Page 2B May 29, 2019
i orter
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Com-
missioners approved a
budget amendment to
balance the year-end 2018
budget.
At the request of the
county's chief financial
officer Lorri Robinson,
commissioners on Tuesday,
May 21 increased general
fund revenues by $1.12
million and increased
general fund expenses by
$903,000 in order to reach
a final budget of $28.78
million in 2018 revenues
versus $28.78 million in
2018 expenses.
Robinson, who said 2018
was a "great year finan-
cially" for Monroe County,
said the county actually ac-
crued just over $30 million
in revenue and has only
spent $24 million thus far
for a pre-audit surplus of
just over $6 million.
In addition, Robinson
said the county's state and
federal payroll withhold-
ing taxes are now being
paid on time and said the
Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) waived about $95,000
in penalties for failure to
pay payroll withholding
taxes for a portion of the
previous year.
In other Board of Com-
missioners' news:
The Monroe County
Public Facilities Authority
approved on Tuesday, May
21 a resolution for the issu-
ance of revenue bonds in
the amount not to exceed
$20 million.
The bonds, which will
have an interest rate of no
higher than 5 percent, will
be repaid with SPLOST
collections beginning in
2020.
The Monroe County
Public Facilities Author-
ity is comprised of the five
Monroe County commis-
sioners.
Commissioners later
approved on Tuesday, May
21 an intergovernmental
contract with the Public
Facilities Authority allow-
ing for the execution of the
bonds.
Monroe County Com-
missioners approved a
contract with county man-
ager Jim Hedges to include
a severance agreement
payable only after Hedges
reaches the one-year em-
ployment mark.
Following a 15-minute
dosed session to discuss
personnel, commission-
ers approved by a 3-1 vote
on Tuesday, May 21 to
give Hedges three months
severance with one month
added each year up to
six months maximum if
terminated without cause.
Hedges' contract term will
renew annually.
District i commissioner
Larry Evans opposed the
measure, saying he object-
ed to Hedges receiving sev-
erance pay. Evans also said
he was opposed to Hedges
being allowed to take his
county vehicle home to
Ashburn, a nearly three-
hour daily round trip.
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@rnymcr.net
Monroe County Commission-
ers upgraded the county's weather
warning siren system.
Monroe County Fire/EMS chief
Matt Perry told commissioners on
Tuesday, May 21 that the county's
six weather sirens were installed in
2009-10 after being bought using
federal grant funds. Perry said
they are VHF radio-controlled,
are solar-powered with batteries
and often range in performance
level from "unreliable to useless:'
Perry said the VHF radio system
is failing and isn't compatible with
the county's newer Harris/Wil-
liams communication system. He
estimated it would cost $150,000
to $180,000 to piece together a
working system by maintaining the
current one.
Instead, Perry proposed buying
a new cellular-based system for
$80,399 through Federal Signal
(siren manufacturer) and Macon-
based Alpha Electronics, Inc. using
available Fire/EMS SPLOST funds.
The cost would include cellular
activations, software, new batteries,
the wiring of the system to existing
buildings, solar panel upgrades and
a six-week installation period. Af-
ter the first year, the county would
then pay a $5,000 subscription fee
for monitoring and activation.
When Perry said only about
2,000 citizens live within close
enough range to hear the sirens,
District 4 commissioner George
Emami asked Perry if there was
any alternative technology to the
weather sirens, possibly utiliz-
ing smartphones, that would get
weather alerts to a greater percent-
age 0fthe population. Perry replied
that he wished there were another
county funds available to outfit
every home with a weather radio.
However, Perry said the sirens are
popular and said he hears it from
citizens when the sirens aren't
working correctly. He added that
the main intention of the system
is to alert people who are doing
outdoor activities.
"We put these in areas that have
the potential for outdoor popula-
tions," Perry said. "These systems
are often misconstrued. They (citi-
zens) think they're (sirens) going
to wake you up in the basement
four miles away in the middle of
the. night. They're not designed for
that. One mile from the siren for
typically people outside:'
Perry said the new system would
likely last at least another decade,
and then Monroe County could
determine what other methods to
use in the future. County manager
Jim Hedges then recommended the
county subscribe to the CodeRED
mobile alert application to receive
emergency warnings, saying he has
it on his Smartphone. Hedges said
citizens could then download the
app for free on their phones.
After about 20 minutes of discus-
sion, Emami motioned to buy the
new siren system through Alpha
Electronics, and his motion passed
4-0. District 3 commissioner John
Ambrose was absent from the May
21 meeting.
revises animal
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County
Commissioners cut the
number of business
days from seven to five
that an impounded
dog will be held before
giving the dog to an
approved rescue or-
ganization or eutha-
nizing it.
Commission-
ers amended the
county's animal
ordinance on Tues-
day, May 21 at the
recommendation of
interim county ani-
mal shelter director
Dawn Kennedy, who
said seven days was
too long for the shelter
to hold a dog. Com-
missioners previously
increased the amount
of time the shelter
would hold a dog from
three days to seven
in December 2018
after some citizens
expressed concern that
dogs were leaving the
shelter before their
owners had an oppor-
tunity to claim them.
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THAT
CAN
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Com-
missioners agreed to close
the railroad crossing at
Hwy. 41 South and Charlie
Benson Road.
The closure, which was
approved by a 4-0 vote on
Tuesday, May 21, was made
contingent upon Norfolk
Southern Railroad honor-
ing a previous agreement
to widen and put crossing
n, arby cross-
ing at Hwy. 41 South and
Old Rumble Road at the
railroad's expense.
District 3 commissioner
John Ambrose was absent
from the May 21 meeting.
pinned on Mich.
A Michigan truck driver has been
charged with breaking into local fast food
restaurants and stealing $106 on April 1.
Forsyth police Inv. Greg Jefcoats has
charged Willie Emmett Mixon, 59, of
Trenton, Mich. with burglarizing Marco's
Pizza, Big Chic and Subway in the wee
hours of April 1 and making off with some
cash. Inv. Alexander Daniels said video
footage showing Mixon's tractor trailer Emmett Mixon
was key to identifying him as the suspect, is charged with
three break-ins
Daniels said Mixon used a brick to shatter at Forsyth fast
the glass door at Marco's to gain ent~. He food places,
stole $6 from the register. The suspect got and faces
$100 from the drawer at Subway, and noth- similar charges
ingwas reported stolen from BigChic. in El Paso and
Video from Marco's security camera likely in Henry
shows a light-skinned black male witha County too.
mustache, wearing a white hoodie and blue
jeans.
While talking to the Marco's manager, Daniels discovered
that the Marco's and Subway in Locust Grove had had similar
break-ins, and Mixon may face charges there too.
Mixon was arrested and charged with robbing two stores in
E1 Paso,
Texas on April 9, eight days after his thefts in Forsyth.
e
gwes taxes
By Richard Dunlin
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Com-
missioners agreed to a Floyd
Road property owner's
request to waive penalties
and interest on a delinquent
tax bill.
Annette Lucear told
commissioners on Tuesday,
May 21 she bought a mobile
home in 1993 and parked
it on Floyd Road. She said
the mob'de home was put
in the name of her son,
Kenny Davis, in 2005, but
Lucier said she continued
paying the property taxes
on it. However, Lucear said
she failed to pay the annual
mobile home sticker price
from 2005-2012, resulting in
a tax bill of $323.99 as well
as an additional $552.79 in
penalties and interest.
Monroe County tax com-
missioner Loft Andrews
told Lucier she could not
waive the penalties and in-
terest, saying she could find
no evidence of county error
in the matter. Therefore,
Lucier, who said she had no
issue with paying the initial
tax bill amount, notified
commissioners about the
situation.
District 1 commis-
sioner Larry Evans in whose
district Lucier's mobile
home sits, said he's never
encountered a case in which
the property owner paid
her property tax but not
the sticker tax. Because of
the unique nature of the
case, Evans then motioned
to waive the penalties and
interest and require Lucier
only to pay back the actual
tax amount of $323.99.
Commissioners then ap-
proved by a 4-0 vote Evans'
motion pending approval
by county attomey Ben
Vaughn. District 3 com-
missioner John Ambrose
was absent from the May 21
meeting.
