Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 5A
Letter to the Editor
Addressing misinformation about fire dept.
Lula officials seeks SPLOST funds for projects
LULA MAYOR UNVEILS NEW CITY MAP
Lula Mayor Milton Turner unveiled the new city map at the
meeting on Monday. The council unanimously approved adop
tion of the official city map and the Downtown Development
Authority boundary map. Photo by Sharon Hogan
Dear Editor:
I would like to dispel some of the
rumors and misinformation that has
been told to the media and members
of the community.
I am a paramedic/firefighter, and
have been employed by Banks
County Fire Department for six
years. It has been reported that 34
volunteers have resigned. As of
Friday the 14th when I wrote this,
half that number has resigned.
There have been allegations of
“illegal” training classes. These alle
gations are false. The training class
es in question were approved by the
respective state officials, both before
and after the training occurred.
Mr. Weldon Mintz raised some
questions that I would like to clar
ify.
1. There is no plan to restructure
the fire dept. The department is,
and will remain for the foreseeable
future, a combination department.
2. There are different qualifications
The Baldwin City Council
approved a loan application resolu
tion Monday night for $130,000
from the United States Department
of Agriculture Rural Development.
The loan, plus a $50,000 USDA
Rural Development grant the city
received, will be used to purchase
a new fire truck. The city’s in
kind contribution in the amount of
$87,840 will be for equipment on
the new truck.
Kathleen Henderson from USDA
Rural Development, said the loan
amount will be financed for 15 years
at a rate of 4.375 percent with annu
al payments of $12,002. The first
payment will be due one year after
the loan is closed.
Henderson said the loan could be
paid off at any time with no pen
alty.
Henderson said that Rural
Development would oversee the
project. The city has to meet certain
requirements to obtain both the loan
and the grant. The grant funds will
be the last to be spent, she said.
Henderson said she would be
working with the city clerk to obtain
necessary information for the proj
ect.
Baldwin Fire Chief Joe Roy said
the city’s contribution will be equip
ment the department has to transfer
to the new truck.
Baldwin City Attorney David
Syfan reviewed the application
forms and said he saw no problems
with the application.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Monday’s
meeting, the council:
•voted unanimously to surplus the
old rescue truck from the fire depart-
for volunteer personnel vs. full-time
personnel. Full-time personnel are
required to complete much more
training than volunteers by the state
of Georgia.
3. The loss of pay-per-call and
pensions for volunteers is not being
abolished in any way.
4. Overtime pay will not increase.
Full-time fire personnel work a 24-
hour on/48-hour off shift. BCFD
staffs three fire stations and three
med units 24 hours a day, every
day.
5. The county is not losing its ISO
5 rating. When ISO returns for an
evaluation, we plan to have a rating
of 4.
Mr. Carl Mintz also had some ques
tions that I would like to address.
1. We don’t have an Interim Chief.
Gary Pollard is our Chief, and has
been with BCFD over 5 years. Chief
Pollard has over 15 years experi
ence in the fire service. Also, the 2
officers that have been attacked have
ment. Proceeds from the sale of this
vehicle will be used to pay on the
$130,000 loan.
•approved the surplus of five police
vehicles—one Chevrolet Impala and
four Ford Crown Victorias. Approval
was also given by the council to
trade the surplus vehicles to LGS
Government Supply, Cleveland,
for a 2006 Dodge Charger police
cruiser. The trade will be no cost to
the city.
•voted unanimously to approve
payment of an invoice in the
amount of $2,880 to Engineering
Management, Inc., Lawrenceville,
for design engineering work on the
Park Avenue water line project.
Mayor Mark Reed said 71 percent of
the design engineering is complete.
Reed also said a report on the water
rate study will be presented by EMI
at the April work session scheduled
for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April
10.
•discussed a special use permit
that was approved for James and
Kristy Woltz to place a manufac
tured home on 1.10 acre located at
456 Willingham Avenue. Reed said
the Woltzes were not able to close
on their loan for the home. Reed
asked Syfan if the city could put
something in place on a special use
permit that would give a time limit
for a project to occur so it reverts
back to the original use. “Usually a
zoning decision is not based on tem
porary conditions,” he said. Syfan
said the city could bring its own zon
ing procedure to rezone the property
back to the original zoning. Syfan
said the property owners need to
be notified by certified letter of
the city’s desire to zone the prop
erty back to the original zoning. No
27 years experience between them.
The positions they were promoted
to were open to the public. Anyone
could apply. These men were cho
sen by a three-person hiring board.
When they were hired, Chief Pollard
was the assistant chief.
2. The goal of managing every
emergency scene is to ensure the
safety of everyone on scene and to
be efficient in accomplishing the
actions that have to occur at that
scene. If the on-scene commander
is managing the scene well and is
comfortable with the responsibility,
they are not removed from that posi
tion. Rank or status as volunteer or
paid is not a factor.
I hope that this letter will dispel
some of the misinformation and
hysteria that has been told. Rest
assured, when you call 911, we will
come.
Sincerely,
Chace Bramlett
Gainesville
action was taken on this issue.
•approved several amendments to
the Drug Free Workplace Policy that
was adopted at the March 10 council
meeting. Council members Beverly
Holcomb and Jeff Murray have been
working on this policy for the city.
Murray said 95 percent of the city’s
employees have been trained on the
policy.
•heard from two residents on
Wilbanks Street concerning water
run-off on their property. Ralph
Smith and Theron Ayers came before
the council seeking to have repairs
made to stop the run-off onto their
property. Both residents said the
problems occurred after water line
work was completed in this area.
•heard two citizens speak in oppo
sition to a request to operate a sew
age treatment facility in Baldwin.
Brenda Garcia of Habersham
Retreat, said she opposed the facil
ity on behalf of the 48 residents at
Habersham Retreat and also for 18
clients coming from other areas.
Phyllis Marshall, a Baldwin prop
erty owner, presented the coun
cil with a package of information
from a newspaper in White County
concerning issues with a sewage
treatment operation in that county.
Marshall said these are the same
problems that could face the City of
Baldwin if the facility is approved
for a 32-acre location on Duncan
Bridge Road. Marshall said, “Once
again, as I have asked many times
before, please, please, bring back
our protective city ordinances.”
The council will holds its next
meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday,
April 10, in the courtroom at the
police department on Willingham
Avenue.
BY SHARON HOGAN
Lula leaders are already looking
for projects that could be funded
through a Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
The voters in Hall County have not
approved the SPLOST yet, however,
if the SPLOST is approved, Lula
City Council members are seeking
$3 million to go towards several
city projects. The council approved
the proposal at a meeting last week.
The proposal calls for $600,000
for roads/resurfacing; $600,000 for
park and recreation/expansion of
streetscape; and $1.8 million for
water/sewer projects.
Mayor Milton Turner said that if
voters approve the SPLOST, Lula
would be guaranteed $1.86 million
from the Hall County.
The SPLOST vote will be on the
November ballot for Hall County
voters.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at last week’s
council meeting:
•several residents were in atten
dance expecting the council to dis
cuss the Highland Lakes Subdivision.
Bill Gresham, representing Butler-
Murphy, LLC, is seeking an annexa
tion and rezoning for a planned unit
development for 43.126 acres locat
ed on Railroad Avenue/West County
Line Road. The council voted 3-1 to
table consideration on this request
until April while a traffic study is
being done. Mayor Pro Tem Vicky
Chambers cast the only vote against
tabling the issue.
•the council voted unanimously to
approve a new city map and a new
Downtown Development Authority
boundary map.
•Allen Burnham was approved to
fill the vacant seat on the DDA.
•the council approved a public
hearing for 6 p.m. on Monday, April
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Baldwin City Council adopt
ed a new purchase order system
Monday night following a 50-min
ute closed-door meeting to discuss
“personnel.”
After the meeting was re-opened,
the council unanimously approved
the adoption of a purchase order sys
tem for the city. Mayor Mark Reed
said this was a part of the financial
control plan presented to the council
by Baldwin Financial Advisor Betty
Harper. However, Harper has not
presented any plan to the council
during its recent meetings. Nor was
it made clear Monday night what
the closed-door meeting meeting
about “personnel” had to do with the
adoption of the new purchase order
system. The Georgia Open Records
Law allows personnel discussions to
21, to hear a request for rezoning for
12.68 acres located at 6727 Belton
Bridge Road. The property is cur
rently zoned R-3 residential and
the property owners, Joe and Hilda
Means, are requesting consideration
to CBD central business district
(commercial).
•the council recognized the March
Yard of the Month Winners. They
are: James Ralston, Cobb Street, dis
trict 1; Billy Meeks, Athens Street,
district 2; Edward Stowers, Carter
Street, district 3; Hilton Stafford,
Iron Horse Trail, district 4; and
Raymond Woody, Athens Street,
district 5.
•Tim Haynes, Ayers Circle, Lula,
questioned the council on the matter
of tabling a decision on the Highland
only be on the hiring or firing of a
specific individual.
Under the new system, a purchase
order will be required for all pur
chases and invoices will not be paid
without the accompanying purchase
order. In the event of an emergency,
any city employee could spend an
amount not to exceed $100 without
a purchase order and department
heads can spend an amount not to
exceed $500 without a purchase
order the plan states.
In other business, Mayor Reed:
•announced the city’s Annual
Clean-up Day is scheduled for 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.
Reed said the city would sponsor a
logo contest for students at Baldwin
Elementary School. The winning
logo will be printed on the T-shirts
that all participants will receive.
Lakes Subdivision request. Hayes
said he understood after the meet
ing on Feb. 18 that the matter could
not be tabled again. City Manager
Dennis Bergin said the matter could
only be tabled if the applicants
agreed to it and they actually were
asking that it be tabled until the traf
fic study is complete.
•Haynes also questioned the coun
cil about the length of time it took
for the city to replace a manhole
cover that was brought to their atten
tion at the meeting in February.
The next regularly scheduled meet
ing of the Lula City Council will be
the work session set for 6:30 p.m.
on Monday, April 14, at city hall.
The council meeting will be held at
7 p.m. on Monday, April 21.
More details will be announced later
on this event.
•said the city had done some work
on the street in Whispering Woods
Trailer Park that was brought to
the attention of the council at the
last meeting by Wilton Watkins, a
Habersham County school bus driv
er. Reed said all the problems with
the road are not the responsibility
of the city.
•said the city has received several
positive comments for the work done
on Baldwin Heights Road. He said
the city crews worked to clear the
vision in the curves on this road.
•presented Baldwin Police Chief
Daren Osborn the American Cancer
Society’s Relay for Life bronze
award for raising over $3,000 for
the annual Habersham County Relay
for Life event.
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Director presents finance report to DFACS board
BY SHARON HOGAN
Banks County Department of Family and Children
Services members received the current county expense
report at the monthly meeting on Wednesday.
Kenny Jarvis, secretary, reported to the board that a
total of $3,666 of county funds was spent in February.
Jarvis said DFACS has spent 62 percent of the county
budget with 67 percent of the year complete.
“We are doing O.K. at this time,” he said. “I had hoped
to spend any money left over on some equipment.”
In other business at Wednesday’s meeting:
•board members learned that 103 food stamp applica
tions were distributed at the commodity food distribution
event on Wednesday that lasted for three hours.
•Jarvis said there were 551 active food stamp cases with
a total of $131,318 in February and 37 active TANF cases
totaling $7,634 for the month. The county had 691 family
Medicaid cases in February and 10 childcare cases.
•it was reported the county received 21 child protective
services referrals in February, six were screened out and
15 were accepted. Of the 15 accepted, six were accepted
for investigation and nine were accepted as diversions.
The county had 17 family preservation cases in February,
Jarvis said. Banks County had 19 children in legal cus
tody in February.
•the board members learned that Governor Sonny
Perdue has enacted a hiring freeze that will affect
DFACS. Jarvis said Banks County currently has a full
staff, but if someone were to leave they would not be able
to replace this person.
•Jarvis said DFACS could now conduct food stamp
interviews by phone.
Baldwin officials approve fire truck loan
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin officials adopt purchase order system
MARK PATRICK SEMINARS PRESENTS
Public Hearing
Update to the short term work program and the
land limitation element of the solid waste
management plan for Banks County and the cities
of Homer and Maysville.
The Banks County Board of Commissioners and
the Cities of Homer and Maysville will hold a
public hearing to present a draft update to the
Five-Year Short Term Work Program and the Land
Limitation Element of the Banks County Solid
Waste Management Plan. This partial update to
the Solid Waste Management Plan is required by
the State of Georgia prior to completion of a full
plan update to be conducted from April 2008
through October 2008.
Date: April 1,2008
Time: 5:30 PM
Place: Banks County Courthouse
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