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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 24. 2009 — PAGE 3A
Madison County commissioners to meet Monday
The Madison County Board
of Commissioners will meet
at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Dec.
28, at the county government
complex.
Agenda items include:
•Chairman’s report.
(Chairman Anthony Dove)
•Business involving guests,
groups or multiple visitors.
•Consider proclamation for
Ann Brooks - E-911.
•Report from IDA - Marvin
White.
•Statements and remarks
from citizens on agenda items.
•Discuss replacement of
three vehicles for the sheriff’s
department. (Chairman Dove)
•Consider renewing con
tract with Software Systems
Unlimited Inc. (SSUI). (Gary
Venable)
•Consider filling full-time
vacancy for EMS. (Donna
Sisk)
•Consider employees to be
added to part-time call-in list
for EMS. (Donna Sisk)
•Discuss 2010 personnel and
general policies. (Donna Sisk)
•Consider any budget amend
ments. (Chairman Dove)
•Open bids on Sims Kidd
Road. (Chairman Dove)
•Consider Danielsville VFD
pumper truck. (Chairman
Dove)
•Discuss noise ordi
nance, information only.
(Commissioner Bruce Scogin)
•Discuss Farm Road and John
Sharp Road. (Commissioner
Scogin)
•Roads update. (Chairman
Dove)
•Urgent matters. (Chairman
Dove)
•Review Jan. 4,2010, agenda
for business meeting.
•Statements and remarks
from citizens.
•Closed session to discuss
land acquisition, personnel
matters and/or potential litiga
tion (if needed).
Comer budget down slightly in 2010
Ahead:
Sorrells retirement
reception set for Sunday
There will be a retirement celebration for long-time
Comer city clerk Steve Sorrells Sunday, Dec. 27,
from 4 to 6 p.m. (drop in) at the Comer Volunteer Fire
Department, 169 Laurel Avenue, Comer.
‘Meet your Mayor’
reception set for Jan. 9
Comer’s mayor-elect David McMickle, and his wife
Beth, will host a “Meet Your Mayor” reception from 4-6
p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, at Blue Bell Gallery in Comer.
“I look forward to this opportunity to meet the citizens
of Comer,” Mayor-elect McMickle said. “I hope that all
our residents will take the time to attend the reception
and allow me to hear their concerns.”
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
The Comer budget will drop
by 1.7 percent in 2010.
The city council unani
mously approved next year’s
budget Monday afternoon.
The group discussed next
year’s figures with long-time
city clerk Steve Sorrells, who
will retire at the end of this
year.
“I feel a lot better about
your budget then I did three
months ago,” said Sorrells,
who prepared the city’s bud
get. “We were able to prevent
an increase in health insur
ance, along with a number
of other things we were able
to do.”
The city’s 2010 budget will
be down $10,000 in 2010,
from $609,780 to $599,630.
Sorrells said sales tax rev
enues have been down, noting
that Local Option Sales Tax
(LOST) projections are down
$10,000 to $12,000 for 2010.
However, Sorrells said there
will be more money in the
Special Purpose Local Option
Sales Tax (SPLOST) budget
than before, since the city
received permission from the
state to use excess grant funds
to cover installation of a water
line, which had initially been
covered by SPLOST.
“SPLOST will be in much
better shape after getting the
other funds,” said Sorrells.
Councilman Howard
Threlkeld pointed out that the
police department budget will
be down roughly $16,000 in
2010. “I don’t want to see you
out there citing people just to
make it up,” said Thelkeld
to police chief Brent Zellner.
Council members said they
don’t want to see the city turn
into a speed trap.
“Yes, sir. I understand,” said
Zellner.
Thelkeld said he’d like the
council to consider purchas
ing an electric generator to
help the city government keep
power in case of an emer
gency, such as the March 1
snowstorm of this year.
Mayor Billy Burroughs said
the city could potentially rent
a generator when needed.
Sorrells said that in an emer
gency, the city won’t be the
only ones trying to rent a
generator.
Threlkeld also asked if the
city has any money in reserves
for sewage repairs, if needed.
“I don’t want to obligate
ourselves to purchase some
thing we don’t need and then
get caught (without money
for sewerage repairs),” said
Threlkeld.
Sorrells said there’s no way
to save enough money for a
complete revamping of the
sewerage system, which he
said would cost in the $2-4
million range.
Hull passes
$63K budget
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Hull leaders have their 2010 spending plan in place,
approving a $63,246 budget Monday night in the city
council’s final meeting of 2009.
The city’s largest line item is for fire department insur
ance ($11,300).
The city also authorized mayor Paul Elkins to sign an
agreement to begin the city’s two-year audit process. The
audit is due June 30 and will cost the city $8,150. Hull has
hired Hawkins and McNair to handle the audit.
In other business, the city will keep its Christmas lights
up until Jan. 2. This year Hull has added four caroler fix
tures to its Christmas decor collection along Hwy. 72.
“We’ve had a lot of good comments about the four carol
ers out there,” Elkins said.
DEPARTING COUNCILMAN REITERATES
REQUEST FOR SIDEWALKS
Departing councilman Paul Cook made a final push for
a sidewalk project along Glenn Carrie Road in Hull at the
end of his final meeting.
“Because it’s well-needed, and it’s past due,” Cook said.
Cook, whose term is ending, will be replaced by Paige
Phillips who defeated him in a November election for his
council seat.
Cook asked for a commitment from mayor Paul Elkins to
the sidewalk project.
Elkins told Cook that such a commitment could only
come through a vote from the council but said it will cer
tainly be considered if the money is available,
“I see no problem with putting that on the agenda to
certainly give a serious consideration as funds become
available,” Elkins said.
Cook called his time on the council a “wonderful experi
ence” and used the final moments of the meeting to thank
the mayor and council.
“Thank you all for your help, because you’ve helped me
a lot through this journey,” Cook said.
Hull donates $500 to
animal shelter; councilman
urges other cities to step up
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Comer council approves limb pickup policy
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Comer leaders set some
guidelines Monday on what
residents can expect in limb
and debris pickup.
City residents can set out a
single limb and debris pile by
the road for city workers to
pick up, but the pile can’t be
bigger than three-feet wide, but
three-feet tall, by six-feet long.
Limbs cannot be more than
four inches in diameter. And
the butt end of the limbs should
face the road.
The council set no schedule
on when the limbs would be
picked up, agreeing that the
limb pickup will be held more
frequently if there are more
limbs by the road, for instance,
in the aftermath of a storm.
Comer council members
did not discuss Royal Oaks
Subdivision. Residents from
that subdivision have asked the
council to set a debris pickup
schedule for the city.
Council members said some
city residents take advantage
of the city limb pickup service,
putting huge piles of wood by
the road, even entire trees that
have been cut down.
“We sat on one pile for
two days,” said Mayor Billy
Burroughs, noting an example
of citizens abusing the service.
Hull City Council couple to join crisis team
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Paul and Becky Elkins have vol
unteered to be part of a Madison
County crisis response team
should a catastrophe ever arise in
the county.
The Elkins, who both serve on
the Hull City Council, will attend
a Jan. 29-30 ffaining session in
Danielsville to learn skills they
hope they never have to use.
“We hope and pray that this
team will never have to be put in
place,” said Paul Elkins, Hull's
mayor.
This response team would be
in place to assist the county in the
event of anything from a school
shooting to a tornado to a swine
flu pandemic outbreak. Elkins said
the two will be naked to provide
psychological assistance.
"We give the people who are
affected an ear to talk to ... We
think it’s gokg to be a heck of a
good program,” Elkks said, add-
kg that similar teams are k place
k other areas.
The cost of ttainkg is $60 a
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• TOP SOIL
• RIVER ROCK
• WHITE SAND
• FILL DIRT
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770-967-6501 OR 706-789-3779
Danielsville, GA • www.williamstransportco.com
Highway 106 to Jot-em Down Rd. to Young Harris Road to Serenity Lane
person, a fee that the city will
reimburse for the Elkks.
Elkks said county commission
ers have been mullkg the idea for
an ktervention team for a while.
The program is coordinated k
conjunction with the Red Cross
and has 20 volunteers so far.
There's no limit to the number of
members on this team.
“The more the merrier,” Elkins
said. “Because you never know
who is going to be affected by a
potential problem.”
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The city of Hull plans to donate $500 k January to the
Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter (MOAS) to aid the
financially-ailing facility in its fund-raising efforts.
The city council designated the contribution for next
month when Hull’s new budget year begins.
Shelter officials have said they need about $15,000 to get
it to spring and have made a public appeal for donations.
Councilman Wayne Melton said other municipalities
should follow Hull’s lead.
“If the little city of Hull can do that, then Ha can do it,
Danielsville can do it and Comer and Colbert and Carlton,”
Melton said.
The animal shelter receives some funding from both
Madison and Oglethorpe counties - at a rate of three dollars
per person - but that money hasn’t been enough to meet the
costs of housing all the strays.
“They’ve been running, literally, on a shoe string for
years,” Hull mayor Paul Elkins said. “And that shoe string
has just about broke.”
Elkins made the donation request to the council, not
ing that an anonymous contribution of $10,000 has been
pledged to MOAS if the community can match it.
“Any contribution that we make. I’m sure the people over
there at the animal shelter would be most appreciative,”
Elkins said.
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