Beth Antonakos, finance director (l), and Commissioner Alcye Hawes received plaques of appreciation at the regular meeting of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners held Thursday, December 14. Both women are leaving the county after years of faithful service. Pictured with Antonakos and Hawes is County Commission Chairman Walker Norman. The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners honored Commissioner Alcye Hawes and Beth Antonakos, finance director, at the group’s regular meeting held Thursday, December 14.

Both women are leaving the service of the county.

In his comments on Dr. Hawes, Board Chairman Walker Norman said, “It has been a privilege to work with her for four of the eight years she has very ably served on the board. She did her homework and was here whenever we needed her. I admire her leadership, determination, and conviction.

“It’s not always easy to serve in a position where there is somebody who doesn’t like every decision you make. You have to have a genuine interest in moving the county in a better direction.”

Speaking directly to Commissioner Hawes, Chairman Norman said, “I wish you the very best in your retirement. I appreciate your friendship, guidance, and sometimes getting on to me. I appreciate you.”

Following Norman, each commissioner, in turn, expressed his gratitude for Hawes’ service to the county.

In his remarks to Dr. Hawes, Commissioner Larry Collins said, “It’s been a pleasure to serve with you. I really admire the fact that you speak your mind. You have all of Lincoln County at heart — I truly hate to see you go.”

Roxanne Ashmore, county clerk, then presented Dr. Hawes with a plaque of appreciation for “eight years of dedicated vision and leadership” as a member of the county commission.

“It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve Lincoln County and to serve on this board with these great gentlemen,” stated Commissioner Hawes. “I know I didn’t please everyone, but I made decisions for the good of everyone.

“I will miss my job as a commissioner,” she continued, “but I will still be in the county and plan to stay involved in the growth and development of the county. I love Lincoln County — I was born here and still have red mud between my toes.

“Thank-you for everything.”

The commissioners and the audience rewarded Dr. Hawes with a round of applause and a standing ovation.

After six years of service to the county, Beth Antonakos is leaving her job as finance director to work with Lee Builders, Inc. She is the first finance director in the history of the county.

She, too, was presented with a plaque of appreciation by Clerk Ashmore.

“We, as a board, want to publicly acknowledge what an excellent job you’ve done,” Norman told Antonakos. “We will miss you. Lincoln County’s loss is Lee Builders’ gain. You’ll just be a block up the street so we know where to get in touch with you.”

Addressing the board, Antonakos said, “It has been an honor to work with you. I’ve grown so much and want to thank you for the opportunities you have given me. I’ll be down the road cheering for you.”

The commissioners then individually thanked Antonakos for her service to the county.

She received a round of applause from those present.

In other business, the commission voted to purchase a house and approximately .72 acres of land on Perryman Avenue from Wayne Gibson at a cost of $165,000. The property, which was appraised at $185,000, will be used to house the Public Works and Planning and Zoning departments. The building that currently houses these two departments will become the tax assessor’s new office.

The purchase was necessary because space at the courthouse and other county buildings is “getting tighter and tighter,” according to Chairman Norman.

“I think this is temporary,” said Commissioner Collins. “We need space — storage space. I’d like to see the county ask UGA or a private firm to come in, evaluate our growth, and tell us what we will need 10 years down the road and how we can work toward getting it.”

In a related item of business, the commission also voted to purchase about 11 acres of land adjacent to the county’s soil pit off of Rowland-York Road at a cost of $20,000.

“We’ve just about used all of the useable soil in the soil pit,” said Norman. “If we don’t buy this land, I’ve been advised by the Public Works Department that we will have to go somewhere else to purchase dirt for roads, driveways, and so forth.”

The two pieces of land will be purchased using money in the county’s Fund Balance.

In his comments, Commissioner Alan Walker noted that the purchases were not made on the spur of the moment but were the result of a great deal of research and deliberation. “There is a need for these expenditures,” he said.

In further business, the commission:

Voted to forward a new contract to the City of Lincolnton calling for the county to provide dispatch services to the city at an annual cost of $30,000, a $10,000 increase over the amount stated in the previous contract which expired July 1, 2006.

The county budgeted for $30,000 in revenues from the city for FY 2007 and has sent two invoices to the city for this amount.

“I would like to talk with the mayor and council and work things out instead of arbitrarily sending them a bill,” said Commissioner Allen Walker.

It was decided that if the city will not approve the agreement, the commission will meet with the mayor and council and work to draft another contract.

Heard the Public Safety Department Report given by Director Ernie Doss who indicated that the EMS office responded to 68 calls for as- sistance during the month of November.

Concerning the E-911 center, the director said the center handled 4,158 calls (both incoming and outgoing) last month — 643 were emergency calls; 1,750 were non-emergency calls for the sheriff’s office; 192 were calls for the Lincolnton Police Department; and 97 were calls made on public safety administrative lines.

With 2,081 calls, the call volume was at its highest from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Doss noted that the center also monitored 6,575 radio calls, 1,956 calls for public safety and 4,619 for law enforcement.

In other items of information, the director informed the commission that the performance bond has been delivered to the clerk and the county now owns the 911 equipment.

Voted to adopt a clear text policy for all public safety communications. According to Director Doss, “Clear text means that all radio communications will be conducted in everyday language rather than in code. For example, instead of saying ‘90-M-7 is 10-76,’ ambulance personnel will say ‘90-M-7 is en route.’

“The main reason for this change is to ensure that when emergencies occur, all responders clearly understand one another,” he continued. “There are literally hundreds of code systems in use across the United States, and there are no national, regional, or state standards.”

The clear text policy, which will go into effect March 1, 2007, is part of the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 — Management of Domestic Incidents.

Heard the Public Works Department Report given by Superintendent Roby Seymour who said his department is continuing to study the intersection of Guillebeau and Wells Creek roads to make the area safer. His recommendations should be ready in time for the next commission meeting.

Regarding other departmental activities, he said, “We’re continuing to trim limbs on dirt roads. We’ve also done an extensive amount of patching on Leathersville Road.”

As for the Water Department, Seymour noted that 1,281 water customers were billed for $35,185.55 last month.

Heard the Recreation Department Report given by Director Kathie Davis who indicated that the soccer season ended on December 7 and the basketball season will begin on February 6, pending approval for the use of the gymnasium at LCES.

Concerning a document containing clarification of the responsibilities of the Recreation Department and Lincoln County Little League, the two groups, along with commission members, will meet in January to discuss the agreement which will be presented to the commission at a later date.

Reviewed the Finance Department Report given by Traci Bussey, the new finance director.

Heard the Planning and Zoning Department Report given by Director Meg Burg who said her office issued six business licenses last month for a total of $275.

Regarding code enforcement, the director reported that 22 building permits were issued in November for a total of $1,678.50; likewise, 86 building inspections were conducted last month.

In his comments, Chairman Norman commended the code enforcement office for collecting delinquent taxes on all but eight manufactured homes in the county. “You’ve done an excellent job,” he stated.

Voted to approve a zoning reversion on 6.53 acres on the Augusta Highway belonging to Royce Blackston. The property will revert from C-1 to A-2.

Voted to uphold the recommendation of the Planning Commission and deny a request for a variance to install a manufactured home on .63 acres of land in an R-1 zoning district. The property, which is located on Comanche Circle, belongs to George Taylor and Betty Cole.

During the public hearing phase of the meeting, three residents of Indian Cove spoke against the variance.

Taylor and Cole were not present.

“We have to do what is in the best interest of the county now and in the future,” said Chairman Norman. “These are tough decisions. I commend our Planning Commission.”

Voted to renew American Legion Post 597’s alcoholic beverage license.

Voted to issue a new alcoholic beverage license to Fishing Creek Bait & Tackle.

Voted to adopt the use of Wright Express Fuel Cards to improve accountability as regards county fuel purchases.

“It’s a two-part system,” explained Public Safety Director Doss. “It takes a card and a pin number to make it work. Every month, we will receive a report telling us how much fuel is used by each vehicle and by each pin number.”

County employees will begin using the fuel cards on March 1, 2007. There is no cost associated with the program.

Voted to amend the Hotel-Motel Tax Ordinance to bring it into compliance with Georgia DCA (Department of Community Affairs) regulations.

The changes are basically administrative, according to Britt Hammond, county attorney.

Voted to impose a 120-day moratorium on the issuance of business licenses for taxi cab services in the county.

According to Planning and Zoning Director Burg, “Taxi cabs are not addressed in the Code of Lincoln County, and it is the opinion of this department that such a business could have a direct effect on the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the county. We are requesting a moratorium to give us time to research the matter and implement changes to the county code to provide for the regulation and licensing of such businesses.”

Voted to institute a new retirement plan for county employees. The previous plan had not been modified since 1983.

Voted to release or reduce certain bonds held in connection with the Providence Ferry subdivision.

The next regular meeting of the commission will be held Thursday, January 11, at 5 p.m. in the courtroom at the Lincoln County Courthouse. The meeting was changed from 7 to 5 p.m. to make it possible for commission members to attend the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet.