The story of your life
SUNDAY, April 12, 2015
Vol. 150, No. 15
$1
HEAVY WEIGHT Wheelchair athlete attempts to shatter world record u See SPORTS, 1B
150 YEARS OF SERVING NEWTON COUNTY
PREVIEW DAY We invite you to experience the LCA story by joining us at a Preview Day.
THE COVINGTON
Tuesday, April 28th at 9:00am
NEWS
C N
To RSVP or for more information call 770-554-9888.
New committee ready to study landfill problem
“Do not allow another $700,000 to walk out the door ... Newton County’s been good to me, but most of all I’ve been good to Newton County.”
MERIS LUTZ mlutz@covnews.com
— Sheriff Ezell Brown, on the dangers of delaying pay increases
The citizen committee to study the county’s landfill problem is ready and raring to go, committee member Denny Dobbs said Friday, just a few days after questions were raised by county commissioners regarding the scope and clarity of its mission. “The people that were appointed, they’re taking it seriously and we’re ready to go as soon as we get the go ahead,” Dobbs said. Due to scheduling conflicts, the first meeting had been pushed back from a tentative April 8 start date, leading to some confusion among citizens who had hoped to attend. The county is in talks with the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government to mediate for an estimated $10,000 to $15,000, although no formal agreement has been reached.
RAISING WAGES BOC grants pay increases for Sheriff’s office
u See LANDFILL, 5A
MERIS LUTZ mlutz@covnews.com
The Board of Commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to approve $135,000 in raises for Sheriff ’s Office and another $48,000 in pay increases for the Fire Department over the next three months until a budget can be drawn up for next year. The decision included pay increases for all NCSO staff, a $1/hour increase for all deputies and detention officers, and incentive increases for tenure and rank. The Fire Department will increase pay for all staff except chief and deputy chief, depending on years of service, certification, and education. Sheriff Ezell Brown made his case for the need for immediate action, saying that in the last six months since the board delayed action on the issue, 12 employees had quit, costing the county some $700,000 including benefits. He also pointed out that while his department has overspent its budget over the past several years, it had also seen a dramatic cut in funds and was gradually bringing down its spending. “Do not allow another $700,000 to walk out the door,” he warned the commissioners. “Newton County’s been good to me, but most of all I’ve been good to Newton County.” The Sheriff ’s speech was met with a standing ovation from citizens, and support from most of the commissioners. County Manager Tom Garrett explained that the money would be shifted from other areas for which the county has over budgeted. Specifically, $50,000 will come from line item savings, $75,000 from deep freeze savings and a contingency line item transfer of $10,000 for the NCSO raises, while the additional funds to the Fire Department will come from a cost recovery plan ($30,000) and deep freeze savings ($18,000). Commissioners Nancy Schulz, J.C. Henderson, and Lanier Sims voted in favor of the raise. Commissioner John Douglas, the single dissenting vote, said that it would not be fair to give the Sheriff ’s Office a
SHERIFF’S OFFICE RAISE
$135,000
for three months (April 1-June 30)
Ellis pulls Craig critic from purchasing policy committee MERIS LUTZ mlutz@covnews.com
WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM
$50,000 — Line item savings + $75,000 — Deep-freeze savings + $10,000 — Contingency line item transfer = $135,000 — Total
County Chairman Keith Ellis has rescinded his invitation to local citizen Ann Neuhierl to serve on the committee seeking to reform the purchasing policy, telling her that “the original candidate is now available.” “I will be offering the position to that individual,” Ellis wrote in an e-mail, which Neuhierl provided to The News Friday. Neuhierl, who sells furniture to state and federal agencies and is intimately familiar
u See ELLIS, 5A
FIRE SERVICES RAISE
Porterdale ordinance bans garbage trucks
$48,000
MERIS LUTZ
WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM
$30,000 — Cost recovery plan (Approximately 45 days) + $18,000 — Deep-freeze savings = $48,000 — Total
u See RAISES, 5A
mlutz@covnews.com
The City of Porterdale passed a new ordinance Monday banning vehicles from using compression and engine brakes except in emergencies in an effort to prohibit large garbage trucks from passing through the town as the county weighs a deal to expand and privatize the landfill. Mayor Arline Chapman confirmed that
u See TRUCK, 5A
BOC decisions: See the BOC’s other decisions from Tuesday, including improvement projects and fixing the jail sewer system
City to help light Square
Eastside swagger
The Covington city council voted to budget $20,000 for Christmas lights
Eagles have what it takes to be a championship team for the ages
Red Cross Donut Dollies bring a touch of home to our soldiers
LOCAL, 2A
LOCAL, 3A
SPORTS, 1B
VETERANS, 1C
A Veteran’s Story
the UP-TO-DATE most up to dateNEWS newsIN in NEWTON Newton County, visit CovNews.com. FOR THE For MOST COUNTY, VISIT COVNEWS.COM
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