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AUGUST 4, 2016
Madison County Journal
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Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
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Vol. 31 No. 30 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 20 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
LITIGATION
County
settles
with Sisk
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Former county human
resources director Donna
Sisk, who filed a law
suit against the Madison
County government,
saying she was wrongly
terminated in 2013. has
settled with the county for
$100,000.
The settlement, final
ized in May, includes no
admission of wrongdoing
by the county govern
ment, which was liable
for a $10,000 insurance
premium payment. The
county insurance provider
will pick up the rest of the
payment.
Sisk was let go by
commission chairman
Anthony Dove after sum
moning sheriff’s depart
ment assistance to do sur
veillance on two employ
ees who also worked
under the supervision of
Dove in the county com
missioners’ office. Dove
was not notified of the
investigation.
Sisk said at the time
of her dismissal that she
had reviewed videotapes
of other employees when
there was a question of
the accuracy of their
time sheets. She said she
couldn’t go to Dove, her
direct supervisor, without
— See “Sisk” on 2A
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3 A
Opinions —4-6A
Crime — 8A
Socials — 9-10A, 12A
Obituaries — 11A
Sports — 1-2A
Churches — 4B
Legals — 5B
Classifieds — 6-7B
Contact:
Phone: 800-795-2581
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, Ga. 30633
Web:
MadisonJournalTODAY.
com
Mailing
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EDUCATION
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Danielsville Elementary Colt Academy fourth and fifth grade special
education teacher Julee Moore puts some finishing touches on her class
room Tuesday morning in preparation for the start of school this Friday.
Margie Richards/staff
Back to school
Students return to class Friday
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County kids will head
back to school this Friday.
And perhaps the most obvious dif
ferences students and their parents
will notice as they head back through
their respective school doors are the
many repairs and upgrades school
system officials have been busy
attending to over the short summer
break.
Some of these include a new front
entrance for Ila Elementary, roof
replacement for the old Madison
County High School core; a new roof
for Danielsville Elementary; some
gym floor refinishing, new asphalt
at the sports complex, sidewalks
at the high school; and at Comer
Elementary, new dropped ceilings,
updated lighting and sound systems,
as well as asphalt, concrete and hand
icapped access work.
School lunches at elementary
schools are $1.75 and reduced lunch
is 40 cents. Breakfast is free at all
schools.
Below is a rundown of new faces,
improvements and other things hap
pening at each of the schools.
Open houses will be held at all ele
mentary schools on Thursday, Aug. 3,
from 3 to 5 p.m. where students will
have an opportunity to see their class
rooms and meet their teachers.
COLBERT ELEMENTARY
Colbert begins the school year with
425 students on the roll books. The
school has upgraded its computer lab
over summer break.
New faculty and staff ready to greet
students Friday include: fourth grade
teacher Mary Ellen Baker, fifth grade
teachers Taylor Morgan and Morgan
Ivester; special ed teacher Michelle
Archer, nurse Tracie Brunson,
nutrition employee Robbie Daniel,
SPED parapros Samantha Foster and
Claudia Roberts and custodian Robin
— See “School’ on 2A
FINANCES
BOC plans
3% raises for
employees
Commissioneers to hold
hearings on discontinuing
property tax rate rollback
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County government employees can
expect a three-percent cost-of-living raise for
2017.
The planned pay increase marks the first cost-
of-living raise in several years for government
employees. The overall price tag on the increase is
$189,266.
The state has mandated three-percent cost-of-
living raises for elected officials. And county com
missioners have traditionally matched any raises
for elected officials with the same increases for
employees. The commissioners agreed to continue
that tradition at a Thursday budget meeting.
But the board is grappling with a familiar bud
get problem — a revenue shortfall. Right now,
the group is staring at a $1.3 million gap between
anticipated revenues and expenses for 2017. The
board projects $13,441,711 in revenues next year.
Total expenses, with the three-percent cost-of-liv-
ing raises are $14,767,162.
While revenue shortfalls have been an annual
occurrence, commissioners have repeatedly rolled
back the county’s tax rates to offset any revenue
— See “BOC’ on 3A
MAINSTREET NEWSPAPERS
Barrow County
papers to merge
Mainstreet Newspapers, the parent firm of The
Madison County Journal, acquired a newspaper in
Barrow County late last week.
The firm purchased the 123-year-old Barrow
County News Friday and will merge it with the
Barrow Journal, an 8-year-old newspaper current
ly being published by Mainstreet Newspapers in
Winder.
Mainstreet Newspapers. Jefferson, is owned by
Mike and Scott Buffington, second-generation pub
lishers of the family firm which publishes six week
ly newspapers in Northeast Georgia.
Barrow County News reporters, Scott Thompson
and Charles Phelps, have taken positions with Main-
Street Newspapers. The name of the newly merged
newspaper has not yet been determined.
“By combining the resources of the Barrow
County News and the Barrow Journal, the com
munity and our readers will be better served by a
— See “Barrow” on 2A
ZONING
Commissioners deny rezoning for chicken houses
A large crowd turned out Monday on a proposed rezoning for
chicken houses at Hwy. 106 and Neese-Commerce Road.
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County commission
ers unanimously shot down plans
Monday for chicken houses at
Hwy. 106 and Neese-Commerce
Road, drawing applause from a
large group of neighboring resi
dents who opposed the proposal.
Randall Broome requested the
rezoning of 69.9 acres from A-2
to A-l for poultry houses. The
applicant, who is not a Madison
County resident, doesn’t plan to
farm the land himself, but instead
wants to sell the property. He
said the only interest he’s gotten
from buyers is if the land is A-l,
which opens the door for chicken
houses.
Matt Whitehead was the lone
speaker in favor of Broome’s pro
posal. He said agriculture is the
backbone of the county and needs
to be supported.
“This county has stood behind
and been known for their agri
culture,” he said, noting that 75
percent of the land around the
proposed rezoning is already A-1.
Planning commission chairman
Wayne Douglas said the appli
cant could put up to 14 rental
homes on the property in the next
few years without a rezoning. He
said there would be no way to
stop the rental properties from
coming.
Numerous people took the
podium Monday night, plead
ing with commissioners to turn
down the request. They presented
a variety of concerns. Many said
they didn’t like the idea of some
one coming in, buying property
without living on the land, then
selling it for a profit while nega
tively affecting the lives of those
nearby.
“It appears he (Broome) is
being a speculator.” said John
Norton of Nowhere Road. “He’s
asking you as a board to rule in
his favor, so he can walk away
with the money. The people who
are interested in the chicken
houses, we don’t know who they
are or where they’re from.”
Some neighboring residents
said they feared for the area’s
water table and the affect the
houses could have on their wells.
They noted that the intersection of
Hwy. 106 and Neese-Commerce
Road is already dangerous and
would be even more so with more
poultry track traffic. They said
the houses would have a terrible
effect on their property values.
— See “Zoning” on 2A