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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 5. 2009 — PAGE 3A
Dogs that attack people can
now be seized immediately
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Animals that attack people
in Madison County can now
be taken into government cus
tody without a court order.
County commissioners
unanimously amended the
county’s animal control ordi
nance Monday, giving local
officials the authority to appre
hend an animal that poses a
public safety risk without first
getting a judge’s approval.
The measure was deemed
necessary after a 5-year-old
boy was savagely attacked in
his home in Hull last month
by a dog that had gotten free
from a neighbor’s chain. The
dog was surrendered to the
county the following day and
euthanized. But since the ani
mal was up to date on its vac
cinations, there was nothing
in the county ordinances that
would have allowed animal
control officers to take cus
tody of the dog, despite the
attack. If the owner refused to
give up the dog, it could have
remained on the owner’s prop
erty until a Superior Court
judge issued an order to seize
the animal, which could have
taken days.
“Imagine that child going
back home from the hospital
and not knowing if the dog
was loose or where it was at,’’
said commissioner Stanley
Thomas.
Thomas and other commis
sioners said that the inability
to seize a dog that has attacked
a person was unacceptable.
They noted that a person
who attacks another person
can be immediately arrested.
Therefore, it makes no sense
not to be able to immediate
ly seize an animal that hurts
someone.
Hoke Strickland was the
lone citizen to address the
BOC on the matter Monday.
He stood at the podium and
protested the action.
“I’m for protecting our chil
dren, but why do we need
another law when we already
got one?’’ asked Strickland.
BOC chairman Anthony
Dove noted that the abil
ity to seize an animal that has
attacked a human does not
eliminate due process rights
for the animal or its owner.
For instance, an animal, in
some cases, may be provoked
into an attack. The owner can
present such evidence before
a judge in an effort to get his
dog back. But commissioners
said it is imperative that the
dog be adequately restrained
while the legal process plays
out. And in some cases, that
means the county must take
control of the animal.
“We do not want to circum
vent that process; we just want
that dog to be secured,” said
Dove.
The chairman noted that the
animal may not necessarily be
apprehended by the county.
Animal control director Jack
Huff said that if animal control
deems that the dog is kept in a
properly maintained kennel, it
could remain on the owner’s
property under regular super
vision from the department
while legal proceedings take
place.
Owners of animals that are
seized by animal control are
liable for a $25 confiscation
fee and $10 per day boarding
expense.
No tax rate increase for D’ville
...but city employees will face furloughs
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
There will be no tax
rate increase in the city of
Danielsville this year.
But Danielsville city
employees will likely pay a
price for the council’s deci
sion not to raise the millage
rate for 2010. The council
tentatively agreed during a
budget work session Monday
night to furlough all city
workers two days per month
beginning in January.
Certification upgrades in
pay will also be frozen for
employees and there will be
no annual Christmas bonus
es.
“The budget has to be bal
anced,” councilwoman Junne
Temple said. “If we don’t
have the money to spend, we
can’t spend it.”
But Temple added that she,
along with the rest of the
council, is ‘TOO percent” in
favor of removing the hard
ships on employees as soon
as the situation changes.
The council agreed that
employees need to work out
a staggered schedule of fur
lough days for 2010.
The council will hold
a hearing on the proposed
budget, along with a special
called meeting to set the mill-
age rate on Nov. 30 at 6:30
p.m. just prior to their regular
worksession.
A second budget hearing
will be held Dec. 7 at 6:30
p.m., just prior to the coun
cil’s regular business meet
ing. The council is expected
to approve the 2010 budget
during that meeting.
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Twenty years after fall, small pieces of Berlin
Wall on display at Madison Co. Library
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
A few fragments of perhaps
the most recognizable structure
of the Iron Curtain currently lie
in Madison County’s library.
Small pieces of the Berlin
Wall, which stood from 1961
to 1989, are on display this
month in celebration of the 20 th
anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s
fall. The rubble still bares the
graffiti that covered the his
torical barricade between East
Berlin from West Berlin.
“Yeah, it is exciting to have
it,” Madison County Library
director Suzi DeGrasse said.
“Some of the pieces still have
the spray paint on them.”
These historic chunks were
donated not long after the
wall’s fall on Nov. 9,1989, and
DeGrasse discovered them a
few years ago.
But she held off on an exhib
it, waiting for the right moment
to put them on display.
“I had known that they were
here and I thought that putting
them out for the 20 th anniversa
ry was appropriate,” DeGrasse
said.
The donation predated
her time at the library, but
DeGrasse doesn’t think this is
the first time the Berlin Wall
remains have been on exhibit
for the county.
The Berlin Wall dis
play includes a photo of the
Brandenburg Gate — at which
former U.S. President Ronald
Reagan made his famous,
“Tear down this wall” speech
— and a historical explanation
of the Berlin Wall, including a
small summary about escape
attempts.
“To clarify that, no, it wasn’t
just a wall,” DeGrasse said. “It
was not meant to be crossed. If
you did, you would die.”
The display has already
stirred some interest, especially
among those who weren’t even
been bom yet when the wall
fell.
“The teenagers have found it
interesting,” DeGrasse said.
In connection with the 20 th
anniversary of the wall’s fall
and Veterans Day, the library
is also coordinating an origami
crane peace project.
Comer council to write letter of
appreciation to ‘good Samaritan’
By Frank Gillispie
frankgillispie67 l@msn.com
Comer City Council mem
bers agreed Monday to write a
letter of appreciation to a good
Samaritan.
Chris Warren, a worker for
AAA Sanitation of Hull, was
on his route on West Pine Ave
in Comer Oct. 13 when he
saw a lady in distress. When
he went to her aid, he found
that she was having a heart
attack. Warren immediately
called 911 and stayed with the
stricken lady until the ambu
lance arrived.
In other matters, the city will
hold a budget hearing Nov. 19
at 6 p.m. The city office will be
open and anyone who wishes
to make comments about the
2010 budget will be welcome.
City clerk Steve Sorrells has
compiled figures for the coun
cil to study prior to making a
formal proposal He said that
all comments and concerns
expressed by city residents will
be taken into consideration in
the final plan.
Sorrells said that income
from the Local Option Sales
Tax has been inconsistent in
recent months, which makes
it difficult to make accurate
projections of income. He pre
dicted that the budget would be
“tight” next year.
The water budget is doing
quite well, he said. The city has
paid off a 10-year loan used to
finance well number four, and
with the trash contract with
AAA Sanitation, city workers
have more time to deal with
leaks, reducing the amount of
work being contracted to out
side companies.
Council member Laquita
Bridges questioned the legality
of setting a 20 MPH speed limit
on Laurel Drive. She was under
the impression that state law
prohibits speed limits below
25 MPH. The council agreed
to determine state law cover
ing the question and adjust the
speed limit if necessary
In a separate matter, setting
a schedule for leaf and limb
removal remains a problem,
in part due to the weather. The
chipper does not work well
with waterlogged wood, said
Mayor Billy Burroughs. The
city expects to remove leaves
and limbs at least once a
month, but setting a specific
schedule will not be possible in
the immediate future.
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