A meeting of Jones County elected officials and state legislators began last week with introductions, which included a new member of the county’s legislative delegation.

State Sen. Cecil Staton and Rep. Jim Cole were joined at the Dec. 2 meeting by James ‘Bubber’ Epps, who was elected to House District 140 in November. Epps is the lone Democrat representing Jones County, and he thanked the other representatives for their non-partisan assistance since his election.

Sen. Johnny Grant, who represents the northwest portion of Jones County, was unable to attend the meeting due to a prior commitment.

The meeting was arranged by the Jones County Board of Education, which extended invitations to local elected officials and stakeholders. Lunch was sponsored by Parrish Construction Management and catered by Donald Sheffield and Uptown Grille.

BOE concerns

School Superintendent Jim LeBrun was the first to speak and began by asking about the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

“I am concerned about the subpopulations counting so much against making AYP (Annual Yearly Progress). Eighty-eight percent of Jones County students are doing exceptionally well, but if the subgroups don’t meet the standards, the entire system doesn’t meet,” he said.

Troy Windam, representing U.S. Congressman Jim Marshall’s office, said he understands that one of the policies with the new administration is to fully fund the No Child Left Behind program, which has not been done since its inception.

LeBrun told Cole, who also serves as a floor leader for Gov. Sonny Perdue, that he appreciates the meetings going on between officials from the governor’s office and small groups of educators.

“I am hopeful those meetings will continue. It has appeared in the past when the General Assembly meets in January there have already been lines drawn in the sand. We are always open to talking and we would like to see that continue,” he added. “I understand that the budget is a huge issue, and I am encouraged that the governor is reaching out.”

LeBrun said education can take cuts as long as it is possible to provide a safe environment and not limit the programs.

“We are committed to continuing our programs at reduced costs, and we are committed not to lay people off. That’s where learning comes from, human contact,” he said.

The superintendent said he has heard that one possible plan is furloughing each teacher for one to two days a year, and the savings would be significant.

“We’ve heard it could even be implemented this current school year. If that is going to happen, we need to know as soon as possible. It’s an interesting idea because everyone would be sacrificing a little bit, but no one would lose their job,” he said.

Francis Adams represented Central Georgia Technical College and said the school is looking at the same challenges as the school system.

Ted Stone said Jones County has come a long way and recognized Adams as one of the anchors.

Budget issues

Staton said he wants a positive dialogue with education. He pointed out that the state is looking at a 10-12 percent cut next year in all departments because of its current financial situation, but education is being protected and will be cut 2 to 3 percent.

“That should say a great deal about our commitment to education. We would like there to be no cuts, but we have to have a balanced budget,” Staton explained.

The senator said legislators will be trying to find two billion dollars in cuts to make up for the expected shortfall in revenues.

“I hope this will communicate the commitment the governor and legislators have to education. Nothing should speak louder than our trying our best to protect education because we have to explain our actions to other employees,” he said.

LeBrun said he understands this is not a made-up crisis, and educators know they will have to sacrifice.

“If local boards are given more flexibility with state and federal funds, we can better manage the cuts,” he said.

Cole said the funding formula for education will change this year and pointed out the formula currently used is complicated. He said the Quality Based Education initiative began in 1986, and Perdue is the first governor to list austerity cuts as a line item.

LeBrun pointed out that QBE has not been funded since its creation, and he later pointed out that personnel is 90 percent of the education budget.

“Class size reduction may be a place to look. If the class size is relaxed by as few as two students, it could make a big difference,” he said.

LeBrun said he has heard that legislators want to put restrictions on taxing by local school boards.

“The last thing my board wants to do is raise taxes, but at a certain point you have no choice. I would like it to remain a local decision. Taxpayers can vote board members in or out,” he noted.

Cole said the first resolution filed for the 2009 legislative session, HR 1, freezes the valuation of property and is supported by the speaker of the House and lt. governor.

“It puts a cap on how fast property taxes can rise. If assessments can’t go up, the only way to increase revenue is to raise the millage rate,” he said.

Staton said the resolution is a response to the sentiment of a great number of people across the state.

“It’s going to have traction; you will need to follow it closely,” Staton said.

County concerns

Commission Chairman Preston Hawkins said board members have not asked its legislative delegation for help without receiving 100 percent in cooperation.

“Jim Cole helped us with prison labor for Liberty Park that saved us a lot of money, and Sen. Staton helped with money for irrigation systems for the courthouse and government center,” he noted.

County Administrator Mike Underwood said he understands the difficult task of the legislators.

“Keep in mind that every action you take hits the citizens and mostly in their pocketbooks,” he said. “Transportation is the biggest problem area I see now.”

Underwood said he has no idea where the North Gray Bypass stands.

“I don’t know where it is. I guess it’s somewhere lost. We have projects placed in line with the Georgia Department of Transportation and don’t know where they are,” he added.

The administrator explained that the county is grading roads that are supposed to be paved with the help of state funds, but he has received no confirmation that the base and paving money will be available.

“The cost will come back on the taxpayers. If we aren’t going to get any more assistance, if this is what is to come, maybe this is a weaning process,” Underwood speculated and commented that Epps was a former commissioner and understands how local governments are impacted.

Cole said that at this time the GDOT is in lockdown mode, explaining that nothing is moving forward that was not in progress when an audit by its commissioner, Gena Evans, began.

“The bypass was out there when I took office. We were able to help get the engineering done and the next was the right of way. It was agreed to proceed with two properties scheduled for early acquisition, and one day from the first one going to deed a directive came down from the commissioner to halt it,” he said.

Cole said the bypass has not budged since the directive, but he said he has been assured by the commissioner that she is going to rate the projects so they can go forward. He said, however, that he sat in on GDOT budget hearing last week and he does not think anyone knows where they are.

“My question is when is something going to happen?” the representative said.

Cole said the GDOT is a big agency, and Evans wants it to work on a cash in and out system. He said she does not want to start on a project until the money is in the bank, and he said she wants to take the politics out of the process.

“She wants every project to stand on its own merit. I respect her ability, but I feel like we are at a stalemate,” he added.

Underwood asked Windham if infrastructure money is going to come from the federal government, how do local governments find out about it. Windham said he does not expect anything to happen until President-Elect Barack Obama takes office.

“We’re going to be on top of it and will keep you informed,” he said.

Stakeholders

Chamber of Commerce Chairman Jason Barnes spoke on behalf of small businesses.

“Small business is bread and butter to the economy. When you are making decisions, don’t forget the little guy,” he said.

Rotary Club president Hoyt Brown spoke about the club’s literacy project. He said the Ferst Foundation supplies books to children each month from birth to age 5.

“We won’t be satisfied until all of our children are ready to go when they hit the front door of the school. Rotary isn’t doing this alone. We are developing a community action team that will include other civic clubs,” he said.

Jones County Development Authority member Frank Duke said the goal of the Authority is to create jobs in Jones County.

“We’ve worked hard to set in motion things that will make us successful. We have a beautiful industrial park, and our site studies are done,” he said.

Duke thanked the legislators for their help with a $500,000 One Georgia grant received to help with the park’s infrastructure and said the contract has been let for the entrance road.

“Thank you for your help. We feel strongly that we have to increase our industrial base to help our community,” he said.

Law enforcement

Sheriff Butch Reece said the main concern of law enforcement is the bill that would rewrite the juvenile code and move the age of adulthood from 17 to 18. Reece said the change would adversely impact the school system.

“It’s hard enough to get something done now; raising the age to 18 would be hard,” he stated. Reece also said the public defender system that was supposed to relieve the court system has hit counties hard.

“It was supposed to help, but it’s putting us back. We see younger criminals all the time, and we need to be able to deal with them,” Reece said. “Two entities that help us the most are the crime lab and corrections dogs. Each time the state cuts back, they are the first to go.”

Cole said the governor recognizes the need for the crime lab but found out that 80 percent of specimens taken to local labs are sent Atlanta. He said the governor’s plan is to make sure the specimens are sent to the agency equipped to perform the test.

Cole also said the governor’s office has received a lot of feedback about the cutback with the Corrections Department dogs.

The sheriff told the representative that the agency had 40 dogs and that number is now seven or eight. He said counties were trying to help the agency with supplies because of previous cuts.

“Corrections has a tough job. It’s hard to keep jailers locally and at the state level,” Reece said.

The sheriff had one piece of advice for the newly elected Epps.

“Never forget who brought you to the dance; in other words, don’t forget the local folks who put you in office,” he said.

Gray City Councilman Terrell Fulford said the major issue for the city is its wastewater treatment plant. He said the plant is at capacity, and the city has been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency to build a 2.5-million-gallon capacity facility.

“We don’t have funds to build the plant. The housing slowdown has given us some breathing room, but we are looking at $10 – 15 million,” Fulford said.

Local attorney Charles Newberry said he appreciates the state being responsible with its budget and then talked about the increase in Jones County’s property taxes.

“Our property taxes are outrageous. It’s been hard for retired people on fixed incomes, but they are hurting now,” he said.

Newberry, who also serves as the attorney for the Board of Education, said Georgia legislators made the condemnation law more stringent when the imminent domain issue occurred a couple of years ago.

“It’s really difficult to condemn land. When negotiations are done and you get to that point, those laws can delay a project for three months. That needs to be reviewed again,” he said.

Wrap up

Cole said not everything happening in Atlanta is negative, and the governor preparing for the future is a positive thing. The representative thanked the Board of Education for arranging the Dec. 2 meeting, explaining that being able to speak with a number of stakeholders together saves him a great deal of time.

Staton explained that leadership is about setting priorities. He said legislators would like not to deal with budget cuts, but they have no choice.

“All we can hope is that our decisions are made for the good of the people of Georgia. We will try to help when we can. We have a good delegation and work well together,” he added.

Staton said, as a small business owner himself, he would like to find a way to help all small businesses.

“Small business creates the middle class, not Washington. We cannot lose the economic impact of small business,” he said.

Epps said he appreciates being invited to Jones County events and being made aware of the concerns of the county’s elected officials.

“The task ahead is humbling, but I assure you I won’t forget who brought me to the dance,” he said.