Former Maysville mayor Richard Presley will again lead the town after winning in the town election Tuesday, while Alto mayor Audrey Turner was re-elected for another term.
In the Maysville mayor’s race, Presley had 131 votes, while Lynn Villyard had 119 votes and Donna Chesonis had 84 votes.
“It’s a privilege to serve the community again,” Presley said at city hall Tuesday night after the votes were counted. “I look forward to working with everyone and seeing the town prosper.”
In the Ward I city council race, Kathleen Bush won over incumbent Clay Dorsey in a 61-46 vote.
In Ward II, Clyde “Junior” Hardy won over Jerry Parr in a 50-31 vote.
In Ward IV, Scott Harper received 63 votes. Ricky Akins was disqualified because he is not a registered voter.
ALTO
In the Alto mayor’s race, incumbent Audrey Turner won over challenger John Closs in a 28-13 vote.
LULA
In the Lula City Council race, incumbent Larry Shuler won over Veneda Simonelli in a 59-37 vote.
Town elections coming up Tuesday
Town elections will be held Tuesday in Maysville, Lula and Alto. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
MAYSVILLE
In Maysville, former mayor Richard Presley, council member Lynn Villyard and political newcomer Donna Chesonis qualified. Incumbent Jerry Baker did not qualify.
Races are also set in Maysville for three of the four council seats on the ballot. The candidates are:
Ward I: incumbent Clay Dorsey and Kathleen Bush.
Ward II: Clyde (Junior) Hardy and Jerry C. Parr. Villyard currently holds this position.
Ward IV: Ricky Akins and former council member Scott Harper. Incumbent Stephen Lewis did not qualify.
LULA
In the Lula, two candidates are on the ballot for the post 1 seat, incumbent Larry Shuler and Veneda Simonelli.
ALTO
In Alto, incumbent Audrey Turner and John Closs are on the ballot for mayor.
MAYSVILLE
In Maysville, former mayor Richard Presley, council member Lynn Villyard and political newcomer Donna Chesonis qualified. Incumbent Jerry Baker did not qualify.
Races are also set in Maysville for three of the four council seats on the ballot. The candidates are:
Ward I: incumbent Clay Dorsey and Kathleen Bush.
Ward II: Clyde (Junior) Hardy and Jerry C. Parr. Villyard currently holds this position.
Ward IV: Ricky Akins and former council member Scott Harper. Incumbent Stephen Lewis did not qualify.
LULA
In the Lula, two candidates are on the ballot for the post 1 seat, incumbent Larry Shuler and Veneda Simonelli.
ALTO
In Alto, incumbent Audrey Turner and John Closs are on the ballot for mayor.
Early voting under way for town elections
Early voting will be held through Nov. 4 for the town elections.
The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
MAYSVILLE
In Maysville, former mayor Richard Presley, council member Lynn Villyard and political newcomer Donna Chesonis qualified. Incumbent Jerry Baker did not qualify.
Races were also set in Maysville for three of the four council seats on the ballot. Those who had qualified were:
Ward I: incumbent Clay Dorsey and Kathleen Bush.
Ward II: Clyde (Junior) Hardy and Jerry C. Parr. Villyard currently holds this position.
Ward IV: Ricky Akins and former council member Scott Harper. Incumbent Stephen Lewis did not qualify.
LULA
In the Lula, two candidates qualified for the post 1 seat, incumbent Larry Shuler and Veneda Simonelli.
ALTO
In Alto, incumbent Audrey Turner and John Closs have qualified for mayor.
The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
MAYSVILLE
In Maysville, former mayor Richard Presley, council member Lynn Villyard and political newcomer Donna Chesonis qualified. Incumbent Jerry Baker did not qualify.
Races were also set in Maysville for three of the four council seats on the ballot. Those who had qualified were:
Ward I: incumbent Clay Dorsey and Kathleen Bush.
Ward II: Clyde (Junior) Hardy and Jerry C. Parr. Villyard currently holds this position.
Ward IV: Ricky Akins and former council member Scott Harper. Incumbent Stephen Lewis did not qualify.
LULA
In the Lula, two candidates qualified for the post 1 seat, incumbent Larry Shuler and Veneda Simonelli.
ALTO
In Alto, incumbent Audrey Turner and John Closs have qualified for mayor.
BOC denies request for outdoor event center
The Banks County Board of Commissioners denied a request at its October meeting for a conditional use permit for Ted Havlik to operate an outdoor event center on Sol Drive.
Commissioner Sammy Reece made the motion to deny the request and the vote was unanimous.
Havlik proposed offering his property for rental for special events on a year-round basis.
There was some discussion at the BOC meeting on Havlik’s plans for a septic system. He said he was looking at several options, including portable bathrooms. The commissioners also had concerns about the traffic and width of the road. [Full Story »]
Commissioner Sammy Reece made the motion to deny the request and the vote was unanimous.
Havlik proposed offering his property for rental for special events on a year-round basis.
There was some discussion at the BOC meeting on Havlik’s plans for a septic system. He said he was looking at several options, including portable bathrooms. The commissioners also had concerns about the traffic and width of the road. [Full Story »]
County water rates to increase
Water customers will seek a higher bill next year following action by the Banks County Board of Commissioners .
The BOC agreed to increase the water rates by .25 cents per 1,000 gallons, as well as increase the base rate by .50 cents.
Other increases approved by the board includes raising the cut-off fee from $30 to $50 and a 15 percent increase on sewer rates.
The last rate increase was in 2008.
The BOC agreed to increase the water rates by .25 cents per 1,000 gallons, as well as increase the base rate by .50 cents.
Other increases approved by the board includes raising the cut-off fee from $30 to $50 and a 15 percent increase on sewer rates.
The last rate increase was in 2008.
CVB audit released: Billboards, brochures among yearly expenses
The Banks County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’ most recent audit, for the year ending December 2010, shows $401,832 in assets.
The audit also lists $124,008 in expenses for the year, with the largest expense being $42,045 for billboards. Expenses also includes $34,854 in salaries and $6,576 in expenses for president Bonnie Johnson. Other expenses are: advertising — $11,388; brochures — $6,582; processional services — $4,800; office supplies — $5,065; mileage reimbursement — $2,378; and office utilities — $1,965.
The Banks County CVB is funded through 40 percent of the hotel/motel tax collected in the county. The money is to be used to promote tourism and development. In 2010, the group collected $119,121 in hotel/motel tax.
The audit also lists $124,008 in expenses for the year, with the largest expense being $42,045 for billboards. Expenses also includes $34,854 in salaries and $6,576 in expenses for president Bonnie Johnson. Other expenses are: advertising — $11,388; brochures — $6,582; processional services — $4,800; office supplies — $5,065; mileage reimbursement — $2,378; and office utilities — $1,965.
The Banks County CVB is funded through 40 percent of the hotel/motel tax collected in the county. The money is to be used to promote tourism and development. In 2010, the group collected $119,121 in hotel/motel tax.
Prank call leads to hotel evacuation
A prank call at a Banks Crossing hotel at 4 a.m. on Tuesday led to an evacuation.
Someone apparently called one of the guest rooms at the Best Western and told the person who answered the phone to turn on the sprinklers because of a gas leak. This turned out to be a prank call and led to the room being damaged and the hotel being evacuated.
The Banks County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, and Sheriff Charles Chapman reports that criminal felony charges will be filed if the offenders are caught. The hotel is open for business now.
The Banks County 911 center received a call from an employee of the hotel who reported that the sprinkler systems were going off in one room. The 911 operator asked if there was a fire and if they were able to evacuate. The employee reportedly said that the supervisor had checked and there was not a fire. The 911 operator reported that fire service personnel would be sent to make sure that everything was O.K. [Full Story »]
Someone apparently called one of the guest rooms at the Best Western and told the person who answered the phone to turn on the sprinklers because of a gas leak. This turned out to be a prank call and led to the room being damaged and the hotel being evacuated.
The Banks County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, and Sheriff Charles Chapman reports that criminal felony charges will be filed if the offenders are caught. The hotel is open for business now.
The Banks County 911 center received a call from an employee of the hotel who reported that the sprinkler systems were going off in one room. The 911 operator asked if there was a fire and if they were able to evacuate. The employee reportedly said that the supervisor had checked and there was not a fire. The 911 operator reported that fire service personnel would be sent to make sure that everything was O.K. [Full Story »]
Suspicious house fire being investigated
The Georgia Fire Marshal’s Office has been called in to investigate a house fire that occurred around 7:55 p.m. on Monday in Banks County.
Banks County Interim Fire Chief Brian Eubanks said the three bedrooms, two baths doublewide mobile home located on Sunset Drive, Maysville, was heavily damaged by the fire. Sunset Drive is located off Russ Rumsey Road, which is off Yonah-Homer Road.
Eubanks estimated about 35-40 percent of the home was damaged in the fire. “Good training and a quick knock-down played a big part in the home still being intact,” Eubanks said.
Eubanks said, “When we arrived on the scene we found multiple points of origin, the fire was determined to be suspicious and we called in the state fire marshal to investigate.”
Mitch Madaglia, with the public information division of the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, said on Tuesday morning the fire has been deemed as arson, but is still under investigation.
Banks County Interim Fire Chief Brian Eubanks said the three bedrooms, two baths doublewide mobile home located on Sunset Drive, Maysville, was heavily damaged by the fire. Sunset Drive is located off Russ Rumsey Road, which is off Yonah-Homer Road.
Eubanks estimated about 35-40 percent of the home was damaged in the fire. “Good training and a quick knock-down played a big part in the home still being intact,” Eubanks said.
Eubanks said, “When we arrived on the scene we found multiple points of origin, the fire was determined to be suspicious and we called in the state fire marshal to investigate.”
Mitch Madaglia, with the public information division of the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, said on Tuesday morning the fire has been deemed as arson, but is still under investigation.
Alto council appoints two new members
At the monthly meeting last week, the Alto City Council unanimously appointed two people to fill the unexpired Post 1 and Post 5 council terms.
Carolyn Cabe was appointed to fill the Post 1 seat through Dec. 31, 2011. Cabe qualified for the Post 4 seat in the upcoming Nov. 8 city election. As of Jan. 1, Cabe will move into the Post 4 seat, as she has no opposition in the Nov. election.
John Closs was appointed to fill the Post 5 council seat through Dec. 31, 2011. Closs qualified as a candidate for mayor in the Nov. 8 election.
No one qualified for the Post 1 and Post 5 seats to be on the ballot in Nov.
Carolyn Cabe was appointed to fill the Post 1 seat through Dec. 31, 2011. Cabe qualified for the Post 4 seat in the upcoming Nov. 8 city election. As of Jan. 1, Cabe will move into the Post 4 seat, as she has no opposition in the Nov. election.
John Closs was appointed to fill the Post 5 council seat through Dec. 31, 2011. Closs qualified as a candidate for mayor in the Nov. 8 election.
No one qualified for the Post 1 and Post 5 seats to be on the ballot in Nov.
Drought leads to ‘disaster area’ designation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 150 counties in Georgia, including Banks County, as primary natural disaster areas due to an ongoing drought and excessive heat that has damaged thousands of acres of crops.
“Many producers have lost their crops and ultimately their livelihood due to the devastation caused by the drought,” said agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I want these farmers and ranchers to know that we are here for them and we will support them through the recovery process and help them once again become productive suppliers of food, fiber and fuel that keep America prospering. This designation will provide that support.”
The drought — which began April 15, 2011, and continues — caused 30 percent or more loss of forage crops, pasture, grain crops, cotton, peanuts and tobacco in the counties that were designated as a disaster area. [Full Story »]
“Many producers have lost their crops and ultimately their livelihood due to the devastation caused by the drought,” said agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I want these farmers and ranchers to know that we are here for them and we will support them through the recovery process and help them once again become productive suppliers of food, fiber and fuel that keep America prospering. This designation will provide that support.”
The drought — which began April 15, 2011, and continues — caused 30 percent or more loss of forage crops, pasture, grain crops, cotton, peanuts and tobacco in the counties that were designated as a disaster area. [Full Story »]
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