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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 24. 2009 — PAGE 7A
IDA to meet
on 2010 budget
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
The Madison County Industrial Development and
Building Authority submitted its proposed 2010 bud
gets to the county this week, according to IDA direc
tor Marvin White. The IDA board will hold a public
hearing on the proposed budget Friday, Oct. 9, at 10
a.m. in the IDA boardroom.
The authority is expected to approve the budget dur
ing its regular meeting Monday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m.
The proposed IDA budget includes projected rev
enues of $621,120, down $66,206, or 10 percent from
the 2009 budget of $687,326. The total expenditures
for the IDA are $562,880 for next year, down 11 per
cent from 2009’s total of $631,784.
The budget for the Chamber of Commerce increased
slightly, from $55,542 in 2009, to $58,240 for next
year.
Both revenue and expenditures are down for the
water department. Total expected revenues for next
year stand at $2,496,000, down 39 percent from last
year’s budget amount of $4,044,543. The decrease
is mostly due to several million dollars in grant
funds that have been received during 2009. Projected
expenditures are also down for next year. The 2010
budget calls for $2,413,800 in water department
expenditures, down 41 percent from the $4,037,350
last year, also reflecting millions in grant funds spent
on the Hull-Sanford sewer system and other proj
ects.
OTHER MATTERS
Utility director Steve Shaw reported that more than
six miles of lines for the Harrison water system in
northern Madison County have been completed and
that 35 customers along Hwy. 281 have signed up
for water service so far, with another eight or nine
households expected to sign up along Aaron Brown
Road. The authority tabled a resolution with Franklin
County to purchase/sell water at $2.15 per 1,000 gal
lons to give IDA attorney Victor Johnson time to look
over the agreement. The IDA signed a similar resolu
tion with the city of Royston in August.
Shaw said the Spratlin Pond Homeowners’
Association now plans to complete the purchase of
their subdivision’s privately-owned water system the
first week of October, and the IDA will take over the
system in mid-October.
White said clearing for the Hull-Sanford sewer site
has begun, with workers from Driver Construction
working to clear the driveway and an area for the
water treatment plant. The project is progressing,
White said, though slower than expected.
In a related matter, the IDA signed a resolution for a
$1.6 million GEFA (Georgia Environmental Facilities
Association) loan for the sewer project.
White also reported that a siphon system will be
installed in the dam of the Seagraves Mill pond, and
that Griffin Brothers, engineers for the project, will
need to lower the lake level by 11 feet to do this.
White reported that he and commissioner Stanley
Thomas met with Rep. Paul Broun to seek his help
with funding for Seagraves Mill.
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Budget cuts affecting services for
mentally ill in Northeast Georgia
About ABHS:
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
What happens after a diagnosis
of schizophrenia or some other
mental illness?
Well, those in Madison and
surrounding counties who suffer
from such afflictions can turn
to Advantage Behavioral Health
Systems (ABHS), where they
can receive short-term individual
and group counseling and psy
chiatric services.
But the tough economic times
and the revenue shortages in
Georgia are putting the squeeze
on those who seek to help the
mentally ill.
ABHS has faced numerous
cuts in recent years, but the most
recent funding setback is particu
larly severe. Larry Gabriel, busi
ness office director for ABHS,
told Madison County commis
sioners last week that the state
government cut ABHS funding
by more than $2 million this year,
from $12.6 million to $10.5 mil
lion. In the past decade, ABHS
has faced $6 million in cuts.
‘We’re trying to get as lean as
we can.” Gabriel told commis
sioners. “We’re looking for other
funding sources ... We haven't
determined what we’ll do just
yet.”
Gabriel said the Athens-
area ABHS has taken as many
administrative cuts as any other
Georgia behavioral health sys
tem.
ABHS serves roughly 10,000
clients a year in a 10- county
area. Approximately 11 per
cent of those clients are from
Madison County.
Gabriel said ABHS had to start
a “crisis stabilization unit” in
Athens to deal with the most
severe cases of mental illness.
He said the unit “acts a lot like a
state hospital.”
“We have 14 beds in the unit
in Athens and we stay virtually
full,” he said.
Gabriel said that funding cut
backs for state hospitals will put
more stress on the crisis sta
bilization unit and that ABHS
is having hard time finding a
hospital bed for everyone who
needs one.
“If we close those (state) hos
pitals, we anticipate more prob
lems.” he said. “It (the crisis sta-
Advantage Behavioral
Health Systems (ABHS)
is a publicly-funded pro
vider of behavioral health,
developmental disability
and addictive disease ser
vices for Barrow, Clarke,
Elbert, Greene, Jackson,
Madison, Morgan, Oconee,
Oglethorpe and Walton
counties.
Services offered include:
•Community Outreach,
Prevention and Education
•Child and Adolescent
Behavioral Health and
Addictive Disease
Services
•Adult Outpatient
Behavioral Health Services
bilization unit) is a tough opera
tion to mn. People come in there
in desperate shape.”
ABHS has asked Madison
County commissioners to
increase funding for mental
health services in 2010 from
$8,480 to $36,317.
•Community Intervention/
Risk Reduction Program
•Inpatient Detox Services
•Outpatient Alcohol and
Other Drug Counseling
•Women’s Services
•Women’s Recovery
Residence
•Emergency Services
•Offender Services
•Assertive Community
Treatment Services (ACT)
•Community Support
Individual
•Day Habilitation
for Individuals with
Developmental Disabilities
•Community Employment
Services
•Residential Services
Commissioners expressed
gratitude for the services of
ABHS but did not commit to
any increase.
“We appreciate what you do,”
said BOC chairman Anthony
Dove. “It’s just hard for us to
increase anything right now.”
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Hull approves road paving, speed breaker bid
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
After much deliberation,
Hull leaders have approved an
$18,198 bid to pave Yarbrough
Road and Cornelia Drive and
add speed breakers to Pope-
Miller Road.
Hull received three bids for
this SPLOST-funded improve
ment package, with specifica
tions identical for all three. The
$18,198 bid was the lowest.
“With specifications all the
same, I suggest we go with
the cheapest one,” councilman
Wayne Melton said.
A fourth company only sub
mitted a bid only covering the
two paving projects.
The city, however, won’t sign
a contract until it holds a work
session with a representative
from Advanced Asphalt — the
company awarded the bid — to
finalize the details.
The council briefly discussed
the possibility of adding a side
walk project on Glenn Carrie
Road — an improvement Hull
leaders have mulled over for
several months now — but
decided against it. Both mayor
Paul Elkins and councilwom-
an Becky Elkins said the city
should undertake one project at
a time.
“If we start going head over
heels, we’re going to be called
the federal government,” Paul
Elkins said.
In other road projects, Hull
has again asked the DOT to
repave Easy Street. Apparently,
the DOT lost the original paper
work submitted.
Meanwhile, the Hull Festival
Committee will refurbish the
poll lights that adorn Hwy. 72.
That includes new wiring and
new bulbs that use 85 percent
less energy.
The committee is footing
$ 1,625 of the bill. The city’s only
cost is $200-$250 for freighting
charges.
“I think you’ll be pleased with
the new look,” Paul Elkins said.
In other cosmetic enhance
ments along Hwy. 72, the city
has renegotiated its lawn main
tenance contract to include more
weed-eating along the highway.
“I like to think of Hull as the
gateway to Madison County,”
Elkins said. “I want it to look
good.”
LAW ENFORCEMENT
EFFORTS ON HWY. 72
NOTICED
Mayor Elkins commended the
sheriff’s department for recent
traffic stops it made on “our
speedway,” referring to Hwy.
72.
The mayor says motorists
regularly speed through town
in excess of 45 mph, posing a
major safety hazard.
“We’re going to have to slow
down the traffic in some way or
another,” Elkins said.
Meanwhile, Hull still awaits
speed limit signs from the DOT
for the stretch of Hwy. 72 running
through the city. Hull is missing
speed limit signs removed earlier
this decade by the department
when Hwy. 72 was widened.
“The DOT moves very, very
slowly,” Elkins said.
ELECTION AHEAD
For the second time in six
months, Hull will hold a contest
ed election when Paige Phillips
challenges incumbent Paul Cook
for his council seat Nov. 3.
Early and advanced voting
dates are Oct. 13, 20 and 27
from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the
Hull Civic Club. Polls will be
open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on
election day.
The city had to replace one
poll worker since that person
was related to the challenger.
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