The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted three-to-one to accept the low bid of $12.19, submitted by Advanced Disposal of Grovetown, for weekly garbage collection.

The issue of county-wide garbage pick-up has generated much controversy in the community. Many citizens have indicated that they are already properly disposing of their garbage without the county’s help; others do not feel it is fair to have to pay the collection fee in advance and in one lump sum.

Action on the proposal was taken at the regular meeting of the commission held Thursday, September 1. Commissioner Mike Hawkes cast the lone opposing vote.

The monthly fee of $12.19 will include the following equipment and service benefits:

A 95-gallon roll-cart will be delivered to each residence in the county and replaced promptly at no cost to the consumer when normal wear and tear have taken their toll.

The company will provide side or rear-door collection at no extra charge for residents who are physically unable to place their carts curbside.

Local residents can have two rollcarts if needed. However, they will have to pay a weekly collection fee of an additional $8 per month.

Although the actual cost for garbage pick-up is $12.19 a month, the county is adding a $1 surcharge to the amount to revitalize the recycling program at the transfer station on Old Petersburg Road.

County-wide garbage collection is scheduled to begin January 1, 2006.

Prior to the vote, Commission Chairman Walker Norman read a prepared statement which outlined some of the responsibilities of commission.

In his comments, he said, “Leaders, whether elected or appointed, have to prepare our community for the future, and in the end, the citizens are truly the beneficiaries.

“As leaders of our county, we must always seek to study, define, and promote community objectives and initiate the kinds of programs that will make our county a better place to live, work, and play.”

Chairman Norman further indicated that all of the functions of local government, including garbage collection, have meaning within a larger frame of reference. “The men who framed our Constitution had a vivid sense of the future. They were conscious of the fact that they were building a society for future generations, and we, tonight, are very fortunate beneficiaries of their sense of posterity.

“Now, we must be conscious of the fact that we are building a community for our children and our children’s children. So as leaders, we must not only anticipate tomorrow, we must attempt to mold and create tomorrow.

“We, as local leaders, must have the willingness and the ability to make decisions and assume the responsibility for the decisions we make,” the chairman continued. “All groups and individuals cannot have all they want. The demands of all cannot be satisfied fully and simultaneously, and perhaps some demands should not be satisfied at all, especially if those demands conflict with what is in the best interest of the county.

“Leadership requires the ability to face criticism and accept suggestions. There are times when we must be prepared to brave the witches’ brew and the condemnation of some of our citizens. This oftentimes happens when we are sincerely seeking in a constructive manner to help our community.

“We must also be prepared to be satisfied with knowing the only satisfaction that we may receive is the inner satisfaction of knowing that we did our best.”

In conclusion, Chairman Norman stated, “Ultimately, the true leader must be satisfied primarily with the approving voice heard only by himself or herself: ‘Well done, thy good and faithful servant.’”

In other business, the commission heard comments made by Rev. Elton Lawson concerning county-wide garbage collection and taxes.

He began by commending Commissioner Hawkes for his courage in voting against the garbage pick-up proposal.

The reverend then quoted I Corinthians 6:12, saying that while the decision made by the commission may be lawful, at the same time, it may not be expedient.

“I believe that instead of uniting this county, you’re dividing it. A sizable number of people have talked to me who are utterly opposed to this garbage proposal as we all understand it is written,” according to Lawson.

“I call on Chairman Norman and the county commission to stop this garbage proposal in its tracks and go into all of the communities to obtain public input on the proposal.

“I also call on the commission to get rid of certain onerous aspects of the proposal as I understand it, particularly the requirement that people pay for garbage pick-up service for the year all at one time. Some cannot afford to do this.”

Speaking on the issue of taxes, Rev. Lawson indicated that the property assessments of three elected officials and one former elected official did not increase this year while his went up 300 percent in 2002 and 20 percent this year. He accused Chairman Norman; Clerk of Court Bruce Beggs; Lee Moss, magistrate/probate judge; and former Sheriff Edwin Bentley of “ducking their moral obligation to share the pain with the rest of us.”

After time was called, Rev. Lawson continued to speak. Britt Hammond, county attorney and parliamentarian, asked him to be seated at least three times. He refused to do so and kept on talking.

Hammond then threatened Lawson with removal from the premises but was ignored. At this point, Chairman Norman banged the gavel and called an immediate recess.

During the recess, a hand-out containing tax assessment information on property owned by Lawson, Norman, and the other men listed above was distributed by Lawson to those present at the meeting. One of the items in the hand-out dealt with “tyranny of the press” and The Lincoln Journal’s refusal to run an advertisement submitted by Lawson.

Following the recess, Commissioner Hawkes issued a statement to those present, saying, “Although I disagree with county-wide garbage pick-up, I am a citizen of Lincoln County and a county commissioner. As these people have supported me with my vote against the proposal, I will pay for the collection service and support them. As adamantly as I feel like District 3 doesn’t need this, I will abide by the law and encourage everyone else to do the same.”

In conclusion, he said, “It took just as much courage for the commissioners to vote for the proposal as it took for me to vote against it.”

In his remarks, Chairman Norman stated, “My property assessment increased $16,000 which had nothing to do with the lot my wife purchased next door. That went up $2,000. Bruce Beggs’ assessment went up $60,000 two years ago.”

The chairman went on to say, “The assessment of property is totally out from under the control of the county commission. Our only responsibility is to appoint the five members of the board. After that, they are charged by law as to what they have to do, and they are following the law.”

In other comments, Norman said he was disappointed and angry that Rev. Lawson would single him out when his assessment went up $16,000 and Lawson’s increased $8,000.

The chairman then referred to the lack of order at the meeting, saying, “This kind of action will never take place again, and the sheriff will do something about it if it happens again. We will not run meetings like some governments in foreign countries. This has been completely and totally out of hand. I’m glad this will be on TV — go home and watch it.”

At this point, Rev. Lawson began speaking from the floor, and the Chairman Norman called him out of order.

In further business, the commission voted to enter into an inter-governmental agreement with Columbia, McDuffie, Warren, and Wilkes counties to form the Clark’s Hill Partnership of Georgia.

The goal of the regional partnership is for the five counties to work as one to promote economic development by encouraging industrial development and the creation of jobs, marketing attendant tourism and developing new tourist attractions, supporting recreational opportunities, expanding and upgrading infrastructure, and enhancing transportation services in each of the member counties.

The initiative is being spearheaded by State Senator Jim Whitehead.

Also during the meeting, the commission:

Heard the Office of Emergency Services (OES) Report given by Director Casey Broom who indicated that his staff responded to 101 calls for service during the month of August.

In other comments, the director said, “In July, we had 15 second and third-out calls which was an all-time high for us. We topped that in August, with second-out calls accounting for 18 percent of our call volume. In order to provide coverage for the county, we basically had to use volunteers and off-duty and on-call personnel.”

Heard the Water Department Report given by Director Roby Seymour who gave an update on the county’s initiative to extend water lines into the western end of the county.

“We sent out letters today to inform customers on Highway 378, Lewis Family Road, and Crook Road that the water in those lines is ready for consumption. The water on Mercier Road, Highway 220, Cartledge Road, Jones-Martin Road, and the Thomson Highway will be released next week, as soon as we get the bacterial test results back.”

In conclusion, the director noted that the county billed 1,254 water customers for a total of $37,042.15 in August.

Voted to hire Engineering Management, Inc. (EMI) to develop emergency operations, business, and water conservation/leak detection plans for the water department over the next three years at a cost of $12,700. The plans will address deficiencies noted by the Georgia EPD during a recent sanitary survey of the water system.

The EPD has mandated that the plans must be in place by 2008.

Heard the Public Works Report given by Director Seymour.

Concerning the road department, the director said the men have been doing a great deal of bush-hogging lately. “We have three bush-hogs running, and we’re heading up to the northern end of the county now.”

In a related item of business, Seymour explained that the county did not get much road scraping done in August because both of the motor graders had experienced mechanical difficulties and were out of commission.

However, the road crew has been doing a good bit of patching on Overlook Road, Trulock Road, Crook Road, Leathersville Road, and Plantation Point Road, he said.

Voted to proceed with obtaining a 100-foot right-of-way on Hester’s Ferry Road, a dirt road that runs from Graball Road to the new Stillwater Coves subdivision. The developers will build and pave the quarter-mile stretch of road at no cost to the county.

Voted to hire Mattison & Associates, Inc. to conduct a center-line survey for the purpose of obtaining a 70-foot right-of-way on Nethania Farm Road at a cost not to exceed $3,000. Currently, there are plans on the table to construct a subdivision at the end of the road, which is located in the Maxim Community. As is the case with Hester’s Ferry Road, the developers will cover the cost of building and paving the .75 miles of road.

Heard the Recreation Department Report given by Director Kathie Davis who indicated that soccer season is set to begin on Saturday, September 10, with 126 children registered to play. The regular games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

She went on to add that registration for football (flag and contact) and church league softball will begin Monday, September 26.

Voted to change the county’s recreational baseball program from Georgia Parks and Recreation to Little League. The move will save money as well as eliminate the need for coaches, players, and parents to travel up to four hours for a game. With Little League, the furthest away game will be in Athens.

The county’s cost to participate in the Little League program is $748 for the year.

Reviewed the Finance Department Report submitted by Director Beth Antonakos.

Head the Planning and Zoning Report given by Director Meg Burg who stated that during the month of August, her office issued 10 business licenses for a total of $530 and 37 building permits for a total of $2,750.85.

Regarding code enforcement activities, Burg indicated that as of August 31, there were 36 complaints on file; 11 of these were new. In addition, code enforcement officers conducted a total of 96 inspections last month. Included in this figure were visits to 22 manufactured homes to deliver delinquent tax citations.

In other items of business, Burg informed the commissioners that her office plans to grant preliminary plat approval next month for a new subdivision on Chamberlain’s Ferry Road.

In conclusion, the director encouraged local residents to visit the county’s web site at www.lincolncountyga.com. “Our webmaster, Rikki Remsen, has done an excellent job with the site, which is updated daily,” she said.

Heard the first reading of the Lincoln County Solid Waste Management Ordinance which outlines procedures for disposing of solid waste. The ordinance will be up for adoption at the commission’s regular October meeting. Those interested in viewing the ordinance may do at the commissioners’ office or by visiting the county’s web site.

Voted to name the dirt road above Stokes Road in the northern end of the county “Freeman-Starks Road.”

• Voted to sign a memorandum of agreement with the CSRA Regional Development Center (RDC) for the RDC to maintain the county’s GIS (Geographic Information Systems) tax property mapping web site at a cost of $1,200 for the year.

Voted to sign a cooperative agreement with the CSRA RDC for reimbursement for meals for the senior citizens program. Ninety percent of the cost of the meals is covered by federal funds, with the county responsible for the remaining 10 percent. The meals cost $4.44 each.

Voted to appoint Pat Crain to represent District 4 on the Lincoln County Library Board. She will fill the unexpired term of Bobby Joyce.

The next regular meeting of the board of commissioners will be held Thursday, October 6, at 7 p.m. in the courtroom at the Lincoln County Courthouse.