Henry County Update - August 1st, 2013

August 1, 2013

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Commissioners Approve Intergovernmental Agreement For a SPLOST IV Program

Called Meetings August 5th at 10:00 a.m.

Regular Meetings August 6th at 9:00 a.m.

August 20th at 6:30 p.m.

Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings will air Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays on Henry TV Channel 14 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

Henry County Commission Chairman Tommy Smith signs the SPLOST IV intergovernmental agreement with the cities of Hampton, Locust Grove, McDonough, and Stockbridge, as the mayors look on, (from left to right), Mayor Robert Price of Locust Grove, Mayor Billy Copeland of McDonough, Mayor Chris Moore of Hampton, and Mayor Pro Tem Richard Steinberg of Stockbridge.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners has approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Cities of Hampton, Locust Grove, McDonough, and Stockbridge to proceed with putting a referendum on the upcoming November 2013 election ballot regarding a one percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax to fund capital and transportation projects in the community. The action took place during a joint meeting with the four cities at

the Henry County Administration Building on July 29, during which the cities also confirmed their approval of the intergovernmental agreement.

By entering into an intergovernmental agreement, Henry County, together with the four cities, is permitted to collect the sales tax for a period of six years, rather than the five year limit that would be the cap without such an agreement in place. In addition, the County Continued on Page 3 the henry county update

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Officials Urge Safety with School Year Beginning With Henry County public schools reopening this week, both the Henry County Police Department and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office are reminding drivers to slow down and be aware, not only of increased traffic on the roads, but of school children waiting for school buses.

According to the Henry County Board of Education, approximately 24,000 Henry County students, or 65 percent of the district’s enrollment take the bus to school. That means 24,000 school children from kindergarten to 12th grade will be standing on the corner waiting for the school bus or exiting the school buses every weekday.

Buses run from 6:30 until 9:00 a.m. and then again from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

With the new school year about to begin, Henry County Police and the Henry County Sheriff’s Office are working together to take steps to insure the safety of our children as they start their school year.

Henry County Police want the public to know that the police department is gearing up for the start of the new school year and patrol units will be concentrating on the traffic around the schools and monitoring compliance to traffic laws.

“We would like the public to be aware that there will be children and teenagers out in the morning on the corners waiting for the school buses and to be cautious until everyone gets used to the traffic. We also want motorists to

be mindful of the school crossing guards, and we want citizens to be respectful, as the guards have a tough job,” said Sgt. Joey Smith with the Henry County Police Department. “Traffic is always a little hectic at the beginning of the school year, but we’ll get through it, just like we always do.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office, a foremost concern is the growing issue of motorists placing school children at risk by passing school buses while they are loading or unloading at bus stops. To assist the Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers in the prosecution of careless drivers, many school buses are equipped with stop-arm video cameras. The Student Guardian system uses high resolution cameras that begin operation when the school bus activates the red stop lights and extends the stop bar.

“Drivers who choose to illegally pass after the signals are activated are recorded,” said Sheriff Keith McBrayer.

“Traffic tickets are then generated by Sheriff’s Deputies. We view this technology as a necessary tool that will allow our Deputies the ability to detect and enforce this most flagrant violation, endangering our children.”

For more information on the Henry County Police department, log on to www.henrycounty-ga.org/police. For more information on the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, visit www.henrycountysheriff.net.

HENRY COUNTY D.O.T ROAD RESURFACING SCHEDULE For the week of August 5, 2013 Deer Trace Subdivision will be resurfaced.* *Weather permitting.

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Domestic Short Hair-Black/Tabby Mix www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26712850 It is kitty season once again and because no one thought to get my mom and dad sterilized, I am here at the shelter, lonely, and without a home. I am one of the many kitties here at the shelter in need of a lifetime companion that will give me the love that I so deserve. If you would like to meet me, you can visit me here at the shelter or call my friends at (770) 288-PETS. My ID# 6/19-1623 black white neutered male. 6/19-1622 tabby female is and I hope to see you soon. Lost and stray animals are held at the Henry County Animal Care and Control Shelter for four (4) calendar days (excluding Sundays and county holidays) in order to give their owners a chance to reclaim them. After that time period, adoptable animals are held as long as space allows.

SPLOST From Page 1 and cities were together able to decide how the funds would be allocated, resulting a 75/25 split between the County and its four municipalities. Of the 25 percent that will go to the cities, Hampton will receive 11.64 percent, Locust Grove will receive 8.99 percent, McDonough will receive 36.74 percent, and Stockbridge will receive 42.64 percent.

Based on a revenue projection of $190 million, Henry County’s portion of 75 percent will yield $142.5 million for county projects. This includes approximately $42.5 million in county-wide, tier 1 projects, including the following: • 911 Radio Communications System for the County and Cities $7 million • Ambulances $380,000 • 2nd Building of Southern Crescent Technical College $5 million • DOT Construction Equipment Replacement $450.000 • Jail Renovation/New Pod Design $1.5 million • Airport FBO $1 million • Animal Control Facility Improvements and Equipment $100,000 • 30 Police Patrol Vehicles $1,406,806

• Fire Stations (3 new) $6 million • Fire Department Capital Equipment $2.1 million • Probate Court Building Improvements $220,000 • Police Station (north end of county) $4 million • New Interchange on I-75 South of SR 155* $5.5 million • SPLOST Program Management $3.9 million • Sewer to Airport $2 million • Sewer to Fairview $2 million The balance of approximately $100 million will be divided equally among the five commission districts, providing each one about $20 million to allocate for capital and transportation projects, according to their district’s needs and priorities. To view a complete list of all the SPLOST IV projects, please visit http://tinyurl.com/l6paery.

As the SPLOST III program expires in March 2014, if the SPLOST IV program is approved by voters in November, it would continue the penny sales tax beginning in April for another six years. It would not be an additional tax.

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Commissioner Bruce Holmes To Host Town Hall Meeting Focus will be on Business and Entrepreneurship

District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes will hold his monthly Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 9 a.m. at Crossroad Christian Church.

This month’s meeting will feature a

discussion on economic development and entrepreneurship, with a focus on access to capital for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Special guest speakers include Marc Parham, managing partner at the Partec Consulting Group and Dan Barnes, Ph. D., along with Toni Davis, an Organizational Leadership & Development Consultant, with expertise in Human Resources & Business Management. As the Founder of "WeAreHr", Davis also has a passion for Student Development in the career areas of Business Administration and Human Resources, M.S.A. Parham and Barnes will discuss a myriad of topics, including how to

develop and write a business plan and gain access to capital. Davis will discuss the idea of implementing a Business League servicing area south of Atlanta.

The Town Hall meeting is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. Crossroad Christian Church is located at 5365 North Henry Blvd. in Stockbridge.

Also, watch for announcements about an upcoming Small Business Development Workshop Series hosted by the Partec Consulting Group and Commissioner Bruce Holmes, to be held at TooLooPeas Savory Southern Cuisine, located at 282 E. Atlanta Rd. in Stockbridge. Dates and times to be announced.

Henry County Police Chief Receives Award from FBI Academy Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy. Chief Nichols is attending the F.B.I. National Academy Associates Annual Training Conference hosted in Orlando Florida from July 27th – 30th, where he received his award from the Georgia Chapter. Each State has a Chapter and members nominate the recipient of the award. Chief Nichols is 1 of 900 Graduates from Georgia who have attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Outstanding Job Chief!

“I consider it an awesome honor to have been nominated and selected as the Georgia chapter FBI NA member of the year," commented Chief Nichols. "I appreciate your loyalty and confidence that you have in me as the leader of our department. I appreciate the fact that you have Henry County Police Chief Keith Nichols (3rd from the right) is shown holding accepted the challenge also in our quest to make HCPD one the "Member of the Year Award" he received from the Georgia Chapter of the of the finest agencies in our state. I hope that we will always FBI National Academy. treasure what the NA experience meant to us and try and The Henry County Police Department is proud to implement the principles of our organization here at HCPD. announce that Police Chief Keith Nichols has received the Thank you and be safe out there.”

“Member of the Year” award from the Georgia Chapter of the

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