BOC is updated on Phase II compliance at E-911 center

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners heard an update on efforts to make the E-911 center Phase II compliant at its regular monthly meeting held Thursday, September 13.

Phase II will make it possible for dispatchers to pinpoint the exact location of wireless 911 callers.

"There are two cell phone towers in the county, owned by two different wireless providers: Verizon and TMobile," said Ernie Doss, director of the Lincoln County Department of Public Safety. "We began live testing on August 13 and are now Phase II complaint for Verizon, which accounts for 81 percent of the cell phones in the county, and for those companies that have roaming agreements with Verizon. We hope to bring T-Mobile into compliance at some point within the next three months."

As of June 30, 2007, T-Mobile had 114 customers in Lincoln County, according to Doss.

"The newer cell phones have builtin GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers," explained the director. "When an individual makes a wireless 911 call, the dispatcher immediately receives the phone number and the location of the cell phone tower that handled the call. Approximately 30 seconds later, the dispatcher hits a re-transmit button and the caller's location appears on the 911 map."

In Phase I, the county acquired the ability to identify which cell phone tower transmitted the call.

"Now that we can pinpoint the location of wireless callers - those passing through our community or local residents who are unsure as to where they are - we will be able to get to them more quickly in the event of an emergency," said Director Doss. "This new technology will save time and lives."

He went on to state that as of June, 2007, there appeared to be more cell phones in the county than phones connected to land lines.

In further comments, Doss said, "We are one of the few rural counties in Georgia that are Phase II complaint. McDuffie is Phase I complaint, while Wilkes and Taliaferro do not have any wireless capabilities."

In other business, the commissioners held a moment of silence in memory of D.T. Danner, who passed away Wednesday, September 12, following a lengthy illness.

Mr. Danner served as the tax commissioner for Lincoln County for over 30 years.

Also during the meeting, the commission:

.. Voted to approve a resolution providing for the levy and collection of an annual ad valorem tax to provide funds for the payment of the principle of and interest on $9,525,000 in general obligation bonds, issued recently by the Lincoln County Board of Education for the construction of a new school.

According to Rob Leverett, attorney for the board of education, "This is a contingent issue. SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) should be more than adequate to cover the bond debt. The resolution is something that is required by bond attorneys. Also, it helps the school system get a better interest rate."

Walker Norman, commission chairman, added, "We are not levying tax. This just gives the board of education the right to ask us to put the levy on the tax bill."

.. Heard the Department of Public Safety Report given by Director Doss, who indicated that the ambulance and fire/rescue services responded to 113 calls for emergency assistance during the month of August. The call volume was down 13 calls when compared to August of 2006.

Concerning the E-911 center, operators handled 948 emergency calls last month, monitored 6,876 radio transmissions, and dispatched a total of 581 public safety, law enforcement, and fire calls.

.. Heard the Public Works Department Report given by Director Roby Seymour, who said his office billed 1,302 water customers and 315 "availability" customers for a total of $55,036.57.

Regarding roads, the director reported that his staff has been busy bush-hogging, grading, hauling soil and crush-and-run, patching pot holes, setting up the base for paving Global Drive, and working on the intersection of Guillebeau Road and Wells Creek Road.

In a related item of information, Director Seymour indicated that he and Chairman Norman had recently met with Harold Linnenkohl, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT). As a result of that meeting, the DOT has agreed to give the county $143,798.89 in state funds to resurface Double Branches Road from the Augusta Highway to Highway 220 at Tankersley's Store, a total of 2.19 miles.

The DOT monies represent approximately 60 percent of the cost of repaving the road. The county will use SPLOST funds to cover its share of the project.

The commission then voted to authorize Chairman Norman to sign a contract accepting the funds from the DOT.

It is anticipated that the road will be paved this fall.

.. Voted to approve a contract with the DOT for the striping or re-striping of county roads. The county's share of the project amounts to $10,132, half of what a regular contractor would charge.

"This is the first time Lincoln County has ever participated in a striping program," noted Chairman Norman. "This is something we need to do because it's getting to where we can't see the lines on some roads. We're hoping to start re-striping from 15 to 20 miles of county roads each year."

The cost is $200 per mile per stripe.

The following county roads will be striped or re-striped in the near future: Leathersville Road; Amity- Woodlawn Road; Double Branches Road, from Tankersley's Store to Bussey Point; Chamberlain's Ferry Road; Bethany Church Road; Prater Road; and Metasville Road.

In all, approximately 40 to 45 miles of roadway will be striped.

.. Voted to pave 600 feet of Thomas Lane Post Road using SPLOST monies. Although the project cost is set at $16,000, if the county can obtain 200 tons of asphalt from the DOT, the bottom line will change significantly.

"This will take the church and the American Legion post off of a gravel road and put them on a paved road," said Chairman Norman.

.. Reviewed the Recreation Department Report submitted by Director Kathie Davis, who indicated that adult co-ed softball ended August 27, and soccer began last week (the week of September 10-15), with 136 children participating. The games are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday nights. The season is expected to end October 22.

In other items of business, Davis said that the United States Army Corps of Engineers has declared Eddie Fletcher Park a designated swimming area. "This will now allow the DNR (Georgia Department of Natural Resources) to restrict boats from entering the beach area, which will make it a safer place for swimmers."

The DNR will likewise provide the necessary bouys to prevent boaters from entering the swimming area.

.. Heard the Finance Department Report given by Director Traci Bussey.

.. Heard the Planning and Zoning Department Report given by Director Meg Burg, who indicated that her office issued 11 business licenses during the month of August for a total of $487. The county also recieved a total of $4,000 in revenues for various zoning requests (rezoning, plat approval, etc.).

Regarding code enforcement, 71 building permits were issued last month for a total of $3,755. In addition, 145 building inspections were conducted and 55 manufactured housing decal citations were issued.

At this point in the meeting, Director Burg summarized where the county stands concerning unpaid manufactured housing decals for 2007. The summary appears below:

103 citations were issued. 96 citations were served. 49 individuals paid a total of $19,013.37 in back taxes.

43 local residents are scheduled to appear in court on September 27.

One name was removed from the list (homestead exemption).

One individual failed to appear in court on August 30, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Chairman Norman commended the code enforcement officers for their efforts in this regard.

.. Voted to approve the final plat determination for Phase I of the Oak Hill subdivision, located on 50.32 acres of land on Maxim Road. When complete, the seven-lot subdivision will encompass 201.06 acres. The area is being developed by Price McWhorter.

.. Voted to grant a plat approval variance for a 4.7-acre parcel of land on the Augusta Highway belonging to Ficklen Guin.

Approval was given with the following condition: a building permit for a site-built home must be obtained within one year or said variance shall terminate automatically unless application for an extension of the variance is made to the Planning Commission.

.. Voted to rezone 75 acres of land on Ben Lane, off of Chamberlain's Ferry Road, from A-2 to R-1 to accommodate a major subdivision. Developed by Richard Brown, River Birch Plantation will feature 50 lots.

.. Voted to grant preliminary plat approval to The Retreat at Lake Thurmond, LLC for a 77.75-acre Planned Unit Development (PUD), which will located off of the McCormick Highway. The application for plat approval for the 151-lot subdivision was made by Brad Moore, Chris Hardy, Randy Tyson, and Jeff Milliken.

The motion also included the following variances:

(1) The cul-de-sac length will measure 1,400 feet instead of the maximum 1,200 feet.

(2) The development will feature a side set-back variance of five feet instead of 10 feet for water and sewer lines.

Approval was granted subject to the final approval of a signed infrastructure agreement for sewage and water between the City of Lincolnton and the board of commissioners.

.. Voted to amend the Lincoln County Official Zoning Map to designate Lisbon Road as an entrance/ lake corridor. There is no development on this road at the present time.

.. Voted to release a $270,000 bond to the Energy Conversion Corporation of Anderson, South Carolina, for underground power at Providence Ferry, a 300-lot subdivision currently under development on Walter M. Remsen, Sr. Drive, off of Highway 79.

.. Voted to approve a contract with the DOT for operation of the county's transit system for FY 2008. The county's share of the program's $56,121 budget is $28,060.

.. Voted to renew Blue Cross Blue Shield as the county's employee health insurance carrier, at an increase of eight percent. In addition, the General Fund Budget was amended, with the understanding that the county will pay half of the $35.18 a month increase for each employee ($474.92 annually). Based on 59 employees, the total cost to the county comes to $12,242.

"Healthcare costs increase every year - there's no way to curtail it," said Commissioner Larry Collins. "An eight-percent increase for Lincoln County is not out of line with the way things are elsewhere in the country."

The next regular meeting of the board of commissioners will be held Thursday, October 11, at 5:30 p.m. in the courtroom at the Lincoln County Courthouse.