County Commission Meeting

The Upson County Commission held a regular meeting Tuesday night and recognized Sybil Lovejoy as the Employee of the Month for July. (For more on Sybil, click HERE)

The commission approved a resolution authorizing the charge of .75 cents on each sale of prepaid wireless service in Upson County. The fee is for 911 service and the state requires each county to adopt and submit a resolution before implementing it, the charges will not be effective until 2012.

The commission discussed the process for potential changes to the county voting district map. The county population is 444 residents lower than the 2001 census and the following changes were suggested:

• Commissioner Sandra Trice’s district will gain approximately 430 voters.
• Commissioner Steve Hudson’s district will lose approximately 100 voters.
• Commissioner Rusty Blackston’s district will lose approximately 465 voters.
• Commissioner Frank Spraggins district will gain approximately 140 voters.

The proposed changes will be reviewed by Representative Robert Dickey, then presented to the General Assembly and finally must be approved by the Justice Department.

County Manager Kyle Hood told the commission that vacancies on the Transportation Committee, the Department of Family and Children’s Services Board and the Department of Behavioral Health Committee need to be filled.

Hood announced a new program to recognize county employees. The county will continue to award the Employee of the Month certificate but will also recognize employees that go above and beyond in the workplace or in the community.

This month’s Top Performers are:

• Mrs. Bonnie Smith and Mr. Claude Burgess from the Thomaston-Upson Archives
• Mr. Clint Watson of the Building and Zoning Department
• The entire kitchen staff at the Senior Center

In a work session prior to the regular meeting, commissioners discussed proposed changes to the county personnel policy, specifically mentioned were the areas of sick leave, disciplinary actions, internet usage and the county drug policy.

A small group of concerned citizens questioned the board on the location of the proposed county recreation complex and the type of facilities that will be constructed. The board had announced at the last meeting that the location would be on county owned property on Highway 74 east near the old work camp. Chairman Raines advised the group that the county owns acreage on both sides of Highway 74 and that the exact location of the facility has not yet been determined.

The county intends to construct multi-purpose fields for baseball, softball, football and soccer along with practice fields, restrooms, parking and spectator seating. The facility will encompass about 40 to 45 acres.