Winder sex scandal to be settled

Fowler’s original complaint was that Ginn, as her supervisor, had reduced her job responsibilities and had cut her pay after she refused to participate in inappropriate sex talk and activities on a city-paid trip and in the workplace.

A year later, while she was on sick leave, Fowler said she was notified through a phone call from the city administrator that her job had been eliminated.

For more information, see the Sept. 29 edition of the Barrow Journal.

Other stories in next week's paper include:

• County Layoffs: Barrow County commission chairman Danny Yearwood on Thursday morning announced the names of the five county employees who were laid off to balance the FY2011 budget. The affected employees were Stacey Crowe, an administrative secretary in License & Permits; Diane Merriweather, an office assistant in Roads & Bridges; Amy Whitlock, a geographic information services technician; and two appraisers – Nathan Holt and Carol Johnson.

• Property Condemnations: The Winder City Council on Thursday authorized the city attorney to institute condemnation proceedings in October against the owners of seven commercial parcels on West Athens Street. The city needs rights-of-way for a major intersection improvement at West Athens Street, Horton Street and McNeal Road. The action is to be taken if negotiations are not completed by early October. A KFC restaurant, a Sonoco gas station, a country buffet restaurant, a hotel and some mini warehouses are on the targeted parcels, according to the city attorney.

• Winder Stormwater Tax: Winder’s mayor and city council attended a Thursday morning meeting to continue work on the controversial stormwater tax issue. Herb Feldman, whose company manages the city’s environmental services, provided a range of options for a rate structure and collection method. The water committee discussed the issue in depth but took no action. Another public meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 10 at the Winder Community Center.

• Economic Development Effort Struggling: The Joint Development Authority of Winder-Barrow County has voted to invest only one-fourth of the $100,000 in financial support requested by the Barrow Economic Development Council for a fundraising campaign to support the community’s next five years of economic development efforts. At a meeting Thursday morning, JDA members agreed to spend $25,000 immediately and to withhold the rest of the money until after a Sept. 29 presentation to the community.

For more, see the September 29 edition of the Barrow Journal or click here to read the full story online when you subscribe to our new e-edition.