Jackson Progress-Argus

By Michael Davis

mdavis@myjpa.com

Over barbecue and tea, the leaders of Butts County's elected and appointed boards and councils met Oct. 28 to discuss the challenges and opportunities they'd faced over the past year.

The meeting of the Butts County Board of Commissioners, Board of Education, the city councils of Jackson, Flovilla and Jenkinsburg, the Butts County et al. Water & Sewer Authority, and the Industrial Development Authority was held in the Jackson Municipal Court Building.

State Department of Transportation District Engineer David Millen kicked off the meeting by discussing changes at the DOT over the past year, and the upcoming votes on regional transportation taxes that are planned for 2012.

He noted that local lists for the transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes are due to be made public in August of 2011.

Butts County Commission Chairman Mitchell McEwen told the group that his board, over the past year, has made unity a priority, and worked on animal control and sign ordinances.

The Board of Commissioners also this year adopted a budget for fiscal 2011 that included no millage increase, he said, but did include employee furloughs. He said the budget process, led by County Administrator Alan E. White, went more smoothly than it had in the past.

"In my four years on the board, I will say the budget process has been as smooth as it's ever been," McEwen said.

Butts County Schools Superintendent Lynda White addressed the group on behalf of the Board of Education, noting that student enrollment, this year, was 3,564 students, up from 2,825 nearly two decades ago.

She also discussed the system's strategic plan, and said the system's goal is a 100-percent graduation rate.

Lynda White said the system will be stepping up training for teachers next year on a new curriculum shared by school systems in states across the country. She also noted that the system hoped to resume a 180-day school year next year, after trimming 10 days off of this year's calendar due to budget constraints.

"We need to have our children in school more days, not fewer days," she said.

On behalf of the water authority board, General Manager Marcie Seleb discussed the authority's recent receipt of grant money to help bring sewer service to the east side of Interstate 75 to serve a Great American Travel Center.

Seleb also noted that the authority has reduced its staff from 27 employees three years ago, to 22 this year.

Butts County Industrial Development Authority Chairman Bryan Bush focused much of his discussion on the large tract of land the authority owns in southern Butts at the Riverview Business Park. The authority has contracted with Panattoni Development Company to market the property as the development authority readies it for future use.

He said the development authority has already spent $72,000 of the $120,000 that it set aside for that purpose.

On behalf of the Flovilla City Council, Councilman Willie Morgan discussed the city's new maintenance building and lake, and the city's cemetery project.

In remarks on the City of Jackson's recent activities, Mayor Charlie Brown said the city had acquired several pieces of property over the past year, including the triangle at Third Street and Dempsey Avenue, and has paid off its sewer bond.

Mayor Kenneth Rooks of Jenkinsburg said the city is working to restore the garden club building in the city, and has finished renovations to city hall.

In wrapping up the meeting, Alan White, the county administrator, encouraged the county and city leaders in the room to begin thinking about the next special purpose local option sales tax votes the county and school system may face, and to work to keep the intergovernmental service strategy valid so the 1-cent local option sales tax remains intact.