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VOL. 116 NO. 38 Millen, Ga. 30442 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY SINCE 1903
Wednesday, March 22, 2023 * 750
Millen City Council approves agreements with Georgia Power
CAROL McLEOD
Associate Editor
During the Millen City Council’s
monthly meeting in March, council
discussed and approved several agree
ments with Georgia Power.
“Y’all are aware we’re working on
Christmas decorations,” City Man
ager Jeff Brantley said.
If there is a cost associated, Georgia
Power will notify the city ahead of
time. There is a pole without a low
voltage wire, which Brantley said
“will cost a lot to run that.”
One item discussed was about util
ity poles belonging to Georgia Power.
Millen Public Works Director Clay
Boulineau said that there are 10 poles
in the city that can come down.
Mayor King Rocker said the equip
ment on those poles not belonging to
the city, such as AT&T, need to be
removed by the companies that own it.
In other business, Council approved
the resolution to adopt the Jenkins
County Joint Comprehensive Plan
2023-2028.
“We need to have this in place to
apply for grants,” City Manager Jeff
Brantley said.
Council approved an Intergovern
mental Agreement (IGA) between the
City of Millen and the Jenkins County
Development Authority for loan
repayment assistance to the Georgia
Environmental Finance Authority
(GEFA).
Council member Dr. Giovanni
Shumake pointed out that; although
GEFA will charge a late fee to the city
if its payment is late, the city has no
penalty for the development authority
if the authority is late with its payment
to the city regarding this loan.
After a discussion, Shumake said he
would like the development authority
to be charged a late fee comparable to
the fee charged to the city if the city
pays late. The vote passed for the
city to charge 5 percent or the GEFA
charge if the development authority is
late in making its payment to the city.
Mayor Rocker abstained from the
vote as he is a member of the county’s
development authority, which creates
a potential conflict of interest.
The council approved renewal of
beer-wine and distilled spirits alcohol
licenses. The issue of updating the
fees for such licenses for the upcom
ing year was discussed.
The council is scheduled to meet
on the first Tuesday of each month
at 6 p.m. These meetings are open to
the public.
Sgt. Tony Taylor, Millen Police Department training
officer, conducted a training session for several area
law enforcement agencies last week at the City of
Millen Municipal Building.
Millen Police Chief Dwayne Herrington, seated, is
shown during the training session.
Professional Qualities of Modern Policing
CAROL McLEOD
Associate Editor
Officers from several area law
enforcement agencies attended a
training session given by Millen
police training officer, Sgt. Tony
Taylor, Friday, March 17, at the
courtroom of the City of Millen
Municipal Building.
Officers participating in the
training, Professional Qualities
of Modern Policing, were from
the sheriff’s offices of Jenkins
and Screven counties, and from
the police departments of Millen,
Midville and Twin City.
“We’re going to talk about
professionalism,” Taylor said.
The sergeant reminded ev
eryone, “You’re a cop 24/7.
It’s much better for the chief or
sheriff to get a compliment on
you than a complaint on you.”
Taylor said for everyone to
be careful about what they post
on social media as people are
looking.
One of the sections in the train
ing was on honesty and integrity.
“(If) you ever get caught lying,
you’re done,” he said.
Taylor mentioned an incident
that occurred earlier this year
in another state that ended with
five officers being charged in the
death of a suspect.
“Professional officers abide by
the law,” Taylor said.
Professional standards include
respect and courtesy. Apply the
Golden Rule or do unto others as
you want others to do unto you.
“Talk to these folks like you
would talk to your baby sister,”
Taylor said.
The officer stressed the need
for confidentiality, fitness for
duty and an officer’s conduct.
“I’ve heard cops say, ‘It don’t
matter what I do when I’m off
duty.’ Yes, it does. Someone
sees you, I promise, they’re go
ing to wake him (points to the
chief) up.
“Integrity is doing the right
thing, even when
no one is watch- SEE
ing.” TRAINING,
Taylor, again, g
Peyton Merier is 2023 FFA Star finalist
Peyton Merier, FFA “Star” finalist in Agriscience is shown with FFA advisor
Carmen Bennett.
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
Jenkins County High School has
a”Star” standout in its FFA program.
Peyton Merier, daughter of Joey
and Dawn Merier, is a 2023 STAR
finalist in Agriscience for the Central
Region
The state Star program, sponsored
by the Georgia Peanut Commission,
is designed to provide an incentive
for students to develop their Super
vised Agricultural Experience (SAE)
project, and to recognize those stu
dents who excel. Any FFA member
receiving the state FFA degree in a
given year is eligible to apply for
Star awards. Students establish SAE
projects early in their FFA participa
tion that they can develop throughout
their agriculture education. Peyton
achieved the Star award with her
3-year efforts researching the influ
ence of biochar on the germination
rate of lettuce and bell peppers. Her
work was conducted in the green
house at JCHS and included 300 hours
of research.
“We were dealing with COVID the
first year, and I still placed third in
the state that year, and, the next year,
I placed second. Then, a finalist this
year,” Peyton said.
She joined FFA in g^
the 8th grade, and her
achievements include MERIER ’
a sixth place national ®
Commissioners sign
E-SPLOST resolution
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
During the meeting of the Jenkins
County Commissioners held last week
the group approved and signed a reso
lution in connection with the sale of
bonds for school improvements that
was approved by local voters in the
November General Election.
The resolution stated that in the
event E-SPFOST did not raise the
amount needed to cover the project,
the commissioners would levy proper
ty tax monies to cover the remainder.
Mrs. Bessie Collins with the Jenkins
County Board of Education said that
the resolution was necessary in order
for the ESPFOST projects to begin
and was “just a formality.”
The commissioners expressed dis
pleasure with only having seven days
to consider and discuss the matter
before the deadline. After some dis
cussion, the resolution was approved
and signed.
In other business, Sheriff Robert
Oglesby reported that the camera
system at the Jenkins County Jail was
not working and asked the commis
sioners to approve the purchase of a
new system for $13,807. The camera
system was necessary for the whole
system to work properly, he said. His
request was approved.
County Administrator Grady Saxon
reported that only $371,000 was
outstanding in the collection of $2.2
million in property taxes for 2022.
The commissioners, also, adopted a
Comprehensive Plan Resolution; ap
pointed Courtney Johnson to Region
6 EMS Council; approved Hazard
Mitigation Grant to update GEMA/
FEMA; and approved Focal Deliv
ery Agreement for Transportatation
Investment Act project at industrial
park on Hwy. 25.
Also, approved was a motion to pro
vide county department heads with a
credit card, based on satisfactory pro
cedures of control being established.
Mrs. Mandy Underwood explained
to the commissioners why 475 resi
dents of Jenkins County would not be
able to purchase broadband internet
service through the current project in
the county. (See related article below.)
475 county residents left
out of broadband effort
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
Four hundred seventy-five Jenkins
County residents will not have the
opportunity to purchase broadband
internet service through the current
project underway in the county. Man
dy Underwood, Executive Director of
the Jenkins County Development Au
thority and Jenkins County Chamber
of Commerce explained why these
residents are not included.
In 2021 Windstream, a global
broadband internet provider, applied
for funding through the FCC’s Rural
Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).
The company asked for $147 million
over 10 years to bring broadband to
48,000 locations.
In 2022, the company was awarded
$523 million over 10 years to bring
broad band to 193,000 locations in
18 states, including Georgia. Jenkins
County residents in the area of Green
Fork Church, Needful Church, Hil-
tonia Road to the county line were
included in this project.
“Because they were already in
cluded in Windstream’s project, we
could not include them in our project
with Planters Telephone and Pineland
Telephone,” Mrs. Underwood said.
Now, Windstream has announced
that the company will not be putting
cable in the ground in this area of Jen
kins County until sometime in 2025.
“So, 475 residents will not have
access to broadband,” Mrs. Under
wood said.
“But, we’re working on it,” she
added.
Mrs. Underwood said she had been
in contact with Windstream, and she
and others will be meeting with rep
resentatives of the company in Atlanta
this week. She, also, has presented
the situation to the Jenkins County
Commissioners and the offices of
Cong. Rick Allen and Sen. Ralphael
Wamock.
“We are all hoping to find an agree
able solution to solve this problem,”
she said.