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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PACE 3A
BOC increases public transportation rate
Trotter named to housing authority board
BY SHARON HOGAN
BY SHARON HOGAN
The Banks County Board of
Commissioners unanimously
approved an increase in public
transportation fees at its meeting
on Tuesday.
The fee for transportation ser
vice depends on the distance
of the trip. The charge for each
one way trip is: $3 for Homer,
Lula and within Banks County;
$4 for Commerce, Cornelia and
Demorest; and $8 for Athens,
Gainesville, Toccoa, Royston and
Jefferson.
Riders will be charged an
additional one way trip fee per
hour after one hour of waiting.
Additional stops will be $1 per
stop.
The rate increase is necessary
due to the price of fuel, BOC
Chairman Gene Hart said.
The new rates will take effect on
November 1.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at Tuesday’s
meeting, the board:
•approved a capital fund trans
fer of $1,698 to cover the heating
and air unit for the recreation
department.
•approved payment of an addi
tional tax of $16,215 to the state
due to a deviation in the property
assessment ratio.
•heard a request from Piedmont
Judicial Circuit District Attorney
RickBridgeman to increase the sal
ary for Assistant District Attorney
Sam Small. Bridgeman requested
a $5,000 increase in the salary
for Small. Hart said, “Everybody
else got three-and-one-half per
cent. I want to go on record in
opposition to this.’’ Commissioner
Joe Barefoot opposed the request
also. Commissioner Rickey Cain
was absent from the meeting.
Bridgeman said, “I think I have
the authority to transfer $5,000
from the investigators position
to the assistant DA position. I
want to make the board aware
of what I can do within my bud
get.’’ Bridgeman added, “It will
be a problem keeping qualified
assistant DAs in Banks County if
we don’t offer them comparable
salaries as in Barrow and Jackson
counties.’’
•approved a resolution
authorizing the transmittal of
a 10-year update to the Banks
County solid waste management
plan to the Georgia Mountains
Regional Development Center
and the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs.
•unanimously approved a court
business official location desig
nation resolution. The resolution
states certain hearing and trials
will be held in the historic Banks
County Courthouse and certain
hearings and trails and court busi
ness will be held in the old Banks
County Elementary School while
the Banks County courthouse is
undergoing renovations.
•approved a comprehensive
environmental health ordinance
identifying and adopting those
rules and regulations enacted
by the Banks County Board of
Health.
•approved a three-tier employee
insurance plan with Blue Cross
Blue Shield. The three-tier plan
will affect 31 employees. They
will have to pay an additional $35
per month for their insurance.
•tabled action on Development
Authority Industrial Development
funds. The item was tabled until
the October 14 meeting.
•approved the Georgia Indigent
Defense Services Contract at a
cost of $95,821. This is a $7,000
increase over the previous year.
•approved the public transpor
tation capital contract at a cost
of $3,300. This is an 80/20 state
contract.
•unanimously approved the
public transportation operating
contract at a cost of $3,904. This
is a 50/50 matching contract.
•approved a change order in
the amount of $39,045 for the
courthouse renovation project.
The change order is necessary to
cover items needed in the sally
port area, Hart said.
•agreed to re-appoint Jimmy
Morrison, JackBanks and Wayne
Abernathy to the Industrial
Building Authority each to serve
another five-year term. Hart said
this authority only meets on an
as needed basis.
•agreed to submit the names
of Jimmy Hooper, Clyde
McArthur, Kenneth Flint,
Michael Williams and Danny
Maxwell to the BJC Medical
Authority for consideration to
fill the six-year term currently
held by Jimmy Hooper.
•told Bob Blackwell that a
variance for a reduction in lot
size could not be approved legal
ly. Hart said he contacted several
attorneys about this and was told
it is not legal for the county to
do this. Blackwell was seeking
the variance for a lot size of .98
acre on Sterling Drive in Windy
Knoll Subdivision. Barefoot
said, “I want Mr. Blackwell to
understand we cannot do this.’’
Barefoot asked Blackwell to
withdraw his request to which
Blackwell complied.
Banks County Family
Connection Director Robin
Trotter has been appointed to
the Homer Housing Authority
Board.
Trotter said at the monthly
meeting of Family Connection
on Thursday, “Through the
housing authority, we are
looking at a lot of opportuni
ties to bring in funding.’’
Trotter said she is excited
to be on this board that is
looking at additional hous
ing opportunities for Banks
County residents.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at
Thursday’s Family
Connections meeting:
•Pat Westmoreland,
Generous Hearts, presented
the transportation team report.
In August, the two vans made
a total of 219 trips, 22 medi
cal trips, 133 employment
trips, 31 social and activity
trips, 16 education trips and
17 personal shopping trips.
•Stacy Morgan, Banks
County School System, said
the first middle school career
day held in May was a huge
success.
•Trotter reported that 218
kids have been served thus far
by the Supplies For Success
program. Trotter said $3,000
was collected for this pro
gram.
•Trotter reported on the
impact of budget cuts. Next
year, Banks County will lose
$1,000 in funding and $3,000
the year after that, Trotter
said.
•Trotter said Generous
Hearts held two mobile food
banks this year. The one in
June served a total of 125
people and one in September
that served 144 people. The
organization has already
ordered 300 turkeys for the
event.
•Kevin Guidry, Piedmont
Judicial Circuit Juvenile
Courts Judge, announced a
state-sponsored planning
summit set for 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at
the Jefferson Civic Center.
•Trotter announced the
upcoming Safety Festival
set for 5 p.m. until dark on
Monday, Sept. 29, in front
of the Historic Courthouse
in downtown Homer. The
event is being sponsored by
Banks County Emergency
Management, Banks County
Fire and EMS, the Banks
County Sheriff’s Office,
Banks County E-911 and the
Town of Homer. The event is
open to the entire family.
•David Carithers,
Redemption Outreach
Ministries, announced a fall
event for the entire family to
be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on
Saturday, Nov. 1, in down
town Homer. “This is an alter
nate to Halloween,’’ Carithers
said.
•Cheryl Brown, Peace Place,
said a candlelight vigil will be
held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday,
Oct. 14, at the Barrow County
Courthouse to honor victims
of domestic violence.
•Sharon Clark, Lanier Tech,
said an open house is set
for Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the
Banks County Adult Learning
Center. “We are focused on
getting people a GED,’’ Clark
said. “We are now offering
developmental study courses.’’
The center is working on the
WorkForce Ready Program
and the WorkKeys Program,
Clark said.
The next regularly sched
uled meeting of Banks County
Family Connection will be
held at 10 a.m. on Thursday,
Oct. 16, at the Banks County
Recreation Department,
Thompson Street, Homer.
Early voting continued from page 1A
Baldwin man dies in 1-85 wreck last Thurs.
A 55-year-old Baldwin man was killed early
Thursday morning when he was ejected from
his vehicle in an accident in the southbound lane
of Interstate 85 about a mile north of Maysville
Road. The accident occurred at about 6:05 a.m.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Paul
Phillip Guynn’s 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe was
struck in the rear by a 2007 Chevy Cobalt. The
collision caused Guynn’s vehicle to flip, ejecting
Guynn.
No charges have been levied pending the
completion of an investigation by the GSP’s
Specialized Reconstruction Team, a spokesman
for the patrol said.
The accident closed the southbound lane of
1-85 until late Thursday morning.
To find early voting locations
and operating hours in your
county, contact your county
registrar’s office. Contact infor
mation can be found on the
Election Center website.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4,
2008. Voters can find voter reg
istration information, including
polling locations and legislative
districts on the state website.
Voters casting ballots in-per-
son during early voting or on
Election Day will be required
to show one of the following six
forms of photo ID:
•A Georgia driver’s license,
even if expired;
•Any valid state or federal
government issued photo ID,
including a free Voter ID Card
issued by a county registrar or
Georgia Department of Driver
Services (DDS);
•Valid U.S. passport;
•Valid employee photo ID
from any branch, department.
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agency, or entity of the U.S.
Government, Georgia, or any
county, municipality, board,
authority, or other entity of the
state;
•Valid U.S. military photo ID;
or
•Valid tribal photo ID.
child protective services refer
rals in August, nine cases were
accepted and two were screened
out. The county has 19 ongoing
cases, Jarvis said. Banks County
has 10 children in legal custody
and eight children boarding in the
county from other counties. Jarvis
said Banks County has four fos
ter homes and one home that is
under study at this time.
The next regularly scheduled
meeting will be held at 2 p.m.
on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the
DFACS office in Homer.
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