According to Sheriff Donnie Craig the original agreement with Gordon County to house animals picked up by Pickens County animal control officers isn’t panning out, but Pickens is now expediting its plan to construct its own small animal control facility.
Sheriff Craig said there are issues with available holding space in Gordon County.
“Currently their bed space is full and we are having other issues with the shelters,” Craig said. “We are looking at other options…and currently we are working on several areas and other communities.”
Craig said if an animal is picked up that is identified with a collar or some other form of I.D. it is currently being held at a facility at the Pickens County Adult Detention Center. Other, non-identified, animals are still being transported to Gordon or local veterinarians.
Sole Commissioner Rob Jones said the county set aside money for the construction of a small facility within the county, which Jones expects will hold approximately 30 dogs and 15 to 25 cats.
“We’re not going to break the bank on this one,” Jones said, who told those attending the Thursday meeting that the county is now hammering out plans for the facility.
Sheriff Craig reported that, since the animal control policy was put in place, the 911 Center has received twice as many animal-related calls as they did when there was no policy.
In July, 162 animal calls were received, with 157 calls received in August and 142 calls received to-date in September.
The largest percentage of those calls was in regard to stray or abandoned animals.
Sheriff Craig said, “The biggest problem we’re having at this point, and it’s no surprise, is the abandonment of stray animals.”
Inmate work detail program cleaning up streets
Sheriff Donnie Craig also gave a glowing report on the inmate work detail program in operation since the last week of January.
According to Sheriff Craig, inmates from the Pickens County Adult Detention Center spend Monday through Friday picking up trash from roads in Pickens County.
Craig reported that, as of September 14 of this year, 2,150 man-hours have been spent on our roads with over 120 miles of road covered during that time. Nearly 2,000 bags of trash have been collected as well as nearly 150 tires.
The sheriff said his department has, through the work program, assisted local fire departments, the Pickens County Airport and the Pickens County Courthouse with ground maintenance. Craig told all department heads that the work crew would be available to assist them with ground maintenance if they need that service in the future.
“If you give us a call, I would be glad to help out with those odds and ends,” he said.
According to the sheriff and Commissioner Jones, community service workers, who were once supervised by two members of the road department on Saturdays, are now being taken on by the sheriff’s office, saving the county 16 hours in overtime pay per weekend.
At the meeting, a member of the public commended the program and Sheriff Craig, saying, “You see these guys working. They’re neat and orderly in what they are doing, and they’re well supervised. They are doing a good job, and the roads are looking a lot better.”
Budget Amendment passes with no adjustments
Following two public hearings regarding the then proposed millage hike, Sole Commissioner Robert Jones approved the 2009 amended budget at the commissioner’s meeting with no new cuts in any county department.
The millage increase, three-tenths of a percent, will be effective for the 2009 tax digest and will be reflected on property tax bills mailed later this year.
According to Jones and Financial Director Mechelle Champion, the county will come up $568,500 short this year as a result of languishing sales-tax revenue. The 2009 tax bill on a home that costs $200,000 will increase by $74.
Citizens of Pickens County who attended the public hearings on the millage rate increase told the commissioner to begin making cuts now, rather than increasing the millage rate.
The commissioner said cuts, if they were made, would be in services such as fire protection, animal control or ambulance services.
However, financial director Champion said no department cuts, furloughs or other changes were made to the 2009 budget following the hearings. Champion also noted that the 2009 budget may need to be amended more before the end of the year. “That may not be our final budget. It’s a work in progress…It’s constantly changing right now.”
Pickens partners with U.S. Census Bureau for 2010 count
In an effort to ensure a full and accurate count in the much-anticipated 2010 census, Pickens County government has recently partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau.
As a census partner, Pickens County will encourage people in the community to place an emphasis on and to participate in the 2010 Census. Promotion of the census will include events, local initiatives and the use of trusted community members to help raise awareness about the importance of receiving an accurate count.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an accurate census count is vital to a community’s well being, as it helps planners determine where to locate schools and other facilities.
More than $400 billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated to states and communities based, in part, on census data.
Census data is also used to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the census is used when redistricting for state and local governments as well.
County awarded three grants
The county has recently received three separate grants that will help improve services that can be offered to the Pickens community.
A $13,000 grant was awarded to the Pickens County Sheriff’s office by the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant Program, which will go toward the development of community projects.
A $50,000 grant was also awarded to the Appalachian Judicial Circuit by the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs to help fund the Appalachian Mental Health Task Force. Each of the three counties in the Appalachian Circuit (Pickens, Fannin and Gilmer) were asked to provide $3,000 in matching funds.
A $292,250 grant was awarded to the Pickens County Child Development Partnership by the Governor’s Office for Children and Families. The grant will support nearly 250 families to “provide nurturing family contexts and to achieve enhanced parent education and employability,” according to child development partnership member Matt Moore.
Senator Chip Pearson, who helped gain the child development grant for the county, made a brief appearance at the Thursday commissioner’s meeting. “Congratulations,” he said. “I was just down the road with the pregnancy center, and they’re ecstatic. I saw the mentoring folks out there, and it’s all for a good cause.” |
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