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PAGE 2A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JULY 9, 2009 The Madison County Little League softball District 7 championship team met Gov. Sonny Perdue last Thursday before its 14-1 victory over Habersham County. The team includes Haley Gordon, Ivie Drake, Cheyenne Pridgen, Kristen Moran, Brianne Carr, Alexis Damron, Jorden Williams, Courtney Alexander, Ansley Damron and Casie Wade. Jay Pridgen is the manager, and Cassidy Pridgen is the assistant coach. Submitted photo Governor .cont’dfrom 1A old softball team. Perdue tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but as Pridgen put it, “once everybody noticed who he was, he had to make his rounds, you know.” That included dropping in on Pridgen's 11-and-12-year-old team, which had been routing foes left and right during its district tournament. The squad won its four tournament games by a combined 63-1. In fact, Perdue showed up in Madison County’s dugout, requesting a picture with the offensive juggernauts. “He just comes walking in the dugout, and looked at me and said, ‘Do you mind if I take a picture with these girls?”' Pridgen said. So Perdue joined the team for a photo, prior to its 14-1 district title romp over Habersham’s 11-and-12-year-old all-stars. The team was a bit awestruck. “When he walked out on the field, they were like ‘Oh, my goodness,’” Pridgen said of his players. Madison County had to bum its eight minutes of warm-up time to meet Perdue and take a picture, but that was an easy decision, Pridgen said. “I’ll kill eight minutes really quick ... I’d rather them get the picture taken,” he said. “They won't ever get that opportunity again, probably.” Pridgen doesn’t know how long Perdue stuck around, but does know the governor was impressed with what he saw of Madison County's Little League softball all-stars. “(He) said, ‘I don't think Habersham is ready for this,”' Pridgen said. “That’s exactly what he said.” Revenues .cont’dfrom 1A “Is 8 to 10 percent pretty accurate?” Commissioner John Pethel asked Dove. “The reason I ask is I saw on TV today there are some states projecting 20 to 27 percent downturn in revenues. And if that should happen to us, preparing for 10 percent (reductions in revenues) could leave us in big trouble.” Dove said that Clark doesn't “just throw numbers out there.” “That's all we can go with is what we know,” said Dove, adding that the commissioners may also need to make adjust ments to this year's budget due to revenue shortfalls. Madison County commissioners are scheduled to meet with Sheriff Kip Thomas today (Thursday) to discuss the 2010 budget for the sheriff's department. D’ville ..cont’dfrom 1A of a $32,193 penalty imposed on the city for nonpayment of pay roll taxes during all of 2007 and the first two quarters of 2008.The refund amounts to the penalties imposed on the first two quarters of 2007. The IRS noted that the penalties were abated as a “first time occurrence” but that the remaining four quarters of penalties would stand, due to a lack of “internal controls” by the city, which the IRS maintained should have caught the embezzlement within the first six months of its occurrence. The council noted that such internal controls are now in place. City clerk Connie Riley said the refund would go as a repay ment to the city's general liability insurance company, since the penalties were part of the city’s insurance claim. OTHER BUSINESS In a separate matter, the council agreed to purchase a 31-hp Hustler commercial mower from Granite City Rent All, of Elberton, at a cost of $8,582. The council agreed to pay for the mower on a 60/40 split, with 60 percent of the funds coming from a general fund line of credit with First Madison Bank and Trust, and 40 percent coming from the city’s Memorial Garden fund. The council also voted to enter an intergovernmental agree ment with the county industrial authority for engineering services through its contract engineer, Phil Munro. The city will pay for only those services used, according to Johnson, and the city is not required to use Munro for all engineering work. In budget and finance matters, Riley told the council that she is pleased with where the city is budget-wise, for this time of year, noting that the city has paid 56 percent of its projected expendi tures, including two major annual expenses (workers compensa tion and general liability insurance) and received 60 percent of anticipated revenue. She said that the city property tax collection rate is at 85 percent and that delinquency notices are being sent out. In addition, some delinquent taxes from previous years are also being collected. “I think we may be pursuing (tax payments) more aggressively than has been done in the past,” Riley said. In other business, following employee evaluations, the council agreed to give clerk Riley a $1.50 per hour raise, bringing her sal ary to $14.20 per hour, and to give assistant clerk Becky Delay a 50-cent per hour raise, bringing her salary to $12.06 per hour. In addition, the council has requested that Riley put together a study of city employee salaries, including all benefits, that will show how much employees make and the value of the benefits received. The council hopes to review the study at its July 27 work session. The work session, which begins at 7 p.m., will be preceded by a finance meeting at 6:30 p.m. CRIME Danielsville man shot in leg Tues. The shooting victim’s father, Randy Watson Sr., stands by the crime scene tape as Deputy John Smith (C) and Major Shawn Burns (R) search for shell casings. A Danielsville man was shot and wounded behind his home on Watson Road, just of Hwy. 281, Tuesday morn ing. According to sheriff's officials, 26-year-old Randy Watson Jr., was shot in the upper right leg by a small cal iber pistol around 9:49 a.m. Watson made the call to 911 himself, reporting that he'd been shot before hang ing up the phone. Police are looking for two white male suspects who Watson said came into the yard, shot him and left in a pickup truck. Sheriff Kip Thomas said the victim had also given them a “partial identity” on one of the suspects. “We have no reason for the shooting at this time," Thomas said. Watson was taken by Madison County EMS to Athens Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. Watson's father, Randy Watson, Sr., said he had just left the residence shortly before he was notified of the shooting. COUNTY GOVT Sheriff, BOC talk courthouse security By Zach Mitcham zach@mainstreetnews.com Madison County leaders want to secure the county courthouse, but what's the most appropriate and cost-effective way? County commissioners dis cussed the matter with Sheriff Kip Thomas Monday night, reaching no conclusion, but agreeing to meet with the sher iff again Thursday at 4 p.m. to discuss options. They will also talk about the 2010 sheriff's department budget. Right now, only the front and back doors are open at the coun ty government complex dur ing business hours, with metal detectors manned by deputies at both doors. Thomas told commission ers Monday that having three deputies designated for court house security shifts is not cost- efficient, noting that it costs $108,000 per year for those deputies to man the courthouse. He suggested that the county hire four part-time employees to work in shifts at the courthouse metal detectors, which he said would cost $18,000 in 2010 and $9,000 for the rest of 2009. Those employees would be paid $7.25 an hour and would serve under the supervision of Sergeant Willy Wilbanks, who would remain at the courthouse to oversee security. The other two deputies cur rently assigned to the courthouse would take on other duties. But when Superior Court is in ses sion there would be two depu ties at the courthouse, Thomas suggested that Chairman Anthony Dove hire the part-time courthouse secu rity staff. “Honestly, I think it should be under Chairman Dove since he’s going to be working with them a lot closer than I will," said Thomas, whose office is off Hwy. 98, while Dove’s is in the government complex. Commissioner Bruce Scogin said he didn’t know where the county would get the money to hire a part-time staff, not ing that Thomas’ security plan didn’t include letting any staff members go. “Where are we going to get this money from?” asked Scogin. “We're given the impression here that there’s going to be some savings and there's not. We're going to be spending more money.” But Thomas said the current arrangement costs more. “The way it’s set up now you’re going to be spending more,” he said, noting that one deputy working full-time will go back to part-time after the change is made. “If we don’t do part-time. I’m going to have to shut the back door.” Dove said the back door of the complex needs to remain open for the public. He pointed out that there is more parking by that door and that people don't need to walk around the courthouse in bad weather to get inside, Scogin said courthouse secu rity is needed but that even tight security can’t eliminate the pos sibility of a tragedy. He recalled the case of Brian Nichols, who went on a courthouse shooting spree in 2005. “I’m not trying to make light of courthouse security,” said rity out the wazoo (at the Fulton County Courthouse). And it didn’t do them any good. Kip ...I know it’s paramount and important that we protect our people, but sometimes I think we may overkill (with security) and people still get killed." Thomas acknowledged that risk can’t be eliminated. ‘They do,” replied Thomas. “But if you don’t do something, they’re going to say ‘why didn’t you do anything?”’ Commissioner Stanley Thomas said his primary con cern is having deputies on the road, rather than having depu ties in the courthouse. “Protecting people out in the county is more important than watching and wanding people coming through the court house," said Commissioner Thomas. “... We're weighing three deputies like we've had here in the last three months and we got people’s houses being broken into, stuff happening all over the county.” One resident asked at the end of Monday’s meeting wheth er part-time employees hired to operate the metal detec tors would wear uniforms and whether they would be armed. Dove said that some counties with such a setup do have uni formed employees, but those employees would not be armed. Instead, they would communi cate with an armed deputy at the courthouse if there were secu rity concerns. OTHER BUSINESS In other matters Monday the commissioners approved Randy Archer as a replacement for Gary Locke on the board of the Department of Family and Children’s Services. The com missioners agreed not to pre pay for county map placemats which they agreed to purchase last week, instead waiting until the maps are done to offer pay ment. The board agreed to discuss making the speed limit 25 mph on Virginia Lane. The BOC will include the matter in its July agenda-setting meeting, giving the public an opportunity for input. The BOC approved two zoning requests Monday one from Steve Waller, who sought to rezone five acres on Collins Brooks Road from A-l to R-R to add a home for his daugh ter, and a second for Morris Bond, who asked to rezone 4.25 acres from A-l to R-R to subdi vide into two parcels. The back parcel will go to the adjoining property owner. The board met in closed ses sion to discuss pending litiga tion, personnel and land acqui sitions but took no action after returning to open session. WORK SESSION Commissioners will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, following their meeting with Sheriff Thomas. The board will consider changes to the county personnel policy which will, among other things, revoke all vested proprietary rights to employment and con vert all employees, both current and those hired in the future, to “at will” status. All interested employees as well as interest ed members of the public are encouraged to attend, and all employees who wish to speak on the changes will be afforded the opportunity to be heard, officials stated. Scogin. “... But they had secu- CASH CALL AND COMPARE PER GRAM 706-369-0000 ■n);l GREG REEVES Fine Jewelry 613 Hawthorne Ave. • Athens $5°°0FF Ticket Of^Cf 0 Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only. La Hacienda Commerce La Hacienda Braselton 173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd. 5391 Highway 53 706-335-7458 706-654-0070 I The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant. Your Satisfaction is Our Goal! Mar-Co Construction Inc. 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