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Sports: IB
Lady Leopards already
looking to next season
Features: 11 -12A
Mardi Gras and more in Houma, La.
February 20, 2008
February
The Banks County News
504^ Homer, Banks County, Georgia 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • mainstreetnews.com • 26 Pages, 3 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 39 No. 28
BOC buys
land for waste
water plant
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
After months of negotiations
and closed sessions, the Banks
County Board of Commissions
purchased land for a future waste
water plant.
Commissioners purchased 94
acres on an area off Duncan Road
from Carolyn
Hurst of Buford
during the Feb.
12 meeting.
The action was
announced fol
lowing another
closed session.
The land
was purchased
for $850,000,
Banks County
chairman Gene
Hart said.
No timetable
has been set for
beginning con
struction on the
project.
“We are working with the EPD
on this,” Hart said this week.
“We are seeing what type of
plant we need. They will dictate
which type of plant to build.”
Hart said acquiring the land
was simply the first step in the
process which will be a lengthy
one.
BOC chairman
Gene Hart said
Banks County
will work with
the EPD on a
new plant for
waste water
treatment.
News - 2-3A
•Chamber recognizes
Banks students
— page 2A
Op/Ed
• ‘Keep talking: Maybe
someone is listening’
— page 4A
Social - 9-10A
•Scenes from the Boy
Scouts’ Pinewood Derby
- page 10A
Other news
•School News — pages 6-8B
•Public Safety — page 6A
•Legals — page 5B
• Church — page 8A
• Obituaries — page 7A
Alto general budget up 23 percent
Water budget
falls 1.2 percent
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Alto City Council approved a
proposed 2008 general fund budget
of $545,341 at the council meeting
on Tuesday, Feb. 12. This is up 23
percent over last year’s budget.
The proposed 2008 water fund
budget total is $542,450. This is a
1.2 percent decrease from last year’s
total.
City employee wages make up a
large portion of the expense amount
in the proposed general fund budget
at a total of $225,000. The police
department wages account for
$145,000 of this amount.
In the proposed water fund budget,
the largest expense item is $121,250
for infrastructure.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Tuesday’s
council meeting, the council:
•awarded a contract totaling $8,270
to Blue Ridge Fence Inc., Lula,
for fencing at two well sites. The
contract covers fencing at both the
Cedar Creek and Apple Pie Ridge
well sites. The fencing is needed for
security purposes. The city received
a bid of $7,515 from Gateway Fence
Company, Cleveland, on this project
also.
•adopted an ordinance to estab
lish a franchise fee of five percent
applicable to holders of cable or
video franchises issued by the state
of Georgia.
•discussed the purchase of .12
acre of land that adjoins city prop-
erty at the work house and the water
tank. Mayor Audrey Turner said she
would contact the property owner
about a price on this piece of prop
erty.
•approved a rate of $16 per month
for garbage collection to residents
outside of the city limits. The gar
bage collection is only being offered
continued on page 3A
SOCCER TIME
The Banks County High School soccer teams have ushered in the 2008 season. The BCHS Lady
Leopards, led by first-year coach Michael Boomer, opened the new season against Jackson County
High School in Jefferson last week. Photo by Lyn Sengupta
— Legislative Update —
Sen. Schaefer introduces
child services legislation
State Sen. Nancy Schaefer
recently introduced legislation
that provides several directives
to the Department of Human
Resources (DHR) in regard to
child services.
“It is painful to see a child
taken away from their parent or
guardian, and I firmly believe
that the Division of Family and
Children Services (DFCS) and
DHR should make every effort
to keep the family united,” Sen.
Schaefer said. “We also must do
everything we can to ensure that
those who have to be placed in
the care of DHR are given the
best and only the best treatment
possible.”
Among the provisions set forth
by Senate Bill 415, the legisla
tion seeks to ensure that before
a child is placed in the custody
of DHR, every effort is made
to find other family members
with which to place the child.
Discovery must be provided in
termination proceedings with
sanctions for failure to provide
discovery.
The bill also limits the amount
of time DHR has to provide emer
gency care to 72 hours, requir-
Sen. Nancy
Schaefer said
the purpose of
her proposed
legislation is to
reunite children
with their fami
lies as quickly
as possible.
ing the department to respond
to emergency situations within
that specified amount of time.
DHR also would be required
to obtain a court order to enter
the residence of a child’s parent
or guardian in order to seize a
child under certain circumstanc
es. Juvenile deprivation hear
ings shall not be closed except
upon the written application of
the parents or guardian, and for
other purposes.
“The purpose of this bill is
to prevent children from lan
guishing in the custody of DHR,
from being separated from their
families unnecessarily and to
reunite them with their families
as quickly as possible,” Sen.
Schaefer added.
Banks County recognized
by Progressive Farmer
Banks County was recognized as one of the top 20 counties to
live in the southeast by Progressive Farmer magazine.
The magazine released the list of the “Best Places to Live
in Rural America.” Banks County was listed as the number 16
place to live in the southeast. Number one was Kent County,
Maryland.
Other counties in Georgia that made the top 20 list were: Gilmer
County, six; Camden County, nine; Hart County, 15; and Bryan
County, 18. To see the list, go to www.progressivefarmer.com/
farmer/bestplaces.
— Lula —
House votes to rename Lula
post office in honor of soldier
The United States House of
Representatives has voted to
rename the Lula Post Office in
honor of Army Pfc. Johnathon
Millican.
Millican, 20, was killed dur
ing a January 2007 attack in
Karbala, where he was one of
five soliders killed. He lived in
the Lula area.
The bill now goes to the Senate for final passage.
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MEDLINK ARRIVES IN HOMER
MedLink Georgia, Inc., based in Colbert, was recently granted $412,500 to begin a clinic in Homer.
MedLink already operates health centers at nine other locations in Northeast Georgia. Those attend
ing a recent ribbon cutting for the Homer location included: Dr. Elizabeth Duke, HRSA administrator;
Dr. Jackie Griffin, CEO MedLink Georgia; Gene Hart, Banks County Commission chairman, Judge
Bobby Blackwell, Nancy McCoy, MedLink nurse, and MedLink board members Robin Trotter, Al Stone
and Doug Bridges.