After initially having thousands of voters on its challenge list, City of Winder officials learned Tuesday night only 182 voters were removed from the list of those eligible to vote locally.
The Barrow County Board of Elections & Registration removed 58 Winder voters whose letter was returned to the elections office marked undeliverable with no forwarding address or with a forwarding address outside the county.
Another 124 Winder voters were removed after not responding to the mailed hearing letter.
[Full Story »]
Engineering firm seeks additional funds
The owner of one of Georgia’s leading transportation engineering firms gave a command performance at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners.
Tom Moreland, the former president of Moreland Altobelli Associates Inc., appeared at the meeting with two top executives of his Norcross firm in order to explain the need for an additional $55,000 to complete a federally mandated environmental document on the future West Winder Bypass.
The BOC previously approved a $139,000 contract with the company for the completion of the environmental document. In addition, the company used $75,000 for some related environmental work under an original 2005 engineering contract for the bypass. That contract was recently canceled. [Full Story »]
Tom Moreland, the former president of Moreland Altobelli Associates Inc., appeared at the meeting with two top executives of his Norcross firm in order to explain the need for an additional $55,000 to complete a federally mandated environmental document on the future West Winder Bypass.
The BOC previously approved a $139,000 contract with the company for the completion of the environmental document. In addition, the company used $75,000 for some related environmental work under an original 2005 engineering contract for the bypass. That contract was recently canceled. [Full Story »]
Spending issue raises more questions
Questions raised last week about the purchasing policies of Barrow County’s government have raised new, and more troubling, issues.
County staffers last week apparently lied to the county attorney, telling her that there is no county document that establishes a spending threshold for when the Barrow County Board of Commissioners must approve purchases.
Yet two days before attorney Angela Davis told the Barrow Journal in an Oct. 20 email that no such document existed, the county’s top administrative official — operations development manager Bob Hohe — sent to another county official a copy of a 2010 memo that does just that.
[Full Story »]
County staffers last week apparently lied to the county attorney, telling her that there is no county document that establishes a spending threshold for when the Barrow County Board of Commissioners must approve purchases.
Yet two days before attorney Angela Davis told the Barrow Journal in an Oct. 20 email that no such document existed, the county’s top administrative official — operations development manager Bob Hohe — sent to another county official a copy of a 2010 memo that does just that.
[Full Story »]
How to vote in the Nov. 8 elections
No matter where you live in Barrow County, you can vote in the countywide special election in the following ways:
• VOTE EARLY: Go in person to the Barrow County Board of Elections & Registration Office at 233 E. Broad St. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. any weekday between now and Nov. 4. An early voting location has been set up inside a training room nearby. Follow the signs.
• VOTE ABSENTEE: Request an absentee ballot from the Barrow County Board of Elections & Registration by calling 770-307-3110. The ballot will be sent to you by mail. You must request it no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and the elections office must receive it before the polls close on Tuesday, Nov. 8. If you bring your absentee ballot to the office, you must bring it yourself. [Full Story »]
• VOTE EARLY: Go in person to the Barrow County Board of Elections & Registration Office at 233 E. Broad St. from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. any weekday between now and Nov. 4. An early voting location has been set up inside a training room nearby. Follow the signs.
• VOTE ABSENTEE: Request an absentee ballot from the Barrow County Board of Elections & Registration by calling 770-307-3110. The ballot will be sent to you by mail. You must request it no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and the elections office must receive it before the polls close on Tuesday, Nov. 8. If you bring your absentee ballot to the office, you must bring it yourself. [Full Story »]
WBHS celebrates Homecoming Week; parade set for Thursday
Apparently an enthusiastic WBHS Homecoming supporter with a lot of local Facebook friends posted information about the Homecoming parade from a 2008 link to the Barrow Journal. That information is wrong.
The correct information is below and is also listed correctly in our print edition, E-Edition and Facebook page. Please share with anyone who may have received the wrong information from this erroneous Facebook post. Thank you.
This from Ms. Macaw, a co-sponsor of this year's festivities:
Parade route:
·Cars will turn right out of Holly Hill mall onto McNeal Road.
·At the end of McNeal, turn right onto Candler.
·Turn left onto Green Valley Drive.
·Off of Green Valley Drive turn right onto Langford St. and go up by the High School on the gym side.
·At the 4-way, turn right onto Fifth Avenue and go in front of the High School.
·At stop sign, turn right onto Marion and then into the stadium parking lot.
There will be a community pep rally following the parade at the stadium.
The correct information is below and is also listed correctly in our print edition, E-Edition and Facebook page. Please share with anyone who may have received the wrong information from this erroneous Facebook post. Thank you.
This from Ms. Macaw, a co-sponsor of this year's festivities:
Parade route:
·Cars will turn right out of Holly Hill mall onto McNeal Road.
·At the end of McNeal, turn right onto Candler.
·Turn left onto Green Valley Drive.
·Off of Green Valley Drive turn right onto Langford St. and go up by the High School on the gym side.
·At the 4-way, turn right onto Fifth Avenue and go in front of the High School.
·At stop sign, turn right onto Marion and then into the stadium parking lot.
There will be a community pep rally following the parade at the stadium.
Georgia House passes Barrow legislation
The Georgia House of Representatives on the morning of Aug. 22 passed legislation that could lead to fundamental changes in Barrow County's form of government.
The House also approved new election district maps for the Barrow County Board of Commissioners and the Barrow County Board of Education that will be in effect from 2012-2022.
Rep. Terry England said the three bills were included in a larger package of legislation requested by local governments around the state. The House vote was 142-0.
The package now goes to the Georgia Senate, where easy passage is expected. If Gov. Nathan Deal then signs the legislation, there will be a countywide referendum on Nov. 8 for Barrow County voters to decide whether to move to a county-manager form of government starting in 2013.
The House also approved new election district maps for the Barrow County Board of Commissioners and the Barrow County Board of Education that will be in effect from 2012-2022.
Rep. Terry England said the three bills were included in a larger package of legislation requested by local governments around the state. The House vote was 142-0.
The package now goes to the Georgia Senate, where easy passage is expected. If Gov. Nathan Deal then signs the legislation, there will be a countywide referendum on Nov. 8 for Barrow County voters to decide whether to move to a county-manager form of government starting in 2013.
BOC tries to hold down tax hike
Barrow County officials continue to shave pieces off the projected tax rate hike for fiscal year 2012.
CFO Rose Kisaalita Tuesday night presented to the Barrow County Board of Commissioners a proposed ad valorem tax hike of 2.06 mills, which would amount to an 18-percent increase in the current rate of 11.333 mills.
However, even that increase is based on the chief appraiser’s “worst case scenario” of a $2 million drop in projected property tax revenues based on the lower values in the tax digest.
The precise numbers will not be available from Tax Commissioner Melinda Williams until Friday at the earliest. [Full Story »]
CFO Rose Kisaalita Tuesday night presented to the Barrow County Board of Commissioners a proposed ad valorem tax hike of 2.06 mills, which would amount to an 18-percent increase in the current rate of 11.333 mills.
However, even that increase is based on the chief appraiser’s “worst case scenario” of a $2 million drop in projected property tax revenues based on the lower values in the tax digest.
The precise numbers will not be available from Tax Commissioner Melinda Williams until Friday at the earliest. [Full Story »]
Governor paves way for November referendum on changing county's form of government
It is now likely that Barrow County will hold a November referendum on whether to change from a "strong chairman" to a "county manager" form of government.
At a Wednesday morning press conference, Gov. Nathan Deal issued his official call of next week’s special legislative session on redistricting. His written proclamation names as one of the purposes of the summer session “enacting, revising, repealing or amending local laws which the General Assembly deems necessary to avoid unreasonable hardship or to avoid undue impairment of public functions if consideration and enactment thereof are postponed.”
Rep. Terry England said that includes such “time-sensitive” bills as Barrow’s, which requires legislative action prior to calling a voter referendum. [Full Story »]
At a Wednesday morning press conference, Gov. Nathan Deal issued his official call of next week’s special legislative session on redistricting. His written proclamation names as one of the purposes of the summer session “enacting, revising, repealing or amending local laws which the General Assembly deems necessary to avoid unreasonable hardship or to avoid undue impairment of public functions if consideration and enactment thereof are postponed.”
Rep. Terry England said that includes such “time-sensitive” bills as Barrow’s, which requires legislative action prior to calling a voter referendum. [Full Story »]
Murder suspect has questionable past
While a man is facing a court appearance for allegedly murdering his Winder wife and dumping her body in an Auburn well, authorities in the town of Metter in southeast Georgia are going back into closets to dust off files pertaining to his former life.
Before James Morris “Jim” Lynn Jr., 42, moved to Winder and married Tonya Faye Royster, he was married to another woman whose death was ruled a suicide.
Lynn is being held in the Barrow County Detention Center for charges of obstruction and murder after Tonya Lynn went missing on Wednesday.
Carvy Snell, the owner of the Metter Advertiser, said he couldn’t recall who Lynn was until he saw the picture of his face online this weekend when stories broke over the disappearance and death of Tonya Lynn. [Full Story »]
Before James Morris “Jim” Lynn Jr., 42, moved to Winder and married Tonya Faye Royster, he was married to another woman whose death was ruled a suicide.
Lynn is being held in the Barrow County Detention Center for charges of obstruction and murder after Tonya Lynn went missing on Wednesday.
Carvy Snell, the owner of the Metter Advertiser, said he couldn’t recall who Lynn was until he saw the picture of his face online this weekend when stories broke over the disappearance and death of Tonya Lynn. [Full Story »]
Barrow County elections supervisor resigns
For the second time in less than two years, Barrow County is losing its elections supervisor.
Katie Ferm, who has been in the post since March 2010, submitted her resignation Monday and said she is leaving for personal reasons. Her final day is July 29.
Ferm, 32, is following in the footsteps of her former Barrow County supervisor, Kristi Royston, who resigned in December 2009 to become Gwinnett County’s deputy director of Elections and Voter Registration. Ferm will be the elections coordinator in that same office and will report to Royston.
She is leaving her post just after completing the preliminary remapping of Barrow County’s election districts. A public hearing on two proposed maps will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday just before the regular meeting of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners. The BOC is scheduled to take action on the maps that night.
Copies of the maps are available in several locations around the county and also online at www.barrowga.org.
Katie Ferm, who has been in the post since March 2010, submitted her resignation Monday and said she is leaving for personal reasons. Her final day is July 29.
Ferm, 32, is following in the footsteps of her former Barrow County supervisor, Kristi Royston, who resigned in December 2009 to become Gwinnett County’s deputy director of Elections and Voter Registration. Ferm will be the elections coordinator in that same office and will report to Royston.
She is leaving her post just after completing the preliminary remapping of Barrow County’s election districts. A public hearing on two proposed maps will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday just before the regular meeting of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners. The BOC is scheduled to take action on the maps that night.
Copies of the maps are available in several locations around the county and also online at www.barrowga.org.
Recent Comments