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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 8. 2009 — PAGE 5A Dove .cont’dfrom 1A ing the financial crunch. “We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to provide," said Dove. “By law, the county has to provide certain ser vices. And back then (when the economy was better), the state was helping us with money coming in. I think we’re fixing to see a change. What they’re doing is slid ing it back down to a local level. And that goes back to the image that all politics is local. We’re going to learn to accept that and deal with it.” For instance, Dove noted that the senior center was recently informed that the state will continue to cover costs for those in the Meals on Wheels program, but they will not allow people on the waiting list to come into it. “What we’re going to have to do is look at the ser vices we have to have and look at some of the services we might not have to have and cut back on those,” said Dove. “I don’t think you can cut back on the senior citi zens’ food. Health is going to be one of those areas that will be increased right now. You’ve got people los ing their jobs. They’re losing their health care. They have nowhere else to go. And as a society it’s going to be something that we need to take care of people health- wise, because that affects us all.” Dove said that since the state will now expect local governments to handle their own engineering work, the county, the cities and the industrial authority should consider joining together to fund an engineering posi tion. “I’ve already talked to the IDA and we’ll probably talk with the cities,” said Dove. “If you go back and look at the city budgets, they’ve really spent a lot on engineers too. It’s getting to where you can hire a staff for what we’re paying to engineering firms. A lot of instances we need to react quickly, when bridges go out, and we have to start looking at environ mental concerns when that happens.” If a local government engi neer is in place in the county, that person could help the LEAVES COVERING YOUR YARD? • Now offering leaf removal starting at $65. • Removal off property by machine into truck so excess is totally off your property. • Ask how to receive a Wal-Mart gift card. SWEETWATER LANDSCAPE GROUP Adam Hardigree 706-614-0440 Scott Hawks 706-207-7614 General Liability & Workers’ Comp. Ins. Law Office of Rob McNiff LLC Criminal • DUI • Traffic Personal Injury • Civil Bankruptcy • Debtor Relief Mediation • Wills 370 Athens Road Winterville 706-742-0001 robmcniff@yahoo.com county move forward quick ly if federal money does trickle to the county during the next administration. The new president is proposing a stimulus package that would include considerable money for infrastructure. Dove said he favors a stimulus package that aids local governments over bailouts for big busi ness. “I’d rather see money, if you’re going to stimulate stuff, go into infrastructure, into something that’s going to be there, rather than a lot of this propping up differ ent industries,” said Dove. “If you bring it in locally, you’re going to have an impact, rather than sending it all to New York and the Stock Market. Those things wouldn’t have the impact of sending it directly to this county.” BUDGET CUTS Dove said that budget cuts are a fact of life these days and that he has ideas about what cuts can be made in Madison County, but he declined to get into specif ics yet. “Before I say anything, I’d like to look at all the numbers and have all the information available to me,” said Dove. “We’re going to have to start tracking budgets monthly. I want to really get into those areas, each department, start looking at them closely, so that when we start getting into these budget hearings next year, we can give the board of commissioners a little idea of what’s going on. I think the administra tion needs to get proactive in the budget process.” Dove sat in on the numer ous BOC budget meetings this past year as commis sioners tried to whittle away expenses for 2009. “They were really just winging it a little bit, at least it seemed to me,” said Dove. “They all had good ideas at different times on the way to do it. My explanation is we’ve got to look at the bud get as a whole before we go line by line." In light of recent govern ment theft cases. Dove also said he will work hard to make sure there are proper safeguards in place in each department in handling cash. “We’ll make sure there are two signatures on every thing, make sure everything is double-checked and go into each department and see how they handle money, make sure there are safe guards and everything is in line," said Dove. WORKING WITH THE INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY Another one of the chair man’s duties is to serve on the county industrial devel opment authority. Dove said he favors establishing water infrastructure along main roads in the county. “Do I want to put the county at risk debt wise? No,” said Dove. “But some aspects of the infrastructure have to be addressed. With the popula tion increase, we’re going to have to look at going ahead and putting water lines down our main roads.” Dove doesn’t foresee any major changes with the BOC’s relationship with the IDA. “My feeling is as long as they (the IDA) can continue to operate like they’ve been, and not taxing any more than they’ve been, and still be able to pay the debt, then I’m all for that,” said Dove. The new chairman said he feels Madison and surround ing counties should work together on a reservoir. “I do see us eventually linking up to get water," said Dove. “I would like us to start looking at a reservoir in the future. In the immedi ate future I like the idea of Seagraves Lake, using that as a water source, and using some of our watersheds as possible sources. My thing is being prepared. And we have to look at all aspects of water. We can’t do without water.” CONTACT WITH LEGISLATORS Of course, the upcoming state legislative session will have the attention of coun ty and municipal officials across the state. Dove said he has been in contact with local legislators and recog nizes that they will have a lot on their hands this year, as the state tries to deal with a budget shortfall, projected by some in the $2 billion range. The new chairman said this isn’t the time for each county to push hard for pork on their plate. But he said he hopes legislators will help Madison County in pushing for non-partisan elections in the county. TAX PROBLEMS Madison County has had a perennially late digest and assessment practices deemed inadequate by the Department of Revenue. Dove said these issues reach back many years and that many people are to blame. "I think it’s been going on for about eight years," said Dove. “So I think there’s enough blame to go around to everybody and I don’t leave anybody out of that. I don’t think it’s one particu lar person or one particular area’s fault. It’s a combina tion of things. And it just got out of kilter back then and it’s never got back." Dove noted that there has been talk of a total revalua tion of property in Madison County. "If you took a snapshot right now, we might actu ally get a better idea of what it’s actually worth,” said Dove. “Is it down because the economy’s down, or is it just coming back to where it’s supposed to be? I’m not an expert on that, but if you think about it, the budget in 1998 was $6 million and it’s at $15 million 10 years later. The values would go up and you could leave the mills the same, but it was still a tax increase. I’ve always thought that property was getting overvalued.” ROAD ISSUES One primary duty of the county commission chair man is overseeing county roads. The new chairman will face a real challenge on road projects, since there won’t be much money for paving. State funds for roads are expected to decline dra matically. Likewise, there will be less money for roads locally in the next few years, since the BOC allocated $3.95 million in sales tax funds for roads over the next six years, compared to over $8.4 million for roads over the past five years. "The situation now is the state doesn’t have any money, so that’s going to change how we prioritize roads and how much we can get out of them,” said Dove. The new chairman noted that the county must also focus on maintaining roads that have already been paved. "An asphalt road or a paved road has to be maintained just as much as a dirt road. If you don’t fill the cracks and keep the sides, they’ll disintegrate," said Dove. NOT CARRYING RESENTMENTS Dove defeated Nash in the Republican primary back in July. And he’s spent the past five months studying for his new role. "The best thing was going to the meetings and sitting back and observing what was going on,” said Dove, who says he is looking into the possibility of putting video of county commis sioners’ meetings online. The new chairman said he will work hard to keep personal feelings out of his decision making. “We as a county govern ment, and I hope the citi zens will take this too, but we need to start looking at what’s best for the county as a whole and not our per sonal wants, personal agen das or personal resentments of somebody,” said Dove. “Now, my family has been involved in politics and it would be very easy for me to look back and hold some personal resentments against some people for that reason. But I’m not going to do that. That’s not in my faith. That’s not in my family, in my raising. And I have to come in here and start anew and try to carry this county in a new direction and build a relationship with the gov ernment and citizens again, which I think has been very tainted." EXCITED ABOUT THE CHALLENGE Dove said he is excited about the challenge of lead ing Madison County. The new chairman worked for many years with his father and their business, Dove’s Grading and Landscaping Inc. And he looks forward to his life taking a new direc tion. “We came into it at a good time,” said Dove of the fam ily business. “But as every thing else, my dad got older. That was part of what I enjoyed the most was work ing with him. I found that I was just needing something else. God had been good to me, but I just thought there was something else that I needed to be doing. And this is where it ended up." Madison County Solid Waste Transfer Station 2009 SCHEDULE Sun., Mon. & Tues. - Closed Wed., Thurs., Fri. & Sat. - Open Hours: 7:00 a.m. until 5:50 p.m. 706-795-5151 YOUTH LEADERSHIP Lions Clubs display their deep commitment to bettering the world by building tomorrow’s leaders: today’s youth. From a worldwide program to provide homes for street children, to sponsoring local Scouting units, Lions believe a brighter future depends on good fostering of our greatest resource: our children. The youth programs that Lions Clubs provide are far reaching: • Almost 4,000 middle school students in Georgia participate in the annual International Peach Poster Contest. • LEO Clubs in Georgia Middle and High Schools are youth versions of Lions Clubs. • Georgia Lions are the principal sponsor of the Liberty Day project that reminds students of the importance of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. • More Scouting units in Georgia are sponsored by Lions Clubs than any other non-religious group. The list could be endless, for each Lions Club is committed to supporting and developing tomorrow’s leaders in their community. In today’s busy world, personal time is a valuable commodity. How you choose to spend time is an important consideration. Visit your local Lions Club. 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