Barrow County commissioner Steve Worley said he had hoped for relief from legislation allowing cities and counties, with voter approval, to use SPLOST proceeds collected for projects such as the cultural arts center that have not been built for county debt reduction.
But he was both surprised and disappointed to learn that prior to passage, the bill was amended to require that any referendum to drop a SPLOST project would have to be taken only at the time of a SPLOST renewal vote.
Barrow County’s renewal vote was March 15, which means it will be six years before the county government would be able to ask voters for approval to tap the $3 million already collected for the cultural arts center that likely never will be built.
Since the Barrow Journal reported the snafu, county commissioners have been blasted in local blogs for holding the March 15 SPLOST renewal vote without knowing about the effect of its timing on the provisions of HB240.
However, Clint Mueller, the legislative director for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia said this week that the bill didn’t start out with such a restriction and the language was changed at the end of the session.
Mueller said his agency’s legislative notices to counties also did not mention the change and even in the “plain language” of the legislation, the connection to a SPLOST renewal vote is not clear.
Said Worley: “That House bill didn’t start out that way. I was following that bill and even ‘til the end, I didn’t know until I went to an ACCG conference in Savannah… I found out you couldn’t do it except when voters passed a SPLOST renewal. I got up and talked to Clint then and told him the situation we were in, and he said it can be revisited at the next legislative session to change it. If it is changed, he said you can have an election and do it then. If not, if you are not going to do a project, the money will sit in the bank until you do the next SPLOST vote.”
Entries from May 2011
Annex to be rennovated
The Barrow County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night decided not to raze the 20-year-old courthouse annex in downtown Winder but instead to remove the mold and to restore the building.
In a pair of votes, the commissioners agreed to invest about $425,300 to replace the building’s badly leaking roof and to remediate the mold problem.
The remediation work will involve tearing out surfaces where mold has grown unchecked since the spring of 2009 when the sheriff and judicial officials moved out.
The judges, district attorney and clerk of Superior Court relocated to the new Barrow County Criminal Justice Center off Barrow Park Drive. The sheriff’s administrative and patrol division offices moved to temporary space in the adjoining downtown courthouse.
After two years of no progress on the renovation of the downtown facilities, Sheriff Jud Smith in January requested that the project move forward. Commissioner Larry Joe Wilburn suggested that the four-story annex be torn down, with the county restoring only the courthouse and instead building a new Sheriff’s Office off Barrow Park Drive. [Full Story »]
In a pair of votes, the commissioners agreed to invest about $425,300 to replace the building’s badly leaking roof and to remediate the mold problem.
The remediation work will involve tearing out surfaces where mold has grown unchecked since the spring of 2009 when the sheriff and judicial officials moved out.
The judges, district attorney and clerk of Superior Court relocated to the new Barrow County Criminal Justice Center off Barrow Park Drive. The sheriff’s administrative and patrol division offices moved to temporary space in the adjoining downtown courthouse.
After two years of no progress on the renovation of the downtown facilities, Sheriff Jud Smith in January requested that the project move forward. Commissioner Larry Joe Wilburn suggested that the four-story annex be torn down, with the county restoring only the courthouse and instead building a new Sheriff’s Office off Barrow Park Drive. [Full Story »]
Nancy Sue Brown (5-27-11)
MONROE – Nancy Sue Brown, 65, died Friday, May 27, 2011. Born in Grayson, she was the daughter of the late Ernest Ray and Dorothy Dutton Bentley. She was a member of Faith Baptist Church in Monroe where she taught the kindergarten Sunday School, along with many other youth programs. She furnished child care out of her home for many years. ...
[Full Story »]
Barrow schools hold first charter training session
While summer break may be here for students, training to convert Barrow Schools into a charter system starts now, and there is a lot of work ahead for school leaders, parents, business leaders and community members who want to be involved in local education.
Current school leaders discussed that concept in Friday at the initial training session for moving into the new way local public schools will be governed.
In March, the state granted Barrow County Schools charter system status, a move that allows more decision-making on the local level.
About 200 participants showed up at Apalachee High School for last week's seminar and got an tutoring on what the 2011-12 school year will look like and the process of how decisions will be made.
“We are now granted the flexibility to run our schools in the way we haven't before,” Sherrie Gibney-Sherman said, a contracted consultant the system hired during the petition drafting process. Gibney-Sherman has been working with the school system for the last 5 years in developing its petition. [Full Story »]
Current school leaders discussed that concept in Friday at the initial training session for moving into the new way local public schools will be governed.
In March, the state granted Barrow County Schools charter system status, a move that allows more decision-making on the local level.
About 200 participants showed up at Apalachee High School for last week's seminar and got an tutoring on what the 2011-12 school year will look like and the process of how decisions will be made.
“We are now granted the flexibility to run our schools in the way we haven't before,” Sherrie Gibney-Sherman said, a contracted consultant the system hired during the petition drafting process. Gibney-Sherman has been working with the school system for the last 5 years in developing its petition. [Full Story »]
PERSON: Pruning the dead wood
We have a big shrub in our yard that has thrived for many years. We’re not sure exactly why, but it recently began dying. Fearing we would lose the mature plant and have to start with something new, we decided to cut it way back and let some new growth emerge. Using the established root system, the new growth would flourish much faster than pulling up the old plant and starting over.
When we began cutting it back, we discovered new shoots already emerging from those old, dead roots. In retrospect, we realized that, had we waited to see whether the shrub would live or die on its own, the old growth would have smothered the new. [Full Story »]
When we began cutting it back, we discovered new shoots already emerging from those old, dead roots. In retrospect, we realized that, had we waited to see whether the shrub would live or die on its own, the old growth would have smothered the new. [Full Story »]
Memorial Day Service planned in Winder on Monday
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1187 and its Ladies Auxiliary will host a Memorial Day celebration and flag dedication Monday beginning at 9 a.m. at Rose Hill Cemetery in Winder.
Patriotic music will be performed from 9-10 a.m. with the ceremony beginning after that. A special dedication will be presented to family members of Winder’s Lance Cpl. Joseph Ryan Giese who died in the line of duty while conducing combat operations in Afghanistan. Giese was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His wife, Brittany Giese, and mother, Connie Wascovich, will be recognized Monday with a memorial plaque.
All Barrow Countians who have given their lives in the line of duty will be honored.
Patriotic music will be performed from 9-10 a.m. with the ceremony beginning after that. A special dedication will be presented to family members of Winder’s Lance Cpl. Joseph Ryan Giese who died in the line of duty while conducing combat operations in Afghanistan. Giese was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.
His wife, Brittany Giese, and mother, Connie Wascovich, will be recognized Monday with a memorial plaque.
All Barrow Countians who have given their lives in the line of duty will be honored.
SINN-CLARK: Of graduations, past and present...
“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” – Dr. Seuss
I had the pleasure and challenge of covering both local high school graduations for the paper last week. Normally this would be no sweat, indeed an honor, but this year the two celebrations were back to back — Apalachee High School at 6 p.m., Winder-Barrow at 8 p.m. with a frantic bookin’ it through post (AHS) and pre (WBHS) traffic in between. It was a pleasant, but not so very cool evening, and by the time this reporter got home, she was hot, grumpy, tired and uninspired. [Full Story »]
I had the pleasure and challenge of covering both local high school graduations for the paper last week. Normally this would be no sweat, indeed an honor, but this year the two celebrations were back to back — Apalachee High School at 6 p.m., Winder-Barrow at 8 p.m. with a frantic bookin’ it through post (AHS) and pre (WBHS) traffic in between. It was a pleasant, but not so very cool evening, and by the time this reporter got home, she was hot, grumpy, tired and uninspired. [Full Story »]
Orr pleads nolo to misdemeanor charges
Former Barrow County Emergency Services lieutenant Todd Orr on May 26 pled nolo in connection with the Christmas Day 2010 shooting accident that seriously wounded his pregnant daughter.
But the Barrow County District Attorney’s Office decided not to prosecute Orr for the felony count of child cruelty and misdemeanor count of reckless conduct for which he was indicted in February.
Instead, he was allowed to plead “nolo contendere” to two misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct.
Pleading “nolo contendere” means that Orr did not dispute the charges, but he also did not admit guilt and would accept the court’s sentence. He told the judge that he did not want to put his family through anything else, a source said.
The first charge of reckless conduct was for endangering the safety of his son-in-law, Dustin Thomas, and daughter Tamara Orr; the second was for endangering the safety of the injured daughter, Tiffany Orr.
The discharged bullet led to the amputation of one of Tiffany Orr’s forearms before the birth of her first child. The baby was unharmed in the incident. [Full Story »]
But the Barrow County District Attorney’s Office decided not to prosecute Orr for the felony count of child cruelty and misdemeanor count of reckless conduct for which he was indicted in February.
Instead, he was allowed to plead “nolo contendere” to two misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct.
Pleading “nolo contendere” means that Orr did not dispute the charges, but he also did not admit guilt and would accept the court’s sentence. He told the judge that he did not want to put his family through anything else, a source said.
The first charge of reckless conduct was for endangering the safety of his son-in-law, Dustin Thomas, and daughter Tamara Orr; the second was for endangering the safety of the injured daughter, Tiffany Orr.
The discharged bullet led to the amputation of one of Tiffany Orr’s forearms before the birth of her first child. The baby was unharmed in the incident. [Full Story »]
Storms hit trees, power lines Thurs. night
Thunderstorms moved through Barrow County Thursday night causing numerous trees and power lines to fall.
This created a very busy night for public safety officials in Barrow.
“Once the storm moved into Barrow calls started immediately into Barrow County Emergency Services 911 Center,” commented Deputy Chief John Skinner. “The majority of the calls were storm related.”
One house was struck by lightning at 468 Lisa Circle. Barrow Ladder 7, Engine 5, Med 5 and Med 4 responded and found fire on the outside of the home near the roof line. Firefighters quickly knocked the fire down and checked the house to see the amount of damage. [Full Story »]
This created a very busy night for public safety officials in Barrow.
“Once the storm moved into Barrow calls started immediately into Barrow County Emergency Services 911 Center,” commented Deputy Chief John Skinner. “The majority of the calls were storm related.”
One house was struck by lightning at 468 Lisa Circle. Barrow Ladder 7, Engine 5, Med 5 and Med 4 responded and found fire on the outside of the home near the roof line. Firefighters quickly knocked the fire down and checked the house to see the amount of damage. [Full Story »]
Winder business caught selling fake items
A clothing store in Downtown Winder was caught this week selling fake merchandise after an undercover officer purchased a fake item.
Winder Police Department executed a search warrant on Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. at Flashy-n-Classy located at 83 North Broad Street and discovered that the store contained inventory consisting of counterfeit clothing and pirated music being sold at discounted prices.
The merchandise consisted of items labeled with specific brands such as Prada, Fendi, Polo, Coach, and Louis Vuitton to name a few.
Winder PD investigators became aware after receiving a complaint about the sale of counterfeit goods by the store. After the undercover officer bought the fake merchandise, police obtained a search warrant to search the entire store where additional counterfeit items were then discovered.
The store owner is 36 year old Winder resident Abdoulaye Diallo. Mr. Diallo was arrested on the scene and is being charged with 31 counts Sale of and possession with intent to sell counterfeit merchandise as well as 1 count of Sale of reproduced music CD’s without the consent of the person who owns the master record.
These are all felony charges due to the fact that the retail value of the clothing merchandise seized exceeds a total of $10,000.
Mr. Diallo was also found to be in the country illegally and according to federal officials he is scheduled to be deported to Africa.
Winder Police Department executed a search warrant on Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. at Flashy-n-Classy located at 83 North Broad Street and discovered that the store contained inventory consisting of counterfeit clothing and pirated music being sold at discounted prices.
The merchandise consisted of items labeled with specific brands such as Prada, Fendi, Polo, Coach, and Louis Vuitton to name a few.
Winder PD investigators became aware after receiving a complaint about the sale of counterfeit goods by the store. After the undercover officer bought the fake merchandise, police obtained a search warrant to search the entire store where additional counterfeit items were then discovered.
The store owner is 36 year old Winder resident Abdoulaye Diallo. Mr. Diallo was arrested on the scene and is being charged with 31 counts Sale of and possession with intent to sell counterfeit merchandise as well as 1 count of Sale of reproduced music CD’s without the consent of the person who owns the master record.
These are all felony charges due to the fact that the retail value of the clothing merchandise seized exceeds a total of $10,000.
Mr. Diallo was also found to be in the country illegally and according to federal officials he is scheduled to be deported to Africa.
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