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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL THURSDAY. AUGUST 20. 2009 — PAGE 3A
635 assessment appeals
filed in Madison County
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Six hundred and thirty five
Madison County property owners
have appealed the assessed value
of their property.
But exactly how the appeal fig
ures will affect the county tax
timetable remained uncertain as
of press time Wednesday.
County officials are hoping to
get 2009 tax bills out to prop
erty owners this year. The appeal
count is a crucial factor in meet
ing that timetable. Officials have
stated that if more than three
percent — or 480 — of Madison
County properties are under
appeal, then the county cannot
submit its tax digest — or over
all property value — to the state
government.
The 635 appeals filed this
year represents four percent of
Madison County properties. If
the three-percent threshold is
required, then the county must
whittle its total appeals below
480 before it can submit its digest
— overall property value — to
the state.
However, chief appraiser
Robin Baker has contacted the
Department of Revenue to ask
for clarification on whether the
county must meet a three-percent
or five-percent threshold. If the
DOR says the five-percent thresh
old is OK, then county taxpayers
will most likely see their tax bills
this year. If they say “no,” then
they can expect their 2009 tax
bills to come in 2010.
Baker had not heard from the
DOR as of press time.
In related news, the chief
appraiser said Wednesday that
the new assessors had scheduled
a meeting late that afternoon to
name a chairman and to deter
mine regular meeting dates for
the board of assessors. The previ
ous board met on the first and
third Thursdays of the month at
6 p.m.
Teens, parents, utilizing
services of ‘Teen Matters’
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County teenagers,
many accompanied by their par
ents, have been visiting the new
Teen Matters clinic and counsel
ing center in Danielsville and uti
lizing its services, so much so that
the health department will soon
extend its operating hours.
Madison County Health
Department’s public health nurse
Pam Smith told board of health
members that the teen clinic has
been a “huge success” and has
had high numbers, even during the
summer break.
“The clinic is averaging 10 cli
ents per day and many are com
ing in for family planning,” Smith
said, adding that she is pleased to
see that quite a few parents are
coming in with their children.
Beginning Tuesday, Sept.
8, Teen Matters will be open
Monday through Thursday from
1 to 6:30 p.m.
RN Sonya Willard has also been
hired to help out at the clinic and at
the health department.
“This means that most days
there will be two nurses on duty at
teen clinic,” Smith said.
Teen Matters is located on Sam
Groves Street in Danielsville.
The next board of health meet
ing is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 2
p.m. at the health department on
Hwy. 98 West.
Hull leaders hope
to award paving
contract in September
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Hull city leaders will delay
awarding contracts for three
road projects until they re
bid the jobs with a uniform
set of specifications.
The city hopes to approve
bids at its September council
meeting.
Using SPLOST money,
Hull plans to repave a pair of
dead-end roads off Hwy. 72
— Yarbrough and Cornelia
— which are deteriorating.
“We need to address
the problem now before it
becomes a gully, wash-out
type thing,” Mayor Paul
Elkins said.
Hull also wants to install
speed breaks on Pope Miller
Road, which the council says
is a popular route for speed
ers.
The city has already col
lected some bids on these
projects, but the specifica
tions for the jobs weren't
all the same, so the council
opted to re-bid.
Councilman Wayne Melton
said he's found one company
that will accept material costs
as a down payment and then
finance the remaining bal
ance at zero percent interest.
The city would then make
monthly payments out of its
SPLOST fund until the work
is paid off.
Melton said Hull should
consider asking all compa
nies during the re-bidding
process if they can offer a
comparable deal.
As for the speed break
ers on Pope Miller Road,
Melton noted that they must
meet certain specifications
to be eligible for future
county repaving. The coun
cilman pointed to speed
breaks on Madison Street in
Danielsville near Madison
County High School as an
example of county-standard
speed breaks.
He added that he's heard
positive feedback regarding
this project from residents on
Pope Miller who feel endan
gered by excessive speeders.
“Every one of them is
— See ‘Hull’ on 7A
Qualifying for municipal elections ahead
A number of municipal posts will be
up for grabs in November in Madison
County. Qualifying for those elections
will begin Aug. 31.
Here is a brief look at the county’s
municipal elections:
Colbert
Three positions at the Colbert City
Council table will be up for grabs Nov.
3. They are the mayor’s post, held by
John Waggoner, and council seats cur
rently held by Chris Peck and Roger
Fortson.
All offices are two-year terms begin
ning in Jan. 1, 2010, and ending Dec.
31,2011.
Those wishing to qualify for this
election should file a notice of can
didacy in the Colbert City Hall, 23
South 4 th Street, Colbert, with the elec
tion superintendent between Aug. 31
and Sept. 2, between 8:30 a.m. and 1
p.m. The qualifying fee for the mayor
is $111.20 and $45.20 for council
seats.
The deadline for voter registration
for the November election is Oct. 5.
Early voting will begin Oct. 13 and
Oct. 30 during normal city hall busi
ness hours and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on
election day.
Hull
Elections will be held for two posi
tions on the Hull City Council Nov. 3.
Those posts include the mayor’s seat.
held by Paul Elkins, and a council seat
held by Paul Cook. Both offices carry
four-year terms, which will run from
Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2013.
Those wishing to qualify for this
election should file a notice of can
didacy in the Hull City Hall, 1326
Old Elberton Road, with the election
superintendent on Aug. 31 between
9 and 10:30 a.m.; Sept. 1 between 5
and 6:30 pm.; or Sept. 2, between 4
and 5:30 p.m. The qualifying fee for
mayor is $37.50 and $19.50 for the
council seat.
The deadline for voter registration
for the November election is Oct. 5.
Early voting will be Oct. 13 and
Oct. 20 from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. at
the Hull Civic Club on Old Elberton
Road. Polls will be open from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. on election day at the same
location.
Comer
The city of Comer will hold munici
pal elections Nov. 3, with the fol
lowing offices on the ballot: mayor,
incumbent William E. Burroughs,
with the term beginning Jan. 1, 2010,
and ending Dec. 31, 2011; councilper-
son for District 1, incumbent Melissa
Yarbrough, with the term beginning
Jan. 1, 2010, and ending Dec. 31,
2013; and councilperson for District
4, incumbent Laquita Bridges, with
the term beginning Jan. 1, 2010, and
ending Dec. 31, 2013.
Candidates for councilperson must be
a resident of the district for which they
qualify. Qualifying begins Monday,
Aug. 31, at 8:30 a.m. and will close on
Friday, Sept. 4, at 4:30 p.m. at Comer
City Hall at 70 Hwy. 72. The qualify
ing fee is $60 for mayoral candidates
and $45 for councilperson candidates.
Carlton
All seats at the Carlton City Council
table will be up for grabs Nov. 3. This
includes the mayor’s seat currently
held by Rufus Kidd and five council
posts held by Robert Tucker, David
Seawright. Mary Tucker, Claudia
Thornton and Myron Hedgelon. All
seats carry two-year terms, extending
from Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31. 2011.
Qualifying will be held from 1 to
4:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3 at the Carlton City
Hall/Fire Hall. The qualifying fee is
$48.75 for mayoral candidates and
$32.50 for council candidates.
Danielsville
Three posts will be on the ballot
in Danielsville Nov. 3, the mayor's
seat currently held by Glenn Cross,
and two council posts held by Phillip
Croya and Barbara Dove.
Qualifying will begin Monday, Aug.
31, and end Friday, Sept. 4. between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at
Danielsville City Hall. The qualifying
fee is $82.19 for mayor and $56.41 for
council seats.
New school hires to face drug screening
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The Madison County
School System will have
to drug test all new hires
to meet new guidelines
required for “drug-free
workplace” status.
Madison County earned
its drug-free status when
Keith Cowne was super
intendent, but the criteria
to keep that distinction has
since increased. Either the
school system adopts the
new requirements or loses
the drug-free status and the
savings that come with it. A
“drug-free work place” dis
tinction reduces school sys
tem workers’ compensation
costs by about 10 percent.
"If you don’t do those
things, you lose your work
ers’ compensation dis
count.” Madison County
Schools Superintendent
Mitch McGhee said last
week.
In addition to all new
employees being drug
screened, other instances
for testing include acci
dents requiring a workers’
compensation claim or if
a supervisor suspects drug
use is interfering with an
employee’s job perfor
mance.
All drug tests are confi
dential.
The Madison County
Board of Education (BOE)
must approve a policy to
meet these new guidelines.
A 90-day employee noti
fication, which started Aug.
12, is required before the
BOE can pass this policy,
however.
The policy will be pre
sented in September and
voted on in October.
"If we don’t do this, our
workers’ compensation
costs will go up at least 10
percent,” McGhee said.
NO MOVE
ON LAND YET
The BOE is still mulling
an offer on land it owns
near the Madison County
courthouse.
The school system has
been offered $20,300 for
the .83-acre plot, but tabled
action on the item last week
to consider the proposal
further.
The party interested in
buying the land originally
offered the BOE $20,000
before raising the price
$300.
PERSONNEL
APPROVED
The Madison County
Board of Education (BOE)
approved all teaching sup
plements for 2009-2010
and made the following
personnel moves at its Aug.
11 meeting:
•Colbert Elementary
School — granted mater
nity leave for teacher Kelly
Brychell and approved
Candace Bradley as her
long-term substitute.
•Comer Elementary
School — hired Joshua
Taylor as a custodian and
approved leave without pay
for paraprofessional Sandra
Ash.
•Danielsville Elementary
School — hired Connie
Babineau and Kimberly
Bishop as food service
assistants, approved Corie
Young as a long-term sub
stitute and terminated food
services worker Julie Hill.
•Hull-Sanford Elementary
School — accepted the
resignation of paraprofes
sional Brenda Marti, hired
paraprofessional Katia
McElreath for six hours a
day, increased paraprofes
sional Norma Rodriguez’s
hours from two to four
a day, granted the trans
fer of after-school worker
Lauren Wood from Comer
Elementary to Hull-Sanford
Elementary, hired Chelsea
Abbot and Brittany Wilkes
as after-school workers.
•Ila Elementary — hired
Cindy South as a part-time
paraprofessional, accepted
the resignation of custodi
an Arthur Coley, released
teacher Gina Mayne from
her contract, hired John
Dobbs as a custodian,
approved the internal trans
fer of Tami Daniels from
third grade to pre-K and
increased teacher Melissa
Ward’s hours from half
time EIP to full-time for
third grade.
•Madison County Middle
School — hired Toby
Swindle as a custodian and
accepted the resignation of
custodian Joseph Ahern.
•System — hired Walton
Hill as a bus driver.
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