Henry County Update - August 8th, 2013

August 8, 2013

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Called Meetings August 19th at 6:00 p.m.

August 29th at 6:00 p.m.

Regular Meetings August 20th at 6:30 p.m.

September 3rd at 9:00 a.m.

September 17th 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.

National Night Out Set for September 3 The Henry County Police Department, along with the Henry County Sheriff’s Department, Henry County Fire Department and other law enforcement agencies in the county are hosting the annual National Night Out event on Tuesday, September 3, 2013 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Henry Town Center in McDonough.

Henry County’s National Night Out is a free event for the whole family where parents and kids alike will have an opportunity to meet various law enforcement officers and get a first-hand look at some of the equipment, vehicles and apparatus they use to keep citizens safe.

There will be K9 Unit demonstrations as well as public safety displays from the C.A.G.E. gang task force and S.W.A.T. team members.

“National Night Out is a chance for the citizens of Henry County to come out

and meet their local law enforcement, said Sgt. Danny Gibbs. “It’s a joint effort between the law enforcement community and the citizens of Henry County to fight back against crime.”

There will also be free food and giveaways from area merchants plus plenty of fun activities for the whole family, including inflatables, face painting and wildlife displays from the Department of Natural Resources Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center, and live music form Jason Lee and the Cyclones.

National Night Out is a unique crime and drug prevention event that involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials coming together in a show of solidarity against crime. The first National Night Out took place in 1984. That first year, 2.5 million Americans took part Continued on Page 3 the henry county update

1

“Hot Dog” Mascot Drives Home Message about Not Leaving Pets in Parked Cars

Animal Care & Control Supervisor stands next to Oscar the Hot Dog as they get the message out about how hot cars kill pets.

Henry County Animal Care & Control is so concerned about citizens leaving pets in parked cars during the heat of summer that they are launching a public relations campaign, complete with a toy puppy mascot.

Beginning this week, Oscar, the “hot dog,” will be going on tour, hanging out in a spare Animal Control vehicle that will be parked at various locations throughout the county.

Prominently displayed in the vehicle with Oscar is a large thermometer, to help educate citizens about the dangers of leaving their pets in parked vehicles.

“We set up a vehicle with a thermometer to show people what can happen inside a car left in the sun - even with the window cracked a little bit, the temp in a vehicle can still go 30 degrees higher that what it is outside in just a matter of minutes,” explained Vince Farah, a Supervisor with

Henry County Animal Care & Control. “Dark vehicles are more susceptible that light colored vehicles. We’re getting 110 on a white vehicle today. On a dark vehicle, you can probably add about 20 more degrees to that.”

Temperatures like that can be deadly for dogs, and Henry County has responded to 12 reports of pets left in hot cars this summer alone. To combat this distressing trend, Animal Control Officers are continuing to conduct “Operation Cool Down.” Officers will be patrolling parking lots for animals that are left in vehicles, and issuing citations to court if they are found to be in violation.

Any animal that is found unattended in a vehicle, that is in distress, will be removed from that vehicle by Animal Care and Control officers by whatever means necessary, as permitted under Henry County Ordinance 09-01, Section 3-4-12. As a result, leaving a pet in a parked car will do more than risk your dog’s life. It will also put you at risk fines of up to $1000 or 60 days in jail.

“If we find an animal that is dead, that has expired prior to our arrival, then they will be charged with felony cruelty and they will have to go to jail and post bond,” said Farah. Citizens are advised to keep their pets at home if their pets cannot be with them at all times, and to make sure that their pets have adequate shelter from the heat and a constant source of clean, cool drinking water that is kept in a shaded area.

For more information about Henry County Animal Care & Control, please visit www.hcacc.org.

HENRY COUNTY D.O.T ROAD RESURFACING SCHEDULE For the week of August 12, 2013 The paved section of Luella Road will be patched and resurfaced.* *Weather permitting.

w w w. h e n r y c o u n t y - g a . o r g

District 3 Commissioner Gary Barham To Host Town Hall Meeting on Road Projects District III Commissioner Gary Barham will host a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, August 31 at 9 a.m. in the Activity Center of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church in McDonough.

Commissioner Barham will lead a discussion

regarding River Road to get feedback from citizens on whether the county should consider closing the road to through traffic.

Improvements to the intersection of Wynn Road and Mt. Bethel Road at Highway 81 to enhance safety

will also be discussed.

Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church is located at 992 Mt. Bethel Road in McDonough.

All County Offices will be closed on Monday, September 2nd in observance of Labor Day. NATIONAL NIGHT OUT From Page 1 across 400 communities in 23 states. Now in its 30th year, National Night Out involves over 37 million people and 15,000 communities from all fifty states, U.S. Territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide. Henry County began participating in 2001 and last year’s event saw approximately 2,000 people come out to take part in this stand against crime.

Henry County’s event is made possible through the generosity of local merchants and businesses, including Target, Truett’s Grill, CJ’s Hot Dogs, Patrick Rentals, Home Depot, Petsmart, Aaron’s Rentals and many more.

National Night Out will take place in front of the Target Department Store, 1850 Jonesboro Rd., in McDonough. For more information, contact 770-288-8200, or visit the Henry County Police Department page on Facebook.

Sign up for the Henry County Emergency Notification System http://tinyurl.com/lnqzh5q

3

Henry County Applications Architect Receives International Award

Henry County Commissioners presented Senior Applications Architect, Skip Floyd (Center) of Henry County Technology Services with a proclamation in recognition of Skip being named 2013 Outstanding Professional by Government Management Information Sciences International (GMIS).

Skip Floyd, Senior Applications Architect with Henry County Technology Services, was recently awarded the 2013 Outstanding Professional Award by Government Management Information Sciences International (GMIS), an organization dedicated to serving public sector information technology professionals. Floyd was selected in recognition of his exceptional dedication to the profession and his outstanding achievements for Henry County government. He was recognized for this achievement by the Henry County Board of Commissioners at their regular meeting on Tuesday, where they presented him with a proclamation.

In the proclamation, the Board congratulated Skip Floyd for this most deserved recognition from GMIS International, and recognize him for “his extraordinary performance which has so elevated Henry County’s technology services initiatives that outside agencies frequently look for ways to emulate our programs and applications.”

Skip Floyd joined Henry County in April, 2008 as the Senior Applications Architect, and during his tenure has developed mission critical programs and custom applications that have served to enhance security, promote public safety, improve customer service, and create efficiencies for numerous departments, all while saving taxpayers tens of

w w w. h e n r y c o u n t y - g a . o r g

thousands of dollars over what such programs would cost off the shelf.

This year alone, Skip wrote numerous behind the scenes applications that are used heavily by employees to make their jobs easier, safer and more productive, such as a custom Inmate Movement Application that informs officers of any dangers of the selected inmate, a Video Surveillance System for use in the Intake area of the Sheriff’s office, as well as the Police and Prosecuting Attorneys’ Offices. He designed an enhanced County News Server, a Fire Department Arson Video Capture System, a Social Security Inmate Lookup application that allows the Sheriff’s department to determine whether an inmate was receiving Social Security Benefits during their time served, and a Superior Court Lobby Court Display that allows court information to be changed in real time on the court lobby monitors to direct people to proper court rooms. Skip was also responsible for developing an Online Reservation System for passports for Probate Court, that has made obtaining passports far more convenient for citizens.

Skip will formally accept the award from GMIS August 17, 2013 at their annual conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. All expenses for him to attend this conference are being paid for by GMIS.

Focus will be on Small Business & Entrepreneurs Toni Davis, Organizational Leadership Consultant, will discuss Implementing a Business League Servicing Areas South of Atlanta. Marc Parham and Dan Barnes, Partec Consulting Group, will discuss developing a business plan, gaining access to capital, and development for small business owners.

August 24, 2013 • 9am Cross Road Christian Church

• 5365 North Henry Blvd. in Stockbridge Across from the QT

“PARKWAY” • Hound Mix www.petfinder.com/petdetail/26828595 I am a sweet and loving soul that needs a lifetime companion to give me the home that I deserve. I was picked up as a stray, so my friends here at the shelter do not know anything about my past. If you would like to meet me, then please call my friends at (770) 288-PETS. My I.D. #7/15-1799 please refer to this number when inquiring about me. 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.

5

!$* "'!&* " $ " "$

* !( & % "' ! "!

#

) * "' ( $ '$% *

% #$" & ) "'!&* )

"'$

'&& !

$ &! &

" $

%% "! $%

' %&% &"

&& !

"!*

" # & "! "

•

' '%&

# #$" "& "!" ! ! ! % &* "$ "'& " !$* "'!&*

#&"!

"$

& ( "# !& ! !$* $ $ & * ! !&" ! $#"$&