Newspaper Page Text
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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2008
BOC approves 3.5 percent county pay raise
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Banks County Board of
Commissioners approved a 3.5 per
cent raise for county employees at
its meeting on Tuesday night.
Commission chairman Gene Hart
made a recommendation to give
county employees a minimum three
percent raise. Commissioner Rickey
Cain said with gas prices going
to four dollars per gallon, he felt
like the employees should receive a
3.5 percent raise. That is the same
amount as last year’s increase.
Cain made a motion to approve
the 3.5 percent raise and to put a
$400 cap on the cost of employee
insurance.
Human Resources director Judy
Greer said the county has 165
employees who currently have insur
ance through the county. The current
cap was $350.
Cain and Hart agreed unanimously
to the 3.5 percent raise and the $400
insurance cap. Commissioner Joe
Barefoot was absent from Tuesday’s
meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the meeting on
Tuesday the board:
•postponed a decision on spend
ing $600 for training expenses for
Senior Magistrate Judge Henry
David Banks until its meeting on
April 22. Hart said the county is
currently spending $300 for this
training, but Banks has indicated
for the past two years that this is not
enough to cover his expenses for this
training.
•unanimously approved the annu
al contract with Traylor Business
Services, Inc. for the personal prop
erty verification program in the
appraisers office. Approval was also
given to the contract for Phase II
and III of the update on the current
appraisal system.
•approved a contract price of
$32,480 with the Georgia Department
of Transportation to provide gravel
for 6.9 miles of county roads.
•approved a change order in
the amount of $5,921 to Turner
Construction Company on the court
house annex project. The change
order covers the cost of a support
beam that was left out of the project
by the architect.
•postponed making a nomination
to the Development Authority to fill
the three-year term currently held
NATIONAL COUNTY GOVERNMENT WEEK
Banks County Commission Chairman Gene Hart (L) and com
missioner Rickey Cain recognized National County Government
Week during the meeting on Tuesday night. After the meeting
refreshments were served to those in attendance.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
by Terrance Dale. Hart said he had
received a couple more applications
for this position and he wanted to
give Cain and Barefoot a chance
to review these names. This will
be on the agenda for the April 22
meeting.
•agreed to sign a solid waste trans
mittal resolution to be presented
to the Georgia Mountain Regional
Development Center and the state.
County administrator Angela
Sheppard said this is a short-term
plan for the county’s solid waste
program.
•approved a low bid of $95,781
to Sunbelt Structures to repair four
bridges in the county. A bid of
$107,000 was received from Coronett
Bridge and Tanner Construction pre
sented a bid of $161,802 on the proj
ect. The bridges slated for repair are
located on Duncan Road, Soapstone
Road, Wilson Bridge Road and
Harden Bridge Road. Hart said the
county would receive $20,676 from
the state to be used on the project.
The county has $59,800 in its bridge
repair fund, Hart said, and $15,300
can be moved from the road fund to
cover the total cost of this project.
•gave approval for the Georgia
Rural Water Authority to conduct
the county’s water and sewer rate
study and ordinance proposal. The
cost to the county for Georgia Rural
Water to conduct this study will be
Building... continued from page 1A
“We hope to be able to pay for these
projects completely with SPLOST
funds,” Hart said. “We want to do this
without using any money from the
general fund.”
The chairman said new furniture
will have to be purchased and road
improvements will have to be made.
In other business at last week’s
called meeting, the BOC:
•agreed to buy a communica
tions system for the new admin-
istrative complex from Ansley
Communications for $82,000. There
was discussion of whether to lease a
system but commissioners decided to
purchase one.
•Hart also told the commissioners
judges have asked for funding for a
jury gathering space to be constructed
when courthouse renovations begin.
Currently, there is no place for jurors
to meet when court sessions take
brief recesses.
The Neighborhood Healthcare Center in
Braselton, the office of
Dr. Raymond Easley, has closed.
Please call (706) 654-3300 by Friday, May 9, 2008, to
obtain a copy of your medical record. Medical records
of patients who have not been seen in over 10 years will
be destroyed, and other patients’ charts will be sent to a
storage facility after this date.
an affiliate of Northeast Georgia Health System, lnc. T
4962 Highway 53 | Braselton, Georgia 30517
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the cost of travel reimbursement for
a representative to travel to Banks
County from south Georgia and
spend a couple of days working on
this project. Sheppard recommended
that the county’s engineers, Rindt
McDuff Associates, look over the
proposal since they are familiar with
future capital projects for Banks
County.
•approved a lease, contingent upon
approval by Banks County Attorney
Randall Frost, for Uchee Lodge Boy
Scouts to use county property.
•approved a request by District
Attorney Rick Bridgeman for the
county to disburse 35 percent of the
victim’s assistance funds.
•agreed to seek an additional bid
on work to modify the front lawn at
the recreation department. Hart said
only one bid has been received on
this project at this point.
•Hart announced the upcoming
public auction planned for 9 a.m.,
Saturday, April 19. The county will
be selling off surplus property. The
items can be viewed on Friday, April
18, at the county shop on Oscar
Rucker Road and at the old jail in
downtown Homer.
•approved the transfer of a beer/
wine package license for Lewallen’s
Grocery. Hart said the storeowners
are leasing their store to The Patel
Corporation.
•celebrated National County
Government Week with refresh
ments.
•The board will hold its next meet
ing at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April
22, at the courthouse.
Alto OKs annexation of 14 acres
BY JUSTIN POOLE
The Alto City Council approved
the annexation of 13.94 acres at its
meeting Tuesday night. The land
reportedly has nothing built on
it and runs from Tucker Drive to
Wynn Shoals Road.
It abuts Mayor Audrey Turner’s
property.
After a brief public hearing at
which there was no opposition,
the council voted to approve the
annexation. The county govern
ment now has to approve the coun
cils’ decision.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•the council voted to increase
the water meter rate by $100 due
to an increase of material costs.
The new rates will be $600 inside
and $700 outside for the purchase
of a meter.
•tabled a discussion of pur
chasing of .35 acres located on
McDaniel Street. The appraisal
for the property totals $5,000; the
owner is asking $7,200.
•received the police department’s
monthly report for March.
Comprehensive... continued from page 1A
pants helped planners have a better
understanding of the unique char
acter areas within Banks County,
focusing on the county’s natural
resources, corridors, neighbor
hoods and rural communities.
A community preference sur
vey was conducted with partici
pants rating 100 images of various
development types ranging from
rural to urban.
The MACTEC planners will
present the results of the input
gathered at the visioning workshop
1PIE
at a meeting planned for Tuesday,
April 15, at 6 p.m. at the Banks
County Senior Citizen’s Center on
Thompson Street.
The steering committee members
include a mix of county officials,
key property owners, residents,
community leaders, chamber of
commerce and other economic
development professionals, com
munity service providers and oth
ers with some stake in the future
development of the county and
region.
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