09.17 Ledger 01 - Index of - The Cherokee Ledger-News

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10 THE CHEROKEE LEDGER-NEWS NEWS SEPTEMBER 17, 2008 FROM PAGE 1 VIN#068233 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDAFIT 5-SPEED MANUAL, A/C, P/W, P/L, TILT, CD AND MORE! All offers with approved credit. All payments plus tax, tag and title. Must present ad at time of sale. No dealers or brokers. Dealer retains rebates. Sale ends at 8pm. TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311 ■■■ HIKE: Woodstock chooses millage rate raise over staff pay cuts to address shortfall Henriques added that he and the council were going to great lengths to balance the city’s budget while keeping property taxes low. According to Bucci, the city budget was originally $3.5 million short of projected 2009 revenues. But the mayor, city council, Bucci and City Manager Jeff Moon worked to cut the budget by $2.3 million to arrive at the $1.2 million shortfall. Woodstock’s final budget for 2009 is $14.7 million. Henriques went on to state that any further budget cuts would require eliminating a substantial number of city jobs. Thirty-eight city employees, slightly more than 20 percent of the city’s workforce, would need to be laid off in order to balance the budget. Henriques said that these cuts would come primarily from the police and fire departments. When asked why he voted against the proposal, Mueller said, “I think there are other ways to do it (balance the budget) …. We need to get together and find a way to do this without hurting people.” Mueller suggested pay cuts to city employees, including the city council, and early retirement options for city employees as budgetbalancing measures. He claimed these options had not been fully explored by the mayor and council. City documents show that some cuts were made to city’s employees during the budget-trimming process. Overtime and merit pay were cut to all city departments, resulting in $379,588 in cuts to the original 2009 budget. When asked how large he proposed these city employees’ salary cuts to be, Mueller responded, “5 percent for one year,” adding that he expected the economy to turn YOU WIN! SILENT SALESMAN IS HERE FOR YOU NOW... 24 HOURS A DAY! -DIAL- 1-866-508-8311 FOR INSTANT, AUTOMATED PRICING ON THIS CAR. CALL NOW! Price subject to availability,plus tax,tag and title. Includes all applicable rebates. See dealer for details. © eMarketAssistant 800-992-0124 VIN#166378 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDA ACCORD LX AUTOMATIC, A/C, P/W, P/L, TILT, CRUISE, CD, KEYLESS AND MORE! TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311 around soon and these pay cuts to be reversed in the 2010 budget. When asked if he proposed the city council and other employees take the same percentage pay cut, or if he should cut his own pay at a different rate, Mueller replied that all city employees, including city council, should take the same cut. Woodstock City Council members are employed part-time. They are paid $9,000 annually and rely on other sources for their primary income. A 5 percent pay cut would result in a $460 decrease in the annual pay of each council member. The median income for a city employee is $33,481. A 5 percent pay cut would mean a $1,674 annual pay cut for the average city employee. But Bucci claimed that a 5 percent pay cut across the board to all city employees would not come close to balancing the city’s 2009 budget. “The figure is closer to 16 to 20 percent,” said Bucci. Bucci maintains that the mayor and city council thoroughly discussed salary-cutting options using data he provided. “The council member has a reasonable idea,” said Bucci. “We did look at it.” Bucci contends that any pay cut, especially one large enough to balance the budget, would cause critical city employees, such as police officers and firefighters, to leave their jobs. According to Bucci, the recently formed cities John’s Creek, Milton and Sandy Springs are actively seeking to fill open positions in their new fire and police departments and are already offering a “significantly higher pay scale.” Bucci claims that police and fire employment turnover have al- SILENT SALESMAN IS AT HENNESSY HONDA! SILENT SALESMAN STICKERS ON EVERY NEW HONDA! SEE HOW IT WORKS RIGHT NOW! CALL 1-866-508-8311 • ENTER 6-DIGIT VIN# VIN#580289 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDACIVIC LX COUPE AUTOMATIC, A/C, TILT, CRUISE & MUCH MORE! TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311 ready increased because of competition from these new cities. And he suspects that turnover would reach a critical rate if salaries were cut. “We looked at this pretty thoroughly,” said Bucci. “This is not a snap judgment by any means.” As pay cuts would likely lead to turnover, the mayor and city council, with the help of Bucci and Moon, explored city employee layoff’s as a means of balancing Woodstock’s budget. Due to Woodstock’s size, the city has few redundant positions. “We have one accounts payable person, one finance office manager, and so on,” said Bucci. As the only redundant positions, job cuts were considered for firefighters, police officers and building code inspectors. City documents show that in order to balance the budget, Woodstock would need to cut 19 police officers – or 32 percent of its force – 14 firefighters – or 30 percent of its force – and five building code inspectors. Bucci also pointed out that the cost of unemployment insurance had to be taken into account when considering lay-offs. “When we do our cuts, keep in mind that we have to pay 26 weeks of unemployment,” said Bucci. He went on to note that the cost of training a new police officer is $30,000 per officer and that re-hiring officers once the economy recovers from its slump would be costly. During the meeting, Henriques cited such costs as his main reason for supporting the millage rate hike. “If the economy turns up, we don’t want to pay the cost of rehires,” he said. At the meeting, Ward 6 Council man Steve Faris stressed that the millage rate hike was the most dif- VIN#034091 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDACR-V LX 2WD AUTOMATIC, A/C, P/W, P/L, TILT, CRUISE, KEYLESS, ABS, LOTS MORE! TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311 ficult vote he’d cast in his five years as a council member, and that he and the other council members had tabled the vote during their Aug. 25 meeting so that they could consider the matter more thoroughly. When asked if he was satisfied that the city’s budget had been cut as much as reasonably possible, Faris replied that, “There are probably some minor things that could’ve been cut, and I’ve had been okay with that. But they wouldn’t have amounted to enough to prevent a millage increase, although the increase could have been slightly less.” But Faris pointed out that because Woodstock has already written funds from the Homestead Tax Relief Grant into its budget, further cuts do not seem wise at this point. Gov. Sonny Perdue has placed the Homestead Tax Relief Grant on hold to make up for the state’s budget shortfall. The Homestead Tax Relief Grant accounts for $200,000 of Woodstock’s budget. In other business, the council voted 5-0 to: ■ approve Moon’s proposed reorganization of city employees under a new organizational structure; Discussed the decision to have court, city council meetings and utility services remain downtown while city hall is temporarily relocated to Robert Harris Homes building on Ga. 92 during construction of a new city hall site. Ward 1 Councilman Randy Brewer questioned the wisdom of splitting city hall between two locations; ■ approve authorizing Phase I of BRPH Architects’ Space Planning Proposal for the Robert Harris Holmes Building. City Council will VIN#968097 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDA ACCORD EXL V6 SEDAN AUTOMATIC, A/C, P/W, P/L, TILT, CRUISE, SUNROOF, ALLOYS, ABS, CD, KEYLESS, SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS, LEATHER & MORE! TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311 VIN#017812 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDAODYSSEY LX AUTOMATIC, A/C, P/W, P/L, TILT, CRUISE, KEYLESS, CD PLAYER, MUCH MORE! TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311 All offers with approved credit. All payments plus tax, tag and title. Must present ad at time of sale. No dealers or brokers. Dealer retains rebates. Sale ends at 8pm. HENNESSY I-575 NORTH, EXIT 7 HONDA 1-866-508-8311 OF WOODSTOCK www.hennessyhondaofwoodstock.com vote on Phase II – Phase IV when they have a clearer idea of how they plan to use the building, specifically whether city council meetings, planning commission meetings, municipal court and water bill payments will all remain downtown; ■ table a decision on the William G. Long Senior Center being permanently located in the Woodstock Library Building, pending analysis of available parking at the facility and will consider the project further once comprehensive parking plan is available; ■have Woodstock receive federal Community Development Block Grant funds with Cherokee County, instead of having the city compete with other Georgia cities for these funds. Because the population of Cherokee County has exceeded 200,000, the county automatically qualifies for Community Development Block Grant Funds, which are used to fund a wide range of community development activities. Cherokee municipalities can participate with the county, and automatically receive the funds, or opt-out and compete for the funds with other Georgia municipalities – which they would not then be guaranteed. Woodstock voted to participate with the county; ■ approve amendment to water ban violations. Fines for second offense of water ban violations will remain at $500. However the first offense will warrant a warning instead of a $100 fine; ■ approve amendments to the special events ordinance, exempting all non-profit and religious groups from paying $150 special events fee; SEE HIKE, PAGE 11 VIN#534149 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDA RIDGELINE RT 4X4 AUTOMATIC, A/C, P/W, P/L, TILT, CRUISE, ABS, KEYLESS, LOADED! TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311 VIN#029641 BRAND NEW 2008 HONDA PILOT SE 2WD AUTOMATIC, A/C, P/W, P/L, TILT, CRUISE, KEYLESS, CD PLAYER, MUCH MORE! TRY IT OUT! CALL SILENT SALESMAN FOR PRICE: 1-866-508-8311
SEPTEMBER 17, 2008 NEWS THE CHEROKEE LEDGER-NEWS 11 FROM PAGE 1 Ahrens said, talking in round figures, there are 9,000-plus state road projects that total $50 billion planned right now. The state spends about $2 billion a year, he said. He said the Greater Atlanta Transportation Authority (GR- TA), Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) planners, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) have formulated a methodology to rank projects into tiers in regard to their relative importance and urgency. “Thursday, the GDOT gave a briefing to the ARC board, for the HIKE: Magnolia waiver extended FROM PAGE 10 ■ approve to extend the rent waiver granted to Magnolia Thomas Restaurant. Magnolia Thomas, which was severely damaged by fire six months ago, is housed in a building it leases from the city for $2,200 per month. The city has waived the restaurant’s rent for the past six months and will continue to waiver rent for another three months while Magnolia Thomas makes repairs; ■ approve three easements to Noonday Creek Sewer Relief Project; ■ table the decision to vote on the purchase of 60 acres from Robert Altenbeck to create Trickum Road Park until the next regular meeting, so that Moon can meet with the Kingsgate HOA. Kingsgate is located adjacent to the property. In other business, the council al- Real Estate Market No Photo Available? Some days, I just don’t get it. Here is the photo in the FMLS for a home that was listed 13 days ago: As I sit shaking my head No Photo Available in utter exasperation, my knee-jerk reaction is to blame the agent. After all, it is the agent who holds the marketing reins. But, I will give her placed her camera. Maybe her computer is in the shop. Perhaps she caught the latest bug and is just now recovering. Who knows but thirteen days? In thirteen days, I could have deconstructed the home, scanned each element, and produced a respectable Photoshop likeness. In just f i v e minutes, in fact, I was able to design this image using only the touch pad on my laptop, and I’m not even artistically inclined. While it arguably lacks the pizzazz of the typical “professional” image, I think it is far better than this home’s current cover photo. after this home made its impressive debut. In that time, we had the property professionally staged, professionally photographed (about forty of them), had a virtual tour produced, a single-property domain secured, a website created along with a custom sign rider ordered and delivered, a customized Text-For- Info description and 24 hr. call hotline put in place, invaluable feedback collected from Jeromy Trask an agent tour, 100 fourpage color glossy brochures designed and produced, the listing syndicated to about a trillion (okay 500 plus) on-line sites, and a print ad was run in this wonderful newspaper. And, these are just the Cliff notes. But maybe I should be blaming the seller. After all, it was the seller who selected this agent. While the agent certainly controls the marketing, it is the seller who is in control of the selection process. Unfortunately, we see these situations every day. It is beyond me how anyone would think their interests are well-served by this level of effort. They knew they had choices. They knew what marketing opportunities were available to them. In addition, they should know that listing a home is a partnership. One in which ongoing cooperation is required, one in which the agent does not operate within a vacuum but instead communicates clearly and often about the measures they are tak- the highest price. Maybe it was about friendship. Maybe it was about money. Or, on second thought, maybe it isn’t the seller’s fault at all. Perhaps the seller isn’t aware of how his home is being promoted. His computer could be in the shop. He might have caught the latest bug and is just now recovering. It could be that, well, you get the idea. But, I have to wonder. Didn’t he notice that no one with a camera has stopped by in the last two weeks? Jeromy Trask V.P. Managing Broker Harry Norman, Realtors 770-518-5550 Jeromy.trask@harrynorman.com ■■■ ROADS: GDOT is expected to reveal funding priorities late this month fiscal year 2009, which has already started,” said Ahrens, who is a member of the ARC board’s executive committee and was at the meeting. “Right now, the metro area alone has $1 billion dollars in projects, and the DOT thinks they have about $900 million for the entire state.” Ahrens said that because of congressional balancing, a maximum $400 million of that $900 million would go to metro area projects. “More than half the projects will have to be cut,” Ahrens said, noting that there was “no way” the county was going to get funding for all its critical projects. so: ■ was updated by Jeff Moon on a $4,375 fine the city received for 49,000-gallon sewer spill on Aug. 22 at the Pinehill Force Main. The spill occurred due to old pipes; ■ was thanked by VFW President Charlie Tucker for participation in flag retirement program. A certificate of appreciation was presented to the city and to the mayor for their dedication to the program; ■ proclaimed Sept. 14 – Sept 21 Firefighters Appreciation Week. ■ named Sept. 11 Day of Remembrance; ■ honored Marybeth Stockdale, Betty Rice, Laurie Jackson, Rhonda Pezzello and Richard McLeod for their organization efforts in Woodstock Elementary’s Greenstock Day; “We could get half, we could get less than half, or we could get nothing,” he said. “They are ranking things in four tiers, and there won’t be enough money to fill tier one. Beach has told us we won’t know where our projects score until the end of September.” Ahrens said that, theoretically, govern- ments will have the opportunity to appeal the ranking of their projects. Rogers “We are all aligned on what our top projects are,” he said. “Now we have to see where we come out, Towne Lake Family Chiropractic Dr. Kirk Pusey Board Certified Chiropractor Licensed Physical Therapist 25 Years Experience Dr. Peter Walsh Board Certified Chiropractor Athletic/Injury Specialist 17 Years Experience • Included In Most HMO & PPO Plans • We File Insurance For You • Massage Therapist On Staff but, if we’re given, say, $15 million out of $50 million, that’s when the negotiations will happen.” State Sen. Chip Rogers, R- Woodstock, said the Sept. 2 meeting between Beach and local officials was positive. “Everyone is in agreement on the major projects, and we wanted to get to know him,” Rogers said. Beach, who heads the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, replaces long-time DOT Commissioner Garland Pinholster, of Ball Ground. Rogers said a main issue was the Bells Ferry widening and the new lake bridge. “The county school buses won’t (770) 592-1877 1000 Wyngate Parkway at Towne Lake Parkway, Suite 200 • Woodstock, GA 30189 www.townelakechiro.com The North Metro Office Exclusively Presents KENNESAW $160,000 1612 Donovans Ridge (3776675) Sheryl Stuckey 770-789-5368 CARTERSVILLE $216,000 12 Clark Way (3775773) Rhonda Cheek 678-452-0030 ELLIJAY $1,500,000 1460 Flat Branch (3765878) Rhonda Cheek / Adrianna D’Angelo 678-452-0030 Dr. Deborah Pogrelis Board Certified Chiropractor Low Force Specialist 29 Years Experience even go over it,” Rogers said. “We understand it will take $9 million to redo the bridge.” He also noted that the new Woodstock interchange is important because of traffic relief and economic development. He said the city already is purchasing rights-of-way for the interchange and that it would relieve traffic on town Lake Parkway by up to 44 percent. Rogers said besides Beach, Ahrens and himself, those present at the briefing were Beach’s assistant, Ann Hanlon, Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques, Holly Springs Mayor Tim Downing, and Sen. David Schafer, R- Duluth. • Walk-Ins Welcome • Saturday and Evening Hours • Emergencies Seen Immediately CARTERSVILLE $150,000 56 Buena Vista Circle (3754618) Rhonda Cheek 678-452-0030 KENNESAW $267,000 4301 Edgewater Drive (3759736) Rose Ann Kesterson 404-245-9511 KENNESAW $363,000 4238 Galilee Drive (3746527) Lisa Hassard 678-558-2761 Dr. Vincent Williams Board Certified Chiropractor Extremity Specialist 11 Years Experience 4651 Sandy Plains Rd, Suite 100, Roswell GA 30075 • 770-518-5550 • Jeromy Trask, Managing Broker • www.harrynorman.com
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09.17 Ledger 01 - Index of - The Cherokee Ledger-News

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