BOC votes for new structure; board approves moving to a county manager ...

In a historic vote Tuesday night, the Barrow County Board of Commissioners agreed to seek fundamental changes to the county’s form of government.

The board voted 5-0, with Commissioner Larry Joe Wilburn absent, to approve a resolution asking the local legislative delegation to introduce at the August legislative session a bill to call a Nov. 8 voter referendum in Barrow County on whether to move to a county manager form of government.

The county currently has a “strong chairman” who runs the day-to-day operations of the government. Under the proposed legislation the county manager would run the government and the elected chairman would serve as a voting member of the BOC but otherwise have largely ceremonial duties.

The legislation would make the chairman’s position part time starting in January 2013 and cut in half its base salary.

The proposed legislation calls for the creation of a new position of county manager, but does not stipulate its salary. The BOC instead agreed to set a salary range prior to the Nov. 8 referendum so that voters would know the cost.

For the full story, see the June 29 issue of the Barrow Journal.