Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PACE 5A
Citizens question Baldwin council about finances E ~ mal1 olerts available f° r website
BY SHARON HOGAN
everal Baldwin residents
questioned Baldwin City
Council members about
the financial state of the city at
Monday's council meeting.
The first resident to speak, Linda
Caudell, said, “I am concerned about
two articles in the paper (The Banks
County News) this week.” One of the
articles Caudell was referring to ran
on the front page of the July 23 edi
tion and the headline read ‘Baldwin
in the red for '07.' The article stated
the city ended 2007 with a negative
$178,000 net balance for the general
fund.
Addressing Interim Mayor Ray
Holcomb, Caudell asked, ‘‘Can you
offer a report to the citizens each
month to let us know how the budget
is running?” Caudell did not receive
an answer to this question.
Caudell also questioned Holcomb
about the firm that is overseeing the
city’s sewer and water plants not
being on the agenda for Monday's
meeting.
‘‘We will have a meeting in August
on this, a public hearing,” Holcomb
said.
Holcomb said, ‘‘We will not be
elaborating on the budget tonight,
our finance manager (Betty Harper)
could not be here. I am very disap
pointed in the way the paper brought
out this audit.”
Caudell said, ‘‘I am very con
cerned about these issues, but I feel
like we need a city manager. I think
if you took a poll in here tonight you
would find that this is what everyone
wants.”
Caudell said she was not saying
Harper is not capable of this. “But
she is not doing her job,” Caudell
said.
Caudell said, “What I am trying
to say is, I have been in business
myself and I don't think you (the
council) should have to go down and
run the city everyday.”
Caudell said the council should
be a mutual board and shouldn’t be
running the day to day operations of
the city.
Caudell said, “Ray, we've had a
city manager in the past.”
Holcomb said, “There is no yes or
no answer to this.”
Caudell said the city is paying
several people to handle the finances
and they need to look at using these
salaries to hire a city manager.
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Baldwin City Council approved
spending an additional $683 for
repairs to the pump at the raw water
station at Monday’s council meeting.
Interim Mayor Ray Holcomb said
the council had previously approved
an estimated cost of $10,405 for
repairs to the pump. When they start
ed taking the pump out for repairs
additional problems were found,
Holcomb said.
“They will have to replace the
external casing,” Holcomb said.
“This is the reason for the additional
cost. This is the pump that gets the
water from the river.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business:
•the council unanimously approved
payment of an invoice to Engineering
Management, Inc., Lawrenceville, for
$29,040 for work on the Park Avenue
water line project. The invoice will
be paid out of grant funds for this
project.
•the council approved a resolu
tion authorizing the adoption of the
Banks County Hazard Mitigation
Plan. “This is a plan that all coun
ties and cities have to go through
for disaster,” Holcomb said. All city
officials have to go through special
training for this. Holcomb said, “This
is necessary for cities and counties to
receive federal mitigating funding,”
Holcomb said. A copy of the plan
will be on fde at city hall for review.
•the council unanimously approved
the surplus of a 1999 Ford F-350
Dually diesel that the fire depart
ment has been using for medical runs
that do not require the crash truck.
Baldwin Fire Chief Joe Roy asked
the council to approve the surplus
sale of this truck and take the money
from the sale of the dually and buy a
smaller vehicle to run the calls with,
to be more cost efficient. Council
member Jeff Murray said, “We’re not
going to have to come up with any
additional money on this.” Holcomb
said the city should be able to sell
the truck for more than was spent to
purchase it. Holcomb said the truck
would be listed on govdeals.com and.
Holcomb said, “Look at the sala
ries of the other cities.”
Caudell said the City of Baldwin
has always had a city manager.
Holcomb disagreed with her on this
issue.
Caudell said, “It’s not working for
the council and the mayor to run the
city.”
Holcomb said all the problems
with the audit have been addressed
with the auditors.
“There are six issues with the
audit and we are $4 million in debt,”
Caudell said.
Caudell also said the citizens were
never told that the city was $178,000
in the red last year. Council member
Beverly Holcomb said the city is
in debt from the 1970s on bonds.
R. Holcomb said the bonds being
referred to were 50-year bonds.
B. Holcomb said, “We are paying
for a sewer plant that is not even
operating that was built in the 70s.”
R. Holcomb said again, “We are
going to set up a meeting to discuss
the finances, but Betty could not
be here tonight because she is in
class.”
Council member Jeff Murray said,
“One thing we have done since I
came on, we have started a bud
get committee with Beverly, Betty
Harper, myself and the newly-elect
ed mayor. We met with the auditors
last week and went over the audit
and asked questions about the audit
and Betty couldn't be here tonight to
discuss this.”
Caudell again asked, “Can we
have a financial statement month
ly?”
R. Holcomb replied, “We'll look
into that.”
Murray said, we meet quarterly on
this and we look at every line item
on every budget. “The council does
it quarterly. Betty probably does this
monthly,” Murray said.
Caudell then asked each council
member individually how they felt
about a city manager. Each council
member said they did not have a
problem with a city manager, but
they were concerned with the funds
to finance this position.
Council member Robert Bohannon
said, “I think a city manager would
be fine, it would take a lot off the
council.”
Council member Rodney King
said, “I am all for it.”
R. Holcomb said, “I would love
“If it doesn’t bring what we want we
don’t have to sell it.” Baldwin resi
dent Andrea Harper said, “Can we
have some assurance that you won’t
spend any more than what the truck
brings.” Holcomb said, “We will not.
We hope to spend less.”
to have a city manager if we could
afford it.”
Baldwin resident Elsie Sumner,
Crooked Pine Trail, said, “I would
like to see a running financial state
ment and our debt on paper. It is
going to be all of us that are in this
pot with this debt.. .1 am so for a city
manager, I cannot begin to tell you
how much. We (Citizens for a Better
Baldwin Group) have offered, if you
will recall, to get involved with you
all with a planning committee to
help you. We have offered to help
and if you all could take another
look at this and see that there are
those of us who are really, really
concerned with what is going on in
our city.”
Sumner said she thought a com
prehensive land plan is in order for
the city also.
“If you don't have that in place,
there are those of use who are will
ing to help,” Sumner said. “I would
hope that you could cut here, cut
there and cut everywhere and ask us
as citizens to do something to help.
Every city needs a city manager.
It would take a great load off the
council.”
Sumner said, “In the hiring of the
water company, that we are paying
$87,000 per month. I'd like to know
how you arrived at that figure or
how they arrived at that figure.”
Sumner asked if it is contractual
and has it been signed for this year.
R. Holcomb said, “It’s an open
account that can be terminated with
90 days notice from either party.”
Holcomb said that as for the plan
ning committee, the citizens have
discussed, “I was hoping we could
wait until after the election so the
new mayor can be part of it.”
Holcomb explained that Woodard
and Curran, the company hired
to run the city's water and sewer
plant, is an engineering management
group.
Sumner said, “There is one more
city in the state of Georgia that has
this water management group. Do
we need this? Can you revisit?”
Holcomb replied the city will be
having a public meeting in August
on this.
Resident James Sumner said, “I
want to state that I, too, believe that
we can't afford not to have a city
manager to run this city. I know ya’ll
do the best job you can. But you need
somebody completely responsible.”
•Holcomb introduced the four can
didates who qualified to seek the
mayor’s seat in the city election in
September. Mike Kelley, Thomas
Loudermilk, Jerry Neace and Mark
Reed qualified during last week’s
qualifying period.
Sumner said this would be like a
company without a chief executive
officer (CEO) to run it. “Who would
run it? The department heads? No,”
Sumner said. “I think you do a good
job, but it is not the same as some
one overseeing it.
OTHER CONCERNS
•Andrea Harper, 501 Willingham
Avenue, asked the council about the
city's comprehensive plan.
B. Holcomb said, “We are working
on that now. We have one that will
be up in 2010.”
Harper asked if this would be
something that a committee could
help with. “Please call on us if we
can help you on the comprehensive
plan, we’ve got to get those grants,”
Harper said. “You might also want
to look at a zoning board to look
over the ordinances,” Harper said.
R. Holcomb said one of the prob
lems with enforcing the ordinances
is that they are outdated.
•Caudell also questioned the coun
cil about a store that is located beside
The Steak House in Baldwin.
Caudell said, “Does the store
beside The Steak House have a busi
ness license?”
R. Holcomb said they do have a
license. City clerk Brandy Kyle said,
“They have a surplus store license.”
Caudell asked, “Are they allowed
to hang stuff outside?” She said she
didn’t think it looked good for the
city. “Is there no code enforcement
for that?” Caudell said.
Holcomb said there is nothing in
the ordinance that says he can or
can’t hang stuff outside. The prop
erty in question is currently zoned
highway business.
Holcomb read the list of business
es allowed under the current code.
“The code doesn't say anything on
this,” Holcomb said.
Caudell said, “Is that not a call
that you and the council can make?”
Holcomb said the council would
need to take a look at this. Caudell
questioned the council about the
city's code enforcement officer and
his salary of $35,000 per year. “Does
he do much code enforcement?”
Caudell asked. Murray said he tried
to keep him busy on this. “He's also
the assistant police chief and the
building inspector,” Murray said.
Code Enforcement Officer Shawn
Rhoades has three jobs with the
city with a total salary of $35,000,
Murray said.
•the council met in closed session
for 50 minutes to discuss litigation
and personnel. No action was taken.
The council will hold their monthly
work session meeting at 6:30 p.m. on
Thursday, August 7, in the courtroom
at the police department.
Be sure to sign up to get an e-mail
alert every time something is added
to The Banks County News website.
The new website, www.
BanksNewsTODAY.com, is updated
several times each week with the lat
est information about what is going
on in Banks County.
Updates are often posted on a
daily basis.
“This gives our readers the ability
to find out the latest about what is
going on in their community,” said
nations. Retests will be included in
the second round of AYP determina
tions, which are usually released in
September.
Erwin said he expects the gradua
tion results to increase to meet AYP
following the August recounts. He
also added that it was more difficult
for schools to make AYP because
of the state's tougher math cur
riculum, more rigorous tests, and
heightened requirements for high
school students. Considering the
higher standards set for meeting
AYP this year, Erwin said he is satis
fied with the system's performance.
Banks County Middle School’s
eighth grade math scores are among
the top 10 in the state. Most middle
school subject areas and subgroups
are far above that of the state and the
region. The students with disabili
ties subgroup at the middle school
scored higher in many areas than the
majority of other schools' overall
student subgroups.
Schools that miss AYP two years
in a row are put on the needs-
improvement list. Those schools
by the authority for expenses incurred
in promoting the county and enter
taining industrial prospects which
shall be paid from the industrial
development funds.” The specific
figure was not included in the draft
document.
Abernathy said the DA decided
that there is no tracking authority on
the one mill tax that is collected for
development authority purposes.
“We want an acknowledgement
signed off on how the money is
used,” Abernathy said.
Abernathy said the DA has been in
existence for 20 years.
“Not a lot of growth during this
time in development,” he said.
The DA recommends that the coun
ty hire either a part-time or a full
time person to work on economic
development in Banks County.
The DA approved a motion at their
meeting on July 16 of $200,000.
At a called meeting on July 21, the
authority voted to kill that motion.
Abernathy said the DA is asking
editor Angela Gary. “This is a new
venture for us and we appreciate
any comments and input on the
process.”
To sign up to be notified when the
site is updated, go to the top of the
page and click on “email alert” and
sign up.
The new BanksNewsTODAY.com
site will also allow viewers to add
comments to articles. Input on the
new website may be sent to the edi
tor atAngieEditor@aol.com.
must offer extra tutoring for strug
gling students and give parents the
option to send their children to
another, higher-performing school.
Schools on the needs-improvement
list for several years in a row face
more severe sanctions, like having
to replace teachers and enter into a
contract with the state on improving
performance.
Regardless of the graduation recal
culations, Banks County High School
will not face any consequences as it
is the first year of not making AYR
A news release issued Friday by
the state Department of Education
explained it was hard for all schools
to make AYP in 2008 for two rea
sons. First, the percentage of stu
dents who had to pass state tests,
such as the Criterion-Referenced
Competency Test and Georgia High
School Graduation Test, in math,
reading and English went up for all
grade levels.
Also, students were doing more
rigorous work and taking more rig
orous tests in 2008, particularly in
mathematics.
the county to help determine the fig
ure that the authority should set aside
for this position.
Hart said at Tuesday’s meeting he
had some issues with the wording in
the agreement.
“I think we need to look at the
wording of the whole contract,” Hart
said.
Abernathy said the county’s attor
ney, Randall Frost, was the one who
drew up the agreement.
Cain said, “As far as approving it
today, I would rather do it when all
three board members are here. I don’t
have a problem with it, but I would
really like for all three members to
be here.”
Commissioner Joe Barefoot was
absent from Tuesday’s BOC meet
ing.
Abernathy said the DA would take
up the language issue at their next
meeting to be held at 9 a.m. on
Wednesday, August 20.
Cain said, “We can take this up at
the next commission meeting.”
/ \
We Need an Effective State Senator
We need a State Senator that can do the people’s business then go back to a job like most everybody else. We do not need any more Professional
Politicians anywhere in America, especially Georgia. Jim Butterworth will be that EFFECTIVE State Senator.
The Nancy Schaefer Campaign has paid large sums of money for attack ads against Jim Butterworth. She has tried to hide the fact that she is
paying for the attack ads. Get out your magnifying glass and read the small print in last week’s paper. It says “Paid for by the Candidate” at
the bottom of each of these attacks. Why did she not bring this issue up earlier in the campaign? Because she knows the people of Georgia do not
want or need a legislature like we have in Washington D.C.
Does Nancy Schaefer want your government controlled only by retired rich people or others who don’t have to work?
Schaefer is attacking Jim Butterworth because he has a job!
Jim Butterworth has served on the Habersham County Commission for the past three and a half years. In this time, he has been vice chairman and
now is chairman of the Board of Commissioners. He has missed one meeting in all the time he has been in office. This is the best record of any
current commissioner. Habersham County is the home county of both Butterworth and Schaefer. In the election held on July 15, Butterworth
received 3315 votes from Habersham County. Schaefer received 1401 votes from Habersham County. This says that Habersham County people
believe Butterworth can be effective. Again, this is the home county of both candidates.
Some State Politicians are crying out for large pay increases for the state legislature. They want the pay increased from the current $17,000 per year to
$52,000 or even $70,000 per year. Check out this May 2008 article on the internet:
http://georgiaunfiltered.blogspot.com/2008/05/state-legislators-pay-increase-would.html
Is Nancy Schaefer one of these big spenders? These big spenders say it would only cost 12.2 million dollars I
per year in additional tax money to fund the new higher salaries.
Enough is Enough. These legislators are out of touch. Four dollar gas and three dollar bread seem to mean nothing to them.
Send all these professional legislators a message on August 5.
Vote for Smaller More Efficient Government
Vote for Jim Butterworth on August 5 th
Paid for by Citizens to Elect Jim Butterworth
Baldwin council gives approval for repairs to water station
AYP... continued from page 1A
Brown... continued from page 1A