surepip

I believe they have to reduce the millage rate if assessments go back up. If not, then they have to hold public meetings to discuss why not. This was Shearin's Dog & Pony Show every August. The assessments would go up 10%, and they would roll back the millage rate by 0.01 mill, and then have a back slapping party to celebrate the tax decrease. Then when you got your tax bill in September it would be almost 10% higher than last years, even though they rolled back the millage rate. This year assessments have gone down, county wide, by an average of more than 14.5%. Mine went down

No, your millage rate will increase, but not your net tax bill. It should go down substantially unless you have some unusual circumstance that caused your assessment to go way up while the majority of the county went down. Austin's cover letter explains the basic situation. Should we have another "event" similar to the floods last September we would have to deplete the reserve fund below the minimum required by the bond holders. This in turn would increase the amount of interest we have to pay to service those bonds on an annual basis. Is that worth the risk ? I do not know of ANYONE w

Pubby, I thought that was pretty good, including the "Mega" descriptions. After Murphy-Dean-Watts all retired, it gave Richardson-Maxwell-Heath, and I guess Hamrick, full control of our legislative/senate seats. And Shearin-Echols-Kirby were a solid 3 votes on the BOC with Ragsdale joining them most of if not all of the time.

That my friend is the understatement of the year. RR just needs his bud PT/Ithey back to echo his sentiments. I used to like Reagan, but with RR's avatar, I am beginning to loath all that group stood and stands for. Might as well put Virginia Galloway's photo there instead.

That may be your opinion, but on p.com, that is the way it has always been. Past elections and this one. If it is local politics from commission to the gold dome it does NOT have to go to the Polical Forum.

Thank you TSG! I don't like raising the millage rate, but as you stated, had SPLOST not passed they would have had to got for a triple increase and for me, I will be seeing a substantial reduction over last year. Our assessment was 25% lower. What I don't get with the Beverly Cochran supporters is they have no problem with her past $65,000 per year salary; $almost $50,000 severance package;p drawing full retirement in the next 24 months; yet we expect our sheriff's deputies, firemen, and all other county workers to take substantial paycuts and furloughs. What ? It just does not jive.

I have to put myself in David Austin's position. He took over the Chairman's seat in January of 2009, and did not want to keep Beverly Cochran on in her over paid highly sensitive position. I would see this as a plain and simple "I want someone in the administrative assistant position whom I can trust". After 4 years as Carruth's assistant, and 8 years as Shearin's assistant, Beverly was pretty much connected to and a part of the Good 'Ol Boy Group that Austin defeated in his bid for the Chairman's seat. Would you really expect him to keep Beverly on in that role. Would you keep y

True, I have never been a card-carrying member of either party. However, in the past I was active with the local GOP. As I have stated before with my plate of crow on the table in front of me, I actively supported and campaigned for Shearin, and some of his minions twice. Until I realized what was happening and who was really in charge. Then I stepped away. There is no way to run for office in Georgia unless you run as an R or a D. To run as an Independent has so many hurdles against it for all practical purposes it is impossible. The number of registered voter signatures a candidate m

And the local Republican Party has been hijacked by a bunch of overzealous nutcases who insist on their way or no way. There is now a movement underway to push those fringe elements out and bring the local GOP back into the hands of the voters instead of the Richardson-Shearin-Carruth-Galloway control of the past 10 years. Neither party as a whole does much at all of representing the conservative moderate. Hence, why many have reached the point of not really caring which letter is by their name. Until an Independent can get on the ticket without having to jump through so many hoops thi

Pay attention to the rules dude. Local politics fall under the General Countywide news and/or the Internet Cafe. Until it moves to DC related discussions.

The time has arrived, especially here in Paulding, where those who have been part of and involved with the local GOP no longer can endorse how the locals have been running the organization. And many choose to vote for whom they see as the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation. After all, look at how little was accomplished for Paulding with Richardson, Heath, Maxwell and Hamrick over the past 8 years or so. They all represented the interests of the local GOP donors, not the local GOP voters. And this is true from the local commission seats to the legislators and senators unde

And just how many of our county employees get paid $65,000 a year ? Employees such as firemen, police who put their lives on the line to serve us, along with all of the other county employees who get out their and bust their butts for half of that amount? And then when they realize they are going to lose that job hire a lawyer and threaten to sue ? There is a definite agenda with Beverly's choice to run for the commission post. We elected David Austin to be the Chairman 2 years ago. He still inherited post commissioners who were very much a part of the Shearin regime, and a devest

I think Beverly's presence on the BOC would be a disaster. It is evident her primary reason for running is to seek revenge on David Austin for the fact she lost HER cushy $65,000 per year county job when he took over. With most government employees in clerical administration jobs making less than half of what she was drawing I do feel she got a pretty good ride off the county for a long, long time. Smells like she had one hell of a sweet-heart deal going during the 8 years she worked as Shearin's right arm. It is also evident Beverly has the support of the old Shearin/Galloway group w

I really don't know very much about Tony Crowe. I don't believe he is involved with the Shearin/Galloway clique like Beverly Cochran is, but he has kept a very low profile in the election and during this run-off. I do know David Barnett's hands on experience with industrial and economic development would be a large positive in his involvement with the BOC and future economic development for the county. I also am first hand familiar with David's community involvement through various organizations and civic groups. And the same goes for Todd Pownall. His community involvement over

But to the point and pertinent! If you want Shearin and Beverly on the BOC then Fine, vote for Beverly. If not, vote for Todd!

Tom, You and Ithey and the rest of your ilk are really getting desperate. Shearin and company, including Beverly Cochran and Pat Crook left us with a mess. Are you familiar with the facts concerning the current position our Richland Creek Reservoir are in BECAUSE no on in the BOC office bother to respond to Corps of Engineer correspondence asking for details and information during the last 5 months of King Jerry's reign? No one at the BOC top levels bother to reply to the correspondcence from the Corp and as a result our Reservoir project went from the top of the expedited fast track

You are as wrong as you can be on that issue. I made quite certain of that months ago. Beverly and Tony? Yes for certain on Beverly.

How soon we forget! Jerry Shearin openly endorsed and worked to elect and re-elect Hal Echols, Wayne Kirby, and Jeff Miller when he ran against Don Powell in 2006 and 2002. Shearin and his cartel rubber stamped every PRD their local band of ROBBER BARON MEGA DEVELOPERS brought before the BOC. Go back and check the votes and you will notice the only ones not approved were rezonings proposed by the outsiders while doing little to nothing to encourage industrial development, completing the Richland Creek reservoir or much of anything else other than their airport. Do you really want

A unified BOC working together with the IBA, Chamber, and a viable economic developmennt group can make things happen. When questioned as to why we have not lobbied for workable impact fees 3-4 years ago, Bill Heath, and some of the others replied "Because the Paulding BOC has told the representatives they don't want impact fees". Pretty clear cut. Has our BOC lobbied for our legislators to amend the requirements for the various tier system ratings now in force ? Not until Austin and company came in. Yes, a unified BOC could get one hell of a lot accomplished. Just look at what Jer

Did you realize the Chamber subsequently screwed up the rail easement for Cadillac ? And that as a result they cannot expand the facilites as they have no means to get their raw materials by rail car? We were working with them to help them obtain a rail siding across the Palisades property we had a 1st right of refusal on but could get no assistance from Shearin and the BOC. View the December 2005 BOC meeting for more details. The corporate office for Cadillac in I believe it was Michigan told us they would eventually shutter the plant and move the production elsewhere without having acc

And the Paulding BOC under Shearin and Carruth did nothing to attract industry and in fact put up roadblocks to prevent outsiders from coming here and develope industrial parks. The North Industrial Park between New Hope and Dallas as well as the Cadillac and MG international Parks were initiated by the Chamber and IBA but with ZERO planning. There was nothing done to promote building stipulations so we ended up with for the most part a hodge podge of buildings making them very undesirable by most companies who would look to move here. I leased a total of 16,000 square feet of space in 2 build

The pitiful part of some of those empty or 10% to 15% built out PRDs is how many are sitting on land so perfect for industrial development along 278 and Bill Carruth especially. Clear-cut, bulldozed, and almost abandoned now over grown with weeds and demolished silt fences. Greed got in their way of providing for planned growth and now it comes back to bite them on the butts.

There were plans to make that corner into a Silver Comet Trail spur connected to the trail at the trailhead across 278 from where Audra's Cafe is at 278 and South Main.

NG, For the better part of 12 years we had no check and balances with Bill Carruth and Jerry Shearin. They had a solid 3 vote, or more control for their entire tenure except Jerry's last 5 months with Tommie Graham on the board. Have you taken a serious look at just why Beverly Cochran is running ? Even though her "boss" lost the election, she expected to stay on in her rather cushy $65,000 a year job when her new boss let her know he did not wish to keep her. But she was able to get the 3 votes on the BOC she needed to keep her. Most government employees are expected to hand in their