07.21 Ledger 01 - The Cherokee Ledger-News

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2 THE CHEROKEE LEDGER-NEWS NEWS JULY 21, 2010 Your child in a Public School classroom: $15 OFF a 1-hour Massage (1st visit only) *NOW OFFERING MASSAGE THERAPY* Main Street Full Set of Nails $45 Nail Studio with Lisa Hours: Tue 10-5, Wed 9-6, Thu 8-6, Fri 8-5, Sat 8-3 127 E. Main�Street�•�Bldg.�100 Suite�302�•�Downtown�Woodstock 770-928-2662 American�Owned�& Operated Your child in a Furtah Private School classroom: • Summer Tutoring • Learning disability state- funded scholarships • Competitive Athletics • Art/Drama • Computers • Foreign Language Now enrolling for August 2010 • Grades 5-12 678-574-6488 • 5496 Hwy 92, Acworth www.furtahprep.org ■■■ Canton gets look at $31M budget BY JANET PELLETIER janetp@ledgernews.com Canton officials got their first look at the city budget, which includes no proposed staff layoffs or tax increases to residents. City Manager Scott Wood presented a draft budget to the city council at its July 15 meeting, calling it “a work in progress.” The council will discuss the budget in a work session Aug. 5. A first reading is slated for Aug. 6, and approval is set for Aug. 19. The fiscal year 2011 budget is $31.7 million, up from $26.7 million last year, but Wood said that’s due to an influx of $4.5 million in Georgia Department of Transportation funding for road and streetscape projects to Marietta Road, Hickory Flat Road, Waleska Street and Main Street. In fact, the city will be tasked with making up for a $1.3 million anticipated shortfall to balance the budget. BY JANET PELLETIER janetp@ledgernews.com Water and sewer rates for residents could go up, Wood said, because of bond payments for the water and sewer fund that will be due. “We had a one-year reprieve (in 2010), but in the upcoming fiscal year 2011, we’re going to have roughly $1.7 million in bond payments which we did not have to be considerate of this year,” he told the council. The millage rate, which was raised just last year from 5.95 mills to 6.8 mills, will be decided on later this year, but isn’t expected to be raised, according to Wood. One mill is equal to $1 per $1,000 of assessed value, after exemptions. The current millage rate of 6.8 means that a property owner with a $200,000 home and a standard $5,000 exemption pays $510 in tax- �� Wood es to the city per year. As part of Wood’s presentation, he recommended the council establish a separate reserve account. The draft budget, he said, includes a $500,000 “contingency,” but cautioned it shouldn’t be considered a “reserve.” “A lot of times, the tendency is to just maintain the reserves as part of your fund balance and that just gets real hazy and real convenient to tap into that,” he said. “I think if you actually remove that money, and you got a separate account, it’s just a little bit safer that way.” He also recommended the council consider additional fund balance monies from the current fiscal year for repairs to the sanctuary, saying “sooner or later we’re going to have to bite the bullet and do what needs to be done.” Wood said significant repairs will have to be made to the roof, where there is asbestos. Canton keeps same trash hauler After holding out six months, the city of Canton will keep Waste Management as its provider of trash and recycling pickup. The city council, in a unanimous vote and with little discussion, gave approval to Mayor Gene Hobgood to sign with the company on a new, four-year contract that will cost the city roughly $3 less per resident. Currently, the city pays Waste Management at a rate of $13.37 per resident for curbside pickup and $9.09 per senior citizen. In total, the cost to the city is $867,000 per year. Under the new agreement, detailed by Waste Management in a city staff report, the city would pay $10.15 per resident and $10.01 per senior, totaling $701,000 per year – a cost savings of $166,000 per year. City Manager Scott Wood said he “does expect consideration to be given by city council to a revamping of the rates (to residents).” He added that the city is currently subsidizing some of the price breaks given by Waste Management for residents. The other two bidders were Advanced Disposal and North Metro Waste, which proposed rates that would cost the city $970,000 and $843,000 per year. The council put the city’s trash and recycling services up for bid because some members thought it was the council’s duty to get residents the best deal. In other business, the council: • failed a motion by the mayor, 2- 4, with council members Bob Rush, Amelia Rose, Pat Tanner and Jack Goodwin dissenting, to eliminate a statement from the city’s ethics ordinance pertaining to allowing council members to hire city workers for personal work. Hobgood said he felt that city employees feel pressure to appease an elected official and would have difficulty turning down a request; • approved, 6-0, the consent agenda, which included an increase in advertising fees to give the public notice of public hearings, and approval of two separate requests for a beer and wine package license – one for a Chevron Food Mart at 3255 Marietta Highway and the other for Walgreen’s at 101 Prominence Point Pkwy.; • heard the city manager’s report, which included: deferring discussion on making streets in Pinnacle Place part of the city; announcing that the council and mayor will meet with a consultant July 28 to discuss the city’s health insurance plan options; the announcement that installation of streetlights on West Marietta Street is under way; denying paying a landscaping bill for Laurel Canyon Golf Course. Hobgood broke a 3-3 tie, voting against paying the bill. Goodwin, Bryan and Beresford also opposed paying the bill. The council approved, 6-0, the modification of an existing month-tomonth contract with Schnabel pending alternate proposals; and • in the mayor’s report, tabled a discussion of amending the city charter that would prohibit the mayor and council from giving direct orders to city department heads for 30 days; approved, 6-0, the appointment of Diane Rugg to the Variance Board of Appeals; and approved, 5-1, with Councilman John Beresford dissenting, giving the city manager a $50 per month allowance for use of his personal cell phone for city use. ��
JULY 21, 2010 NEWS THE CHEROKEE LEDGER-NEWS 3 Cherokee man discovers pot in frame BY JESSICA WAGNER jessicaw@ledgernews.com One Cherokee County resident got more than he bargained for after discovering 4 pounds of suspected marijuana hidden within a framed picture, which he purchased at an auction earlier this year. According to a report from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, a man called in reporting that he purchased the framed painting, along with additional items, from the U.S. Postal auction, which sells items that are mishandled in transit; cannot be returned to the sender; or cannot be delivered to the intended receiver. The complainant, who attended the U.S. Postal auction several months ago, said he has kept the painting secured in one of his storage lots. He said his plan was to sell the painting for profit at another auction in Waleska, which was held July 12. On July 12, the caller reportedly attended the auction, but said he was disappointed at the initial bid for the painting. “The bid was $5, and I said, ‘No, that’s not enough,’” the man, who wished to remain anonymous due to the nature of his findings, told the Ledger-News. He noted that he told the auctioneer that he would take $25 for the painting. No one took a bite, which, the caller said, was a blessing in disguise. School offices open The 2010-11 Cherokee County School District school year will begin Aug. 2. Each school’s front office will be open daily beginning July 20, with the exception of July 26, when all schools and administrative offices will be closed for a budget-related staff furlough day. Class schedules and teacher assignments will be available at school open houses. Access the schedule by visiting ww.cherokee.k12.ga.us. Parents of new students may register their child at individual school offices anytime between 8 a.m. and noon. SPECIAL A Cherokee County man discovered four pounds of suspected marijuana in a picture frame he purchased at a U.S. Postal auction a few months ago. According to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the street value of the marijuana was $4,800. According to the caller, when no one bid on the painting it was carried back to his truck, and at this point, he reportedly noticed the picture seemed abnormally heavy for its size. The incident report stated that the caller opened the back of the frame and discovered four bags of suspected marijuana. “I didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t know if I should throw it out or leave it there; so, I called my lawyer,” the man said. He said his lawyer advised him to call the police, which he did when he arrived home. NEWS BRIEFS ■ For necessary documentation required to register, go to www.cherokee.k12.ga.us/ parentinfo/pages/studentenrollment.aspx Septic disposal rates going up Those who pump septic tanks will have to pay about double what they are now paying to dump their effluent in Cherokee County beginning Aug. 1. The Cherokee County Water & Sewer Authority board voted to implement new pricing guidelines for receiving septic tank waste at the Rose Creek Water Treatment ■■■ “I think I did the right thing by calling the police,” he said. “So much could have happened to me if I would have sold it (the painting), and they found it in there.” The caller said he was also nervous during the drive home considering he was carrying what is now known to be $4,800 worth of marijuana. According to the incident report, the picture contained four rectangular bricks, which were each approximately 6-inches by 6-inches and 2-inches thick. “Each brick appeared to have been pressed tight (in a vacuum sealed bag) and then cut into squares as the edges and corners were sharp and not rounded over,” the officer said in the report. The report said that there was also a piece of black carbon paper to conceal the smell, which may explain why the U.S. Postal Service did not discover the marijuana earlier. As for the caller, he said that he was just very happy to get rid of the marijuana just the way he did — by calling the police. According to the reporting officer and the caller, any attempt to trace the origin of the painting is nearly impossible past the U.S. Postal auction because, they said, there are no receipts held by the caller or the Postal Service. A Cherokee Multi Agency Narcotics Squad agent was called to the scene and placed the seized marijuana into evidence. Plant, said CCWSA spokesman Dwight Turner. Commercial septic haulers that use the Rose Creek plant are required to get $50 company permits by Jan. 2 of each year. That cost will remain the same. As of this year, 86 haulers have effective annual permits in Cherokee. Turner said letters were sent and the increased fees cover increased treatment costs and night security. New rates are 15 cents a gallon, or $150 per load, with a $150 service charge for any load delivered to the plan after 7 p.m. and before 7 a.m. 20% OFF LUNCH Get 20% OFF your total lunch bill every Mon-Fri from 11am to 2pm. Does not include alcohol, cannot be combined with any other offer. Exp 8/31/10
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07.21 Ledger 01 - The Cherokee Ledger-News

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