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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008
PUBLIC HEARING
The Banks County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing on the proposed Comprehensive
Plan at Tuesday's meeting, July 22. Adele Kushner (second from left) and Larry Long (third from
left) addressed the commissioners about the proposed plan. Also shown are (L to R): newly-
elected BOC chairman Hilton Dalton, development authority chairman Wayne Abernathy, county
clerks Erin Decker and Jenni Gailey, BOC chairman Gene Hart, and tax commissioner Margaret
Ausburn. Photo by Sharon Hogan
Hearing held on county comprehensive plan
Commissioners select landscaping firm
BY SHARON HOGAN
Several Banks County residents
spoke to the Banks County Board of
Commissioners about the county’s
comprehensive plan at the public
hearing on Tuesday, July 22.
The county staff, along with Lee
Walton, MacTec Engineering, have
been working on the comprehensive
plan for several months. The com
munity agenda has been developed
and is available on the Banks County
website for public viewing.
BOC chairman chairman Gene
Hart and commissioner Rickey
Cain voted to approve the resolu
tion for the comprehensive plan.
Commissioner Joe Barefoot was
absent from Tuesday's meeting.
Walton said the community agen
da will be submitted to the Georgia
Mountains Regional Development
Commission and the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs.
The plan is to adopt the comprehen
sive plan in October, Walton said.
Larry Long, Forestar Real Estate
Group, said: “Even though the econ
omy has slowed down, a lot of
people are looking at land in Banks
County.”
Long said his group owns about
6,000 acres total located all over
Banks County, as well as about
1,000 acres in the Martin Bridge
Road area of the county. One of the
group’s concerns is the area around
the Martin Bridge Road area.
“We think whoever builds in the
Martin Bridge Road area should be
held to higher standards,” he said.
Residential is not allowed in that
area at the current time. Long said.
“You want people to live in close
proximity to where they work,”
Long said.
Long asked the commissioners
to consider having mixed types of
development in the Martin Bridge
Road area. Long said planning was
needed to designate uses in that
area. “We would like to see retail,
office, distribution and residential
all in that area,” Long said.
Long also discussed the types of
signage that should be allowed in
the Martin Bridge Road area.
“We want to see monument-type
signage in the Martin Bridge Road
area, not just pole signage,” he said.
Long also said a parallel road
should be included in the transporta
tion element of the comprehensive
plan for the Martin Bridge Road
area.
“Once you do a good plan for that
area, it can be used as a marketing
tool for that area,” he said.
Long also said the Forestar Group
felt like the Hudson River in Banks
County is an important amenity for
the county.
“It can be used as an amenity, not
just a buffer,” Long said.
Banks County resident Adele
Kushner asked the commissioners
for a copy of the comprehensive
plan that is being submitted to the
RDC and DCA. Kushner said she
had missed most of the previous
meetings on this issue.
Walton encouraged those in atten
dance to send in written comments
about the comprehensive plan over
the next 45 days.
“Written comments will be very
helpful,” he said.
BY SHARON HOGAN
Banks County Board of
Commission Chairman Gene Hart
and commissioner Rickey Cain
chose the landscaping firm to han
dle work at the new annex building
and at the courthouse at Tuesday’s
meeting, July 22. Representatives
from two firms were interviewed at
the meeting prior to approval.
County administrative assistant
Angela Sheppard said the county
had requested proposals from land
scaping firms based on what the
county had budgeted to spend on
the project. “The county put out a
bid amount to be spent on this and
did not do the low bid-type thing on
this,” Sheppard said.
Hart and Cain approved Tiger
Landscaping, Braselton, to do the
job. Trevis Richardson, owner, pre
sented the county with a total cost
of $73,470 for landscaping at both
buildings.
Steve Hausman, Southeastern
Landscape Corporation, Hoschton,
presented a cost of $74,760 to the
county.
Cain made the motion to go with
Tiger Landscaping, upon approval
of the references Richardson pre-
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
What a difference a month makes.
Thirty days ago, officials predict
ed that Banks-Jackson-Commerce
Medical Center would end its
2007-08 fiscal year $124,000 in the
black.
But on Monday, Finance Director
Bill Williams put the year-end esti
mate at $197,000 in the red — a
number he said could climb with
audit adjustments.
“We had more bad debt, $650,000,
and charity care, $150,000 in June,”
Williams explained. “We had a
much worse month in June than we
anticipated.”
Williams expects the explosion of
un-reimbursed healthcare to con
tinue. He increased the amount bud
geted for bad debt and charity care
in the 2008-09 fiscal year, which
began July 1, by two percent, to 12
percent.
“It’s hitting all the hospitals,” said
Williams. “We are in an economic
slump. People are losing their jobs
and losing their health insurance. I
don’t see an end to it right now: it
sented.
“I like some of the things included
in his plan that are not on the other
plan,” Cain said.
Both representatives told the com
missioners that the landscape plans
presented were low maintenance.
Both agreed to provide assistance
with the watering schedule and
other maintenance questions.
Richardson said, “We will come
by at least once a week for at least
eight weeks to keep a check on
everything.”
The county plans to start land
scaping at the new annex building
around August 1. The move to the
new building is planned for mid-
August.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Tuesday’s
meeting the commissioners:
•approved spending $8,060 to
purchase software for the tax com
missioner's office.
The software will enable Banks
County residents to pay property
taxes online. The software will be
purchased from Taylor Business
Services, Statesboro. Tax commis
sioner Margaret Ausburn said, “We
want to get this up and running
will get worse before it gets better.”
Williams and CEO Jim Yarborough
told the BJC Medical Center
Authority Monday that a “disturbing
trend” shows a substantial increase
in “self-pay” customers — some
thing of a misnomer because most
of them don’t pay.
Most of that — Yarborough esti
mated two-thirds — is coming
through the Emergency room where
people come for treatment of non
emergency cases.
That trend could force the hospital
to screen patients and either reject
or demand payment in advance for
those seeking treatment that doesn’t
qualify as “emergency,” Williams
and Yarborough said.
For the past fiscal year, bad debt
was up almost $2 million to $5.3
million — 58 percent — while char
ity care was up almost $500,000 to
$1.24 million.
The good news was that gross rev
enue was also up $7 million to $59.5
million and contractual adjustments
amounted to 41 percent of that -
down two percent over the previous
by the time the 2008 tax bills hit
the mail. The assessments are out
now.” Cain said, “I don’t have a
problem with this. This is already in
your budget. I don’t want us to fall
behind on this.”
•approved an additional charge of
$3,346 on the lighting contract for
the annex building with Georgia
Power. The additional charge is to
cover the cost of placing light poles
on both sides of the street out to the
annex building.
•approved Hart to sign the annu
al Legacy Link FY2009 Nutrition
Contract. The contract is $118,911
county non-match local resources
contract.
•approved Hart to sign the annu
al Family Connection FY2009
Contract for $50,000.
•agreed to surplus some of the
courthouse furniture and furnish
ings that will not be moved to the
new facility. A complete list of the
items that will be available can be
viewed at the courthouse or on the
county’s website at www.co.banks.
ga.us. The county plans to hold a
public sale at the courthouse on
these items. A date and time will be
announced later.
year, and a good trend, Yarborough
pointed out. Overall, however, the
hospital collected just over 50 cents
for every dollar of service rendered.
The report projects that the hos
pital has cash on hand equal to
only one day’s operating expenses.
However, a $204,000 payment from
Medicaid is expected soon.
Final figures for the 2007-08 fiscal
year won’t be ready until the year-
end audit is completed. The auditors
have been at the medical center for a
week gathering the data.
SOME GOOD NEWS
In other business, the author
ity signed a contract with Ellis Pain
Management to operate a pain man
agement practice on Tuesdays and
Thursdays at the medical center’s
“specialty clinic.” That contract
brings to five the number of spe
cialty services located in the facil
ity, which is off Old U.S. 441 near
Hospital Road.
“With them, we have doctors
in there every day of the week,
Monday through Friday,” Williams
pointed out.
Budget, water concerns topics at Maysville retreat
BJC Medical expected to end year in the red
BY JUSTIN POOLE
The 2009 budget, water con
cerns, sewer issues and downtown
development were all part of the
discussion during a Maysville City
Council retreat. The council held
the retreat at Unicoi State Park in
Helen Saturday.
The council agreed that the retreat
was beneficial and another retreat
has tentatively been scheduled for
October 18 in Maysville.
Discussion about the 2009 bud
get was the first subject on the list
of items that the council reviewed.
Mayor Jerry Baker said that despite
being slightly over budget in a few
areas, mainly fuel costs, the budget
overall is good.
One concern raised was the
income paid into the city by resi
dents using city water and other
utilities. Council member Stephan
Lewis commented that it is a bad
time to be in the water business
due to drought conditions.
One possible solution for the city
would allow WastePro to collect
its own billing for trash pickup.
“We are losing money,” Baker
said. “We are paying it out if we
get paid or not. If they pick up and
move, we are stuck with the [bill].
In the upcoming year, we have got
to be very careful with this bud
get, because if we [do not have]
customers that are paying we are
going to be in the red.”
On another matter related to
WastePro, the council discussed
the status of the promised recy
cling bins and the contract. Besides
a few issues with the initial change
in service, the WastePro service
has been received well by resi
dents.
Other matters discussed on the
budget ranged from local busi
nesses and Community Bank &
Trust coming into the city to the
funds available for streetlights. On
the matter of streetlights, the initial
estimated cost would be $8,000.
Clay Dorsey said, “Number one,
it should have been developer’s
responsibility. We can change that
for the future, but cannot do any
thing about the past. Developers
should be responsible for initial
cost, after that homeowners should
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decide if they want to cover it.”
The council seemed to favor
imposing future developers with
the cost of putting in the lights,
while addressing key safety areas
as it becomes feasible.
The council also spent time dis
cussing the following topics:
•fuel costs from the police depart
ment and the water department’s
dip into the red caused the council
to discuss adding funds to cover
the cost of fuel while maintain
ing the departments conservation
methods.
•the need for personnel for the
police department, Downtown
Development Authority, library
and a Class III operator required
by the EPD.
•city property and proposed uses
involving public parking and city
parks.
•status of various buildings in
downtown and city owned proper
ties.
•water concerns focused on the
drilling of wells to supply the city
and the ways to cover the cost of
monitoring consumption.
Back to School Safety Awareness event set Aug. 2
A Back to School Safety
Awareness Day will be held at
Wal-mart at Banks Crossing on
August 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in
the parking lot.
The agencies that will be involved
will be Banks County Fire & EMS,
Banks County Sheriff’s Office,
Commerce Police Dept, and the
BJC receives help in
recent purchases
BJC Medical Center got help from
two sources recently for equipment
purchases.
The BJC Medical Center Auxiliary
voted to spend $7,000 to purchase
two “Data scope Vital Signs”
machines for the Northeast Wing of
the hospital. Some $1,245 it made
on its Christmas In July Jewelry
Sale went towards the purchase.
Also, the Hospital Foundation
agreed to spend $12,500 for a blad
der scanner for the hospital.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
“We will have lots of different
events for the kids to participate in
such as face painting and a moon
walk,” organizers said. “We will
have the fire safety house on hand
for the kids to go through and
see what it would be like if their
house catches on fire. We will have
ambulances, fire trucks and a lad
der truck on hand. Sparky, the fire
dog, will be making an appearance
for all the kids to see. We will also
have child ID kits to give to all the
kids.”
All events will be free.
For more information, contact
Mark Savage at 706-367-6037.
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Banks County Commissioners
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Banks County Commissioners will adopt
the FY 2009 Budget at the Commissioners
meeting on August 12, 2008 at 6:30 in the
Courtroom of the Banks County Courthouse.
Banks County Commissioners
BUDGET HEARINGS & MEETINGS
The Banks County Commissioners will hold a
public hearing on July 31, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.
and 6:00 p.m. in the conference room of the
Banks County Courthouse. The purpose of the
hearing is for public review and input on the
FY 2009 budget.
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Grove Recreation
Announces:
SOCCER REGISTRATION
When: Saturday, August 2 & 9
9:00 am -1:00 pm
Where: Grove Level Baptist
Recreational Building
Cost: $45 per child
Age Groups: 4-6, 7-9, & 10-12
Registration is open to the public.
Contact:
David Vaughn - 706-652-3742
david.vaughn@grovelevel.com
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