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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2008 THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS PAGE 3A Baldwin election hearing set Feb. 5 BY SHARON HOGAN A hearing on the suit filed against the City of Baldwin by Baldwin resi dent Theron Ayers will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Habersham County Courthouse. Judge Hugh W. Stone is sched uled to hear the case filed by Ayers against the city and City of Baldwin Election Superintendent Brandy Kyle. Ayers alleges in the suit that Kyle went out to homes in the city and brought back absentee ballots. Ayers ran against incumbent council member Beverly Holcomb for the Post 1 council seat. The count after the Nov. 6 city election showed Holcomb beating Ayers by three votes. Ayers suit states that, according to the two voting machines, Ayers won the election by one vote. With the 18 absentee ballots in question, Ayers lost by three votes. Ayers states the following reasons for filing the suite: not knowing the conditions that the election super intendent required to be eligible for her to come out to their homes, the inconsistency of her answers as to how many homes she actually went to; his winning on the voting machines; and the closeness of the vote after counting the absentee ballots. Ayers also questioned the training of Kyle to hold this posi tion. Commissioners purchase Fire/EMS equipment BY CHRIS BRIDGES The Banks County Board of Commissioners approved the pur chase of a new breathing air com pressor for the Fire/EMS department at Tuesday night’s meeting. Fire chief Gary Pollard recom mended the BOC accept the low bid from B&T Enterprises of $18,750 for the new unit. Pollard said the current breathing devise could be repaired but at this point he recom mended purchasing a new one. B&T Enterprises gave the county a $1,000 discount from its original bid after purchasing the old equipment. The equipment will be paid for with Special Local Option Sales Tax Funds. In other business at Tuesday night’s 30-minute meeting, the BOC: •heard a report from road depart ment director Wayne Andrews who said the county has scraped 252 miles of road during the past six miles. Andrews also said his department has placed 48.97 tons of gravel, which is less than normal because of dry conditions. Andrews was also recognized by the BOC for his 41 years of service with the road department. •tabled a lease renewal for the use of Uchee Lodge by Boy Scouts. •approved a Georgia Land Conservation Plan/Grant spon sorship for Red Hawk Farms in Maysville after attorney Randall Frost reviewed the necessary paper work. •appointed Vince Lehotsky to the recreation advisory board. •accepted the resignation of David Payne from the hospital authority. Banks County official receives certification Commissioner Joe Barefoot of Banks County was honored recent ly for completing the nationally recognized County Commissioners Training Program. Co-sponsored by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the program enhances local gov ernments’ ability to provide public services responsibly, efficiently and cost-effectively. The Banks County official was awarded a “Certificate of Recognition” during a special ceremony at ACCG’s Fall Policy Conference in Atlanta earlier this month. Dr. Richard Milford, deputy director of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at The University of Georgia, distributed the certificates to the 41 program graduates. He congratulated them on their commitment to providing better leadership and ser vice to their citizens. To receive certification, officials must complete 48 hours of instruc tion. Since its inception in 1987, over 2,100 county officials have become certified through the pro- gram. Recently, county associations and universities from states such as Illinois, Washington, California, Minnesota and Kentucky have sought to implement training pro grams based on the success of ACCG’s Commissioners Training Program. ACCG executive director Jerry Griffin said, “We are proud of all the graduates of the training pro gram, because each one of them is exceptionally dedicated to provid ing the best local leadership pos sible for their communities.” ACCG is the consensus build ing, training, service and legisla tive advocacy organization of all Georgia’s 159 county governments. BAREFOOT Public meetings citizens can attend in county The following local government agencies hold regular meetings which are open to the public: •Maysville City Council, 7 p.m., first Monday of each month at the Maysville Public Library. •Banks County High School All Sports Booster Club, 6:30 p.m., first Monday of each month, BCHS library. •Maysville Beautification Committee, 7 p.m., fourth Thursday of each month at the Maysville Public Library. •Banks County Planning Commission, 7 p.m., first Tuesday of each month at the courthouse. •Gillsville City Council, 7 p.m., first Tuesday of each month at city hall. A work session is held at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. •Banks County Board of Education, 7 p.m., third Monday of each month at the BOE office. The work session is held on the Thursday prior to the regular meeting. •Baldwin City Council, 7 p.m., second and fourth Monday of each month at city hall. A work session is held at 6:30 p.m. on the Thursday preceding each regular meeting. •Homer City Council, 6 p.m., sec ond Tuesday of each month at city hall. •Banks County Board of Commissioners 6:30 p.m. second Tuesday of each month at the court house. A work session is held at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the courthouse. •Alto City Council, 7 p.m., second Tuesday of each month at city hall. •Lula City Council, 7 p.m., third Monday of each month at city hall. A work session is held at 11 a.m. on the Thursday preceding the regular meeting. •BJC Medical Center board of directors, 1:30 p.m., third Monday of each month in the conference room of the hospital. •BCMS Booster Club, 6:30 p.m., third Monday of each month at the school lunchroom. Several area organizations seeking volunteer help The following are volunteer oppor tunities in Banks County and the surrounding area: •Piedmont CASA volunteers speak for children who are in foster care. For more information, call the CASA office at 706-387-6375. •The Banks County Adult Literacy Center is seeking volunteer teachers. They especially need math tutors, including the areas of introductory • Family Law • Divorce • Child support • Alimony • Child Custody • Acts of Family Violence • Criminal Defense • General Civil Litigation • Wills I want to protect your family Free Consultation Ulice (Trey) Sauls III 2180 Satellite Blvd Suite 400 Duluth, GA 30097 Office (770)239-1850 Cell (678)314-9585 algebra, geometry and Algebra I. Tutors are needed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. For more information, call 706-677-4302. •BJC Medical Center Auxiliary is seeking volunteers. For more infor mation, call 706-335-1199. •Civil Air Patrol: cadets, ages sixth grade through 18 years old, par ticipate in search and rescue mis sions and learn how to fly airplanes. Senior members teach cadets and students at middle and high schools and can also work with emergency services. Contact Luther McCoy, 706-677-1490. •Adult learning center at Lanier Technical College satellite campus 706-335-1931. •Hope Resource Center: cri sis pregnancy support center, 706-367-5304. V \' City of Lula PUBLIC HEARING Pursuant to the City of Lula's continuing efforts to communicate effectively with the community's constituents the city will hold 3 public hearings Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 6:00 PM; Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 10:00 AM and again Wednesday, January 16, 2008 at 2:00 PM to hear an overview of a recent Water and Wastewater Utility Rate Study submitted by the Georgia Rural Water Association for consideration/adoption of meeting requirements of Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District and Georgia EPD. The Public can anticipate seeing the study and supporting documents related to the adoption and implementation of such rates and are encouraged to comment on the City of Lula's possible adoption. All documents are available for review at City Hall, Monday through Friday during normal business hours. I J Maysville officials begin new year NEW TERN FOR MAYOR Maysville mayor Jerry Baker was officially sworn in for the start of his second term Monday night during the January council meeting. Baker was sworn in by judge Hammond Law. Photos by Chris Bridges W 1 If. ■ i i L i i ■ ' i i ^ 1 j 7 ", r 1 NEW COUNCIL BEGINS YEAR Members of the Maysville City Council were sworn in during their January meeting Monday night. Judge Hammond Law made it official for council members (from left) Stephan Lewis, Ward 4; Rebecca McNeely, Ward 3; Lynn Villyard, Ward 2 and Clay Dorsey, Ward 1. Lewis, Villyard and Dorsey are newcomers to the council while McNeely was re-elected in November. Let us know your story ideas Have an interesting story to share? Do you have a unique hobby? If so, we would like to know and perhaps feature you in an upcoming edition. Contact Angie Gary, editor of The Banks County News, at 706-367-2490 or e-mail information to her at AngieEditor@aol.com. FORTSON Well Drilling & Environmental Services, Inc. Residential & Commercial Services • 6” Drilled Wells • Water Filtration and Purification • Water Conditioning Systems • Irrigation Systems • Monitoring Wells • Remediation Wells Customer Satisfaction Is Important To Us. We Invite You To Check Us Out. PHONE 795-2717 FAX 795-3713 Located 5 Miles North Of Danielsville On Hwy. 281 Danielsville, Georgia il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il il Banks County Board of Commissioners PUBLIC NOTICE As provided by O.C.G.A. Section 21-2-131 the Banks County Board of Commissioners did fix and declare 3% of the base salary as qualifying fees for County Offices to be filled in the General Primary Election which will be held on July 15, 2008 and the General/Nonpartisan Election to be held on November 4, 2008. They are as follows: Position Sheriff Tax Commissioner Clerk of Superior Court Probate Judge Magistrate Judge Coroner Commission Chairman County Surveyor Board of Education - Post #1 Board of Education - Post #2 Board of Education - Post #4 Fee $1,616.40 $1,392.24 $1,392.24 $1,392.24 $1,392.24 $72.00 $1,080.00 $25.00 $64.50 $60.00 $60.00 Candidate qualifying for the General Primary Election begins on Monday, April 28, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. and ends on Friday, May 2, 2008 at 12:00 noon. Candidate qualifying for the General/Nonpartisan Election begins on Monday, June 23, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. and ends on Friday, June 27, 2008 at 12:00 noon. 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