The HC Citizen Newsletter Edition 470-A October 26, 2013 The City of Stockbridge has heard from the Attorney General About FOIA on New Police Chief Senior Assistant Attorney General Stefan Ritter today informed the City of Stockbridge that it is in full compliance with the Georgia Open Records Act: I agree that, if the finalists to which O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(11) have still not been chosen then the records are not due yet. Mr. Ritter wrote: I accept your representation that the City will fully comply with the law once it does have the finalists and will produce the records at that time as well as providing the statutory period before making its final selections. Editorial: This sounds like a win for the city, but it is also a win for the people because the city must comply with the law once it does have the finalists and will produce the records at that time; and this next part is what polices the city in this matter: as well as providing the statutory period before making its final selections. All eyes want just be upon the City of Stockbridge in this matter, but those eyes will also be upon the Attorney Generals Office to see that the process will be concluded according to law. The ball was handed to the Attorney Generals Office for a decision and now it is back in the City of Stockbridge’s court to make sure they follow up on the proper way to handle this creation of a Chief of Police for Stockbridge. This statutory period is not for one day it is for a period of time to give the council and mayor time to examine those who are in the selected pool of nominees. But the public will have to come into play somewhere in this process and whomever they choose to be the Chief of Police could be a make or break political move for the council members and mayor. That is why the citizens have the right of recall and the right to vote out those who give the appearance of not providing to the citizens what should be provided in their best interest. Staff of the HC Citizen …………………………………………………………………………………………. Today is the last Meet the Candidates Forum Today is the last meet the candidates forum series held by the HLPN. This forum will be for the candidates for the Stockbridge election. It will be held at Mt. Olive Baptist Church 6pm-8pm. The Henry Local Political Network is a non-partisan organization whose goal is to provide an opportunity for information exchanges through collaboration and networking, while educating voters on local candidates for office. Mr. Seguin, Mr. Nichols, and Mr. Dunlap have done a fine job with these forums. They have already had one for McDonough, Locust Grove and Hampton. Please join them if you can at Mt. Olive Baptist Church this evening if possible for the final forum. Facebook: HLPN Email: [email protected] Twitter: @hlpn_org. …………………………………………………………………………………………… Sample Ballot City of Hampton - Mayor Christopher Moore Steve Hutchison City of Hampton - Councilman At Large Mary Ann Mitcham Martin Meeks Charles Hearn Carlton Grant Ann Tarpley Arley Lowe City of Hampton - Special 2/Year At Large Zakery Daniel Frederick DeRuvo City of Locust Grove - Councilman At Large Keith Boone James Rosser Samuel Brown H. Viann Doerr Donald Dunlap City of McDonough - Mayor Billy Copeland Wayne Smith City of McDonough - Councilman At Large Vincent Smith Swaine Thompson Roger Pruitt Rufus Amis City of McDonough - Councilman, District 1 Rufus Stewart City of McDonough - Councilman, District 2 Darryl Payton Sandra Vincent City of McDonough - Special 2/Year District 3 Craig Elrod Mario Hill Gina Riffey City of Stockbridge - Mayor Timothy Thompson Vanessa Holiday Mark Alarcon Houston Nelson, III City of Stockbridge - Councilman At Large Bruce Smith, Sr. Anthony Ford Tonja Meadows Harold Cochran Shirley Dabney Lakeisha Gantt George Hawxhurst Ballot Language for SPLOST IV Program Approved The Henry County Board of Commissioners has approved the ballot language for the referendum to be placed on the upcoming November 2013 election ballot regarding whether a one percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax should be reimposed to fund capital and transportation projects in the community. The action took place during the August 29 called meeting for such purpose. The ballot language shall read as follows: Shall a special one percent (1%) sales and use tax be reimposed in the special district of Henry County for a period of time not to exceed twenty four (24) calendar quarters and for the raising of an estimated amount of $190,000,000 for the purpose of financing the following capital outlay projects to be owned or operated or both by Henry County, Georgia, the City of Hampton, the City of Locust Grove, the City of McDonough, City of Stockbridge or any combination thereof: (1) roads, bridges, sidewalks and transportation facilities, (2) public safety facilities and equipment; (3) public works facilities and equipment, (4) public building development, construction and renovation, (5) parks, recreation and community facilities, (6) land acquired for public use, and (7) repayment of any debt or other obligations associated with any of said projects. If reimposition of the tax is approved by the voters, such vote shall also constitute approval of the issuance of general obligation debt of Henry County, Georgia, in the principal amount not to exceed $100,000,000 for the above purpose. ( ) Yes ( ) No If reimposition of the tax is approved by the voters, such vote shall also constitute approval of the issuance of general obligation debt of Henry County, Georgia, in the principal amount not to exceed $100,000,000 for the above purpose. If approved by voters in November, Henry County will be able to collect the sales tax for a period of six years beginning in April 2014, with 25 percent to be allocated amongst the four cities as follows: 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 $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 the County - Fairview area) $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. …………………………………………………………………………………………. Voting Times and Places That Remain 26th 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Main office – 345 Phillips Dr., McDonough, GA 30253 Ted Strickland Community Center – 130 W Berry St., Stockbridge, GA 30281 October 28th – November 1st 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Main Office – 345 Phillips Dr., McDonough, GA 30253 Ted Strickland Community Center – 130 W Berry St., Stockbridge, GA 30281 The Depot – 17 E Main St., Hampton, GA 30228 Locust Grove Recreation Center – 10 Cleveland St., Locust Grove, GA 30248 ELECTION DAY – November 5th : 7:00 am – 7:00 pm Cities go to the municipal precinct and County precinct County go to the county precinct ONLY ……………………………………………………………………………………….. The CRG Has Another Poll This is by far the largest poll conducted by the staff of the CRG for the people of Henry County. Group (A) went to Hampton and polled 23 people; Group (B) went to Locust Grove and polled 31 people; Group (C) went to McDonough and polled 54 people; and Group (D) went to Stockbridge and polled 47 people. This poll was taken on October 25th and was of the average people on the street. The poll was a small one to help gauge how people are feeling in the county. Poll (A) Hampton, GA 1. Do you feel that the city of Hampton insures the proper care of the city cemeteries? Yes-23; No-0 2. Who will you vote for as mayor of Hampton? Moore-12; Hutchinson-11 3. Do you feel the county should provide a senior center for Hampton? Yes-19; No-4 4. Will you be voting for SPLOST IV? Yes-11; No-12 5. Have you already voted in early voting? Yes-7; No-16 Of this poll conducted there were 10 women and 13 men involved. Poll (B) Locust Grove, GA 1. Do you feel the city of Locust Grove does a good job of taking care of the city cemeteries? Yes-29; No-2 2. Who will you vote for as city council member? Keith Boone-11; James Rosser-8; Samuel Brown-3; H. Viann Doerr-2; Donald Dunlap-7 3. Will you vote for SPLOST IV? Yes-14; No-17 4. Have you already voted? Yes-13; No-18 Of this poll conducted there were 16 women and 15 men involved. Poll (C ) McDonough, GA 1. Do you feel the city of McDonough does a good job of taking care of the city cemeteries? Yes-49; No-5 2. Who will you vote for as mayor of McDonough? Copeland-39; Smith-15 3. Will you vote for SPLOST IV? Yes-21; No-33 4. Do you feel the council should be more conservative with the city’s money? Yes-37; No-17 5. Do you support the business around the square? Yes-39; No-15 Of this poll conducted there were 30 women and 24 men involved. Poll (D) Stockbridge, GA 1. Do you feel that the $350 allocated for the cemetery upkeep is enough? Yes-3; No-44 2. Who will you vote for as mayor of Stockbridge? Alarcon-2; Nelson-16; Thompson-12; Holiday-17 3. Will you vote for SPLOST IV? Yes-21; No-26 4. Do you want districts for the city council members? Yes-37; No-10 5. Have you already voted? Yes-12; No-35 Of this poll conducted there were 32 women and 15 men involved. Mr. Alfred Britt would like to thank all the volunteers who helped with this poll. There were 8 volunteers this time. There were 155 residents who took the time to take the short poll on October 25th. Mr. Britt is very glad to see everyone involved in the civic process. Alfred Britt, Founder of the CRG ……………………………………………………………………………………………. Here’s Something to Ponder A student complained to his professor, “I don’t think I deserve a zero on this research paper.” “I agree,” the professor replied, “but it’s the lowest mark I can give.” Here’s Something to Always Remember “With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine and that answers the age old question when pigs fly.” …………………………………………………………………………………………….. What Fear Means In the Bible, fear is represented in two ways: as an emotional or mental attitude sin, and as a term for reverence towards God. First, fear is a mental attitude sin that is characterized by panic when one is intimidated by something, or finds oneself in a dangerous situation. Fear arouses the emotions in a bad way. It is a painful emotional distress produced by actual impending pain, danger, and disaster, or by illusions regarding the same. Whether the conditions causing the fear are real or imaginary the results are the same. Regardless of its source, fear will torment and punish you, and the worst thing is, you do it to yourself. Fear is self-induced misery. Fear is worry, apprehension, horror, or consternation, all of which cause the person to become paralyzed toward their problems. They run away from the problem like frightened mice, close their doors and hide from society. Fears will paralyze you physically and mentally to the point that you lose the normal function of life as God has designed it. People are afraid of many things, and death is usually at the top of the list. However, its not death that a man should fear; rather he should fear never beginning to truly live. The mental attitude sin of fear will snatch the life right out of you. Fear is also an active feeling of dread, of which fright and terror are the more intense degrees. Under these intense mental attitude sins the emotion of the soul takes center stage and the believer becomes unable to think rationally. No longer capable of making good decisions, he apprehensively waits for the next realization of what he is dreading. While all believers have the potential to live this way, they do not have to. The solution to controlling fear, like all solutions to lifes problems, is given to us in the Bible. The solution to controlling and overcoming all fears in life is learning virtue-love through the daily intake of Bible doctrine. There is no fear in virtue-love; but mature love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not matured in love. (1JO 4:18) The second way that fear is used in the Bible is for reverence, respect, or being in awe of God. Our first reference to fear was the negative, but now we see the positive. Fear, or respect of God, is reverence that manifests itself in obedience. This positive sense of fear is better represented by the words “awe” or “respect.” Unbelievers who do not know God may fear Him in many ways. Believers who are ignorant of Bible doctrine may also fear God because they find themselves in legalistic churches that teach them falsehoods about God. Many believers think that God is angry at them for their sins, or for failing to live up to some moral standard. Sadly, this is even taught from some pulpits, but it is the understanding of Bible doctrine that will teach the believer about God’s love and grace. When a believer finds and understands this love and grace, fear is a Christian virtue. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. (1PE 2:17) The meaning of the word “fear” in the Bible is determined by the context in which it is used, whether positive or negative. All students of the word of God need to know the difference. There are many things that man fears in life. He fears being hurt, being sick and the fear of death. But the most feared thing in a man’s life is himself on whether he can be what God wants him to be. He can if he will just listen and take the Word and study. Pastor Mike Moon, D.D. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… Advertisements: If you want a new church home then visit Ellenwood Oaks Community Church at 1234 Panola Road in Ellenwood. Brother Dan Holley is the Pastor. Want some good barbeque then go to Shane’s Rib Shack on Hwy 155 at East Lake Road. For all your grocery needs go to the Food Depot they have 3 convenient locations in Henry County. Want a really good burger then go to Kirby G’s on Macon Street in McDonough. For all your musical instrument needs go to McDonough Music on John Frank Ward Blvd in McDonough. Want to learn more about the history of Henry County then check out the Cemetery Research Group website at crghenry.org For all you gun and ammo needs go to the Army-Navy Store located on Hwy 42 N of Stockbridge. They also have an indoor firing range for your convenience. The Fall Festival at Ellenwood Oaks Community Church on October 31st will be a lot of fun with a trunk or treat, hay rides, games, food and fun for all. The festival will be 6pm-8pm at 1234 Panola Road in Ellenwood. …………………………………………………………………………………………. “A wise man told a man who was boasting of a victory this: don’t crow too loud because you might be in the farmers stew pot.” …………………………………………………………………………………………….. The HC Citizen Newsletter Created by Mr. Larry Stanley And Writers such as yourselves
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 09:07:53 +0000
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