Newspaper Page Text
50<t • Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 45 No. 12
School
BCHS students in
Normandy
8A
Sports
State archery
champions
Community
Saddle Club
adventure _ _
9A
BANKS COUNTY BUDGET
Commissioners cut line by line
BY SHARON HOGAN
As budget talks continued on
Friday afternoon, the Banks County
Board of Commissioners continued
to make cuts in the $12.59 million
requested budget for fiscal year 2014.
The BOC met with Banks County
E-911 Director Deidre Moore to go
over her proposed $817,506 FY2014
budget line by line.
Moore proposed adding three full
time dispatchers, to bring the number
to three per shift, a training officer
and an administrative assistant.
The BOC recommended adding
two-full time dispatchers, bringing the
total number to 12, and a clerk that
could do clerical, training and dis
patch work.
The commissioners recommend
ed cuts totaling over $116,000, bring
ing the proposed budget to around
$701,477.
The BOC also discussed briefly
some additional cuts in other depart
ments, bringing the recommended
FY2014 budget down to $12.21 million.
Banks County Finance Director
Randy Failyer advised the BOC that
in a meeting with the district attorney,
the DA requested $1,250 be added to
the law clerk salary, $500 be added
to travel and $4,000 be added to jury
script - increasing the $255,030 rec
ommended by $5,750.
BOC chairman Jimmy Hooper
commented about the requested
$41,500 to lease six new vehicles for
the Banks County Sheriff’s Office.
Hooper said he had looked over
the proposed lease agreement thor
oughly. “We can’t count on seized
money, gentlemen. The lease of six
cars now might take care of the
immediate need,” Hooper said.
Commissioners Charles Turk said,
“I think we need to get a price on six
cylinder cars. That would decrease
the price.”
Failyer advised the BOC that a cut
of $5,000 had been made in the
requested $21,000 for uniforms for
the sheriff’s office.
The BOC recommended a cut of
$25,000 to the $125,000 requested by
the health department, bringing the
recommended budget to $100,000 -
the same as FY2013.
Turk said, “I go back to if the feds
don’t think it is important enough to
fund it, why should we?”
Hooper advised the commission
ers that he was surveying some of
the county’s departments to see if
they could be half-time or possibly
contracted out.
“I will let you know what by survey
shows later,” Hooper said.
No additional budget meetings
have currently been set.
TURNING POTTERY
As he demonstrates the pottery wheel, Benny Ray “BR” Holcomb (L) turns a piece a pottery Saturday morning during the
annual Pottery Festival at Midway United Methodist Church, Gillsville as Gillsville City Council member Keith Segars looks
on. See more photos on page 3A. Photo by Sharon Hogan
Inside
•Trees fall in
Maysville
— page 5A
•Pet blessing coming
up
— page 5B
• Author to be at Day
at the Fort
— page 2A
Other news
• Social
-7A
• Church
— 5B
• Obituaries
- 11A
• Public Safety
- 5A-6A
• Legals
- 6B-9B
• Sports
- 1B-3B
• School
- 12A
• Classifieds
- 10B-12B
RAINY DAY PARADE
Several horses and riders braved the rain on Saturday to take part in the Lula Railroad Days
parade. A short parade was held but the rest of the annual festival was cancelled due to the rain.
See more photos from the parade on page 3A. Photo by Kern Seipie
Day at the Fort includes tours,
Civil War re-enactment, food
A Day at the Fort will be held on
Saturday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. at Fort Hollingsworth-White
House.
The fort is located in Banks County,
just off Hwy. 441 between Cornelia
and Homer, in the Hollingsworth
Community, 2307 Wynn Lake Rd.
Alto.
Activities will include: Tours of the
frontier fort built in 1793, car show,
music, storytelling, 1860s Civilian
Society dance, food, including bar
becue and fried pies, Civil War re
enactment and arts and crafts.
Admission is free. Those who attend
are invited to bring a lawn chair.
For more information, check out
the website at www.forthollingsworth-
whitehouse.com, email - fort@forthol-
lingsworth-whitehouse.com or call
706-499-8579 or 706-244-1239.
BCHS
graduation
takes place
on May 24
The graduation
ceremony for
Banks County High
School will be held
at 8 p.m. on Friday,
May 24, in the sta
dium.
MAYSVILLE
City moves
forward on
water, road
projects
BY ALEX PACE
The city of Maysville is moving forward
with the Ridgeway Court water and road
projects.
Monday night, the Maysville City Council
approved the contractor for the continua
tion of the projects. The lowest bid went
to Griffin Brothers, Inc. at $155,138. This
is about $37,000 more than what was origi
nally expected.
Chip McGaughey of EMI, the Ridgeway
Court project manager, explained that
because the size of the project is small,
the cost of the pipe is more expensive. The
water project will include an upgrade of
2700 feet of water pipe.
The city won’t be paying for the projects
out of pocket. The water project and a por
tion of the road project will be covered by
SPLOST funds. The city can also use funds
from the DOT’s Local Maintenance and
Improvement Grant (LMIG) to cover the
costs of the road project.
Contracts will be drafted and sent to
Griffin Brothers, Inc. for approval this week.
McGhaughey anticipates the company will
be able to break ground in early June.
The project will be completed in mid-
September.
OTHER BUSINESS
• an update was given on the city’s water
line project that covers the water lines on
the Jackson County side of Maysville. The
design for the project is 70 percent finished
and is anticipated to be completed in June.
McGaughey advised that the council’s next
step should be to meet with the city attor
ney to discuss easement of the properties
the water line would include.
•Catherine Daniel spoke about updates
on the gazebo and the attempts to clean up
the cemetery.
Southern Nationals
now on May 10-11
The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA
Southern Nationals has been postponed
due to rain. The race is scheduled to
be completed Friday and Saturday, May
10-11.
Sportsman classes will be allotted one
time trial run before going into elimina
tions. The Professional classes will have
qualifying sessions at 2 and 4 p.m. on
Friday and begin final eliminations at 11
a.m. on Saturday.
All purchased tickets can be used
towards a credit for the rescheduled date
next weekend or towards the 2014 event.
For further ticket information, contact the
NHRA Ticket Office at 1-800-884-6472.
