Gilmer County Commission Meeting - 08.14.12

Appointments

        Discussion and/or action on:

                  •  09:15 AM   Lisa Smarr – Recreation Center

                  •  09:45 AM   Emily Arnold and Leon Ramsey - Ramsey Associated

                  •  10:00 AM Dave Matthews – Road Name Change

Routine Business

        Discussion and/or action on:

                  •  Exonerations and/or Consolidations

                  •  Approve estate qualifications and estate settlements

                  •  Budget Revisions

                  •  Control Report

                  •  Board Appointments and/or Resignations

                  •  Approve invoices for payment

                  •  Approval of the minutes of the County Commission

New Business

        Discussion and/or action on:

                  •  Building Commission Appointment – Lance Woodford (R)

                  •  Building Commission Oath

                  •  Radio Tower Cable and Antenna - Police Department and EMS – E.P.G. Grant

                  •  Lignetics

                  •  Mountaineer Food Bank Donation

                  •  Gilmer County Back to School Bash Donation

                  •  Health Center Board of Trustees By-Laws

                  •  Courthouse ATM Installed

                  •  Flood Plain Settlement

                  •  Tree and Stump Removal

                  •  Dawson Farm Animal Reimbursement

                  •  Results of 911 Poll

                  •  911 – Finance or Levy

                  •  Generator Program

                  •  Letter from the Governor

Under the subject “common sense” transparency.  What are the commissioners doing about bringing our 911 center back to Gilmer?  It was on their meeting agenda this week?

I understand the commissioners said 88%of the people that responed to the 911 poll was in favor of having a center in Gilmer County.  Are we citizens going to be asked to not only pay a 911 fee on our telephone bills but also finance a center either by levy or loan?  Seems like a lot of money to fix something that is not broken.

When the county builds the 911 center,where will the trained employees to staff the center be found?  I do not know of anyone that has the training looking for a job.  Or will they simply hire anyone that can answer a telephone?

I’m with just wondering on this. People act like bringing 911 back will be some kind of economic boom. How many jobs are we talking about? How many Gilmer people work at the one in Weston? Hell, I remember when Pedro used to do it all by herself!

Any time you can create benefit laden, tax payer funded jobs, that are really not necessary, that is what government is all about.

It appears the 911 center move is a go. We are going to use $700,000. plus dollars of our money to create another county agency (to fix somthing that is not broken).  If this is a for sure project,I think a few questions will need to be answered. Has anyone seen the plans for the building?  Has the project gone to bid?  Who is the contact person for this project?  Will there be another board of directors appointed by the county to manage another county agency?  Who made the decision as to where to locate the building?  Who will write the job descriptions?  Where will the trained dispatches be found?
At what county commission meeting was the final vote taken for this project?

The location chosen for 911 center is the grass area behind the health department. Public does not get a chance to be on the 911 board. Commissioners choose the same people over and over again so they can satisfy the will of the elite. According to the information obtained from the court house, Lance Woodford who runs the golf course was added to the board. The whole process sounds fishy.

The golf course couldn’t afford him anymore so he was moved over to the Sue Morris sports complex while Kennedy moved up to the Pioneer. The state picks senator and AG family members, our controllers pick from lawyers and the local pre-selected,elected.

Apparently the county commission will be micro manager the new 911 center also.  Is it not strange that a large amount of time and press was made about the survey and the results, but no press on the plan?  Also does not the medical helicopter land on the grass area behind the health department?  Several years ago that area was a large hollow, will the fill dirt be compacted enough to build a center there?
I am still looking for answer as to why we must spend such a large amount of dollars for a political promise.

Nepotism.  Cronyism.  Good old buy system.  Elites.

So now, just vote Chapman back in and get six more years of that too.

One of the smallest counties in the state is going to borrow close to $1,000,000.,to build a 911 center that is not needed.  Surely there are more urgent needs in this county in which $1,000,000. could be used.  I wll venture a guess that in less than 2 years after the center is open, the county will have to ask for a rate increase in the 911 fees for telephones. Again why fix something that is not broken?

TO JUST WONDERING:
Why are you so against bringing back the 911 Center to Gilmer County??? It never should have been given to Lewis to begin with. We can thank Mr. Chapman and some of the other people who think they own the county for making that decision that I and other GOOD citizens of Gilmer did not want or have a part of the decision to give or keep Gilmer County.  That county is giving workers jobs, that county is benefiting as far as taxes being paid to them, fees from our phones being paid to them and other money they receive when it could be Gilmer County getting this and prospering rather than Lewis. To me it is like doing a Rental Lease on a car…paying big bucks…instead of borrowing money at a lending institution and making those payments to it.  The car is yours in the end if you make the payments….. a rental car, the money is gone, the lease runs out so you do another lease and you still have nothing to show for it.

I have another question for you?  WHY are you NOT complaining about the Lewis/Gilmer County new school.  This is being given to our neighboring county and they too will benefit from fees, taxes, employment and will have the control of it.  You do know that will come out of our pockets too right?  They make the decision to give our school in Troy away and you and I get to foot the bill for that.  There were other solutions to our school system, but again the citizens had no say in this. What is your thoughts on this situation???? Mine, the elites got their way once again, they will consolidate all the county schools into one and again the elites control because they are in with the State BOE. We are losing population in Gilmer County because of the poor school system. We have lost U-Pak, Babcock Lumber, Appcon Lumber, Central Cement and others in the past year or so. Where do we draw the line?

to It needs to stop now
I agree with you on the school situation. But can you believe people are threatened not to talk at the meetings? The teachers at the high school cannot talk to each other about the problems at school or they face legal actions? Take a look at your tax bill you received recently. Biggest portion of it goes to education. They expect us to pay and keep our mouth shut? Why are we allowing it? From what I read Dr. Simmons and Blankenship came up with the threat. Did Dr. Simmons switch to the other side after he got elected? Am I missing something?

Our GCEDA (Gilmer County Economic Disaster Association) is doing a great job of creating disasters for our county. We keep losing businesses and what are they doing about it? Nothing! When a business starts, they take credit for it, but they are not there when they go out of business. Actually if you think about it, they promote plans which are responsible for decreasing our tax base as well as leading to entities going out of business. Take a look at downtown.

JoJo, they even dragged the bus drivers into a meeting to tell them the same thing.  Big Brother is watching you.  As you put it so well, “Pay and keep your mouth shut”.

It’s always easier to go with the political flow. We seem to elect people who know what we want to hear but are of little courage.

EDA’s selection of Chapman as Director was a statement of continuing down the same old path to loser-ville for Gilmer County. The election says the same.

Now they expect us to pay higher excess levy taxes and write it wide open so Blankenship can use the public check book as he will holding the children’s future over our heads.

No businesses, no jobs, no connections, no future.

GCEDA under the leadership of the former county commissioner Chapman, have been strangely silent on the school issues. 

Quite likely they have not as yet figured out that Gilmer County has been having a steady job decline.

Appcon jobs. Gone
U-Pak jobs. Gone
Babcock jobs. Gone
School district jobs. Going.

Of course, the 911 Center jobs left long ago.  That was Chapman who led that exodus years ago.

With that as part of Chapman’s record, don’t look for him to want to return the 911 Center.  Chapman is likely at least 100 of Common Sense Kennedys ‘block of 150’ against the return of the Center.

Next commissioner election. 
Think—ABC—anybody but Chapman

To JoJo:
YES I can believe that people are being threatened not to speak at the meetings. YES I can believe that teachers are being told not to discuss the mess/problems at the high school and if they do they face legal actions.  YES I looked at my new tax bills for this tax year and YES alot goes to education.  YES they do expect us to keep our mouth shut and this is information the public (you and I) are not supposed to know/hear or see.  It’s all supposed to be hush hush. Had they taken care of the biggest problem at GCHS things would be better for all students, parents, staff and the whole school system. and all the citizens of this once great Gilmer County. We all know that the problem remains and will continue to do so.  As to whether Dr. Simmons has went to the other side, I certainly hope he would not do that to his county or to us, the ones who believe in him, and who have looked to him to help solve this mess we are in.I hope Dr. Simmons will step up and answer if he did in fact help Mr. Blankenship draft the paragraph with attorneys and explain why, and if he did not, please tell us that also.

just wondering,  Take a good look at your telephone bill.  You are probably already paying a 911 fee.  And that money is going to Lewis Co.  That alone is enough of a reason to place a 911 center in the county.

TO IT NEEDS TO STOP NOW
Has Gilmer County adopted a close shop hiring practice? By your comments it appears that when (not if) the 911 center is built ONLY persons that reside in the county will be hired.  How is this any different from what you are saying that Lewis County is now doing?  Perhaps you are not aware that indeed Gilmer County residents are employed by the Lewis-Gilmer 911 center.
I still ask why spend $1,000,000. to fix something that is not broken?

I would be in favor of building a new 911 center if: 1. we did not have a 911 center, 2. it would speed the response of the agencies when they are toned out, 3.some other explanation than the center is located in Lewis County, and proof that spending $1,000,000 is anything other than filling a politican’s promise.