Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A —THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 3. 2009
Budget... cont’dfrom 1A
through the county budget, looking for cost-saving measures.
They avoided laying off employees. But they do plan to reduce
employee holiday pay by 50 percent next year, a move that will
save approximately $112,000.
BOC chairman Anthony Dove said Madison County has, so
far, fared better than some surrounding counties.
“Our department heads have been able to do some things that
have really helped,” said Dove.
The chairman said the commissioners are “trying to prepare
for the unforeseen.”
“We have no idea what will happen,” said Dove. “They (leg
islators) are saying we need to be ready for another eight to 10
percent cut.”
Commissioner Stanley Thomas said he is concerned
about health care reform putting more funding bur
den on the state government. He worries that the state
could shift even more responsibilities to counties.
“If the state has to do more with health care, it’s going to cut
down on what the states can do,” said Thomas. “We need to
look at going very conservatively on spending money.”
County commissioners agreed Monday to base next year's
budget on a projected 96 percent property tax collection rate,
which would generate approximately $7.2 million in tax rev
enue, bringing total county revenues to just under $13.4 million
for the year.
As of Tuesday, projected county expenditures for 2010 were
$13,684,770, with projected revenues at $13,393,222, leaving
a shortfall of $291,000. However, changes approved by county
commissioners Monday night had not been factored into the
budget as of Tuesday.
Madison County leaders are trying to keep reserves at a suffi
cient level to weather future financial troubles that could come
if state leaders pass the buck to the counties.
And it appears the government has something in the cup
board to handle future troubles.
Finance director Kathy Clark said she anticipates the county
using over $200,000 in reserve funds to cover the budget
shortfall. But the county began the year with $3.8 million in
reserves, which was roughly 27 percent of its operating budget
of $14.19 million. The state government recommends that
counties maintain a reserve fund balance of at least 15 percent
of their operating budget, but they say that 25 percent is a much
safer figure.
As of the end of October, the county government had roughly
$4 million reserve funds. If the county uses $200,000 in reserve
funds to cover next year’s budget shortfall, the government
will have approximately $3.8 million left in its reserves. That
means the county will again begin the year with a reserve
fund balance that equals approximately 27 to 28 percent of its
operating costs.
The Columbia Farms Feed Mill can store up to 750,000
bushels of com in several 140 foot-high silos. Margie
Richards/staff
Feed mill
• • • cont’d from 1A
is a $23 million investment in Madison County. There’s not
much of that kind of thing happening now.”
Industrial Authority director Marvin White said he’s “thor
oughly convinced” that if business and industry don’t come into
the county over the next few years, residents won’t be able to
pay their property taxes.
Plant official Melvin Dutton, who has been with Columbia
Farms more than 30 years, said the plant can store up to
300,000 tons of finished feed. Loads are dropped from shoots
electronically into waiting tractor-trailers for shipment to farms.
Com to manufacture the feed is brought in via rail cars on the
CSX line. The plant can store up to 750,000 bushels of com in
several 140 foot-high silos. The massive boiler facility produces
steam to cook the chicken feed by burning wood chips, instead
of natural gas, though there is a back-up natural gas generator,
in case of emergency.
The plant hopes to expand production in the future.
Lawdon Lewis, director of feed management for
Columbia Farms, explains how feed cooling units
work Tuesday during a tour of the company’s new
mill in Comer.
Networking... cont’d from 1A
Some school systems,
including Barrow County,
are considering policies
regarding their employees’
online behavior.
But Madison County is
staying out of the fray right
now.
“We don’t have a policy
that specifically targets that,”
McGhee said. “You’ve got
your just general profession
al practices policy that says
they’re supposed to behave
appropriately, so that’s it.”
Basically, McGhee said
Madison County School
System employees know
how they’re expected to
behave. That includes any
online activity.
“It’s kind of what your
football coach says, ‘I don’t
have a whole lot rales, just
one — do right,”’ McGhee
said. “We expect our folks to
do right. We expect our folks
to know what’s appropriate
and what’s not appropriate.”
While the school system
doesn’t want to get into
monitoring online lives of
teachers, McGhee said they
should realize that posting
personal information online
has consequences.
“They (teachers) need to
be cognizant of it,” he said.
“They need to realize that if
they put something out there
on a site like that, it can be
looked at and it can cause
problems.”
Awareness is already out
there concerning social net
working risks. Colleges are
warning graduates to care
fully choose what content
they include on their social
network pages. Large com
panies, as part of the hiring
process, will often investi
gate online profile of a pro
spective employee.
Still, the awareness doesn’t
stop some from becoming
online victims.
The Morgan County Citizen
reported last week that some
one started a Facebook page
using the name of Morgan
County High School football
coach Bill Malone without
the coach’s knowledge or
permission.
The person claiming to be
Malone started to “friend”
other users.
The Morgan County
Touchdown Club had to
launch a Facebook cam
paign alerting users that an
imposter was using Malone’s
name.
“That’s the scary thing,”
McGhee said. “That’s like
all the anonymous blogs.
Anybody can say anything
they want, and there’s no
accountability to it, and
that’s tough.”
While danger exists,
social networking sites are
becoming a popular method
of distributing information,
even among schools. In
fact, Madison County High
School maintains its own
Facebook page, which has
880 “fans.”
Like all things, social net
working must be used with
discretion, McGhee said.
“It’s a great communica
tion tool, just teachers have
got to realize that they’re in
the public eye and behave
accordingly, and the vast
majority of them do that,”
McGhee said.
Comer... cont’dfrom 1A
in the recent improvements
through his job as city clerk,
will serve as grand marshal
after being selected by the
Comer Women's Club, which
has coordinated the parade for
years.
Son'ells — who’s retiring
at year's end — admitted to
being “a little embarrassed”
but feels it’s more a recogni
tion of the downtown improve
ments rather than of him.
“I think it would have been
done just as well if I hadn’t
had anything to do with it as
it was done, or maybe even
better,” he said.
Sorrells said he sees a down
town district with a tremen
dous amount of potential and
hopes parade patrons see the
same thing when they visit
Saturday.
“This little four-block area is
about as cute a little downtown
that you'll find anywhere,” he
said. “I just hope people will
recognize that.”
ABOUT THE GRAND
MASHAL
Except for college and mili
tary service, Sorrells is a life
long Madison County resident
and long-standing public offi
cial.
A 1965 graduate of Madison
County High School, Son-ells
served four years in the United
States Air Force, during which
Steve Sorrells
he was deployed overseas.
In fact, Son-ells was stationed
in the Philippine Islands as
a communications equipment
technician and participated in
temporary duty operations in
South Korea in response to
the 1968 Pueblo incident and
in the Mekong Delta region of
South Vietnam.
Sorrells, a 1971 graduate
of Southern Tech, has been
married the former Sueleata
Mann of Comer since 1970.
Their daughter, Franleata
Sorrells Blackmon, is the wife
of Jody Blackmon. They have
one son, Stephen Alexander
Blackmon.
Steve and Sueleata attend
the Comer United Methodist
Church. Sorrells serves as the
church treasurer and Sueleata
as the music director. Both
play various musical instru
ments for the church and
numerous other social func
tions.
In addition to his work as
Comer city clerk, Sorrells
has served as an officer in
the Comer Volunteer Fire
Department and secretary of
the Madison County Rescue
squad.
He was also chairman of
the Madison County Industrial
Development and Building
Authority (IDA) from 1995-
1999. During the time, the
IDA was establishing itself
as the water authority for
the unincorporated area of
Madison County.
Sorrells’ career highlights
include his 1995 selection
as City Administrator of the
Year by the Northeast Georgia
Regional Development Center
(NEGRDC).
Sorrells said he’s “very
humbled” by being chosen as
the Comer Christmas Parade
grand marshal this year.
“I feel this (being selected
as the grand marshal) is more
of a tribute to improvements
downtown than specifically for
me,” he said in a press release.
“I was not the only one work
ing these last few years on this
project. Our mayor, council
members, staff, volunteers and
appointed officials all put in
a lot of time and effort to see
this project through. I feel that
the work done, especially that
work that is underground and
not readily seen, will serve the
city of Comer for many years
to come.”
The recognition also comes
as Sorrells retires from his
position as Comer’s clerk.
“I’ll still live in Comer and
will still be around and this,
that and the other, but won’t
have as much of an official
capacity as I did in the past,”
he said. “It’s just the time
in my life when it’s just the
time.”
Sorrells hasn’t ruled out the
possibility of working some
with the city, but said that’s up
to Comer’s leaders.
“That will be up to them
completely,” he said. “I
wouldn't try to force myself
in, but neither would I try to
force myself out.”
CHRISTMAS TREE
LIGHTING
The lighting of the city's
Christmas tree will be Sunday
night, Dec, 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Madison County School cho
ruses will perform. Comer
United Methodist Church is in
charge of the program, Comer-
Baptist Church will host a
live Nativity and Springfield
Baptist Church will serve
refreshments, compliments of
First Citizens Bank.
Correction
Don Mosley, one of the founders of Jubilee
Partners in Comer, was referred to in the Nov.
19 edition of The Journal as the current direc
tor of Jubilee Partners. Brad Smith is actually
Jubilee’s director. We apologize for the error.
Gloria Barrett and
Jean Payne
want to wish their children
Justin and Olivia Barrett
a happy one year
anniversary on
December 1, 2009.
We hope and pray for your
continued happiness in the
years to come.
Always remember...
“What God has joined together
let no man put asunder.”
Madison County Board of
Commissioners
SEEKING BIDS
The Madison County B.O.C. is seeking bids
for repairing, widening, paving and striping
.4 miles of Sims Kidd Road (county road
#280). Specifications may be obtained by
contacting Road Superintendent Charles
Temple 706-795-6260. Bids should be sealed
and clearly marked on the outside “Sealed
bid for repairing, widening, paving and
striping Sims Kidd Road” and received no
later than 3 p.m. on December 14, 2009, in
the office of the Chairman of the Board of
Commissioners located at 91 Albany Avenue
in Danielsville, Georgia. The Board of
Commissioners reserves the right to reject
any and all bids. Bonding is required.
Anthony Dove, Chairman.
Dr. Neelagaru, M.D. (Dr. Neel)
Dr. Neel is:
• Associated with Northeast Georgia
Heart Center in Gainesville,
Georgia. He performs all invasive
cardiology procedures at the
Ronnie Green Heart Center at
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Clinic.
• Affiliated with BJC.
• Accepts most insurances.
Commerce Cardiology Clinic
Call for appointment.
706-335-2000
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