Entries by Mike Buffington

Get ready for a new buzzword in local governments: “Revenue Neutral.” [Full Story »] 

The Winder City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on a new storm water utility tax that will add at least $30 to this fall’s annual tax bills on residential properties and many times that on non-residential properties owned by businesses, churches, schools and other non-profit groups.

A group of local business owners came to the council’s work session Monday night to ask the mayor and council to slow down in the adoption of the proposed stormwater ordinance and rate schedule, and to ask them to try to find another way to pay the costs the city incurs for the maintenance and repairs of the ditches, culverts and retention ponds that control and manage runoff.

One businessman said his fee would be over $20,000 to start.

When council members asked whether the matter could be tabled at tonight’s voting session for further study, Mayor Chip Thompson said immediate action is needed because of an Aug. 15 deadline for getting the new charges to the county tax commissioner’s office so they can be added to property tax bills.

But Barrrow County Tax Commissioner Melinda Williams told the Barrow Journal she remembers giving the city a deadline of “the end of August.” And Williams said even that date is flexible. With the county's required public process prior to the adoption of the FY2011 budget and new millage rate, she said it is likely that she would not be able to calculate the tax bills until Sept. 15.

The city has not held or scheduled a public hearing on its proposed storm water ordinance. However, there is a public comment period at every council meeting.

Tonight’s meeting is at 6 p.m. and will be at the Winder Community Center, 113 E. Athens St.

IT WAS disappointing for the Barrow County School System that it again fell short of having all its schools make the AYP list this year. Both high schools, one middle school and one elementary school failed to achieve that goal this year. [Full Story »] 

Technology has revolutionized every industry, but perhaps none more so than in communications, including newspapers.
[Full Story »] 

It’s funny that when public officials don’t like what’s reported in the newspaper, they always cry “tabloid journalism.” [Full Story »] 

Thursday night's called meeting of the Barrow County Water & Sewerage Authority in Statham was a learning experience for everyone. [Full Story »] 

Three people were hurt Friday afternoon when a car crashed through the front door of West Jackson Medicine Center. The extent of the injuries was not known as of 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The incident ocurred around 2:15 p.m. Friday when a white Toyota with Jackson County tags rammed through the front of the drug store. The store is located on Hwy. 53 in Hoschton.

The car was totally inside the building and looked to have stopped near a pharmacy countertop.

Fire and rescue units from West Jackson and Barrow County responded, along with Jackson County Sheriff's Office dupties and Braselton police.

Barrow County Chairman Danny Yearwood in a statement to the media early Wednesday made his first public comment about the ongoing EEOC controversy involving race and gender allegations.

He also called into question the veracity of two of the people who have raised the discrimination allegations: Human Resources Director Norma Jean Brown and senior IT network engineer Sebastian Ododa.

And he refuted a recent complaint by Commissioner Ben Hendrix about the lack of communication over filling the CFO position that has been vacant for five months.

Brown said after reading the statement that the employment law attorney that now represents her, Ododa and two other employees, would respond with a statement this week.

Commissioner Steve Worley said Wednesday morning that during a two-hour closed session Tuesday night, Yearwood said he planned to release the statement the following morning. But Worley said Yearwood didn’t elaborate on what he was going to say.

Asked if he felt the statement was accurate, Worley said: “No comment on the rest of it. I am going to be meeting with him face to face about it.”

This is the second time a board member appears to have violated its own agreement not to communicate publicly about the ongoing race and gender allegations while a private attorney investigates the allegations.

Worley said he could not comment any further about Yearwood’s statement because he personally is not going to violate that board action.

Commissioner Larry Joe Wilburn late last year apologized for talking about the case to a private citizen. Wilburn publicly criticized recent news coverage during the “citizen comment” time at the board’s meeting Tuesday night, but did not again mention the EEOC allegations. [Full Story »]