Georgia County Government - February 2008 - (Page 48)

PARADE continued from page 47 FULTON BOC Decides to Continue Animal Control in North Fulton Fulton County commissioners voted four to two to continue overseeing animal control services for Fulton County and its unincorporated areas in the late fall, after the mayors of several North Fulton cities had said they would prefer the county continue to provide the services. Under the county contract, municipalities fund animal control services but are later reimbursed by the county. Bids for a new animal control provider were also put on the table after the current provider elected not to renew its contract. Bids will be taken until June 30, when the current animal control contract expires. purchased in 2005 with Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) monies. Money from a 2008 SPLOST will pay for a planner, who will present a detailed plan for how to best utilize the park. The BOC also approved a proposal from the PATH Foundation asking for a $27,500 county funding match to apply for a recreational trails grant from the state Department of Natural Resources. The matching funds will be provided by SPLOST monies. If approved, the grant would place a half-mile spur from the Silver Comet Trail at Hendrix Road, leading into Don Williams Park. A proposed rest area would overlook wetlands and tie into an existing campsite for a total of $155,000. Mickey Channell and Better Hometown Director Bob Hooson. EFFINGHAM County Again Addresses Licenses for Liquor by the Drink Effingham County commissioners unanimously agreed in recent weeks to put an alcoholic beverage referendum before voters once more, after a request from the Community Progress Council of Effingham that the board issue licenses for restaurants to sell distilled spirits by the drink. The citizens group hopes the vote, slated at the earliest for February, will succeed and thereby help full-service restaurants boost business. Public information distributed by the Community Progress Council informs residents that when they cross the county line to dine out, they’re giving tax money to Chatham County that should stay within Effingham. Traditionally “dry,” Effingham County has no package stores or open bars, the council contends, but strongly advocates keeping tax dollars in Effingham by giving restaurants the right to sell liquor by the drink. POLK Long-Range Plan for 513-Acre Park Progresses The Polk County Board of Commissioners in recent weeks addressed long-range plans for a phased development of the 513-acre Don Williams Park off Hendrix Road. A five- to 10-year plan is favored for the project on land 48 MIDDLE GEORGIA Georgia Judicial Museum Garners OneGeorgia Grant In recent months Governor Sonny Perdue presented a OneGeorgia Grant Equity Award of $153,190 to complete renovation of the Putnam County Old Jail as the Central Georgia Judicial Museum. Partner counties in the project are Baldwin, Greene, Japser, Jones and Putnam, and partner organizations include the Georgia Department of Public Safety, Georgia Public Broadcasting and Georgia College and State University. Historical displays in the museum will tell how a rural judicial system compared to the judicial system(s) of today. Original jail cells and their “stories” will be available for onlookers to view. Considered typical of a jail of yesteryear in rural Georgia, the jail was on the second story of the jail building, while the sheriff and his family lived on the first floor. The early jail had many legends, including one famous front-yard garden that was created and taken care of by the sheriff’s wife. The Judicial Museum will open next fall and is anticipated to bring millions in tourist dollars to the area. Attending the check presentation ceremony hosting the governor were State Sen. Johnny Grant, Putnam County Commissioner Billy Webster, state Rep. Sistie Hudson, HPSB Corp. CEO Larry Moore, Greta Hooson, Putnam County Commissioner Janie Reid, state Rep. TERRELL $3 Million Jail to be Financed Through ACCG The Terrell County Board of Commissioners in late November authorized the borrowing of $3 million to finance and construct a new county jail. Commissioners voted to borrow the money from RBC Centura Bank of Atlanta through the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) for four years at a rate of 4.15 percent. Financing for the project is available through the ACCG lease-purchase program, according to a spokesman for Merchants Capital, which will finance the jail at the 4.15 percent rate over four years. Commission Chairman Wilbur Gamble said the rates given by three banks were higher than the rate offered through ACCG. WILKINSON Discovery Tourism Center Opens With Ceremony Wilkinson County, city of Gordon and other regional and state officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in recent weeks to commemorate the grand opening of the Gordon Wilkinson Discovery Tourism Center in downtown Gordon. Officials, pleased that the center has become a reality, are now trying to market it to tourists in the region through the Baldwin County Convention and Visitors Bureau. County Chairman Dennis Holder announced that he is proud of the new center and “proud of the county’s direction…we have a good historical society, a lot going on in the county, and we are taking what we have and making good use of it.” Present at the ceremony were representatives of the Macon Regional Development Center (RDC) the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), OneGeorgia Authority, Gordon BetterHometown and the city of Gordon and Wilkinson County Development Authority, as well as city and county officials including county Chairman Dennis Holder and Gordon Mayor Kenneth Turner. ■ GEORGIA COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - February 2008

Georgia County Government - February 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters Regional Focus on the Georgia Mountains: Rabun, Habersham and Stephens Counties DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb Solid Waste Management in Georgia: New Challenges Ahead Essential Elements of Negotiating Professional Service Firm Contracts The Walker County Courthouse at LaFayette Extension News: Partnerships are Key to Conservation Education Research Corner: Interns: An Asset to Every County NACo News: Counties and Climate Change FAQs Georgia Flag to Travel to All 159 Georgia Counties State Announces Regional Recycling Hub Grant Awards Abraham Joins ACCG Support Staff County Parade ACCG Launches e-Magazine Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - February 2008

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