The
www.MadisonJournalTODAY.com
FEBRUARY 12, 2009
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
Vol. 24 No. 7 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
COUNTY GOV’T
EDUCATION
BOC to
consider
Rubio for
chief appraiser
Madison County schools expect
shortfall of $2.5-$2.9 million
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County commis
sioners will hold a confir
mation hearing of sorts next
Thursday.
The group will consider
Stacey Rubio for the vacant
chief appraiser's post in the tax
assessor's office. The meeting
is set for 5 p.m., Thursday, in
the BOC meeting room in the
county government complex.
Rubio, an appraiser in the tax
assessor's office, has served
as interim director since the
departure of former chief
appraiser James Flynt, whose
contract was not renewed in
2009. Flynt was not techni
cally a county employee but a
contractor.
The BOA agreed to make
the recommendation Feb.
4, with David Ragland,
Samantha Garland and Jim
Escoe voting for Rubio, and
Larry Stewart providing the
lone “No” vote.
Madison County's chief
appraiser position has been
at the center of political
storms for years, with digests
perennially late and the state
Department of Revenue find
ing fault with the county's
appraisal practices.
POLICY CHANGES
In other matters Monday,
county commissioners unani
mously approved policy
changes proposed by new
chairman Anthony Dove
Monday. The most notable
action included a change to
— See ‘BOC’ on 3A
INSIDE
Raiders roll
over Cedar
The Madison Counly boys’
basketball team picked up a
big win over Cedar Shoals
at Apalachee Tuesday night,
downing the Jaguars, 60-39.
They’ll now face Rockdale
County Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
at Winder.
-PagelB
Index:
News—1-3A,
Opinions— 4A
Crime— 5A
Socials —7A 10A
Schools— 11-12A
Sports— 1-3B
Churches—4B
Obituaries— 5-6B
Legals—7-9B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: PO. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA, 30633
Web:
MadisonJoumalTODAYcom
State will fund 15 fewer teaching positions in county next year
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
P rojections that Madison
County could lose between
$2.5-$2.9 million next year
in education revenue will have local
school leaders in cost-cutting over
drive.
The troubling estimate is a combi
nation of state funding cuts and a dip
in the county tax digest.
“It's a pretty safe bet that we’re
going to lose at least $2.5 million next
year in funding,” Madison County
superintendent Mitch McGhee said.
“It could be higher.”
The $2.9 million figure is a worst-
case scenario — as of right now.
McGhee unveiled a cost-cutting
“I TRY NOT TO MAKE
GRANDIOSE STATEMENTS
THAT AREN’T REALLY
BASED IN REALITY, BUT I
BELIEVE I CAN SAY THAT
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN
Georgia is in the worst
ECONOMIC SHAPE EVER.”
— Madison County School
Superintendent Mitch McGhee
plan to the board of education (BOE)
Tuesday to absorb a $2.5 million
shortfall for 2009-2010.
“Our job right now is to get to that
$2.5 million,” McGhee said.
The state has already decided where
30 percent of those cuts will come,
McGhee said, since it will fund 15
fewer teaching positions in Madison
County in 2009-2010.
The loss of those 15 teaching sala
ries equal roughly a $750,000 reduc
tion in the budget next year.
“It’s not easy when you’re talking
about teaching jobs, but when the
state says you don't earn 15 teachers
anymore, pretty much that’s the first
place you’ve got to go,” he said.
A handful of teachers are retiring or
leaving next year, so the system hopes
to slide its existing teachers into those
vacated slots to avoid layoffs.
“We are going to continue to do
everything we can ... to find an appro-
— See ‘Schools’ on 2A
County
schools open
$3 million
line of credit
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A local bank will extend
a $3 million line of credit
to a Madison County School
System still awaiting its main
source of revenue.
The county board of edu
cation (BOE) approved a
tax anticipation note (TAN)
— See ‘Credit’ on 2A
Valentine’s Day—Saturday, Feb. 14
Liz Bleakley Kumar and her husband Nachiket Kumar, are shown at their India
wedding last month with Madison County friends (L-R) Leah Hardman, Ashley
Sobhani and Andrea Bond. Photo courtesy of Greg and Rebecca Bleakley
Mumbai matrimony
Madison Co. couple travels to India for daughter’s wedding
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
A Madison County couple made the trek
to Mumbai, India last month to take part in
their daughter’s wedding to a native of that
country.
Greg and Rebecca Bleakley, of Hull, say
they’11 never forget the experience of seeing
a country and sampling a culture that was
so fascinating and vastly different from our
own.
And to top it off, they were struck with the
reality of the recent terrorist attacks in that
city just this past November.
"It really brought it home to actually see
some of the sites - like the Taj hotel in
Mumbai,” Greg said. They also stayed at the
coast just prior to the wedding where their
host pointed out the place where the rubber
— See ‘Marriage’ on 3A
ANIMAL CONTROL
Pit bull in dog fighting
case released to county,
headed to rehab
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A male pit bull seized from a
Madison County man accused
of dog fighting is now on its
way to rehabilitation.
The dog was released to the
county and then sent to a res
cue group in Atlanta, which
placed it in pit bull rehab.
Criminal charges are still
pending against its former
owner, Johnny Johnson, of
Danielsville.
The case could go to court
in October or November.
The dog is said to have
been part of Johnson’s alleged
dog fighting operation,
“Shakedown Kennels.”
The pit bull spent three days
at the Madison Oglethorpe
Animal Shelter (MOAS).
Susan Fomash, director of
MOAS, described the dog
as “fine with people; a little
leery of other dogs” during
his stay.
“I would say that he was
not aggressive with people,”
she said.
The animal shelter kept the
dog isolated, due to the sensi
tivity of the situation.
Fomash described the pit
bull as “a pretty dog,” who
showed no scars. She added
that he was rather small,
weighing just 24 pounds.
Before the dog was official
ly released to the county, the
district attorney's office seized
it as evidence with a war
rant, overturning the Madison
County Animal Control
Board’s ruling in November
to return the dog to Johnson.
Fomash said housing the
dog was an uncomfortable
situation from the beginning.
In fact, the shelter kept the
dog’s whereabouts a secret.
Workers covered his run with
a sheet, so anybody looking at
dogs couldn’t see him.
"Because we didn't want the
notoriety, I guess you would
say,” she said. "We didn’t
want to get in the middle of
the whole thing. All we want
ed is for the dog to be OK.”
Once MOAS received word
that he’d been released to the
county, the shelter immedi
ately searched for prospec
tive rescue groups. When one
agreed to take him, MOAS
neutered the dog.
Fomash said the situation
ended as best as it could.
"I know as far as we’re con
cerned, it had a happy end
ing,” she said.
New sheriff, major discuss new
policies, first month on job
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County Sheriff Kip Thomas
and Major Shawn Bums said the first days
of their new jobs included some unexpect
ed glitches, such as computer problems
and a jail keycard system that temporarily
malfunctioned.
“I was ready to pull my hair out,” said
Thomas.
Despite the early technical issues,
Thomas and Bums said they have been
shooting for June 1 “to have everything
running like we want it to run.” They said
this past week that they feel they’re ahead
of schedule in meeting that goal.
“I feel we’re way ahead of what I
was looking at back in November and
December,” said Thomas.
In his first few weeks on the job, the new
sheriff said he has reviewed a number of
department policies, including a change
to how the department handles police
chases. Madison County deputies arrested
two men Jan. 6 after a high-speed chase
in Hull.
“The policy for the last several years
was that we don't ever force anyone off
the road,” said Bums. “Well, we give these
guys guns and we give them cars and the
authority to arrest people.”
Bums said that if somebody “just robbed
— See ‘Sheriff on 2A
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Pictured are Madison Comity Sheriff Kip Thomas
(L), Major Shawn Bums (C) and Jail Commander
Danny Bennett (R).
