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VOLUME CI — NUMB®“ % XV
Chattooga County's lone
commissioner last week
threatened to fight and beat up
the editor of The Summerville
News. And in a tirade salted
liberally with obscenities and
uncomplimentary references to
the editor's famil);/. tried to toss
the editor out of the commis
sioner’'s office. ;
Comissioner Harry Powell's
rage at the editor last Thurs
day morning apparently was
touched off when The News
began asking him about ap
parent conflicts in an advertise
ment on expenses in the
sheriff's department. The ad
had been placed in the
newsEaper by Powell last week.
The News and Powell in
itially discussed a couple of
Sheriff
Responds
To Claims
Chattooga County Commis
sioner Harry Powell published
several incorrect figures in an
advertisement last week outlin
ing expenses in the Chattooga
County Sheriff's Department,
according to Sheriff Gary
McConnell. e
Powell, in a full-page ad in
The News last week, listed
what he said were the sheriff’s
expenses and salaries for the
first two quarters of this calen
dar year. However, McConnell,
in a letter to Powell this week,
said the commissioner had
been in error on several of the
charges listed in the ad.
First quarter expenditures,
including salaries, were listed
by Powell at $168,059.36 and
second quarter expenses were
listed at $179,725.74 for a six
month total of $347,785.10. If
that trend continues through
the last six months, expen
ditures for the sheriff's depart
ment would be $695,570.20, or
$164,944.62 under the sheriff's
department budget of
$860,514.82.
FIRST LETTER
In his first letter to Powell
last Thursday, Sept. 4, McCon
nell said he f}:elt tEe ad was “‘a
great step forward in allowing
the general public to know
what their tax dollars are being
spent for. I am happy to see the
sfieriff's department is the first
to have the first six months ex
penditures released. I am sure
that you will continue to in
form "the public through the
news media of the expenditures
of each and every department
of Chattooga Counfiy as tax
dollars are being used not only
to fund law enforcement but,
SANITATION FEE PUT ‘ON HOLD
City Lowers Tax, Prepares Annexation Bid
By TOMMY TOLES
Editor
Summerville's Mayor and
Council ended three months
gpeculation Monday night by
voting to lower the city’s tax
rate by one mill, to hold *‘in
reserve’’ a possible $1.50 per
month sanitation fee and to
embark on an ambitious plan
to annex another mile of pro
perty into the city limits.
The city's tax rate for the
year will be three mills, down
from one mill last year. A mill
is $1 tax on each SI,OOO tax
able property.
Five-Man Board
.-See Page 4-B
The Summerville News
Powell Threatens Violence In Questioning
pro(s;osed paving projects, in
cluding State Line Road and
Little Sand Mountain Road,
and whether the commissioner
planned to wait until next year
or the next to buy computeriz
ed vote-counting equipment.
The News then asked about
an expense item of $3,475 to
Midwest Infrared Scannin
Service listed in the ad. Sherifi
Gary McConnell told The
News early Thursday that half
the cost of the scanning had
been paid by the state and that
the county's share was $1,737,
not $3,475 as listed in the ad.
McConnell produced a carbon
of a cashier’s check and a May
22 letter to Powell listing the
breakdown.
The conversation went like
roads, ambulance service, the
commissioner office and every
other elected official office.”
The News asked Powell last
week if he planned to publish
the expenses of each county
department as he did the
sheriff's office (see related
story) and the commissioner
responded, ‘Ever damn one of
them!”
“FALSE”
McConnell said in that let
ter that he wanted to take issue
with some of the figures used
in the ad, saying they were *‘in
correct” or ‘‘totally false.” The
sheriff offered to meet with
Powell on the issue and to
“work together for a better
Chattooga County.”
In a fietter to Powell dated
Wednesday, McConnell again
offered to meet with Powell to
discuss the expenditures.
The sheriff also took issue
with an ad placed in The News
last Feb. 20 and charged to the
sheriff's department. ‘‘This
item was an ad you purchased
to show the expenditures of the
sheriff's department in 1985,"
McConnell said. *This ad was
purchased by you, it beared
(sic) your name, not mine. This
amount should be paid by you,
personally, and it is certainly
not chargeable to me as sheriff
of Chattooga County. Once
again, I bring to your attention
my letter dated 1-3-85 which
states that no bill will be charg
ed to the Chattooga County
Sheriff's Department unless it
bears my signature!’’ A copy of
McConnell's Jan. 3, 1985 letter
was attached to Wednesday's
letter to Powell.
see SHERIFF, page 16-A
Councilman Edward Bush
moved that the Council okay
the reduced tax rate and give
the city's finance committee
and City Manager Grady
McCalmon authority to in
stitute a $1.50 per month
sanitation fee if necessary to
maintain adequate city
revenues. The proposal also in
cluded a plan for the city to
seek annexation of another
mile of land now outside the ci
ty limits. The motion followed
an extended discussion of the
city’s revenues and tax situa
tion by Mayor Sewell Cash and
the Council. Councilman Guinn
Hankins seconded the motion
and it passed with only Coun
cilman Ronnie Pilcher voting in
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1986
FAILS TO EXPLAIN APPARENT AD DISCREPANCIES
this:
THE NEWS: I wanted to
doublecheck, too, on one of the
bills that was in the paper on
the Midwest Scanning on the
sheriff's office. It was%isted as
$3,475 and he said the GBI had
paid half of that to the county
through him . .."
The News showed Commis
sioner Powell and his wife,
Elizabeth, the May 22 letter
from the sheriff to Powell and
a copy of a cashier's check for
$1,737 made out to Midwest
Infrared Scanning Service
through First Federal Savings
and Loan Association, Sum
merville. Mrs. Powell went to
look through county records
for the county check paid to
Midwest Scanning. Commis
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TA L A AL WG L)) e N
et Tor LRy SOF LT Rt ALY v A 4 TR T P
GBI CLAIMS TWO LOCAL CASES
Chattooga County court
records support Sheriff Gary
McConnell's account that he
did not have drunk driving
charges ‘‘fixed" in favor of a
witness in the ‘‘devil wor
shipers' murder case over two
years ago.
The court documents are in
conflict with a Georgia Bureau
of Investigation (GBI) report
about a reputed *ticket fixing"
incident involving a Georgia
State Patrol trooper and the
sheriff.
However, the record is not
clear on what happened to a
speeding ticket given to former
Atlanta Braves pitcher Rick
Camfl. Trion, in early 1984.
The alleged incidents are
two of dozens statewide cited
in the GBI report that led to
opposition.
The Council had twice
postponed a decision on setting
the city’s tax rate this year.
Mayor Cash Monday night
at first recommended the one
mill tax cut and holding the
$1.50 per month sanitation fee
in reserve.
FUND LOSS
City Manager McCalmon
pointed out that the city faces
the possible loss of revenue
sharing funds for the coming
¥ear plus the loss of money
rom Chattooga County for
recreation and %ire department
funding, or a loss of some
$64,000.
The mayor then discussed
TWO PERSONS INJURED IN TWO-CAR ACCIDENT"
Local Residents Hurt; See Story On Page 7-A
Ticket-Fixing Issue
the firing of Hugh Hardison,
Georgia Public Safety Depart
ment commissioner.
SUMMARY
After Hardison was fired, a
copy of the full report was
released and a summary was
mailed to the news media, in
cluding The News, and some
law enforcement officers, in
cluding Sheriff McConnell.
However, the summary doesn’t
mention the alleged incidents
involving Sheriff McConnell.
An account of the alleged
incident involving a witness in
the **devil worshipers'' murder
case was featurecf)in the Atlan
ta newspapers Monday. It
quoted the GBI report as say
ing Trooper Mike L. Evans
told investigators that he
leaving the tax rate at four
mills and extending the city
limits another mile, saying that
10,000 more people reside
within that area, and most are
served by city utilities. If the
residents agree to come into
the city, it would hope to
reduce the tax millage to zero
- within three years, t%xe mayor
“ said.
| Councilman Phil Cavin ask
' ed how the residents could be
| convinced to come into the ci
ty if the millage rate was left
at four mills. Cavin said he
would like to see the tax rate
left at four mills, extend the ci
ty limits one mile and then
reduce the rate to two mills
after annexation.
Local Football
--See Page 8-A
sioner Powell told her not to
look for the county check but
she said it had been found and
showed The News check 5761
dated June 24 for $1,738 made
out to Midwest Scanning.
Powell then rose from his
chair and shouted:
POWELL: “That's the first
--- damn mistake that we've
made, I reckon, since we've
been in here, ain’t it? --- damn
your soul to hell, I'm gonna
meet you outside and we're
éonna have it out right now!
ou made me out a damn liar
and everything! We don’t even
know who paid what because
that son of a ---- out there don't
never turn us in nothing, only
just throw us in some damn
papers! And you run out there
and believe ever damn thing he
says!”
Mrs. Powell and Commis
sioner Powell agpeared
somewhat confused about the
cashier's check. McConnell told
The News the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation had made a
check out to the sheriff and he
and a GBI agent went to First
Federal and obtained the
cashier's check made out to
Midwest Scanning with the
check being sent directly to the
company. %owell then lashed
out at The News again as
follows:
POWELL: “It's a funny ,
damn thing to me everybody
that The Summerville News
gets has to run out there to get
all the damn news, and can't
wrote a driving under the in
fluence (DUI) ticket to a
woman who had been involved
in a single-car accident. As he
was making out the ticket,
Evans is quoted as saying, he
was approached by an unnam
ed deputy sheriff who told him
that the woman was to be the
prosecution’s main witness in
the so-called ‘‘devil wor
shipers”” murder case. The
deputy warned him that if the
woman was charged with DUI,
she might change her mind
about testifying, Evans was
quoted as saying.
When he returned to his
post in Rome, Evans was
quoted as saying, he heard over
the police radio that the sheriff
had gotten out of his car on the
street outside the woman's
MecCalmon pointed out that
if annexation were successful
in 1987, the city wouldn't
receive any taxes for that year,
with tax revenues starting in
1988.
Councilman Hankins sug
gested cutting the tax rate to
one mill and increasing the ci
ty's natural gas rate.
Pilcher said he would prefer
leaving the city's tax rate at
four mills this year because of
anticipated city expenses, ad
ding that he wasn't sure of
citizens' views on the mayor's
annexation proposal.
LEGISLATION
The simplest method of an
nexation would involve asking
School Board,
Superintendent
In Money Fight
By KAY ABBOTT
Staff Writer
The Chattooga County
Board of Education voted
Monday night to ask School
Supt. Don Hayes to repay the
system some SSOO Hayes had
authorized to be paid to a
maintenance employee as a
salary increase over a three
month period during the last
home. The ticket disappeared
before reaching court, Evans
was quoted as claiming.
SUSPICIONS
Evans was then questioned
by his superiors about whether
he inten&)e?i to report his suspi
cions about the sheriff's in
volvement in the cases to the
GBI, the newspaper story
says. When Evans said he
would report the matter direct
ly to the FBI if he had the
evidence, one of his superiors
pressed him to ask for a
transfer to another post, Evans
was quoted as saying. Evans
was transferred, the report
says.
Sheriff McConnell is not
named in the newspaper ac
see TICKET-FIXING, page 16-A
Chattooga County Rep.
Johnny Crawford to introduce
legislation annexing the area
into the city limits, Mayor
Cash said, who had ear{ier
pointed out that annexation
could also be accomplished by
a vete of 60 percent of the af
fected area's residents.
After the meetin%é Mayor
Cash said the city likely will
sponsor the first of several
public meetings in November
to discuss the annexation pro
posal and to outline what the
city sees as advantages of an
nexation to residents now liv
ing within one mile of the ex
isting city limits. Purjmse of
\ the meetings, he in icated,
would be to stimulate interest
U.S. 27 Plans
.-See Page 3-A
get it either. Because we paid
that bill and that's the reason
I told her not to look for it. I
knew it was paid, our part of
this little runnin around in
Alabama, not in Georgia; they
wasn't even scanning in
Georgia.”
The News ezglained again
that the ad placed by Powell in
the newspaper listed the
sheriff's o&ice’s expenses for
Midwest Scanning at $3,475,
making it appear that the
amount had been paid out of
county funds when, in reality,
half that amount was ap
parently paid by the state.
Mrs. Powell wanted to know
where the check was from the
state and the commissioner
interrupted:
i school year.
| The board also said it had
not approved stadium lighting
improvements at Chattooga
High School but Hayes con
tended that the panel had
| given him an okay on the Sro
| ject when it authorized a
| budget af:»age which listed the
: Fropos but no cost estimates
| last July 14.
In makinia motion that
| Hayes repay the system for the
| salary hike %iven the
' maintenance employee, board
member Leroy Massey said the
' superintendent had acted
| without authority and without
| the board’s approval.
} *I make a motion that the
| salary increase granted (the
i emflloyee) by Mr. Hayes
| without board consultation or
| approval not be paid with any
| funds of the Chattooga Coun
-3 t% School System, and that
' this matter be referred to the
| state auditors for their deter
| mination and consideration,”
| Massey said.
i Leon King cast the sole op
| posing vote to the motion.
| Voting in favor were Massey,
| William Mitchell, Joyce
| Johnson and Chairman .f,oel
| Cook.
| COOK LETTER
1 Prior to the vote, Hayes
| distributed copies of a letter
| from attorney Bobby Lee (Buz)
} Cook Jr. supporting Hayes’ ac
| tion as in keeping with board
l policy. Hayes tofii The News
| Monday night that in writing
| the letter, attorney Cook was
‘ acting as Hayes' personal at
torney, although Cook is on re
‘ tainer as the school board at
| torney. Hayes has since told
| The News that Cook was not
| acting as his personal attorney
amonfi county residents and
ask them to encourage Rep.
Crawford to introduce the re
quired legislation. Councilmen
indicatexf that Rep. Crawford
likely wouldn't introduce such
a proposal unless he were con
vinced that a majority of
residents in the affected area
favored, the measure.
ADVANTAGES
Mayor Cash said newly an
nexed areas would pa{y lower
water and natural gas fees and
enjoy street and sanitation ser
vice, including brush pickup
and ditch cleaning. The areas
would possibly be served with
sewerage lines in the future, he
said. Improved police protec-
PRICE 20c .
POWELL: “Liz, you know
damn good and well the reason
I don't want it told.” He did
not elaborate on what he
meant.
POWELL: “Well, we'll
have some good news on that
as soon as Bobbg' Lee Cook
fiets through with it because
e's goinil through all the
checks.” He didn't explain
what he meant.
MRS. POWELL: “Well, if
he cg:ve the check to Gary
McConnell, I don’t know where
it is. Why didn’t he send that
up here to us?”
The News explained again
that McConnell told him that
the GBI made the check out to
him and he used it to buy a
see POWELL, page 6-A
in writing the letter.
In a letter to He'?'es dated
Sept. 5, Cook stated:
“It is my opinion that you
acted within your authority
regardin% the decision to pay
(the employee) the additional
$91.84 per pay period durin
the months of Afiril, Ma ang
June while (another empf;yee)
was absent from work due to
illness.
“According to the Board
Policy Manual of the Chat
tooga County Board of Educa
tion, item ten (10) of the Duties
of the School Superintendent,
charges the Superintendent
see SCHOOL, page 14-A
Two Resign
At Lyerly
City Meet
By KAY ABBOTT
Staff Writer
Several resignations and
the decision to find a new water
source for the city marked the
September meeting of the
Lyerly City Council Tuesday.
The Council voted
unanimously to engaithe aid
of Rome engineer Herbert Bar
num and the advice of the
Coosa Valley Planning and
Development Commission in
creating plans for the new
water source. The city current
ly pays up to $3,000 per month
see TWO RESIGN, page 10-A
tion and less costly fire protec
tion would be enjoyed by new
ly annexed areas, especially if
the city decides to impose a fee
for fire calls answered outside
the city limits. The city may
also have to impose fees on
county residents for use of
recreation facilities and city
residents wouldn’t be subject
to those charges, the mayor in
dicated. Street and road
maintenance would be improv
ed, the mayor said.
And, the mayor said, he still
hopes that the city can reduce
its property tax to zero within
three years, a move he said
would {e a further incentive to
residents to favor annexation.
see CITY, page 15-A