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PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. MARCH 12, 2009
Transfer station to accept leaf/limb debris free of charge
The Madison County Solid
Waste Transfer Station will
accept leaf/limb debris (no con-
sbuction debris) from the recent
snowstonn free of charge for
a period of six weeks (through
April 24).
Leaf and limb debris includes
trees, limbs/branches, leaves and
stumps.
Leaf and limb debris may be
brought to the station during reg
ular operating hours (Wednesday
- Saturday, from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
and during this six-week period
only, leaf and limb debris will
also be accepted on Monday and
Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. at no charge. No sobd waste
will be accepted on Monday and
Tuesday.
“We want the citizens to know
that we are here to help but that
there are special instructions they
must follow - such as keeping
stonn debris separated,” Transfer
station director Sandra Webb
said. “Any building or construc
tion debris must go to a C and D
Landfill.”
Leaf and limb rules for the
transfer station include: no loads
will be accepted after 5:30 p.m.;
no household garbage or other
debris is to be dumped with leaf
and limb debris; the load must be
secured; patrons must weigh in
and out of the dumping area; this
service is available to Madison
County citizens only; debris
must be unloaded yourself and
must contain only trees, stumps,
leaves, branches, etc. No con
struction debris.
If you have any questions,
please call 706-795-3222 or the
Keep Madison County Beautiful
office at 706-795-5151.
Freedom Bank in Commerce seized by FDIC
Freedom Bank of Georgia
based in Commerce became
the nation's 17th bank failure
in 2009 when it was taken
over by regulators last week.
The bank was taken over
Friday evening at 6 p.m. by
state and federal banking offi
cials. All deposits of the bank
were acquired by Northeast
Georgia Bank of Lavonia.
The bank had four branches:
Jefferson, Homer, Commerce
and Winder.
“Depositors of Freedom
Bank of Georgia will auto
matically become deposi
tors of Northeast Georgia
Bank,” said a news release
from the FDIC about the
closure. “Deposits will con
tinue to be insured by the
FDIC, so there is no need
for customers to change their
banking relationship to retain
their deposit insurance cov
erage. Customers of both
banks should continue to use
their existing branches until
Northeast Georgia Bank can
fully integrate the deposit
records of Freedom Bank of
Georgia.
The action is believed to
be the first closure of a bank
based in Jackson County
since the Great Depression.
Calls to both Freedom Bank
and Northeast Georgia Bank
for comments about the mat
ter were not returned this
week.
Freedom Bank, which was
organized in 2004, is the sec
ond bank in Georgia closed
this year and the seventh in
the state since the middle
of 2008 when bank failures
begin to rise due to the eco
nomic downturn.
It is the only bank seized
so far in Jackson County
in the wake of the housing
bust, which has devastated
the area's real estate and con
struction market.
In December, Freedom
Bank was issued a cease and
desist order by regulators,
which instructed the bank to
take certain actions to shore
up its financial standing.
At the end of the third quar
ter in 2008, the bank had 11
percent of its loan portfo
lio, $12 million, in default.
The bank lost $8.5 million in
2008, according to the FDIC.
The bank had total assets
of around $173 million and
deposits of $161 million as of
March 4. Northeast Georgia
Bank agreed to purchase
$167 million in assets at a
discount of $13.6 million.
The FDIC estimates that the
cost to the Deposit Insurance
Fund will be $36.2 million.
Northeast Georgia Bank's
acquisition of all the deposits
was the “least costly” resolu
tion for the FDIC's Deposit
Insurance Fund compared to
alternatives, said officials.
Danielwille council votes to replace funds taken by tax lien
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Danielsville city council
members approved a budget
amendment resolution Monday
night to replace funds ear
marked for water and sewer
improvements that were taken
by a tax lien from the federal
government to cover unpaid
payroll taxes from 2007 and the
first nine months of 2008.
The federal government
seized the funds, totaling $37,
480 (including penalties and
interest) after it was discovered
during the investigation of for
mer city clerk Michelle Dills
that the taxes had not been paid,
according to current city clerk
Connie Riley.
The city agreed to replace the
earmarked funds with $28,500
from a $200,000 line of credit
from First Madison Bank and
another $8,980 from the gen
eral fund.
Mayor Glenn Cross said they
hope to hear from Georgia
Bureau of Investigation agents
next week on the results of
their investigation concerning
the alleged theft of city funds
by Dills. Cross thanked city
attorney Victor Johnson, new
city clerk Connie Riley and
Becky Delay for their help in
the matter.
The council discussed, but
took no action on, changing a
city ordinance that allows the
mayor to vote only in case of a
tie to allow the mayor to always
have a vote. Cross said he would
prefer to leave the ordinance
as it is, with the mayor voting
only as needed to break a tie.
Councilwoman Junne Temple
said she would prefer to consid
er the matter after a new council-
person takes office following the
special election on March 17.
Cross thanked city employ
ees for their hard work during
the storm, noting that they also
checked on many citizens to
make sure they were OK. He
also noted that they had begun
picking up downed tree limbs
from the storm and mulching
them.
“They are to be commended,”
Cross said.
Republican Party to
hold county convention
The Madison County Republican Party will hold precinct
mass meetings at 9 a.m., Saturday, March 14, to elect
delegates and alternate delegates to the Madison County
Republican Party Convention.
The county convention will convene at 10 a.m. that day at
the same location to elect delegates and alternate delegates
to the Congressional District Convention and to the state
convention.
Additionally, the convention will adopt the Rule of the
Madison County Republican Party and elect officers for
the 2009-2011 term.
Both the precinct mass meetings and the county conven
tion will be held in the commissioners’ room at the Madison
County Government Complex located at 91 Albany Avenue
in Danielsville, Georgia.
All Madison County residents who are legally registered
to vote and believe in the principles of the Republican Party
are urged to participate in this process, organizers said.
The 10th Congressional District Convention will con
vene at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 18, at the UGA Center for
Continuing Education in Athens.
The Georgia Republican Party State Convention will con
vene at 2 p.m., Friday, May 15, in Columbus. The agenda
will include officer elections.
For further information contact Bruce Azevedo, chairman
of the Madison County Republican Party at 706-296-3834,
or by e-mail at Azevedo@negia.net.
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Comer City Council
discusses roadwork
By Frank Gillispie
frankgillispie671 @msn.com
Downtown roadwork was the
focus of last week’s Comer City
Council meeting.
The council chose to allow the
city police chief to temporarily close
or reroute traffic on Center street as
needed Center Street, also known
as Chicken Alley, is a one-way street
running south through the city’s
business district. It provides access
to the Merchants and Farmers Bank
drive through window. The area
is undergoing an extensive street
improvement program.
The council also accepted bids for
restoration work on the old garage
in the city government complex.
The building originally served as a
livery stable.
A called meeting was scheduled
to make a decision so council mem
bers would have time to read all the
somewhat complex bids.
Also under renovation is a city-
owned storage shed. The building
is receiving a new tin roof and win
dows.
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PUBLIC MEETING
The Madison County Industrial
Development & Building Authority hereby gives
notice that the Authority will hold a public
meeting 10:00 AM on April 14, 2009 at 101
Courthouse Square, Suite 1, Danielsville,
Georgia.
The purpose of the public meeting is to:
1) Inform the public of the need for
improvements to the Authority’s water
system.
2) Comply with the requirements of the
Georgia’s Rules for Safe Drinking Water
and with the public participation
requirements of Georgia’s Drinking Water
State Revolving Fund (DWSRF)
Environmental Review Process.
3) Encourage public involvement in the
development of a plan to improve the water
system.
During the public meeting the Authority will
attempt to identify public preferences for
alternative methods of improving the Authority’s
water facilities. These alternatives will be
evaluated and included in the Authority’s
Facilities Plan and Environmental Information
Document, the major planning document
covering the water system.
Public participation is considered essential
to the selection and development of the final
plan to be adopted prior to its approval by the
State of Georgia, Department of Natural
Resources.
MCMS students
see improved
test scores
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County Middle School students boosted their
writing test scores, while high school students demonstrated
marked improvement on recent end of course tests (EOCT),
according to recent results.
“Policies that y'all have in place, the funding that we’re pro
viding the schools, are starting to show dividends,” Madison
County Schools Superintendent Mitch McGhee told the
Board of Education (BOE). “And I really do believe that this
is just the beginning.”
The middle school saw a four-percent jump in those meeting
proficiency (70 percent to 74 percent) on the writing test and
9.5 percent jump (2.5 percent to 12 percent) in those exceed
ing proficiency.
At the high school, test takers exceed the state average in six
of seven categories on the winter EOCT.
McGhee noted the efforts of MCMS writing coach Melissa
Dimmick and Peggy Terrell in raising the middle school writ
ing scores, and the leadership of associate superintendent Allen
McCannon and district curriculum director Jane Fitzpatrick in
working with the principal and teachers at MCMS.
McGhee said the jump in those exceeding proficiency was
particularly commendable.
“It’s four times as many there in that level 3,” McGhee said.
“And that's tough to do. That’s what a lot of school systems
and schools get stuck on.”
While the scores are official, there’s no word yet on how
MCMS compared to the state on the writing test.
“We’re looking forward to that information because we
think we're going to stack up very nicely,” McGhee said.
The high school's impressive performance came after it
struggled last year on the winter EOCT, scoring below the
state average in five of seven areas.
“We were not happy with our end of test scores last year,”
McGhee said.
But McGhee applauded the steps that first-year MCHS
principal Tommy Craft and the teachers took to remedy those
scores.
Not only did MCHS students consistently score above the
state mark, they upped their scores significantly from last year
in some areas.
“We’re very happy with this progress,” McGhee said.
“We’re not satisfied. We’ve got one more (area) to get to the
state average and we want the others to get even higher.”
Elementary school students will take the all-important
CRCT test in a month. Scores on the CRCT weigh heavily in
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports.
“We're excited for those results coming up as well,”
McGhee said.
Madison County’s unemployment
rate below state average
Madison County’s unemployment rate remained below the
statewide unemployment rate of 8.8 percent in January.
According to the State Department of Labor, 1,262 Madison
Countians were unemployed in January, or 7.7 percent of the
county’s 16,459 work force. That’s up from 6.5 percent in
December.
In the immediate Northeast Georgia area, both Barrow and
Franklin counties had higher unemployment in January at
10.2 and 11 percent respectively.
The highest rates of unemployment in Northeast Georgia
are Hart and Elbert counties, both of which exceeded 12
percent in January.
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