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PAGE 2A-THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 2, 2020
2019
continued from 1A
was forced to pay $460,000
in ransom to Internet hack
ers who secretly and anony
mously infiltrated the govern
ment’s computer system and
then locked it down, requiring
a payment in Bitcoin, a cyber
currency, for the county to get
access to its own data.
•Michele Barrett was
named the new Early Learn
ing Center (ELC) Director
at the March meeting of the
Madison County Board of
Education.
•No one was injured when
a bus from Colbert Elementa
ry School was hit by a vehicle
on Hwy. 72 near Tranquility
Mobile Home Park.
•County industrial author
ity members spoke at length
March 20 about engineering
work for a water pump sta
tion at the Georgia Renew
able Power (GRP) plant off
Hwy. 72.
•Madison County com
missioners once again turned
down a beer-and-wine license
request for Kwik Chek at the
corner of Hwy. 29 and Glenn
Carrie Road in Hull.
•The county school board
agreed to sell the old Colbert
Elementary School to Learn
ing Train Academy.
APRIL
•County commissioners
heard a personal account of
one parent’s mental health
nightmare with her child and
her ongoing quest to improve
mental health treatment for
Georgians.
•The City of Danielsville
asked county commissioners
to revise the division of spe
cial purpose local option sales
tax (SPLOST) to “more fairly
represent the infrastructure
needs of its county seat.’’
•County public works di
rector Alan Lapczynski told
commissioners that asphalt
prices were up $9.70 a ton
compared to the same time in
2018.
•Madison County 4-H in
cooperation with local veter
inarians held a series of rabies
vaccine clinics at different lo
cations.
•Burger King announced it
was opening a store in Dan
ielsville.
•Renee Bonner, 65, who
was convicted in March for
trying to kill Couch by over
dosing her with morphine
and other painkillers in June
2017, was sentenced to Judge
Malcom in Madison County
Superior Court to 10 years
probation for attempted mur
der and another consecutive
10 years probation for neglect
of a disabled person. She was
also ordered to spend 60 days
per sentence in jail, with cred
it for time served.
•Meghann Farmer, an ed
ucator from Forsyth County,
was named the new elementa
ry curriculum director by the
Madison County board of ed
ucation at its April meeting.
•Madison County Jim
Perkins Award winners for
2019 were recognized by the
school board. Those honored
included Robin Jones Walk
er, Madison County High
School; Pam Hall, Madi
son County Middle School;
Rhonda Doster, Comer Ele
mentary School; and Sherri
Osborne, Colbert Elementary
School.
•Madison County commis
sioners approved $1.3 million
in road projects. The com
missioners awarded a con
tract of $1,304,512 to Garrett
Paving Company to resur
face approximately 11 miles.
The roads projects included
Brickyard Road, $229,042;
New Haven Church Road
(considered in two sections),
$572,702; Joe Graham Road,
$66,623; Piedmont Road,
$172,095; McGinnis Chan
dler Road, $131,622; Mize
Road, $41,375; and Crawford
Long Street, $91,053.
•Mail carrier Josh Toney
narrowly escaped when his
vehicle was swept away in
a hole on Duncan Swindle
Road during a flash flood.
MAY
•A van that ran out of gas
near Clark Circle on Hwy. 29
South resulted in the arrest
of three South Carolina men
who were found to possess
a credit card “skimmer” and
numerous stolen mail items
from multiple areas, includ
ing Madison County.
•Red Raider Theatre pre
sented Joseph and the Amaz
ing Technicolor Dreamcoat
May 2-4.
•Madison County fire of
ficials sought a boost in rev
enues for volunteer depart
ments through the sales tax
renewal referendum in No
vember.
•Robert B. Hunter of Hull
has seen many things in his
99 years, including time in the
Marine Corps during WWII.
In May, he saw a special quilt
made just for him, a “thank
you” from Quilts of Valor for
his service to the country.
•The Danielsville City
Council approved the prelim
inary plats for two new subdi
visions in the city.
•The Madison County
Board of Education approved
a 15-cent across-the-board
raise for lunches for fiscal
year 2020.
•The county industrial au
thority announced that Mad
ison County water customers
can now pay their monthly
water bills online.
•Wendy Qiu and Ivana
Ton-Nu were recognized as
the valedictorian and saluta-
torian for the Class of 2019.
•Madison County commis
sioners stayed with Cigna for
health insurance coverage for
county employees with a sev
en-percent premium hike.
•Michael Paul Estes, 42,
pled guilty and was given two
concurrent prison sentences
of 25 years without the possi
bility of parole by Judge Jeff
Malcom. He was also ordered
to pay $10,000 in fines.
•An Athens man was mur
dered in the yard of a home
on Woodale Street off Glenn
Carrie Road in Hull. Fifty-
two-year-old Samuel Jordan
was pronounced dead on ar
rival at an Athens hospital.
JUNE
Madison County commis
sioners agreed to apply for
a $300,000 matching grant
from the Georgia Heritage
Grant Program, which pro
vides money for historic ren
ovations, such as old county
courthouses.
•County commissioners
heard complaints from two
local citizens, then later dis
cussed potentially ending the
long-standing “facilities use
agreement” between Little
League and the recreation de
partment, putting youth base
ball and softball under the
supervision of county staff at
the recreation department.
•Two Athens brothers were
arrested for the murder of a
man who was shot multiple
times in the yard of a home on
Woodale Street off of Glenn
Carrie Road in Hull in the
early morning hours of Sun
day, May 26. Darrious Show
ers, 20, and Dykell Showers,
18, were each charged with
one count of murder.
•Madison County mentors
who had one of their mentees
graduate in 2019 gathered to
celebrate the important mile
stone.
•The Journal featured Com
er’s Jubilee Partners, which
celebrated its 40th year of ex
istence. The Christian refugee
welcoming center has taken
in nearly 4,000 refugees.
•Board of education mem
bers recognized outgoing
business operations assis
tant superintendent Bonnie
Knight for her 12 years of
service.
•The Madison Oglethor
pe Animal Shelter (MOAS)
canceled its contract with
Oglethorpe County over
funding issues. The two sides
later resolved the matter with
MOAS continuing to serve
both Madison and Oglethor
pe counties.
•The Journal wrote about
the efforts by the City of
Danielsville to upgrade its
sewer pond, which serves
the city residents, businesses,
the county government and
school system.
•Members of the Madison
County Chamber of Com
merce Board of Directors
met with the county industrial
authority, county commis
sioners and school board to
discuss the need for someone
to lead the Chamber.
•County commissioners
voiced a desire to have the
county elections board look
at the number of polling pre
cincts in the county.
•The board of commission
ers approved the SPLOST
allocation for the next six
years; cities, $1,500,000;
firefighting, $1,455,000;
sheriff, $885,000; recreation,
$365,000; E911, $905,000;
EMS, $715,000; IDA,
$1,620,000; old Courthouse,
$50,000; roads, $5,455,000;
coroner, $60,000; facilities
acquisition and renovation,
$190,000.
•County government lead
ers learned that anticipated
county government revenues
were $18.2 million for 2020
without any increase to the
county’s tax rates. The gains
come from an increase in the
county’s tax digest (overall
property value). One mill in
2018 was worth $689,700
this past year, but one mill in
2019 generated $764,447, a
10.8 percent increase in val
ue.
•County industrial author
ity members discussed the
possibility of deeding Sea-
graves Lake back to the Sea-
graves family.
JULY
•Madison County received
a $150,000 in state grants
to build an agricultural bam
on land adjacent to the high
school’s track field.
•The former Board of Edu
cation office located on Mary
Ellen Court in Danielsville
was sold to MDS-Madison,
LLC who plans to build a
regional Department of Fam
ily and Children Services
(DFCS) office on the site.
•Two Athens women were
charged with robbing an Ath
ens man who was murdered
on Woodale Street in Hull
over Memorial Day weekend.
Jennifer Gober Hill, 43, and
Shambreka Attrice Johnson,
25, were each charged with
one count of robbery in con
nection to the case.
•City six-year SPLOST
allocations were set at Carl
ton, $135,783; Colbert,
$310,172; Comer, $591,057;
Danielsville, $294,197; Hull,
$103,834; and Ila, $177,052.
•County commissioners
agreed to move forward with
five new employee positions:
an additional uniformed secu
rity guard for the courthouse
at a projected cost of $27,875;
an additional investigator for
the district attorney’s office at
a cost of $53,333; a part-time
probate office position at a
cost of $14,300; an additional
civil deputy (in anticipation of
a fourth superior court judge
being added to the circuit)
at a cost of about $45,000;
an additional paramedic for
Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) at a cost of $28,080
regular time and about
$45,252 overtime pay (due
to 24-hour shifts), an activity
director for the senior center
at a cost of approximately
$24,000 and a new recreation
department position at a cost
of about $32,000. Commis
sioners also agreed to stick
with a $15,000 donation to
the Chamber of Commerce
toward a $45,000 salary for a
new director’s position.
•Georgia Renewable Power
(GRP) plant in Colbert neared
the beginning of operations.
Gina Ward, told the industri
al authority that the sound at
her home was like a “constant
low rumble” or a “dull roar.”
•The county recreation
department board met with
Little League board mem
bers July 16 to discuss how
to move forward with softball
and baseball programs at the
recreation department.
•The Madison-Oglethorpe
Animal Shelter and Ogletho
QUALIFYING FEES & DATES
Pursuant to O.C.G.A § 21-2-131(a)(l) ; the following qualifying fees were set by the Madison County
Board of Commissioners at their November 25, meeting;
Sheriff
$
1,943.28
Clerk of Superior Court
$
1,591.05
Tax Commissioner
$
1,591.05
Probate Judge
$
1,591.05
Chairman, BOC
$
1,943.28
District 1 & 2 Commissioners, BOC
$
216.00
Board of Education
$
94.62
Coroner
$
351.81
Qualifying for the offices listed above will begin at 9:00 am, Monday, March 2, 2020 and will end at noon
Friday, March 6, 2020. The General Primary/General Election will be held May 19, 2020.
All candidates who wish to qualify for ALL races will qualify at the Board of Elections & Registration
Office, 94 Spring Lake Drive, Danielsville.
For information, please contact the Board of Elections & Registration Office, 706-795-6335, Tracy Dean
rpe County continued to talk
through their differences over
yearly funding for the shel
ter’s operations.
•A multi-agency river res
cue drill was held on the
Broad River.
•Jarvis Torrence Mack, 45,
was charged with aggravated
sexual battery and two counts
of child molestation.
•The Journal featured the
Madison County Food Bank
and its efforts to feed those in
need in the county.
•Madison County School
System Superintendent Mi
chael Williams welcomed
school staff members back
to work after the summer
break. Ila Elementary’s Amy
Dobbs was named the Mad
ison County School System
“Teacher of the Year” and
Natasha Walker, a parapro
at Madison County High
School, was named the “Sup
port Person of the Year.”
•Tax rates remained steady,
but an increase in the county
digest (overall property val
ues) led to 10 percent more
local property tax revenue for
the Madison County govern
ment in 2019.
AUGUST
•Madison County’s new
Early Learning Center for
pre-schoolers opened Aug. 2.
•James Marcus Long, 56,
was charged with aggravat
ed child molestation, child
molestation, incest, rape and
statutory rape. In a separate
case, Amanda Rossi Estes,
40, of Hartwell, was arrested
on charges of child molesta
tion and cruelty to children
(felony).
•State standardized testing
results for the winter of 2018
and spring of 2019 showed
that Madison County schools,
for the most part, did better
on the battery of tests than the
overall state results.
•The school system, along
with the Madison County
Sheriff’s Office, held an in
formational meeting on va-
ping in the Madison County
High School cafeteria.
•Lois Elizabeth Sorrow
was sentenced by Judge Lau
ren Watson to serve 30 years,
with the first five years to be
served in confinement and
the remainder on probation,
on charges of two counts of
second degree burglary, six
counts of theft by taking and
one count of theft by decep
tion.
•Madison County School
District was ranked 20th best
school district in the state for
the 2019-2020 school by data
compiler Niche.
•A hearing on the county
tax rate Aug. 12 included dis
cussion of Madison County’s
financial history and its need
for a larger commercial base
to relieve the tax burden on
property owners.
•Long-time Danielsville
mayor Todd Higdon an
nounced he wouldn’t seek
re-election. Meanwhile,
council member Michael
Wideman announced that he
would seek the post vacated
by Higdon. Wideman later
qualified unopposed for the
mayor’s position.
•County industrial de
velopment authority (IDA)
members talked about a wide
range of issues at a 2020 bud
get meeting, including the
need for finding serviceable
wells in the county, the Geor
gia Renewable Power plant
project, sales tax funding, and
potentially moving industrial
authority employees under
county government benefits
plans.
•The Journal featured Head
Start, a program providing
services to young children in
Madison County.
•Marcus Jackson was in
dicted on charges stemming
from a Sept. 13, 2018 wreck
that took the life of 83-year-
old Robert Edward Couch on
Hwy. 98 in Madison County.
•Laura Minish and Tommy
R. Appling both qualified to
challenge Howard Threlkeld
for a Comer City Council
seat.
•County commissioners
voted 4-0 not to renew a “fa
cilities use agreement” with
Little League. The vote fol
lowed a lengthy, and some
times contentious, discussion
about who should oversee
youth baseball and softball
in Madison County. County
commissioners ultimately de
cided to move the programs
from Little League to the
Georgia Recreation and Parks
Association (GRPA).
SEPTEMBER
•The Rotary Club of Madi
son County announced plans
to give local youth a new op
tion for summer fun: a splash
pad at the recreation depart
ment.
•The Journal featured Mad
ison County “Teacher of the
Year” Amy Dobbs of Ila El
ementary School.
•Madison County District
1 Commissioner Lee Allen
announced that he won’t seek
re-election in 2020. However,
Allen said he will complete
his term, which ends Dec. 31,
2020.
•A threat posted on social
media led to a lockdown and
a day of rumors and fear at
Madison County High School
Sept. 9, though no weapons
were found at the school.
•Danielsville City Council
members encouraged resi
dents to fill out next year’s
2020 U.S. Census.
•The Journal interviewed
elections official Tracy Dean
about preparations for the
2020 elections.
•James Phillip Seagraves
was sentenced by Judge Chris
Phelps to serve five years,
with the first 95 days to be
served in confinement and the
remainder on probation and
to pay a $500 fine on a charge
of impersonating a police of
ficer.
NOTICE OF PITBETC HEARING
An application for amendment to the zoning
ordinance for Danielsville, Georgia has been
filed by Jay Pridgen, Agent for Capital Resource
Management, LLC requesting that property
owned by Capital Resource Management, LLC,
known as tax parcel # D001 256 A located at 63,
85, & 89 Grady Lane in Danielsville, Georgia,
be re-zoned from DV-AG (Agriculture) to DV-
R1 (Low Density Residential). There is also a
variance request associated with this request
for rezone. The variance request relates to the
requirements of a minor subdivision and the
required distance abutting a street and the depth
of the lot(s).
The Danielsville City Council will hold a public
hearing on Monday, January 13, 2020 at 7:00
PM at the Danielsville City Hall to take public
comments on this proposed re-zoning and
variance request.
Anyone wishing to speak in opposition to this
re-zoning petition who has made campaign
contributions to any City Council member within
the past two years must file a disclosure with the
City Clerk at least five days before the public
hearing as required by O.C.G.A. §36-67A-3.