Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The scope and duties of the office will continue to evolve, officials said.
After brief debate, the Athens Clarke Commission voted to create and fund a department of economic development, housed within local government and reporting to the county manager. The vote was 9 to 1, with Commissioner Doug Lowry dissenting. According to the ordinance passed at Tuesday night's meeting, The purpose of the Department of Economic Development is to be the primary point of contact for industries, large commercial developments, site location consultants, and state economic development organizations interested in developing, expanding, or locating new or expanded businesses in Athens-Clarke County. The ordinance's passage comes about a year after Mayor Denson appointed more than 20 people to a Mayor's Task Force on Economic …
A state court ruling, issued since the buffer changes were proposed, means it's time for a Commission work session.
At their regular voting meeting Tuesday night, the Athens Clarke County Commission voted to hold a proposed ordinance change that would have done away with buffers around wetlands in the county. They did so, apparently, because of a state court ruling, issued on January 15, that says all state waters, even wetlands, are protected under Georgia law by a 25-foot buffer. Athens Clarke County had proposed doing away, completely, with buffers around wetlands. Kyle McKay, a Ph.D. student in the Odum School of Ecology, told Commissioners that the buffer around wetlands should be 50 feet, not 0 feet. He is associated with the Upper Oconee Water Network, or UOWN. Mayor Denson spoke about the need for Commissioners to know what the state court …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
After some controversy over the choosing process, Athens Clarke County Commissioners decided to start over with the jail expansion process.
The Athens Clarke County Commission voted not to award Augusta company McKnight Construction with the jail expansion project during Tuesday night's meeting. Representatives from the Orlando, Fla., company Hunt Construction stated before the decision that McKnight did not meet qualifications for the project and that errors might have been made during the decision process at a staff level. During discussion before the vote, District 1 Commissioner Doug Lowry asked the commission to consider this possibility and withhold the award until further investigation had been conducted. One solution had been proposed to the problem was a rebid, but Lowry expressed reservations about this option. "The questions that the Hunt representative has …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
After almost 40 years of service to Athens, Ga., he's retiring from local government.
The Tuesday night meeting of the Athens Clarke County Commission was notable for at least one thing: the brief agenda allowed the commissioners to spend most of their time praising Bobby Snipes, the deputy county manager. After close to 40 years of service, Snipes is stepping down from his position. Tuesday was the last commission meeting at which he will sit behind the rail. Commissioner Kathy Hoard said she first met Snipes in 1980, when she was running for a seat on the old Athens City Council. She said folks in the community will likely remember Snipes for his crucial role in making the Bear Creek Reservoir a reality, or for the way he has shepherded the county through the difficulties posed by the drought. But what she will remember…
Friday, August 24, 2012
Commissioners are considering a red-light photo enforcing program at the intersection of Barnett Shoals, Gaines School Road and Greencrest Road.
Athens-Clarke Count Commissioners are considering a red-light photo enforcing program on Barnett Shoals at the intersection of Gaines School and Greencrest roads. Commissioners discussed the potential program during a brief agenda setting meeting Thursday. If successful, the program would place a camera at the intersection, which would take a photo of those drivers who run red lights.The drivers could later be ticketed for their actions. Most commissioners spoke to unsafe traffic conditions in the area which they felt made the program necessary. "This is probably the most run red light, certainly, that I know of in Athens," said Andy Herod, commissioner for district eight. "In fact, as I was coming to this meeting, two people ran the …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The local government in Athens, Ga., struggles to deal with rising healthcare costs.
It costs more than $14 million this year to provide health insurance to Athens Clarke County employees and retirees. And every year, says county finance director John Culpepper, that amount goes up 8 to 10 percent. This coming fiscal year, the total is $16.5 million "The cost of healthcare has changed, and continues to change," he said. As county manager Allen Reddish says, "There's no way to get off that train" of rising healthcare costs. In an effort to hold down expenditures, the county plans to offer employees different scenarios for their healthcare coverage starting in the next fiscal year. The Athens Clarke County Commissioners got details about the county's plans at a work session on Tuesday, with a presentation by Mercer …
Monday, January 30, 2012
Plans are moving forward to hold March referendum.
The five-member Clarke County Legislative Delegation has endorseed having a referendum on the Commission districts on March 6, the day of the Republican Presidential Preference Primary. Under House Bill 904, Voters will decide whether to change the number of Athens Clarke County Commission districts from ten--eight, with two super districts--to nine. The Clarke County Board of Education has nine districts. Rep. Keith Heard, the sole Democrat representing Athens, said Mnday the delegation initially couldn't agree on a plan, and their rules call for unanimity. If they chose to do nothing, he said. "the courts would just draw the districts. And whenever the courts draw districts, they have always drawn single member districts, with no super …
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The state representative believes jobs the Wal Mart can provide are crucial.
State Representative Keith Heard has a message for the people who showed up at Tuesday night’s Commission meeting to register their opposition to a proposed Wal Mart on the edge of downtown: Stop these public displays. We want businesses to come to Athens, and this is a business, and protesting it says Athens is anti-business. Heard was speaking to a crowded audience at today’s Pre-legislative Luncheon, sponsored by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce and the Athens Rotary Club. “Why do we put up road blocks?” Heard asked, as a slight applause rippled through the crowd. “Don’t make it public. People who believe in it, we haven’t heard the other side of things. They need to speak up.” So far, there has been no meeting involving the general …
Elected officials weigh in on Athens Clarke County's plan.
Which will it be? Republican Representative Doug McKillips’s plan for redistricting Athens or a plan endorsed by local residents and elected officials? We should find out next week. We may continue to have four districts on each side of the river and two large districts representing four smaller districts. Or, if McKillip’s plan is adopted, we will have ten newly drawn districts. The Superdistricts don’t dilute minority voting strength. That was the finding of a hastily appointed and turbo-charged committee of local citizens who spent a few weeks in late fall studying the county’s district representation system. The Athens Clarke County Commission voted nine to one at last night’s commission meeting to accept the committee’s findings. The …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Eliminating superdistricts may be more complicated than you think.
If Athens-Clarke County officials follow through on a recommendation to appoint a committee to examine the county's superdistricts, they may be opening up a large electoral can of worms. A citizens committee appointed by Mayor Nancy Denson to vet proposed new district maps for Athens-Clarke County made that recommendation earlier this month, opening the door for an overhaul of the current structure of city-county government. It's a change that some citizens say is long overdue. "Some people feel that the time has come for the superdistricts to be eliminated," said District 2 Commissioner Harry Sims. Sims, the longest-serving member of the Athens-Clarke County Commission, also chaired the citizens reapportionment committee appointed by …
Rebecca McCarthy
9:18 am on Friday, January 6, 2012
Gary, Rep. Heard also said that if people have a problem with Wal Mart, they need to go to Wal Mart officials and talk out these problems. I asked him if he thought Wal Mart would meet with residents of Athens, especially since Selig hasn't bought the property and hasn't said for certain that Wal Mart is the Big Box slated to come. His point, he said, was that jobs at Wal Mart are better than no … more ›