Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

The www.MadisonJournalTODAY.com JANUARY 8, 2009 Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006 Vol. 24 No. 2 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 22 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements Two arrested after high speed chase Two men were ar rested by Madison County deputies following a high speed chase in Hull Tuesday afternoon. — Page 3A Bball teams victorious at Hab. Tues. Both the Madison County boys’ and girls’ basketball teams won at Habersham Central Tuesday night. — Page 1B Wrestlers gear up for area duals The Madison Coun ty wrestling team will travel to Clarke County Friday and Saturday for the area duals. — Page 1B Opinions Frank Gillispie talks about a solution to the nation’s manu facturing woes. Zach Mitcham discusses media coverage of the economy. — Page 4A Index: News—1-3A.5-6A Opinions— 4A Crime— 7A Churches—7A Obituaries— 12A Sports— 1-2B Socials — 3B Legate—4-9B Schools— 10B Contact: Phone: 706-795-2567 Fax: 706-795-2765 Mail: P.O. Box 658, Danielsville, GA 30633 Web: MadisonJoumalTODAY.com TAXES Two resign from assessor board Recommendation on new chief appraiser shot doivn, 3-2; Ragland named new BOA chairman By Margie Richards margie@mainstreetnews.com Turmoil and strife continue to plague the county's assessor board and staff as the new year begins. Two Madison County board of assessor members resigned this week after the board failed to accept a rec ommendation made by one of them for a new chief appraiser. The county has been without a chief appraiser since Dec. 31, when James Flynt left after his two-year contract expired and was not renewed by the county. Veteran member and former vice- chairman Larry Stewart announced his resignation, effective Feb. 1, at the end of a BOA meeting Monday night, following a vote 3-2 to deny his recommendation of candidate Carey Lamb, Swainsboro, to the board of commissioners for the chief appraiser position. Stewart issued a formal letter of resignation Tuesday morning. (See Page 4A for the full letter.) Stewart and board member Bob Fowler voted in favor of Lamb’s rec ommendation, while David Ragland, Samantha Garland and Jim Escoe voted to deny it. On Tuesday, Fowler said he planned to follow suit with his own resigna tion, effective immediately. Stewart told the audience Monday that he had enjoyed his three and a half years of service on the assessor board. “It's been a lot of work and I’ve invested a lot of time into it,” Stewart said, but he added that he felt he could no longer be an effective board member. “My conscience is free - I've done — See ‘Assessors’ on 2A NEW BOC Chairman: Anthony Dove EDUCATION BOE New Madison County BOC chairman Anthony Dove will have plenty of issues on his desk in 2009. Welcome, 2009 Chairman offers views on numerous issues facing Madison County this year By Zach Mitcham zach@mainstreetnews.com M adison County Commission Chairman Anthony Dove stood in his new office Monday and pointed out the spot where a large county map will be placed next to the meeting table. There was a fresh coat of paint on the walls — paid for out of the chairman’s own pocket. There were boxes with documents belonging to former chair man Wesley Nash that will be stored at the county courthouse. Dove had plenty to do to straighten up his new work space at the county govern ment complex. Of course, office decor is far down the list of concerns for the man who will watch over the Madison County government for the next four years. Dove wakes up during the middle of the night, thinking about all the tasks ahead. “It’s not that I wake up worrying,” said Dove. “I wake up and something pops in my head and I write it down. A lot of them are just questions that I want to pose to the staff and different departments. Is there a way we can do this at a cheaper cost?” Dove’s path to the chairman’s office began last summer, around August, after he prayed about a potential campaign. “I can remember sitting down in the sun- room at the house and I’d already spoken to someone about running,” said Dove, “And I felt pressure on me. There was some type of pressure on me. Now, what it was, I think I know. But I prayed about it. And there was a burden on me to ran." Now, Dove will carry the burden of leading. And there are plenty of issues that need attention. The new chairman recently sat down for an hour-long interview at The Journal office to discuss county business. SPLOSTAND THE JAIL EXPANSION For instance, what does the new chair man think of planned special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) projects, such as the expansion of the county jail? County voters approved renewal of a one- cent sales tax last year for county improve ments. Dove said he favors waiting before tak ing any major actions on SPLOST proj ects. “My personal opinion is we need to be very careful," said Dove, “I think we’re going to have to really look at the cost effectiveness of doing anything right now. We don’t want to get ourselves in a situa tion where it’s going to be a strain on our budget.... We’ve got six years. It’s not like there’s a time limit on when you can do those projects. Because the way the law is, you can go past your time, you just have to use that money for that (project)." Dove said he favors having a committee look at the SPLOST projects to determine what will be financially feasible. He noted that the county projected $12.6 million in sales tax revenue over the next six years. However, with the economic downturn. those figures may decline. “Those things (SPLOST projects) were on estimated tax revenues," said Dove. “We’re going to have to look at the num bers, what they actually are.” LAND USE Of course, growth was the major political issue in Madison County for much of this decade. Some have favored more homes and development. Others have pushed for government protection of farmland. The land use map debates of recent years highlighted this conflict, with actual lines drawn on a map to indicate where growth is most appropriate. Dove said he still has to familiarize himself with that map. But he said the growth issues have taken a backseat to current economic problems. “To be honest with you, with the specif ics on the land use map, that’s something I’m going to have to become familiar with,” said Dove. “I’ve always said, even during the campaign, that I thought the way we need to look at this is growing around our small towns and back out towards our Hull area. Back then (when the land use map was updated), that was one of the big issues. I don’t see that as a big issue right now." THE ECONOMY Dove said the primary concern these days is the economy. He noted that the state government is shifting a lot of burden onto counties dur- — See Dove’ on 5A awaits MCHS wish list Upgrades at Comer Elem. also being considered By Ben Munro ben@mainstreetnews.com County school lead ers will soon learn what improvements officials at Madison County High School desire most. But what upgrades the school system can actu ally provide remains to be seen. Madison County Schools superintendent Dr. Mitch McGhee said he expects to receive a report from the high school this month, prioritizing what needs are most dire. Though MCHS has been added onto over the years, the core of the building dates back to 1970. “I’m anxious to see,” McGhee said. “The big thing is what they pri oritize, what’s their top priority?” At the same time, coun ty school leaders are also consideringimprovements to Comer Elementary School, the system’s most — See DOE’ on 2A EMPLOYMENT Lowe, Benner make move to Jackson Co. Former Madison County Sheriff Clayton Lowe and his former chief deputy Michael Benner will begin new law enforcement careers in Jackson County next Monday. Benner said Wednesday that both he and Lowe have accepted jobs with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Lowe will work in investigations, while Benner will be a lieuten ant shift commander in the county jail. Benner said he thinks they’ll both settle in well at their new jobs. “We’re looking forward to it,” Benner said.