We are Pike County is the pictures page on Pike County Times.com. Email your picture and it will go on this part of the site. There are links at the top of that page to take viewers to pages for special events in Pike County.

The Calendar of Events page contains information on events in our area. A majority of the information is for Pike County Events, but I do list events in surrounding counties.

The Tax Assessor page contains information about Homestead Exemptions and property taxes. At the top of the page are links to the Board of Tax Assessors, the Pike Tax Assessor Website, and the Pike Tax Assessor Records.

The County Government link contains information about the members of the Board of Commissioners, the Planning Commission, and the Board of Appeals. The link to each part of the website is above the member information.

The Authorities Page contains links to the Keep Pike Beautiful Authority Minutes, The Recreation Authority Minutes, and the Water and Sewer Authority Minutes.

City Governments contains City of Zebulon Minutes and a link at the top of the page for the Zebulon Downtown Development Authority and Zebulon Planning and Zoning.

November 13, 2007 was the first anniversary of the Pike County Times.

6.21.08: More on the BOC meeting. More on the Special Called Meeting of the Board of Assessors as well. See the updates on those stories with the date in bold.

6.18.08: The Water and Sewer Authority page is up to date. I'm working on getting more minutes uploaded--thanks Danny!--and haven't forgotten that I need to finish up the Board of Commission write-up from the morning meeting.

6.3.08: The Relay for Life page is online.

6.2.08: More of the BOC meeting is being added each day.

5.28.08: The Special Olympics page is complete. Stacy Hilderbrand took some beautiful pictures that have been added. Thanks Stacy!

5.28.08: The Senior Games pictures are complete including some Pike County School students who went to help serve during lunch.

New advertisers are on the advertising bar. When you do business with anyone who advertises on my website, please tell them that you saw their advertisement on the Pike County Times.

Attend a parade. Enjoy time with friends and family at a cookout. Go to the fireworks--don't forget $5 per car parking fee. Shake veterans' hands and say thank you for their service to our country.

Stand up when the flag passes by you. It's a sign of respect for our country and those who have fought in past battles from the signing of the Declaration of Independence even up to the current war. You don't have to support the war to thank someone for fighting for our freedom. Some did not choose to serve many years ago and many not have been given respect for the time that they served our country. You could help them heal.

Remember today as we go about our lives in this great country that freedom isn't free.

Thank you to all who have served here and overseas. Have a great 4th of July!

The Declaration of Independence begins as follows:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Click here here to read more.

Carson Grant, age 11, of the Centerfield Storm Baseball Program hit 5 homeruns and had 17 RBIs on June 15, 2008. Carson led his team to win the USSSA Sub-state Championship in Monroe, GA. Carson hit 3 homeruns in the championship game.

The 11u Centerfield Storm Team defeated Team Wilson in the Championship game. The 11u Centerfield Storm Team completed the season ranked #3 in the state in the USSSA poles out of 75 teams.

Congratulations 11u Centerfield Storm!

I. CALL TO ORDER …………………………………..Chairman Steve Fry

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

IV. NEW BUSINESS
A. Clifton, Lipford, Hardison and Parker presentation of the 2007 audit.

V. ADJOURNMENT

This meeting was held this morning with all five commissioners in attendance for most of the meeting. I don't know what time Tommy stepped out but he was not there at the conclusion of the meeting at 10:20. Attorney Tom Morton, CM Steve Marro and Nancy Cook were also present.

As it is almost 5:00 p.m. and I have still haven't written anything about this meeting, readers can tell that I am not very happy with what I heard. It is good to know that we have our audits in order, but I believe it was orchestrated to try to bring in a Chief Financial Officer in the Board of Commissioner's Office and I don't support that. I don't think that we can afford it and as a property owner who pays taxes every year, I believe I have a say in that. (I have been told that I goofed with the 72% figure that was on earlier because some of two year's worth of taxes is mixed together. I trust the source as much more knowledgeable on budgets than I am and I do not have the PDF of the presentation yet so I'm making a correction. I've been told that on a normal year, about 50-55% of funding for our county government budget comes from property owners. And I don't care if a Super Walmart would bring that number down as Fry said in the meeting, there are other options that are not so drastic that could bring that number down.)

I also saw a lot of fingerpointing going on at the past auditor and I don't go along with that. Anyone would be able to pick apart the work of those that came before them if they wanted to. Making suggestions for improvements is ok and suggesting that some training be done to bring those in our employment up to the level that they need to be is ok too, but I felt like there was some justifying going on for what Pike citizens are going to end up paying for this 3 year contract with a Macon accounting firm. (Of course, that is just my opinion and I'll be more than happy to consider other opinions and reserve the right to change my mind if someone proves me wrong.)

Maybe everything wasn't done up to the standards of large counties, but we're not a large county and we shouldn't be spending our money like we are. Smaller counties can't always afford to have a CFO. I would like to see what other small counties are doing and compare it to what we've been doing and what we are doing now. And I would like to know what the alternatives are without having to pay for additional time from a CPA who was here this morning and should have been willing to answer that question head-on without an additional meeting plus the hour's worth of travel time back and forth from Macon. And that doesn't include the extra time that we'll be paying for in order to get the presentation researched and put together. Using two CPA firms is the only option that was reluctantly given this morning. We used to do that at one time and if it is needed in the place of a CFO, it would probably be cheaper in the long run. Forgive me for not having the budget at my fingertips to find out how much is being budgeted for next year for the CFO position. I'll post it shortly. I'm still not unpacked from vacation and getting in late last night.

With that said, we do need to change a few things and those changes are already being put into place. (Please keep in mind that I am trying to look at this from an outsider's point of view, but I know that this is an election year and I see certain issues being used in platforms and I do have an opinion on Pike County races so it is difficult. But I'm going to present both sides of this.)

More shortly.

I attended the debate/forum between District 3 candidates Margie Trammell and Chris Curry. There were not as many people in attendance as I would have liked, but it was very informative for those who were in attendance.

Merritt Spier was the moderator and he advised that he had spoken to Tommy on Monday and Tommy's doctor had advised him that it would not be to his advantage to be under pressure with his pacemaker so he did not come to the debate.

The audience was given the opportunity to ask questions by writing them on index cards and presenting them to the moderator. If there was a question that needed clarification from the writer, Merritt asked for that so the answers given could be clear.

One question asked whether they could make decisions based on the ordinances as written and not on your opinion. Chris said that the ordinances as written are awful and are subject to interpretation, but that until they are written correctly she would do her best to interpret them and abide by the ordinances. She also said that she would lead the charge to have the ordinances rewritten by a professional and reviewed by the CATF (Citizens Advisory Task Force). Margie said that the ordinances are clear whether someone can apply for rezoning when in violation. She said that there was no question whether she could abide by the ordinances as written.

When asked if they would consider asking the CATF to establish a financial committee to review financials on a monthly basis and advise the BOC ahead of the meeting, Chris said that it was a great idea and that she has always gotten advice from others who know more than her about county financial matters. Margie said that she has also asked for help with the county budget and that she supports a budget support committee to review the budget each year saying that if the yearly budget is in order, we wouldn't have to worry about a monthly review.

Update 7.1.08: The forum went on with citizens asking some pretty hard questions. Merritt asked the questions and went back and forth between the candidates. One would answer first and then the other.

Candidates were asked whether they would support majority rule over following the ordinances with Teen Challenge as an example. Both said to follow the ordinances. They were also asked whether they were capable of capable of embracing new ideas such as that requiring developers to improve a road if they are building a subdivision on an unpaved road and taking the politics out of road paving. Margie said that we already have an ordinance in place that requires the developer to improve the road and if it is properly enforced, at least the portion in front of the subdivision to the end of the road. Chris said that Pike 20-20 had a numerical form with roads with highest points getting paved in order to take the politics out of road paving--for example, 1 point for a busy road, 1 point for an ambulance route to get to a large number of residents, etc. Margie pointed out that there is a point system in the Comprehensive Plan, but both agreed that it is not an ordinance.

Both were asked how they would make sure that Pike County government was more accessible to the citizens. Margie said that she would like to see regular Town Hall meetings so there would be no more midnight meetings. Workshops and maybe even rotating responsiblity with individual Town Hall meetings. Chris said that she favored Town Hall meetings in individual districts because citizen needs in the 3rd District are different than in the 4th. She said that it is also important to her to stop midnight meetings because nothing gets done after about 8:30 p.m.

When asked what they would do to make sure that the BOC goes by the ordinances all of the time, Chris and Margie stressed the importance of following the ordinances all of the time. Chris said that she would only be one vote but that she would explain her position to the other commissioners. She said that citizens are good at helping others to see the light. Margie said that talking to other commissioners is paramount to help them understand the ramifications of not following the ordinances. She also said that it takes three votes to get anything done.

More when I have internet access.

LOCUST GROVE, GA - On Monday morning, June 23, Jama and "Pop" Hedgecoth at Noah's Ark rushed Evidence the baby zebra back to Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine for emergency surgery. They noticed that when he urinated, the flow was not coming out properly and knew that the urethra had begun to close up - a life threatening situation for the zebra who had already suffered from traumatic injury and had been abandoned.

The Auburn team rushed him into surgery and performed a permanent urethrostomy. This provides a permanent alternative path for an animal to eliminate fluid waste from the body.

The original injuries that Evidence sustained as a result of being struck by a car included a severed urethra. A temporary catheter was in place for several weeks, but it had gradually worked its way out, allowing the opening to close. The urethrostomy is a procedure that has been successful in domestic animals.

Following the surgery, Evidence began to recover, with Noah's Ark founders Pop and Jama by his side. "He likes me," says Jama, "but he LOVES Pop!"

As the little guy began to awaken and move around, he begin to have an adverse reaction to the anesthesia. He began to exhibit signs of colic, a condition that can occur in equines. It advanced to an emergency situation and doctors decided his stomach would have to be pumped. As the night wore on, it was touch and go for this brave little zebra.

After Evidence's stomach was pumped, Pop began to walk him to help ease the colic. Each time Pop would step away from him, the baby zebra would become agitated, calming only when Pop was back at his side.

It was long night for everyone, and included much prayer - it even appeared that Pop and Evidence were in prayer together!

At long last, the colic began to ease and it appeared that Evidence had once more pulled through with a strong will to survive.

As Evidence began to recover, he began to regain his personality and start to show the feisty spirit he has become known for at Noah's Ark. Pop allowed Evidence to wear his hat - the one the zebra likes to snatch from Pop and throw around in his stall!

After a long, anxious night, the veterinary staff at Auburn pronounced Evidence ready to go home and begin his recovery at the Ark.

This time the little guy didn't have to ride in the back of Noah's Ark's Children Care Homes van. He rode to and from the University in a two-horse trailer that was made possible through generous donations.

On Tuesday, June 24 at around Noon, Evidence, Pop and Jama rolled back into Noah's Ark's front gate. "We're exhausted," said Jama,"...all except Evidence!" she laughed. "He's back in his barn with his toys and acting full of himself again."

So it would appear, as he gives a gap-toothed smile just outside his barn door - revealing the place where two front teeth were knocked out during his interstate ordeal. But, not to worry - the docs say they were baby teeth and should come back in when he's about two-years old.

Please keep this sweet baby boy in your prayers as he continues to recover and yet again shows "evidence" of God's Grace in action. And don't forget to come and meet him at Noah's Ark on Saturday, July 12 at Noon!

Update 7.108: I received an update today that Evidence is doing well and that he has a new friend to share his habitat. She is a 2 1/2 year old miniature horse named Grace. I've been told that she is a sweet girl with just enough spunk to handle Evidence! Picture on the We Are Pike County page.

Click here to go to the Noah's Ark website.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland today praised the 5-4 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the handgun ban in Washington, D.C.

“For 30 years, the District of Columbia has ignored its residents’ constitutional rights to keep and bear arms in their homes,” Westmoreland said. “For 30 years, that meant that well-armed D.C. criminals had easy prey among the city’s law-abiding citizens. Today, respect for the plain, clear language of the Constitution won out in the nation’s highest court. It’s a victory not just for the people in Washington but also for all Americans. A loss of constitutional rights anywhere is a threat to Americans everywhere.”

The court ruled today that the Constitution forbids "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home." Washington’s handgun ban, enhanced in 1976, was one of the strictest in the nation.

“As someone who works in Washington during the week, I’m relieved that I can now defend myself in my own apartment without fearing a knock on the door from the local police,” Westmoreland said.

The July 15th vote is drawing close and Pike County voters are getting educated and prepared to cast their vote for their favorite candidates. There is another way to vote prior to July 15th besides just the week of advance voting.

Voters can go by the Registrar's Office and vote absentee without stating a reason for it. All you need is your picture identification and to show up at the Courthouse in the Registrar's Office--no questions asked.

If you need a little bit more time to check into the candidates, the week prior to the July 15th Vote Day will have the voters going to the Registrar's Office again to cast their ballot. Again, all that is needed is a picture id and you're good to go.

For those who simply have to vote on July 15th, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Vote Day.

There is a county-wide election for Sheriff, Magistrate Court Judge, Superior Court Clerk, Tax Commissioner, Chairman of County Commission, Commission Districts 3 and 4, and Coroner plus Elections for Griffin Judicial Circuit, Public Service Commissioners, US Senate, US Representative, State Representatives, State Senator, and District Attorney of the Griffin Judicial Circuit.

Please keep in mind that you will be asked to choose either a Republican or Democratic ballot. If there is a particular race that you would like to vote on the opposite ballot, you can cross over and vote, but you will only be allowed to vote on that ballot if there is a run-off. For example, if you want to vote on the County Commission Chairman, District Attorney, or Commission District 4 races, you would have to vote on the Republican ballot because there are no Democratic challengers in these races. However, there are two candidates running on the Democratic ticket for Sheriff and five candidates for U.S. Senate.

Tough choices for voters this go around. Ask tough questions. Look into your candidates and make an informed choice. And if you make the choice not to vote at the polls, please don't let me hear you complain. That is a right that has to be earned, in my opinion, and choosing to sit out of the vote is still making a choice.

(Thanks to the Registrar's Office for answering all my questions!)

According to the Pike County Sheriff's Office, accident investigators responded to a collision on Hemphil Road at 3:24 p.m. yesterday involving pickup truck and a dirt bike. A 13 year old driver of the dirt bike was riding on the roadway and crossed the centerline striking a truck in a head-on crash.

The juvenile was airlifted to Egelston Children' Hospital where he remains with serious head injuries.

The accident remains under investigation pending routine blood test results.

I. CALL TO ORDER………………………………Chairman Steve Fry

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

III. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
    (O.C.G A. 50-14-1 (e) (1))

IV. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
    Regular Monthly Meeting Minutes held June 11, 2008 at 9:00 am pursuant to
    (O.C.G.A. § 50-14-1(e)(2)

V. PUBLIC HEARINGS-None

VI. REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONERS, DEPARTMENTS, COMMITTEES AND AUTHORITIES
    A. Monthly Reports submitted from County Departments and County Authorities
    B. County Manager Report presentation to Commissioners
    C. Commissioners Report
    D. County Attorney Report

VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
    A. First Reading of Beer and Wine ordinance
    B. Second Reading of the ordinance imposing a wireless enhanced 9-1-1 charge for
    Phase II Service
    C. Don Collins to give a S.P.L.O.S.T. report
    D Precision Planning “Scope of Services” proposal
    E. David Brisendine II to discuss Hwy. 341 Water Lines
    F. Howard Rawlins to discuss the Veterans Monument and radio tower.

VIII. NEW BUSINESS
    A. Budget Amendment #10 to amend FY 2008 by the transfer of funds from Regular
    Employee and FICA & Medicare line-item to Professional Services to cover
    invoices from Whitley Engineering, Inc.
    B. Budget Amendment #11 to amend the FY 2008 by transferring funds from the
    Contingencies to Professional Services-Audit to pay for the Pike County
    Recreation Authority audit for the 06-07 fiscal year.
    C. Budget Amendment #12 to amend the FY 2008 Budget by increasing the Budget
    with funding from the Georgia Department of Transportation on the Hughley
    Road project.
    D. Budget Amendment #13 to amend the FY 2008 Budget on the Revenue and
    Expenditure to offset the bottom line to equal.
    E. Transfer of funds from Impact Fee account back to the S.P.L.O.S.T. for payment
    of two tankers and Dalmatian breathing apparatus purchase.
    F. GEMA funding request letter

IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION
    -Pending/Potential Litigation pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 50-14-2(1)

X. PUBLIC COMMENT- (Limited to 5 minutes per person)
    A. John Morrison to discuss unanswered questions.
    B. John Morrison to discuss fire stations

XI. ADJOURNMENT

[Note from the Editor: The Town Hall Meeting is not on this agenda but there is always a Town Hall Meeting after the nightly meeting where citizens can bring their concerns before the Commissioners, County Attorney, and County Manager without getting on the agenda to speak. It is an informal question and answer session.

Chairman Fry had said that it would be moved before the meeting adjournment at the past meeting since the CM had left after the adjournment but before the Town Hall meeting at the past nightly meeting. I trust that everyone will stay at this meeting to answer questions if needed and keep our government as open to citizens as possible.]

Update 6.25.08: I will sum up last night's meeting between packing for my trip out of town. I have been fussed at by several people including my sister for taking the website and my politics with me on a vacation but it can't be helped since I am a campaign manager and I am actively working with a couple of campaigns. That's how it goes in an election year and if I have to find a restaurant to do my uploading from, that's how the chips fall. Now on to the meeting last night.

A couple of big things happened last night. One, I was corrected on something that I had forgotten about and have to apologize to readers for. The Town Hall Meetings were instituted when Chairman Steve Fry came into office about 3 1/2 years ago. Steve and I don't agree on a lot of things, but this was a good policy to keep the Board of Commissioners (BOC) accountable to the people by allowing public comment after the nightly meetings. I had forgotten that it was not a mandatory policy so I apologize to CM Marro for coming down so hard on him for leaving the mandatory portion of the meeting. That being said, the BOC and CM (and Rob of course) should feel an obligation to make county government as transparent as possible and open to the people of this county. I appreciate everyone staying last night and answering questions for that extra few minutes. Even with the Town Hall portion after the meeting, everything was done by 10 p.m.

A dept head is being hired the correct way for Planning and Development. The final 3 candidates for this position were announced last night and the 14 day period has begun. [Note from the Editor: We have had problems in the past with the BOC announcing the final candidate and then waiting for the 14 day period--which was a bad thing at the time because we almost hired someone that really did not need to be in Pike County as the CM--and the CM put out an ad to hire a dept head for Planning and Development this last time not realizing that the BOC had to approve that decision. Yes, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt and see that he learned from this mistake. As a citizen activist, I cannot require that those in government positions not make any mistakes, but I can demand that they learn from past mistakes. (If we are not perfect, we can't demand it from anyone else.) I am going to get names and spellings of those names before I upload them onto the website for citizens to dig into. The CM thanked those who had participated in the hiring process by sitting in on interviews, etc. Thank you to the CM for doing this the right way so no one can complain or accuse anyone of underhanded tactics.]

Animal Control will not be on the November ballot. It just did not get followed through on. [Note from the Editor: I don't know that we have the money to institute this now anyway, but I do know that there are citizens working very hard to make animal control a reality in Pike County. They don't expect tax payers to completely fund this and are putting their money and efforts where their mouth is. Yard sale information is on the Calendar of Events page. They are still taking donations but we're getting close to the deadline. Call them quick if you have something that you would like to donate. Yes, that was a shameless plug for something that I support. It's my website, what can I say?!]

The cap on property tax evaluation is being looked at in a serious way. If Pike County wants to go with this, it will have to go before the state legislature next year and then go to voters at some point in a special election. [Note from the Editor: A special election is not cool for taxpayer dollars but that is how the chips fall on this. I think some serious digging needs to go into this cap on property taxes before people just endorse it out of a need for tax relief. If the BOC adopts this and voters vote it in, it will only affect the county portion of property taxes. It will not affect the school portion of taxes. The BOE could adopt this, but I am not sure that is a wise idea. The state and federal government are notorious for passing down mandatory rules without any funds to take care of those things that the schools must do. An overhaul of the state and federal government would be great! Billy Maddox, Ronnie Chance and Lynn Westmoreland have shown their beliefs in smaller state and federal government with their votes. I am not happy with the US Senate right now on a number of issues so I won't go there, but I do appeciate our representatives that are looking out for Pike County. And I do support tax relief for our seniors for the school and county taxes.]

Pike County is in the process of approving a beer and wine ordinance. This would allow pouring of beer and wine in restaurant establishments and not liquor, but I questioned this because we do not have an adult entertainment ordinance in place. Margie Trammell questioned whether Zoning Procedures Law had been followed as well. [Note from the Editor: My concern here is two-fold. First, there was not public hearings on this. We were told that it wasn't required. I am going to look into that. Public hearings are required for changes to our ordinances. My second and main concern is that we do not have an adult entertainment (strip club) ordinance in place at this time. The directive was given to CM and county attorney to devise ordinance on Adult Entertainment at the morning meeting and I know that they are working on this and I was told when I addressed this last night that there is a large percentage of food sales that would be required for this, but I still don't think it's a good idea to do this without the adult entertainment ordinance in place.] This was just a first reading and there will be second reading at the next meeting so citizens have the opportunity to put in an Open Records Request for this information from the BOC office or you can ask to review the ordinance in the office. Keep in mind that Nancy has her hands full and it will not be handed to you immediately. It would be nice if the county website could post information like this so she would not have to stop handling county matters to take care of an open records request for information that could be easily uploaded onto the county website. [Note from the Editor: I do not have the time or capacity to upload an ordinance for the county because everything on my website is uploaded from scratch. That means that every place there is a blank space between paragraphs, I inserted code to tell the page to skip a line. Just in case anyone was wondering, it is a definite no.]

Update 7.1.08: John Morrison was on the agenda to discuss "unanswered questions" and the fire stations. He read a prepared statement to the BOC as he has at the previous two meetings when he was on the agenda. He asked for the names of the people who gave recommendations to hire Planner and Planning and Development Director Dawn Dickerson. He said that CM Marro had said that he talked with people at the state and Chairman Fry had said that he talked with builders and others that they had worked with. John asked again who these people were. He then went on to address the fire stations by saying that the problems with the fire station bids were blamed on bad communication with Fire Chief Tom Tyree at the past meeting, but that he (John) maintains that the last round of bids was after CM Marro "met privately and individually" with the bidders. John said that was the cause of the two bidders putting in bids with the rear doors included and the one bidder putting in a bid without the rear doors. He asked why Tom Tyree was being blamed for this. The CM reiterated that the October 25th bid addendum said no rear doors. Parrish mentioned that electric door openers were left out as well and that the Williamson upstairs had been stubbed out and that Lifsey Springs had not. BOC consensus on bottom line on the fire stations is that we got these fire stations to take care of the stations that needed it the most before renovations were done to the other stations. There are some things that were not included in the initial building of the fire stations that will have to be done later because the SPLOSt does not have enough money to cover all of the extra items, but the buildings are still being built and the rest can be added later. Then the first question was addressed by Chairman Fry who was obviously agitated because he said that if members talked to other people about hiring Dawn Dickerson, "I don't know what business it is of yours." Steve went on to say that BOC members talk to a lot of people in the course of doing county business and they don't write down who all they talk to and that he specifically did not remember who all he had spoken to about Dawn Dickerson. Chairman Fry then went on to chastise John for continuing to bring these same issues before the board because he was wasting their time. [Note from the Editor: My thoughts on this are that the point has been made and it is not going to help matters to keep bringing it up. Mistakes have been made in the past as I said at the beginning of the meeting and mistakes have not been repeated. At some point, we have to move on. I'm not saying to forget the past, but we need to learn from the past and live in the present without making the same mistakes over and over.]

More later.

I have had several phone calls about what the motion was at the morning meeting regarding Mark Whitley's contract as his firm is working in Planning and Zoning. The motion was for Pike County to cease using his services until a bill was presented for past services. It was approved by all 4 commissioners.

The bill has been presented to the BOC for somewhere around $30,000 and his firm is working in the office on an as-needed basis, I would guess since I could not reach either one of them to confirm this thought this afternoon. I'm sure we will find out at the meeting tonight.

My write-up of the meeting matches that of Nancy's post agenda. There was nothing in the motion saying that the matter was to be brought before the BOC at the next meeting before Whitley could work again.

I expect clarification at the meeting tonight, but as far as I'm concerned, there is no big hoopla here.

The Pike County Board of Commissioners will hold a Budget Workshop on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 3:30 pm in the Commissioners meeting room, 79 Jackson Street, Zebulon, Georgia.

The public is encouraged to attend.

Qualification for non-partisan races began on yesterday and continues through Friday. Non-partisan means that the office will not be listed as a Republican or Democrat but will be on all ballots in November.

The list of candidates who have qualified for office so far are as follows: Lynn Brandenburg for Probate Judge, Roger Green (Incumbent) for School Board District 3, Charles Garrard for School Board District 4, John Wynn (Incumbent) for School Board District 4, Connie Green for School Board District 4, and April Byrd (Incumbent) for School Board District 5.

Qualifying continues until Friday at noon.

The Pike County Board of Commissioners And The Pike County Public Works Department Cordially invites the public to an Open House at the new Public Works Building, located at 152 Twin Oaks Road on Monday, June 30, 2008 from 3:00 pm until 6:00 pm.

Please come tour the new facility.

The Pride of Pike Celebration will begin on Friday, July 4th with a kick-off at 4:00 p.m. with a parade from the Primary School. The parade will end at the Recreation Complex on Twin Oaks Road where food vendors, craft vendors and organizations will be on hand with fun for all!

Back by popular demand, The Hudson Road Band will also be performing beginning at 5:00 p.m. A patriotic, colorful fireworks display will take place at dark!

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today announced that Laura Gower, his Regional Director for West Georgia, will be holding an open office day for constituents on July 15, 2008, in Zebulon, Ga.

Ms. Gower will be available on Tuesday, July 15, from 10 a.m. until noon at the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, 416 Thomaston Street, Zebulon, Ga.

Isakson encouraged constituents to come talk with Ms. Gower about any issues concerning the federal government, federal legislation or federal agencies, such as Veterans Affairs, the IRS, Medicare, or the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“This open office day will help ensure that the views, concerns and local efforts of all Georgians are reflected in the operation of our office,” said Isakson.

As a Regional Director, Ms. Gower is responsible for overseeing day-to-day activities in her region and acting as a representative for Isakson when he is unable to personally attend events in the area.

I am going on a vacation as of Friday morning, but I am taking the laptop so I can continue to upload candidate information as it is sent to me. It is an election year and my husband has been kind enough to humor me by getting reservations at a campground with wi-fi and planning to leave a day late so I can attend the 3rd District Debate/Town Hall Meeting on Thursday.

There are two items on my plate before I leave as far as political events go. Tomorrow is the Board of Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the BOC meeting room beside the Sheriff's Office. I am trying to finish up last meeting's writeup so I can start on a new one. The past two weeks have been filled with political and kids' events.

The 3rd District Candidates Debate/Town Hall Meeting will be on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 7 p.m. at the Farm Bureau Community Room located on Hwy 19 S in Zebulon. This is my district and while I've made my mind up about who I'm voting for, I am going to support my candidate and ask a few questions. I hope that all three candidates will be present.

Please continue to send candidate information to me for upload onto the Voter Information page that may include ballot information. It will be by reader request if that information goes online. There really isn't enough hours in the day to get everything done that could be done. On a side note, I got a "Vote for Ed" bumper sticker today in the mail. It brings a needed laugh to Pike politics though I can think of several campaigns that could put that money to good use if Ed is interested!

Non-partisan candidates are signing up to run this week at the Courthouse. I'll get that information from the road most likely. I'll be happy to post info from these candidates as well. Click on the link at the top of the page to send me an email.

Don't forget the 4th of July events that are going on here in Pike and the surrounding counties. Have a great 4th of July!

Jeff Haynie took the checkered flag in the Masters Division at the Atlanta Motor Speedway during Week Three of Atlanta Motor Speedway's Thursday Thunder.

Congratulations Jeff!

The Board of Assessors met in a Special Called Meeting yesterday afternoon and voted to go back to 2007 land values instead of using the 2008 re-evaluation. Discussion at the June 17th meeting centered around problems with the re-evaluation. See article dated 6.18.08.

Chief Appraiser, Jeannie Haddock said thank you to citizens for bringing in their appeals because it brought to their attention that there were inconsistencies in the re-evaluation. Ms. Haddock asked that citizens with swampland, power line easements, gas lines, etc. please continue to come by the office to advise of this so it can be noted on their property tax card.

The Tax Assessor's Office will not be doing a mass mailing to property owners to advise of the change from 2008 to 2007 land values; however, Mrs. Haddock is working to bring the Q Public program up to date so it will reflect the change back to 2007 land values. This should be ready by the end of next week or beginning of the next as work is going on even now to make these corrections.

The Q Public program can be accessed from the world wide web by clicking on the Tax Assessor Link at the top of the page and then clicking on the box which reads "Tax Assessor Records". Citizens can also call the Tax Assessor's Office and request a copy of their property tax card for their records.

Please note that the board is keeping accessory buildings the same so citizens who want to appeal the value of their accessory buildings must do so by July 7, 2008.

More Information Submitted 5.20.08:

In a special called meeting Wednesday, June 18, 2008, the Pike County Board of Tax Assessors voted to rescind the 2008 rural land revaluation. The Board of Assessors would like to thank all the taxpayers that appealed. During this process, it gave time for the staff to review the schedules. After reviewing some of the 500 appeals, it became apparent that there were some inconsistencies in the schedules.

If you did file an appeal with the office, you will be getting a 21 day letter in the mail in the next week or two. If you didn’t file an appeal and want to know your value you can either call the office or visit the assessor’s office website at www.pikeassessor.com. The new values should be up by the end of next week.

Again, thanks goes out to the taxpayers for your appeals and the hard work you did on them.

I could not attend the meeting held this morning at 11:30 a.m. but I am reviewing budget information for the 5:30 p.m. meeting tonight. There is one other meeting scheduled on June 25th at noon if you cannot attend today's meeting. The meetings are held in the Board of Education meeting room located in the building across from the Chandler Building.

I have been advised that the Board of Education budget is in this week's Pike Journal Reporter and will review it before going to the meeting. I was told that there are two morning meetings and one night meeting for the benefit of the public to review and ask questions about the information.

I hope that next year's meetings include a later night meeting so more citizens can attend. It is difficult for those working out of town to attend a 5:30 p.m. meeting and I know I would have a problem getting a sitter for that early in the evening. Just a thought that I had to include. (The Board of Commissioners has to deal with these thoughts on a regular basis too!)

Update 6.1.08: I attended the meeting tonight and am proud to say that there were two other concerned citizens there to ask questions at the meeting. Thanks to everyone for answering our questions in the meeting.

Anyone who would like to examine the budget in detail may do so by asking to review the entire budget while you are in the office. You can review it there for as long as you like without a charge. Of course, you can request a copy of the entire budget for your own personal use, but you will have to pay for it by the page.

I attended the meeting of the Board of Tax Assessors yesterday. I have attended other meetings in the past that were as sparsely attended by the public. People normally do not take notice of a board in Pike County unless it directly affects their taxes or their life in some way. There were three other citizens in attendence.

I missed Brent Taylor speaking to the Board about the re-evaluations. I will be happy to upload any opinions on this topic on the Letters to the Editor page. Brent Taylor and Margie Trammell have both spoken out on this issue and those letters can be read by clicking on the Letters to the Editor tab above.

Jeannie Haddock advised the Board that there were 500 appeals as of yesterday. "Talking to some of the taxpayers... there are some issues on the schedule that Mrs. Christy (Reese) that I have issues with," Jeannie said. She gave an example of Patton Road with map 74, 75, and 76. She coded accessibility on map 74 as 2 and the others down the road at a 4. This equals a $5,000 to $6,000 difference on the same road. Also an coding issue on Bankston Road with Map 96 and 84 that amounts to a $6,000 difference with two similar pieces of property.

Kings Bridge Road, Carter Road, Patton area, Dripping Rock Road, Molena in general, and Hemphill are some of the other areas that have problems. Some of these areas have small tracts between 5 and 25 acres that are listed at $15,000 to $19,000 an acre. In Molena, there was an appeal filed yesterday on 40 acres of property that is re-evaluated at $7,900 an acre. There has only been one sale of property in that area that was a piece of adjoining property that had been bought by the adjoining property owner that could have affected this re-evaluation, but that $7,900 an acre was too high.

The consensus of the board was that Jeannie should not do any of the corrections because someone was paid to do this re-evaluation and that the current schedule was approved pending further review by this Board.

Two of the members had spoken with people who had contacted them about property re-evaluations. One said that he could see where she got values to support what she did but could also see where the values are there not to support what she did. "We need to have her explain how she came up with this before you go changing anything," said Terry Ross.

The lady from Wingap who was paid to do our re-evalution in the county will be coming back into the Tax Assessor's Office in the next couple of weeks to address these issues and some more that came up.

During the meeting, it became apparent what the problem is with a lot of people's property in the county. Jeannie said that when she did the re-evaluation in 2005, she had given property owners an influence for power line easements, swamp lands and lack of road frontage. It appears that these influences were not included in the re-evaluations due to software-related issues.

Prior to Mrs. Reese's re-evaluation, the program did not allow a place to name the influences on a piece of property. Jeannie explained that she had listed them under "Other" on the program, but it sounded like a lack of communication had kept that from being included in the final schedule to determine property values. Now there is a place to include influences on the land screen.

Jeannie is going to pull a report on the property that has influences to give to the Mrs. Reese to review when she comes to the office to address the problems. The Tax Assessor's Office is putting soil information from the Q public program onto the maps.

Jeannie will review information with Mrs. Reese when she returns to the office. She is pulling those with power line easement issues-influences-and setting them to the side to discuss first. Then she and Mrs. Reese will meet with those who have filed appeals.

On a side note, information was given to the Tax Assessor's Office that states that Pike County is in a declining market as of June 15th. This information relates to housing and not to land and is used in loan documentation for those buying homes. It was noted that Pike County is about twelve months behind the urban areas in the state as far as the market goes and that a declining market is coming our way eventually.

One other item of interest from this meeting is that the state of Georgia will have new CUVA (conservation use valuation area) regulations that will take place in 2012. This would allow the Board of Commissioners to set a minimum acreage for CUVA parcels.

To see more of the bills that were passed by the legislature this year and have been sent to the Governor for approval, click here. The Governor has a certain number of days to review legislation and either sign it into law or leave it dormant.

There were close to 200 people at the forum last night. Most of the candidates were in attendence. Doug Mangham and Tommy Powers were not due to health issues.

The Journal Reporter will run the candidate forum in next week's paper so I encourage citizens to get that paper and read it as well as keeping an eye on the Griffin Daily News since Vivian was at the forum last night. Fun 101 will probably run some of the information as well. Our local cable station taped the event.

The candidates were seated at a table with a microphone that was passed around. I could go through and describe my thoughts on each of the candidates, but there is a chance that I will be accused of being biased since I am actively working with several candidates on their election efforts. I have been working with campaigns for eight years now so putting my efforts behind candidates is nothing new.

I have asked candidates to send me their views by email so I can upload information (including their websites if they have one) onto a page where readers can research the candidates and make an educated decision as to who is the best candidate for the job. I will upload information as it is given to me so if you know a candidates who has not given me information, it would be a good idea to give them a nudge to get information to the Pike County Times. I am also planning a question and answer forum for the November election with questions that are targetted at each individual office.

Click here for the election page. I am working to add more candidate statements.

Don't forget the 3rd District Commission Candidate Debate/Town Hall Meeting on June 26, 2008 at 7 p.m. It will be a the Farm Bureau Community Room Hwy 19 S in Zebulon. Merritt Spier will be the moderator.

The Pike County Sheriff's Office Traffic Accident Investigators responded to a one car accident on Highway 362 at Old Fayetteville Road in Williamson on Monday afternoon. The accident happened around 12:25 p.m.

A 1988 Ford Ranger was travelling westbound on Highway 362 when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a utility pole. The driver of the vehicle was 76 year old James Brown.

Mr. Brown was transported to Spalding Regional Hospital, according to the Sheriff's Office. He was pronouced deceased at the hospital.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: In the United States, the first modern Father's Day celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia or on June 19th of the same year, in the state of Washington. Today, Father's Day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.

In West Virginia, it was first celebrated as a church service at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton, who is believed to have suggested the service to the pastor, is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers after the deadly mine explosion in nearby Monongah the prior December. This explosion killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy. Another possible inspiration for the service was Mothers' Day, which had been celebrated for the first time two months prior in Grafton, West Virginia, a town about 15 miles (24 km) away.

Another driving force behind the establishment of the integration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent reared his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, WA, at the Spokane YMCA.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

[Note from the Editor: I searched for Father's Day stories that made me think about my own Dad this Father's Day and figured that readers would enjoy them too. These writers are gifted and I'm sure they'd enjoy you looking through their works and maybe getting an e-subscription to their papers. Happy Father's Day!]

Printed on Sunday, June 18, 2006: The last time I saw my dad alive was in his hospital room. We watched a couple Andy Griffith shows and chuckled all the way through. He died that night. It's a supercharged moment, one that always comes back on Father's Day.

Today's a day to tell stories about dads, and that was my last one about mine.

He worked as a manager in the textile business around Hickory and Granite Falls, N.C. In this industry he worked with all kinds of folks, and he especially liked those with the salt of the earth upon them without whom no yarn ever got spun.

One day he brought home a large piece of rough-looking plywood with a rather fresh and tightly stretched raccoon pelt on it. Dad said one of the men at the mill just thought he would like to have it.

Another day I found him in our basement with a wooden box with a heavy screened front. Intrigued, I quickly ran up asking what it was.

"Don't get so close," Dad said sharply. Then in a quiet, menacing voice: "This is a mongoose box." Transfixed, I simply stared. Then, "What's a mongoose?"

"Only the fiercest animal you'd ever want to meet," he said.

Then — SLAM. The box door sprang open and a rag with some fur on it flew right into my face. Screaming, I ran for the hills. Until I realized the joke. Dad and I would play it together on many others many times after that.

But I think my favorite story of those he used to tell involved sports.

One year, apparently on a junket to New York with mill colleagues, he got to see a World Series baseball game, one game, in Yankee Stadium. The year was 1956 — some of you baseball fans probably have an idea of what I'm going to say next — the pitcher for the Yankees was a fellow named Don Larsen.

That day, with my dad and his friends watching, Larsen pitched the only perfect game (no hits, no walks) ever thrown in the World Series. It was the only major league baseball game my dad ever saw, he told us.

Later in his life dementia set in. One day he was sitting with my brother at our old home in Hickory, looking out the window to the back porch. "That's a big hawk out there," he said matter-of-factly. My brother, sensitive to his sometimes confused condition, thought he was just rambling until he looked out the window to see a large red-tailed hawk perched on the porch railing — Dad wasn't that confused. I remember, too, how he used to feed squirrels out of his hand on that porch.

When he finally had to move into the Alzheimer's wing of a Tarboro nursing home, he managed one day with his easy manner to cajole a workman repairing a door to let him out of the otherwise locked and secured facility. The sheriff's department finally caught up with him across the Tar River near Princeville. Just doing some walking, trying to get back home, he said.

Losing a father is among life's most difficult passages, but these stories keep them alive — and the laughter and good feeling they carry continue to nurture us, just as our fathers did. Today, I feel for those unfortunate among us who never knew their dads or whose memories are less than bright. Their stories are sadder ones.

It's one thing to lose a father; another not to have known or loved one. As we celebrate our fathers today, keep those families near in your thoughts.

For more on Clark's writing and the Daily Reflector, click here.

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 06.15.06: He was there, just at the corner of her mind's eye, sweating another mosaic tile into the tabletop. His brow is furrowed in concentration and he mouths a stream of self-criticism while he works his passion into the intricate design. "Hi, Dad."

He looks up, and she can see the surprise in his eyes. Then a grin of recognition stretches across his face and the folds at the corners of his eyes crinkle into a delta of tributaries that invade his temples.

"Well darlin', what a sweet surprise." He moves toward her with the confidence and humor that had marked his 80 years. They embrace, "Aren't you a treat to these old eyes. How's my son treating you?"

"What can I say, he forgets our anniversary, doesn't seem to know I have a birthday and he's hard on the furniture." She pulls back, assuming a fist-on-hip pose of accusation. "Let's see, who does he remind me of?"

"And how about my grandchildren?" He gives her another infectious smile and takes both her hands in his strong grip.

"They are doing just fine. Better then fine. Golly, I wish you could see the kind of adults they have become; living on their own, enjoying friends and managing their own careers."

The grin broadens again, pushing his weathered cheeks high against the soft brown eyes she had known for more than 40 years. Honest eyes, incapable of pretense or deception.

She holds his gaze for a silent moment. Then squeezing his hand says, "I was hoping to see you again, because I want to thank you, thank you for being the wonderful parent you were to your children, for teaching my husband how to be a good Dad."

He flushes a bit at the neck and looks away, but the thickness in his voice hides little, "I wish I could take credit, kiddo, but I think us fathers, and this one in particular, are overrated. It was their mother that did the heavy lifting in raising our family. She's the one who made our house a home. Hell, I was working flying planes for Uncle Sam - a job I loved. How hard was that? And at home I got to do the fun stuff; coaching their teams, playing kick-the-can, rough housing in the living room and screwing up their math homework. Not exactly tough duty."

Like a crossing guard, she stops him with an outstretched hand. "And for that, I thank you. I married a man who expects life to be joyous, treasures his friendships and made his life's work something he loves. Where do you suppose he learned those things?"

"Well, I don't remember ever saying those things to my kids."

"You didn't teach these values by telling them how to approach life, and work, and love. You taught by example. Every day your kids saw how you held and loved your wife, how you treated your work as an adventure and how you valued friendship. So, yes, I thank you for passing those things on to the man who is my husband, and later this morning, I will thank him for passing them on to your grandchildren."

"I never had a clue. I just ..."

Her fists return to her hips and she fixes him with a hard look of exasperation. "Don't you know how to accept a compliment without clever rejoinder? You know, I'm right. So just be gracious and say, 'You're welcome.'"

They share a comfortable silence and then he points to the mosaic coffee table as his image blurs and grows smaller with distance. "Think I'll ever finish this?"

She looks at the table he made in the 1960s and still adorns his widow's and her mother-in-law's living room. "Yes. And I've always loved it."

"Bye darlin'. Thanks for letting me drop into your dreams." He vanishes just as she awakens whispering, "Anytime. And happy Fathers' Day."

Click here for more of Bill Dudley's writing.

Jason Clark from Southeastern Reptile Rescue came to the J. Joel Edwards Library as part of the summer reading program. This was a family affair with Jason's wife, Sarah, and their two children attending as well as his Mom and Dad and sister and her children. The youngest member was just one month old.

Jason told a story of his love for snakes since the age of 7. He was not quite a normal kid since he wanted a snake. He wanted a snake so bad that he found one out in his back yard and brought it in to show his Dad. He was promptly told to let it loose before his Mom saw it.

So what did he do? What does any not so normal 7 year old do that has a snake he's supposed to let loose? He played with and got bitten 9 times! Then he went inside to show his Mom the snake and his 9 snake bites with blood dripping down his arm!

Jason has come a long way from there. At the age of 14, he went on his first snake rescue call with the Sheriff's Office. The officer was afraid of the snake (what sane-minded individual is not?!) and Jason just bent down and picked it up. From there on out, he got a pager--that still goes off at all hours of the day and night--and began rescuing reptiles.

He and his Dad, Mike, brought out all kinds of snakes for the kids and adults in the room to view. The 38 kids in the room were probably a lot more excited to be in the room than their parents for the most part. From non-venomous to the extremely venomous, Jason presented snakes and alligators for the kids to see.

All the while he was working to instill a healthy respect of these creatures in all who attended this program. "Leave them alone, never try to catch or kill a snake, an you don't have to worry about being bitten," Jason said. He even got bitten a couple of times by a harmless snake and let the kids see the blood on his arm. The kids were very concerned about him getting bitten.

Do you know the difference between a cotton mouth and a water snake? We learned the difference and it was not what you would think. Levi the cotton mouth wanted nothing more than to get away from Jason but was content to curl up in a protective stance and slither back into his box when given the chance.

We got to see the difference between a corn snake and a coral snake too. One volunteer got to see the difference from WAY up close. She thought it was pretty cool and even volunteered to help hold the 90 pound Burmese python who came to visit. That was one BIG snake.

One boy even took a moment to pet the python after everyone else had sat down. "Look! I got to pet him!" he said. Those with him were probably not nearly as thrilled as he was. Adult supervision was closeby in all instances since many of the pictures have Jason or Mike or Kayla Owensby's feet in the picture to ensure that the children and the snakes did not get injured during this exhibition.

Kayla has been helping Jason with exhibition for a while. She grew up with reptiles and wants to be an animal control officer in Pike County.

Jason and Mike showed us several alligators. He told us about Tim's alligator call where Tim showed some common sense and Jason was just Jason and went into the water after the 7 foot gator. One rescued gator even got to sit through a movie before going home when a call came in during a date with Sarah.

Where do rattlesnakes live? Anywhere they want to! (Thank you Don Bailey for that very true statement last night!) Rattlesnakes live here in Pike County but we normally don't see them. Jason showed us how the timber rattler got louder as he approached and calmed down as he walked away from her. She was very happy when she was allowed to go back into her locking crate with "poisonous snake" written on the outside.

We need to watch where we put our hands and feet when we are outside so we don't have an unfortunate encounter with a snake that really wants nothing to do with us. Jason stressed that even poisonous snakes have a use in today's society because their venom is being used to make medicines that may one day heal a variety of human diseases.

Visit the Southeastern Reptile Rescue website below for upcoming events: Snakes R Us.com

Click here for pictures from this event.

It seems some things can happen only at Noah's Ark. Evidence the baby zebra has settled nicely into his new home - and has shattered all of the zebra stereotypes. Zebras as a whole are known as the "bad boys" of the equine family with a tough, no nonsense, "pounce first, ask questions later" temperment. Evidence, while biting and kicking just enough to keep up his reputation, has made friends with two of the family cats! Their rubbing on his legs, as cats do, has made it easier for his caregivers to get him used to having his feet and legs handled.

Evidence has not yet moved to his new public habitat, but it's in the works. The habitat is under construction, and once his catheter is removed this month, plans are to bring him out for his "public debut" sometime in July. He'll hang out with his public during open hours, then return to his very own "zebra barn," donated by a generous donor, for the night. According to an update from May 20th on their website, Noah's Ark is working toward an opening date on Evidence's public habitat around the first week of July.

For a picture of Evidence the zebra and his cat friend, Mary, click here. For more information about Noah's Ark, please click here.

VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
    A. Beer and wine sales on Election Day
    B. Don Bailey to give an animal control update
    C. Precision Planning to give an update

VIII. NEW BUSINESS;
    A. CSI presentation on software and hardware changes at Planning and Development
    B. Appoint one (1) member to the Board of Assessors
    C. Appoint one (1) member to the Library Board
    D. Presentation of the 2008/2009 draft budget
    E. Audit Presentation by Clifton, Lipford, Hardison and Parker
    F. First Reading of an ordinance imposing a wireless enhanced 9-1-1 charge for
    Phase II Service

IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION
    -Pending Litigation pursuant to O.C.G.A. § 50-14-2(1)

X. PUBLIC COMMENT- (Limited to 5 minutes per person)
    A. John Morrison to discuss Planning and Zoning
    B. John Morrison to discuss ‘unanswered questions’
    C. Margie Trammell to discuss committees and commissions
    D. Jimmy Bass to discuss property taxes
    E. Jimmy Bass to discuss Planning and Development
    F. Brent Taylor to discuss support for animal control

XI. ADJOURNMENT

CM REPORT: Everyone was present at the BOC meeting including both Rob and Tom Morton with the exception of Tommy Powers. Tommy is getting a pacemaker put in. Please keep him and his family in your prayers for a quick and healthy recovery.

The charge on our cell phones will soon go from $1.00 to $1.50 as E-911 moves into Phase II. (Not $100. Sorry!) This will allow 911 Dispatch to see the location of an emergency call within 50 feet of where the phone is located. People are abandoning land lines and going with cell phones. The $4,800 is budgeted and E-011 will generate probably at least half of that back in fees. Motion to approve. 4-0.

Hughley-Huckaby Road was changed to Hughley Road by an official action of the BOC on March 8, 2000 in a 4-0 decision. Therefore, the sign will say Hughley Road when it is completed. A claim for damages in car repairs has been made to the county by a newspaper carrier whose car slid on red mud that was covering a culdesac in Fawnbrook. There is an exist erosion problem in this location on a piece of property that the owner has seeded repeatedly and it refuses to take root. It busted a tire and broke an axle so it was a pretty hard hit. Rob advised the BOC to have the CM submit the police report and claim to the insurance carrier and let them say yes or no. An issue like this will not come before the BOC again now that the CM has been given direction with it. The CM is looking to put reserve monies into higher yielding accounts. He will give local banks the opportunity to match the out of state bank's rates before he just moves it over.

Business licensing in Pike County is looking at a revision. I did not realize that everyone pays $35 plus $1 for each employee from a small business owner all of the way up to the major businesses in this county. Apparently this is the way it has always been done. The CM was talking about making some changes to this and that is not a bad thing, but if we are looking at ordinances to change it, I hope we don't go so big that we overburden business the way that property owners are being taxed. On the lines of finding more money to stop the burden on property owners (I hope so anyway) some company offered to do an audit of our worker's comp. I don't understand what it was all about but I did understand that they wanted 50% of what they found no matter how high it was. The BOC acknowledged that we need additional revenues but said this was not a good way to find it. Two pieces of equipment that the road dept does not use are going to be taken to an auction in Florida with a minimum bid on them. It will cost taxpayers nothing for it to go down and if minimum bids are not met, they will come back to Pike County. BOC approved this 4-0.

Employee badges were discussed but not the lovely No Pets signs that adorn the BOC office and meeting room. (Please click on the We Are Pike County page to see this sign.) Employees in all county offices except for those working for elected officials are required to have these badges on them at all times to prove that they work for Pike County if a question is asked. [Note from the Editor: I can see how the Tax Assessor's Office would need them as they visit properties around the county. I can see where it would be warranted in some cases for the rest of the employees. Each card has a bar code that can be swiped somewhere I'm sure. Maybe they are used to clock in and out, who knows? I left a message for the CM to call me about the pet signs and the badges and will report on them when I receive this return call.]

COMMISSIONERS REPORT: District 1 Roosevelt Willis: He has been asking about the fire stations. Why the doors weren't put in, etc. Said that he doesn't think it is the CM. Said he thought it was a lack of communication with the fire chief not attending some meetings. He went from there to Mickel and Becker getting fired and asked why they were fired so the public would know. Rob said that he did not have a copy of the separation notices in front of him but failure to abide by certain provisions of the county ordinance by presence of sexually explicit materials on their computer and dissemination of sexually explicit materials to other employees. Also allegations of personal use of county property including phones and computers during work hours for personal benefit. Failure to perform duties as assigned. Allegations related to former duties based on discriminatory factors being done for some citizens and not others so citizens not being treated equally. Checks that were found that were not processed for over a year. Main allegation was creating a hostile environment in this department. [Note from the Editor: It came to light toward the end of the meeting that George Mickel had not received his official dismissal letter that was sent to him by certified mail. It was returned to the BOC office unopened because it was unclaimed. (That letter was in his file, but he did receive a copy of it when he challenged his Worker's Compensation Denial and won his appeal against the county.) This letter was sent while George was handling his Father's affairs out of town so this could have been the reason that he did not get it according to the CM. I have a copy of information from the dismissal with pay notice but not official dismissal notice. It is available at the BOC office for review without payment unless someone wants a copy of it.] It was stressed that this information is available to the public in its entirety with the exception of personal information and other redacted information that would be in violation of the Open Records Act to divulge.

Update 6.19.08: District 2 Parrish Swift: Asked about the fire stations. The projected finish date for the fire stations is the end of June according to the CM. Asked if we had a bill from Mark Whitley yet. CM advised that bids have been opened but that the new dept head for Planning and Development will be making this decision and not him. Mark was preparing a bill in line with lin items on the RFP. Discussion that we don't know what we are being charged for his services and that of his staff over the past several months. Motion to cease using service until we receive a bill to kno what we are being charged. Approved 4-0.

District 4 Jake Garner: Said that the CM needs to be present for Town Hall meetings. These are part of the meeting. Chairman Fry said that was easily fixed by making the Town Hall part of the official meeting and calling adjournment until after the Town Hall meeting.