811-3036.
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