Harry Johnston

Cherokee Continues Growth in Public Safety

BY HARRY JOHNSTON

Thanks to Sheriff Frank Reynolds, Fire Chief Eddie Robinson, E 9-1-1 Director Shane Bonebrake and others, Cherokee County’s public safety services are among Georgia’s best. Our challenge is to continue building and growing these services to match the county’s growth. That remains the top consideration as we enter the budget process for fiscal year 2023 this fall. Fortunately, the county is in excellent financial shape, and we enjoy the second lowest combined county commission-controlled tax rate of 159 counties.

The first budget issue is inflation, especially in salaries. Public safety officers are in high demand. We must pay them what it takes to recruit and retain top quality officers. During the past two years, we increased public safety salaries by 10% beyond normal cost-of-living increases, to catch salaries up with surrounding counties. And it did, briefly. But the bidding war for these officers didn’t stop, and salaries again are behind nearby counties.

We also need to continue adding public safety officers. Sheriff Reynolds has opened a sixth police precinct near Ball Ground, to help reduce the large areas covered by the Waleska and Free Home precincts, and to reduce response times. Currently, the new precinct is staffed only during the day. At night, the other precincts assume that coverage area. It will take 10 more officers to staff it 24/7.

Residents are requesting additional traffic patrols and enforcement on busy roads. The traffic unit is staffed with 20 officers, which is about five per shift. While they do a great job with the resources they have, we need to work toward doubling that team.

Sheriff Reynolds asked for funding to expand the 21st century technology for preventing and solving crimes that they have begun deploying. It’s amazing what they already can do, and we need to take it to the next level.

With the latest class graduating from fire recruit training, our fire department has reached a goal to staff every fire engine with at least three firefighters/EMTs on nearly all shifts. That’s important, because six is the minimum necessary to attack a major structure fire. They now can reach that level with just two fire companies responding, versus three in the past. But, there’s still one old volunteer station and one new temporary station that need to be staffed permanently to get most areas in the county within 5 miles of an active station.

Our highly rated advanced life support ambulance service stays busy. With the county still growing at about 2% annually, we need to add another ambulance about every three years. With relief staffing, that’s four new paramedics and four EMTs.

Shane Bonebrake has re-energized our emergency call center and dispatch team. It’s tough work, and 911 operators are difficult to hire and retain. Shane has filled all positions, greatly reducing their overtime burden and stress.

Thanks to everyone in county public safety for their excellence in keeping us safe. Let’s continue to reward them adequately and grow their numbers as necessary.

As always, I’m interested in your thoughts. Please email me at hjohnston@cherokeega.com.

Harry Johnston is chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners. He's a retired CPA and accounting manager, and a former district commissioner.

New at MUST Thanks to a successful capital campaign and an ambitious vision, the MUST team planned the two-story shelter with specific needs of clients at the forefront, making MUST Doors Open at Pioneering one of the first organizations in the country to do so. The nonprofit more than doubled the number of people it is able Homeless Shelter to shelter and serve. “In all of MUST Ministries’ 50 years of service to those experiencing poverty, we have never seen a greater need for our help than we are seeing now,” MUST President and

America’s newest — and perhaps most thoughtfully CEO Ike Reighard said. “In just two years, we have gone designed — homeless shelter is complete and ready to from serving 33,000 people a year to likely close to 60,000 be occupied. people this year. The MUST Hope House not only gives

Last month, MUST Ministries celebrated the completion those families a place to sleep but also provides them with a of its 43,556-square-foot MUST Hope House, designed sense of dignity and respect.” and built from input provided by staff, volunteers and clients. The impressive new facility — just off Bells Ferry Road Grand-opening events featured Gov. Brian Kemp as guest near Cobb Parkway in Marietta, not far from its predecessor speaker, as well as public tours of the facility. — has 136 beds, plus 36 respite beds for inclement weather; a chapel; a dining hall with picture windows to help alleviate claustrophobia; a kitchen; a rooftop family retreat with play areas, tables and seating; a playground area; a satellite medical clinic with three exam rooms; laundry rooms; and an on-site clothing boutique, where clients can shop. Ten large family rooms, each with five beds and a private bath, allow families to stay and sleep together, and the Children’s After-School Learning Center gives kids a place to read, study, do homework and work with tutors. The workforce development service offers clients a jobs counselor, a computer lab with 10 work stations for creating resumes and completing job applications, and private rooms for making phone calls. The shelter also provides outreach services, such as case management, restrooms, showers and job assistance, for those who come for temporary help but are not housed there. The new MUST Hope House features a chapel where clients can pray. Other amenities include two classrooms, staff offices, staff

and volunteer break rooms, meeting/conference rooms and staff workrooms.

“It’s amazing to think of how many lives will be changed at the MUST Hope House for many years to come,” Reighard said. “From providing shelter to feeding our children to helping with job placement, the whole mission behind MUST Ministries is to provide hope. With this new facility, built specifically with our clients’ needs in mind, we know that the MUST Hope House will do just that.”

For the past 33 years, MUST has given thousands of families a place to sleep in the Elizabeth Inn in Marietta, but the next chapter in the nonprofit’s history started when clients began moving into the new shelter at the beginning of May.

The 43,556-square-foot facility has 136 beds, plus 36 respite beds for inclement weather, which will allow MUST Ministries to serve more than twice as many clients as in the past.

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Conservative State Rep. CHARLICE BYRD

FOR REELECTION TO DISTRICT 20

The workhorse conservative delivers for her constituents without fanfare, because

“it’s the right thing to do.”

In today’s turbulent times, we need a proven conservative leader more than ever to fight for our community and protect our values. A longtime resident of Woodstock, Charlice Byrd has been a political activist for years, having donated her time and resources to conservative causes and candidates throughout the country and here in our community. Charlice served as president of the Republican Women’s Club and on the executive committee for the Georgia Republican Party.

In 2015, Charlice was recruited to join the paid staff of Donald J. Trump for President. Charlice has represented our community in the Georgia House of Representatives for nearly a decade in total. Currently she is seeking reelection to the District 20 seat in the state house. She is a proven and outspoken conservative voice and an award-winning effective legislative leader.

Charlice is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, where she earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in elementary education, and spent the early portion of her career as a classroom educator. Charlice and her husband, Michael, are members of First Baptist Church of Woodstock.