County workers to receive pay raise

Published 11:39 pm Monday, June 11, 2007

Whitfield County employees will get a 3 percent cost-of-living pay increase effective July 1.

The Board of Commissioners voted 2-0 on Monday to provide the pay raise to county workers. The board has traditionally voted on pay raises in May or June, and approved a 3 percent increase last year. The increase is expected to cost the county $258,039 this year from the county’s fund balance.

Commissioner Randy Waskul was absent, and board chairman Brian Anderson votes only in the event of a tie.

Board members also voted 2-0 to:

• Ban smoking in all county buildings and county vehicles as well as within 30 feet of the entrance of county buildings. Earlier this year, board members had discussed a more sweeping ban that would have forbid smoking on all county grounds as well.

• Accept a contract from the Georgia Department of Transportation to repave various county roads. The dollar value of that contract was not immediately available.

• Agree to allow the North Georgia Regional Development Center to apply for a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation to pay for 80 percent of the estimated $816,599 cost for enhancements at the Tunnel Hill Battlefield. Those enhancements, including bicycle and walking trails, were detailed in a study commissioned by the Whitfield County Historic Preservation Commission. The board heard a presentation on that plan at its work session. The remaining cost of the project would have to be covered by local government.

• Accept a $8,561 contract with Kronos Time Clock of Chelmsford, Mass., for time clock maintenance.

• Accept a $27,360 bid from Fire Master of Tallapoosa for protective equipment for the fire department.

• Accept a $57,047 contract with Prosys of Norcross for maintenance of Cisco switches and telephone equipment.

• Accept a $9,729 bid from Continental Film Productions of Chattanooga for videoconferencing equipment for Magistrate Court.

• Accept a $3,575 grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to help revise the county’s hazardous materials emergency plan and fund a full-scale hazardous material exercise.

• Accept a petition to close Old Rock Crusher Road. The board will hold a public hearing on the request at a future meeting.

• Approve a request by Donald Hoyt Flowers to rezone 3.19 acres at 4035 S. Dixie Highway to general commercial from rural residential.

• Table a request from C.B. and Avis Gravely to rezone 6.14 acres on south U.S. Highway 41 near the Five Springs intersection to general commercial from rural residential.

• Approve a request from Paul and Janet Hazelrig to rezone 2.91 acres at 1049 Buckner Road, Ringgold, to single-family residential from general agriculture with some conditions.

At their work session, board members heard a presentation on the health department’s Medbank program, which helps qualified residents get access to medications at little or no charge. Medbank has worked with more than 1,700 individuals and given out more than $10 million in medications since 2003, according to officials.



The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 6 p.m. on Monday in the Judicial Building followed by a business meeting at 7. Board members are scheduled to vote on a resolution to place a three-year 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) devoted solely to transportation projects on the ballot in September.