The Henry County Update - Newsletter

December 7, 2018

Board of

Commissioners Regular Meetings Jan. 8th, 2019 9:00 a.m.

(Note: Date change due to holiday) Jan. 22nd, 2019 6:30 p.m.

(Note: Date change due to holiday) Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings air daily on Henry TV Charter Channel 180 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

County Dedicates Fire Station to Late Commissioner Reid Bowman

District IV Commissioner Blake Prince and Reid Bowman’s widow, Janice, along with the Bowman family, unveiled a plaque in memory of the late former Commissioner, dedicating Fire Station No. 16 in his memory.

Under chilly winds but sunny, blue skies, the Bowman family, surrounded by friends, county officials, present and former commissioners and public safety personnel, helped to unveil a plaque dedicating Fire Station No. 16 in the Kelleytown section of McDonough to former District IV Commissioner Reid Bowman, who passed away earlier this year. The dedication took place on Wednesday.

The bronze marker, which contains an etched image of Bowman, reads “Fire Station No.16 is dedicated in memory of Henry County Commissioner Reid Bowman (1947-2018) who served faithfully as the District IV Commissioner from 2007 to 2014.

Commissioner Bowman was a dedicated public servant who served the citizens of Henry County by providing exceptional leadership and a powerful voice to advocate for the needs of citizens during his eight-year tenure. He was instrumental in a wide variety of road and capital improvement projects both countywide and throughout District IV, and was a driving force in the creation and implementation of several quality-of-life and public safety initiatives, including the building of Fire Station No. 16

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December 7, 2018 Published by Henry County Communications & Public Information Department Henry County Government

Editor Melissa Robinson

Graphic Designer Meredith Butler

Layout Designer Melissa Robinson Meredith Butler

Contributors

BOC Approves Appointments of Associate Magistrate Court Judges

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved the appointment of five Associate Judges to Henry County’s Magistrate Court at the December 4 Commission meeting.

Chief Magistrate Martin C. Jones proposed the slate of judges to the Board that included Danielle Patrice Roberts, W. Donald Patten, Amanda Renee Flora, Ralph Bailey and Vincent Anthony Lotti.

The five Associate Magistrate Court Judges will each serve four-year terms commencing January 1, 2019.

For more information on Henry County Courts, log on to henrycounty-ga.com/Departments/Courts.

Melissa Robinson Erika Richards

BOC Reallocates SPLOST II Funds The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to amend a budget to reallocate District I, District III and District V SPLOST II funds from various projects to respective district resurfacing project accounts.

The budget amendment in the amount of

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$226,464.53 is from the Laney Drive project in District I, the Racetrack at SR 81 project in District III and Fairview at SR 155 project in District V, which are all complete.

For more information on SPLOST projects, log on to henrycounty-ga.com/splost.

Board Approves LMIG Grant

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the Chair to sign The Georgia Department of Transportation Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) Application for fiscal year 2019.

Georgia Department of Transportation will be assisting Henry County in the resurfacing of 16 county roads and will provide funding in the amount of $2,149,354.54. County roads that will see improvements are as follows:

• New Hope Road from SR 81 to east of Leguin Mill • • • • •

Road Amah Lee Road from Steele Drive to Lake Amah Lee Road Bo Simpson Parkway from Simpson Mill Road to SR 20 Franklin River Road from Lake Amah Lee Road to US 19/41 Industrial Boulevard from SR 155 to north of Interstate South Drive Sidewalk- Engineering and Placement in County

District II • Burma Road from Stroud Road to the end • Wilson Drive from Upchurch Road to North Ola Road • Hemphill Road from SR 138 to SR 155 • Asante Drive from Missing Lake Drive to its cul-desac • Davis Road from SR 42 to North Davis Road • Homestead Place from Homestead Road to Cumberland Drive • Johns Creek Lane from Gardner Road to its culde-sac • Lost Berry Court from Asante to its cul-de-sac • Mansfield Way from Johns Creek Lane to Johns Creek Lane • Missing Lake Drive from Panola Road to its cul-desac

The grant requires a 30 percent match from the county and it will meet the requirement through in-kind labor services and DOT asphalt budget.

For more information on Henry County DOT, visit henrycounty-ga.com/departments/D-L/DOT.

Dedication continued from page 1 in the Kelleytown community. Through his commitment as a public official, Commissioner Bowman leaves a legacy of faith, love and service to the citizens of Henry County.”

Commissioner Blake Prince spearheaded the effort to have the station dedicated in memory of Bowman.

“I looked at several different things to name after Reid passed, so I looked at the fire station, and the fire station is here to help people and I really feel that fits Reid’s personality and who Reid was. He was a person who wanted to help people,” said Prince. “And this fire station will be here for, I guess, 50 to 75 more

years, and it will always be remembered as the Reid Bowman Fire Station.”

Pam Edwards, Bowman’s daughter, spoke on behalf of the family.

“Thank you very much. On behalf of the Bowman family, we would just like to thank you all for being here. This crowd is a testament to our Dad and to everything that he lived for. He loved his community.

Commissioner Prince, thank you so much. We cannot even to express what this means to us. And we are very thankful for you and for your vision and your desire to honor our Dad in this way,” she said.

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December 7, 2018 Henry County Parks and Recreation Recognized for GRPA Honors

Pictured in the first row (l. to r.) Henry County Parks and Recreation employees Donna Holder, Peggy Hesselbach, Michelle Dunn, Kathy Hunt, District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons, Kenny Morris and Jim Joyce; Second row (l. to r.) Assistant Director Tim Coley, James “Bull” Martin, District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes and Leisure Services Director Rod Gray; Third row (l. to r.) District I Commissioner Johnny Wilson and District III Commissioner Gary Barham.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners recognized the the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department (HCPRD) and two employees who were honored by the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) during this year’s conference. The recognition came during the December 4 Commission meeting.

HCPRD won District 6 Agency of the Year from the GRPA, and employees who were recognized

with awards included James “Bull” Martin, Fairview Recreation Center’s Facility Coordinator who won the District 6 Distinguished Professional award; and Peggy Hesselbach, HCPRD’s Recreation Athletics Specialist won the District 6 Athletics/Aquatics Network award.

For more information on Henry County Parks and Recreation and its various classes and activities, please visit hcprd.org.

Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/HenryCountyBOC

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BOC Recognizes County Employees

Five county employees were recognized with certificates of appreciation for their acts of heroism by the Henry County Board of Commissioners. Deputy County Manager Brad Johnson detailed the incidents that led to the recognitions. The action came at the regular Commissioner meeting.

Henry County Tax Assessor Supervisor, Krista Boyle, was recognized for saving the life of a man by performing the Heimlich maneuver on him; Henry County Police Officer Alex Maddox and Henry County

Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Benefield, were recognized for pulling a 21-year old man out of a burning house; and Henry County Fleet Services Director Jody Swords and Fleet Services Supervisor Angelo Cartagena, were recognized for rescuing a man who was having a massive heart attack while driving.

The employees were thanked by the Board members, county management and fellow employees for their bravery and valor.

SEE CLICK FIX henrycounty-ga.com/SeeClickFix 5

December 7, 2018 Board Recognizes First Citizen’s Academy

The Henry County Board of Commissioners recognized 17 graduates of the county’s first Citizen’s Academy Class at the November 27 Commission meeting.

Members include Lauren Britten, Trisha Colpetzer, Nailah Cozart, Scott Cozart, Bruce Gaw, Linda Harrison, Mical Heminger, Cherice Hollis, Euretha Lyles, Luis Medrano, Christopher Richardson, Rena Richardson, Mildred Schmelz, Stefini Smith,

Vanessa Thomas, Samuel Valme and Donald Veum.

The Citizen’s Academy was an eight-week program held at the Henry County Administration Building where participants learned about the inner workings of Henry County Government and the services it provides, including Financial Services, Public Works, Public Safety and several others.

Make sure to visit henrycounty-ga.org for notices on upcoming Citizen’s Academy classes.

BOC Approves Grants for DA’s Office and HCFD

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved two resolutions, accepting the continuation of two Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) sub-grants from the Criminal Justice Coordination Council of Georgia for the District Attorney’s Office. The action came at the scheduled Commission meeting.

One grant will fund the Early Notification Victim Advocate position which is responsible for coordinating efforts to serve crime victims from first appearance to the case being bound over Superior Court, as well as informing victims of their rights and working closely henrycounty-ga.org

with law enforcement. The other VOCA sub-grant will fund the Victim Compensation Advocate position which is responsible for assisting the county in funding the salary and benefits of a full-time Victim Services Advocate.

The salaries of both the Early Notification Advocate and the Victim Compensation Advocate will be reimbursed quarterly to the county from allocated VOCA funds, in the amount of $59,680 and $46,822 respectively.

The positions will be funded from October 1 Continued on page 6

DA Grant continued from page 6 through September 30, 2019.

The Board also approved a donation in the amount of $5,795.80 from the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation for the Henry County Fire Department.

The donation is a part of proceeds from the Give

Burns the Boot Foundation collected by Henry County Fire Department employees and will be deposited into the fire department’s account to purchase fire safety materials.

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December 7, 2018

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BOC Approves Classification and Compensation Plan

After a year-long process, the Henry County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution and adopted the Employee Classification and Compensation Plan and Structure. The action came at the November 27 Commission meeting.

The approved plan includes a position classification structure listed by grade, title and pay schedule, new salary minimums for new grades and placement of current employees into new salary ranges to minimize salary compression.

To help recruit and retain a competent workforce, the county contracted the Archer Company in June of 2017 to conduct a study of job classifications and salaries. The company held an evaluation process that included a market analysis, studies of reclassification proposals and review and analysis of existing job descriptions.

From the study, a new pay plan that balances internal job relationships with the competitive job market was developed.

Before the Board adopted the plan, County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews shared an important action item the management team had to resolve.

“What is most important is that we are bringing up all of our employees to the minimum that is required for those positions within our pay scale. I think that is one of the biggest charges we received in making sure that everyone is being treated fair and equitably throughout the process,” said Matthews. “I am excited that the Board has embraced us moving forward with the next steps regarding the Comp and Class study.”

Board members also lauded county management and staff for the work they did during this process.

“This has been a long project and I know every employee deserves it and appreciates it. It has been a long time coming and thank you for your hard work,” said District I Commissioner Johnny Wilson.

District IV Commissioner Blake Prince and District II Commissioner Dee Clemmons both expressed the importance of having career paths for employees as well as future implementation of a plan for employees to further their education, in all to provide the citizens of the county with exceptional service.

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December 7, 2018 HCFD to Participate in Gold Shield Foundation Boot Drive

This weekend, Henry County Fire Department will be out in force collecting funds for the Gold Shield Foundation of Metro Atlanta.

Firefighters will be in public collecting donations for three consecutive Fridays beginning Friday, November 30 and continuing on Friday, December 7 and Friday, December 14.

The Gold Shield Foundation of Metro Atlanta was founded in 1997 and is a 501(c) (3), non-profit organization. The GSF was originally established for the purpose of assisting the surviving spouses and dependent children of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. The Foundation’s mission has broadly grown as they have listened to the needs from within the fire and police communities in which they serve. Today, the Gold Shield Foundation works tirelessly to provide aid

for law enforcement officers, firefighters, their spouses and their children, whose lives have been altered as a result of line of duty deaths and injuries. The GSF relies on the generosity of foundations, corporations, community individuals and income generated through special events to fulfill its mission. Ninetyeight percent of all donations are allocated for the support of law enforcement officers and firefighters.

When you see firefighters out collecting donations, please give generously; Donations to the Gold Shield Foundation are essential to their continued work of providing relief to our public safety family.

For more information on the Gold Shield Foundation, contact the GSF at 404-913-5588 or visit its web site at www.goldshieldatalanta.org.

Henry County Community Development Holds Public Meetings Discussing topics on affordable housing, fair housing and more

Henry County’s Community Development Department along with Connecting Henry hosted the first of a series of public meetings and workshops, to analyze impediments of Fair Housing, November 27 at Shiloh Baptist Church in McDonough.

Keynote speaker Marjorie Willow, AICP Principal at Mullin Lonergan Associates Inc. gave a presentation on what Fair Housing Laws are and what they mean, shared housing discrimination examples and explained Henry County’s obligations to its citizens

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regarding Fair Housing.

After the presentation, individuals were able to ask questions and discussed affordable housing, workforce development, housing the homeless and concerns that affect housing in the county.

For more information on Henry County Community Development Department or the public meetings, contact Shannan Sagnot at 770-288-7525 or email her at ssagnot@co.henry.ga.us.