July 25, 2014

BOARD OFCOMMISSIONERS

Regular Meetings August 5th - 9:00 AM

August 19th - 6:30 PM

Meetings held at:Administration Building

Community Room140 Henry Parkway

McDonough, GA 30253

Regular Commissionmeetings will air Fridays,Saturdays, Mondays and

Wednesdays onHenry TV Channel 180 andAT&T U-Verse Channel 99,

at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

1the henry county update

SCTC Celebrates Official Opening of Henry County Campus Officials with Southern Crescent Technical College celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open its brand new Henry County Center, on Thursday, July 17, 2014. The program featured a full slate of speakers and ended with the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to the William R. and Sara Babb Smith

Foundation. An open house followed the ceremony. The new building is one of a proposed eight-building campus, located adjacent to Henry County High School on Lakemont Dr. in McDonough.

Henry County Commission Chairman Chairman Tommy N. Smith was one of several guest speakers who took part in the program, and in his remarks, highlighted the fact that the Henry County Board of Commissioners have dedicated $5 million to the Henry County Center through the SPLOST IV initiative.

Other speakers included June Wood, Chair of the Sothern Crescent Technical College’s Board of Directors, Dr. Randall Peters, President of SCTC, McDonough Mayor Billy Copeland, state

Continued on Page 3

henrycounty-ga.org

July 25, 2014

Henry County BOC Sets Property Tax Millage Rates

After three public hearings, the Henry County Board of Commissioners voted for a slight rollback of the millage rate by .199 mils, from 14.497 to 14.298 in adoption of the 2014 millage rate. In a 4-2 vote, with Chairman Tommy Smith and Commissioner Gary Barham opposed, the action came at a scheduled meeting following a final public hearing held Wednesday morning, July 23, 2014. The Henry County Commission opted to roll back the millage rate to 14.298 ($14.298 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation)

for unincorporated Henry County, 11.219 mils for the City of McDonough, 14.298 mils for the

City of Stockbridge, 12.098 mils for the City of Locust Grove and 12.314 for the City of Hampton. For more information on the millage rates or your tax bill, please visit www.henrytc.org. To view any of the millage

rate public hearings, as well as the regular Commission meetings, please

log on to http://www.co.henry.ga.us/Communications/WatchHenryTV.shtml.

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representatives Any Welch and John Yates, State Senator Rick Jeffares and Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, among others. The Southern Crescent Technical College’s Henry County Center features a 35,000 square foot building that features several general purpose classrooms, a CISCO Networking lab and classroom, life science labs and an MRI/CT simulator. In addition to allied health and computer networking classes, the campus will offer courses and programs in criminal justice, logistics and Business Management. The college also offers free GED classes for adult students to help them prepare for

the certification test. According to Campus Director Scott Ross, classes began this summer with approximately 16 courses being offered, both day and evening. He said that the number of classes offered will triple for the fall semester. For more information on Southern Crescent Technical College’s Henry County Center or to learn more about registering, visit www.sctech.edu or call 770-914-4411. For more information on Henry County Government, visit www.henrycounty-ga.org.

SCTC Ribbon Cutting from p. 1

Former McDonough Mayor, Richard Craig and BOC Chairman, Tommy N. Smith.

District III Commissioner Gary Barham and District II Commis-sioner Brian Preston.

Commission Chairman Tommy N. Smith speaking at Southern Crescent Technical College Henry County Campus Ribbon Cutting.

henrycounty-ga.org

July 25, 2014

Henry County Police Department Hosts “Operation Rolling Thunder”Be on the lookout for increased police presence the weekend of August 1-2, 2014 as the Henry County Police Department hosts the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) Thunder Taskforce. The Taskforce is comprised of multiple officers from regional and surrounding counties, Traffic Investigators, DUI/HEAT Officers, Drug Recognition Experts, and Officers from HCPD. According to the GOHS, the Taskforce’s mission, dubbed Operation Rolling Thunder, is to “detect Georgia’s high-crash corridors and reduce mounting highway deaths and serious injuries by introducing a high visibility law enforcement presence to help stabilize the extreme and illegal driving behaviors of careless motorists who cause those crashes.” Henry County, with its expansive roadway structure is a prime target for Operation Rolling Thunder. This year Henry County has already witnessed 15 motor fatality accidents; of those 15 accidents, ten of them involved Driving While under the Influence (DUI), speeding or improper safety restraints as contributing factors. As a means of reducing fatalities and serious injuries by vehicle, the Taskforce strategy assigns concentrated patrols to state routes, rural roads and interstate highways on alternating schedules for each day of this action. Taskforce officers will conduct safety belt and sobriety road checks and speed patrols

while collecting enforcement data to document their life-saving progress. Operation Rolling Thunder has a documented history of reducing highway deaths since the highway safety project’s inception in 2007. In

November 2013, Operation Rolling Thunder yielded successful results in Henry County netting

112 arrests and 381 traffic citations. Of those 112 arrests, 37 individuals

were arrested for DUI, 25 were arrested for violations of the GA. Controlled Substances Act, two were arrested for outstanding criminal warrants, and 47 were arrested for other, criminal,

motor and vehicle infractions. All through the summer, the

Henry County Police Department, along with its regional and state

law enforcement partners, are taking a proactive approach by targeting driving behaviors

that contribute to fatal accidents, accident with injuries, and the property damage that occurs as a result. Operation Rolling Thunder is being coordinated by elements of the HCPD Special Operations Division and is endorsed by the GOHS. For more information about this program, please contact the Henry County Police Department at 770-288-8200.

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Commissioner Bo Moss to Host Town Hall Meeting

Focus will be to update citizens on current and future projects Henry County District I Commissioner Bo Moss will hold a Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 9 a.m. in the sanctuary of the Locust Grove Recreation Center. Scheduled guests include Mayor Robert Price of Locust Grove and Roque Romero, Henry County’s SPLOST Transportation Director, who will update citizens on the progress of ongoing projects. Developer Jason Fritz will also be on hand to discuss the

proposed site for a Family Dollar discount store in Locust Grove. The focus of the Town Hall Meeting will be to give citizens an update on various projects throughout District 1, hear residents’ thoughts and concerns and take questions from the audience. The Town Hall Meeting is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. Light refreshments will be served. The Locust Grove Recreation Center is located at 10 Cleveland St. in Locust Grove.

henrycounty-ga.org

Members of the Henry County Board of Commissioners helped to welcome Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers to Henry County on July 21st at the restaurant chain’s official grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. The Henry County Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon cutting ceremony for Southpoint Shopping Center’s newest business, which is located at 1410 Highway 20 in McDonough, in front of

the JC Penney Department Store. Henry County Commission Chairman Tommy N. Smith, along with District I Commissioner Bo Moss and District III Commissioner Gary Barham, joined McDonough Mayor Billy Copeland, several McDonough council members, Chamber members and community leaders, who were on hand to celebrate the opening.

July 25, 2014

Commissioners Attend Ribbon Cutting for New Business in Henry County

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers celebrates the grand opening of its only Georgia restaurant, lo-cated in McDonough, Henry County.

The Henry County Police Department is now using YouTube! The purpose is to work in partnership with

our citizens in solving and reducing crime.

www.youtube.com/user/HenryCountyPoliceDpt

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The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved the use of seized funds to purchase necessary equipment and laptop computers for 12 police vehicles. The action came at the July 15 regular Commission meeting. According to Major Keith Going, the 2013 Dodge Chargers were purchased in 2013 and at the time were outfitted with the bare minimum of equipment due to a limit in seized funds. Since that time, the Police Department has acquired additional seized funds and is looking to upgrade equipment to fully outfit the vehicles.

The bid was awarded to the low bidder, West Chatham Warning Devices, Inc., in

the amount of $22,313.52. In a related item, Commissioners

also approved the use of seized funds for the purchase of 12 Panasonic Toughbook computers to be used in the aforementioned patrol vehicles. These computers allow officers to do their jobs efficiently and

effectively by reporting incidents and receiving pertinent information

transmitted by electronic means. Total cost of the computers is $33,564 and they will

be purchased from CDW-G, which has a Georgia statewide contract. The cost includes a five-year warranty.

Commissioners Approve Use of Seized Funds to Purchase Equipment for Police Cars

henrycounty-ga.org

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved the acceptance of a Local Maintenance Improvement Grant (LMIG) in the amount of $286,631 for the construction of a left turn lane at the intersection of SR 20/81 and McDonough Parkway, through the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Quick Response Program.

Through the Quick Response Program, GDOT requested that Henry County DOT staff provide the design plan and a bid so that funding could be requested. Six vendors responded with the low bid coming in at $286,631 from BRTU Construction, Inc. The action came at the July 15 regular Commission meeting.

July 25, 2014

Board Accepts Grant for Intersection Improvement

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Henry County District 5 Commissioner Bruce Holmes spent part of this past weekend inspiring young members of the Henry County Jr. Wolfpack at the at the County Wide Youth Football Combine & Cheer Clinic held at Woodland High School in Stockbridge.More than 100 young athletes and cheerleaders attended the two-day camp that also featured former NFL player Keion Carpenter, who played for both the Buffalo Bills and the Atlanta Falcons. The athletes enjoyed two days of non-stop action, as well as mentoring and advice from local leaders and coaches. Commissioner Holmes shared words of wisdom regarding the importance of being leaders not only in their schools and own communities, but in the world at large.

The Henry County Jr. Wolfpack, a program under the Commissioner Bruce Holmes Athletic Association in conjunction with the Henry County Parks and Recreation Department, is currently registering 3 and 4 year-olds for flag football and ages 5 thru 12 for tackle football and cheer for the fall 2014 season. Onsite registration, practice and home games will be held at Woodland High School, 800 N. Mosley Drive in Stockbridge. Practice days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Registration is open and ongoing. For more information, please visit www.hcjrwolfpack.org or contact Coach Carney at 678-353-8925 or email jrwolfpack1@gmail.com.

Commissioner Bruce Holmes Inspires Young Athletes at Junior Wolfpack Combine Camp

Bruce Holmes speaks to young athletes at football camp.

henrycounty-ga.org

July 25, 2014