The Jasper Council held their first meeting of 2010 Monday, swearing in new council members and generally setting up shop for the coming year.
Allison Ballew and Anne Morrow both joined the council as freshmen members. Ballew ran unopposed for the seat vacated by Marcia Craft. Morrow defeated incumbent Greg Burgess for the other seat. They join John Foust, Jim Looney and Tony Fountain on the council.
Mayor John Weaver was appointed and unanimously approved by the council to continue in his paid capacity as the city manager. Looney was selected to continue as Mayor Pro Tem; Bill Pickett was approved to continue as city attorney; Tacie Williams was re-appointed as city clerk.
The Mayor re-appointed citizen members to several boards and authorities. All of Monday’s appointees were continuing on boards where they already serve.
They included: Tim Ghorley to the planning commission; Karen Proctor to the planning/zoning board of appeals; Martha Pool and Maxine Moore to the Downtown Development Authority; Martha Pool and Chuck Payne to the Tree board; Don Boggus and Vonce Farrow to the housing authority.
“They have all served well and have been trained,” Weaver said. “Most have been to classes. I don’t want to lose these individuals. I hope none will resign any time soon.” On several of the appointments, Weaver said he would contact them following the council’s approval.
In other business:
Neighborhood Watch – Weaver and Police Chief Harold Cantrell said the city is continuing to implement and invigorate a neighborhood watch program throughout Jasper. The mayor said his earlier efforts to get the program going immediately stalled due to the holidays.
While the city saw no burglaries or robberies and only a couple of car break-ins during the
holidays, the mayor said the poor economy across North Georgia ups the potential for crime.
Chief Cantrell said his department is placing two mobile phones in each patrol car and will publicize these numbers so people can call and report suspicious activity that doesn’t warrant a 911 emergency call.
Cantrell said the two car break-ins near Christmas went unreported but were discovered when the sheriff’s office arrested individuals for break-ins in the county and stolen items from the cars turned up. He said the auto-owners hadn’t realized anything was missing from their cars.
Weaver said, “I’m still concerned we could have an epidemic of crime in Jasper, the county, and across North Georgia.”
He said the city started a crime watch in 1993, but “it ended up with just having signs.”
Weaver said the large retired population in the city provides an excellent base of people for keeping an eye on comings and goings in their neighborhood.
“There are a lot of people home all day, and what many of them enjoy doing is looking out their windows,” he said.
Water Donations to be Studied – The council voted to table any action on donating water to non-profit organizations pending further study and a clearer definition of what would be considered a non-profit.
City Finance Director Tacie Williams said in the past the city has not billed non-profits for the monthly usage. She said this usually amounted to $900 to $1,200 a year for groups like the Thrift Store, Good Samaritan Clinic and the Joy House. But there is no clear definition of non-profit, and, technically, Piedmont Mountainside Hospital would fall into the category.
Last year the city turned down Angels on Horseback’s request for free water, but that may present a conflict with some of the groups now getting the donation.
Flag Contest Deadline Extended– Council member John Foust announced the city flag contest will be extended from its original January 15th deadline to February 15th. He said Jasper had received just a single entry as of Monday. He said the one entry was well done, but the would like some options to decide among. There is a $500 savings bond for a prize. Currently the city has no official flag.
Foust encouraged anyone with an idea for the city’s flag to enter the contest. There are no rules other than to get a flag design to city hall. He said people may enter more than one design, and there are no age limits or requirements on who can enter.
“All we are looking for is the best design,” he said. Foust has said previously there are some excellent websites on flag study, and those would make good starting points for designers.
City Finishes 2009 in Black – Finance Director Williams reported the city has completed the year in the black. She said everything was closed out on December 31st, and they are preparing for the yearly audit.
Main Street Mania Continues in 2010 – Williams, who also serves as the city clerk, said the city plans four or five Main Street Mania events for 2010. In This is a popular monthly downtown music event, in warm weather months, begun several years ago. She said Mania events will be on Saturdays again this year. They switched from Friday to Saturday night last year and saw an increase in turnout. Anyone with ideas or who wants to be involved in the monthly Mania events should contact city hall.
Public Safety Reports – In his report, Police Chief Harold Cantrell said his officers responded to 10,132 calls dispatched from 911 in 2009. Fire Chief Steve Roper said firefighters responded to 1,210 emergencies in the past year. |
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