Henry County 411 Newsletter with Chair Carlotta Harrell

HENRYCOUNTY411

2nd QUARTER 2022

WITH CHAIR CARLOTTA HARRELL

charrell@ co.henry.ga.us henrycounty-ga.com/ chair

STATE OF THE COUNTY AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Sponsors and partners of Henry County Government filled Club One of Atlanta Motor Speedway on the morning of May 25 as Commission Chairwoman Carlotta Harrell delivered the annual State of the County address.

Hosted by Council for Quality Growth, Harrell began her State of the County address with a moment of silence in the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas and the loss of one of the county’s own public safety officers.

She went on to commend and honor several partners and individuals for their efforts toward helping the community during the COVID pandemic by handing out Henry Hero awards. She recognized the diligent work of the staff at Piedmont Henry Hospital who cared for a record number

LEADERSHIP HENRY GRADUATION On June 8th, I graduated as a member of Leadership Henry Class of 2022. I’ve had the opportunity to meet amazing leaders. One of the most rewarding moments of the last 9 months was the compassion and caring heart of our class. Our class provided blankets and hygiene items to over 200 persons in need during the fall and created a library with over 400 books for the Boys and Girls Club during the Spring. “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.”

I’m proud to be a part of the 2022 Leadership Henry Class. BEST CLASS EVER!!!!

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JULY 2022

STATE OF THE COUNTY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

of patients during the pandemic. She also recognized the work of Henry County School employees and selected Executive Director of School Nutrition Kantrell Brown as a Henry Hero. Harrell highlighted the work of Henry County’s public safety teams and honored Diane Dane with the HCPD’s Internal Affairs Unit and Lt. Benjamin Leverett with the HCFD. She also recognized the work of county employees Hutch Purvis and his Facilities Maintenance team, and Risk Management Director Holly LaFontaine. Two organizations honored for their outstanding effort to help the community throughout the pandemic were the Atlanta Motor Speedway and Grace Baptist Church.

Harrell presented the Henry Hero Awards to those individuals who exemplified excellence in service to the Henry County community.

She also highlighted several accomplishments and credited the collaboration between the County, the four cities, GDOT, the hospital and school system, as well as civic organizations and the business community “While there is so much to celebrate, we still have great challenges ahead,” the Chairwoman concluded. She called for the necessity of bringing high speed internet to all residents of Henry County, continuing to build the county’s infrastructure and making workforce housing a priority.

In honor of the late Commissioner Gary Barham, Harrell introduced the Gary Barham Leadership Award. County Manager Cheri Hobson-Matthews was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the award for her exemplary leadership.

Members of the Barham family were in attendance for the presentation.

County Cuts Ribbon on Senior Fitness Center

Henry County Seniors at Heritage Senior Center now have a new option of fitness as Henry County hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony opening the new facility.

The $1 million-dollar project was made possible using SPLOST V funds.

The new fitness addition consists of approximately 3,600 square feet and boasts 25 separate fitness stations including 4 water resistance stations specifically designed for low impact use by seniors, cardio machines and a complete weight set. Encircling the equipment area, is a 7 plus foot wide walking track featuring resistant sports flooring. The fitness center will always be monitored by an attendant while open for use.

Based in District III, the project was initiated by the late Commissioner Gary Barham.

District III Commissioner Dee Anglyn thanked Barham for his foresight and all parties involved with the development of the project, particularly the residents of Henry County.

“I would like to thank Commissioner Barham for having the foresight to jumpstart this project. Thank you to the employees, contractors, and taxpayers of Henry County for making this possible,” said Anglyn.

Chairwoman Carlotta Harrell was also in attendance along with County leadership and staff.

Heritage Senior Center is located at 1050 Florence McGarity Rd in McDonough.

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JULY 2022

Over 200 Attend Career Fair

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Over 200 job seekers gathered in their business attire to connect with potential employers. Hosted by Henry County, the Career Fair made up of 30 county departments along with Atlanta Motor Speedway.

With over 100 vacant positions, the fair offered job seekers from all interests and

backgrounds opportunities.

Many spoke with county leadership and staff, a handful participated in on-site interviews and some were even hired on the spot, contingent on a background check and drug screening.

To view current job openings, please visit henryjobs.com.

BOC Approve FY2023 Operating Budget The Henry County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the proposed 2023 Fiscal Year Budget at the May 17 regular commission meeting. The vote to approve followed a public hearing, which was the second public hearing held on the FY2023 Budget.

Financial Services Director David Smith made the presentation to the Board detailing the analysis and breakdown of the budget. The FY2023 General Fund budget is $216,907,158, up $27.3M from the FY22 General Fund budget of $189,644,918. The increase is largely due to the county’s tax digest growth estimated at 13.38 percent. In the presentation, Smith cited the revenues and expenditures for the coming fiscal year and said the budget is based on the current millage rate of 12.733.

He also explained that the budget process began in December with forecasting, followed by leadership and department head meetings, community input, as well as meetings with Commissioners to outline priorities.

Public Safety continues to remain a priority in Henry County as 53.1 percent or $115.2 million of the budget is dedicated to Henry County’s public safety agencies.

Ma jor items funded in the budget include 10 new police officers, ten new firefighters/ paramedics, additional personnel for the Judicial cluster, funding increases to the

Henry County libraries to restore Saturday hours, as well as the addition of a Certified Outreach Librarian.

Other determining factors in constructing the budget include investments in competitive compensation. Henry County employees will receive an additional 2 percent pay increase for FY23 and maintaining employee benefits without passing additional cost to the employees but continuing the same level of service.

The Budget Fund is divided into four sectors including the General Fund, which accounts for daily operations of the County and primarily funded by local property tax and sales taxes. Other funds that make up the budget include a Special Revenue Fund for awards and grants such as the CARES funds, Capital Projects Fund and Debt Service Fund.

The Board approves an annual operating budget that reflects the community’s needs and addresses the issues that our residents come to us with, funding county services such as public safety, the judicial system, parks and recreation, public works, road maintenance, human resources, senior services and many others.

The new fiscal year began on July 1.

For more information, to view the budget or to view the meeting in its entirety, please visit co.henry.ga.us/watchTV or log on to the Henry County Facebook page.

BOC Sets Millage Rate The Henry County Board of Commissioners Tuesday held its third of three public hearings on the Fiscal Year 2023 millage rate. Following the hearing, the Board voted 5-1 to leave the millage rate unchanged at 12.733 for a sixth consecutive year.

While the County’s tax revenue is projected to rise, this owes to rising property

valuations caused mostly by inflationary growth in the economy rather than any action taken by the government. And the ma jority or this burden will be felt by commercial property owners, who are not eligible for the county’s homestead exemption on their businesses.

As District 3 Commissioner Dee Anglyn pointed out, “Make sure you have your Continued on page 12

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Henry County Library System receives $900,000 in a State Grant for the Renovation of the McDonough Library As part of the 2023 budget, Governor Brian Kemp secured a $900,000 state grant for the renovation of the McDonough Library.

Library Director Kathy Pillatzki began the process in 2020, with the support of the late Henry County Commissioner Gary Barham. The funds are allocated as a Capital Outlay allocation from the Legislature, via Georgia Public Library Service. Commissioner Barham was instrumental in getting $100,000 included in the SPLOSTV project list to meet the local commitment.

“The McDonough Library serves as the Headquarters library for Henry County,” stated Pillatzki.

“It was completed in 2001, and in a typical year the building sees 75,000 visitors who use library resources and services to meet their personal, professional, and civic engagement needs.”

While the traditional mission and values of public libraries remain unchanged, usage patterns and community expectations have evolved over the past 20 years. The physical library is increasingly in demand as a community gathering space for classes, public meetings, civic engagement opportunities, polling locations, job fairs, and other educational and economic development activities.

Support from Senator Emanuel Jones was vital in bringing this project to the attention of the Senate Budget Committee. During the House budget

negotiations, support came from Representatives Clint Crowe, Demetrius Douglas, El-Madhi Holly, and Dr. Karen Mathiak. The readiness of Henry County SPLOST combined with bipartisan support from the Henry legislative delegation were essential to the project’s inclusion in the final FY23 state budget.

A timeline for the project will be forthcoming.

Henry County Launches Nurse Navigation Line to Provide Healthcare for Non-Emergency 911 Calls Henry County launched an innovative new program this month to assist those who call E-911 to obtain appropriate care for their medical issue and to curtail non-emergency 911 calls that in the past have bogged down the system for true emergencies.

The Henry County Nurse Navigator Program was spearheaded by Henry County Fire Chief Jonathan Burnette to address the growing issue of non-emergency calls to E-911 and unnecessary transports to the local emergency room for non-emergency situations.

The Henry County Nurse Navigation program provides residents with customized care options to meet the specific medical needs of callers who have non-emergent injuries or illnesses. The goal is to make it easier for residents to find a healthcare option that meets their specific needs while reducing the need to go to the emergency room. The initiative came to fruition during the height of the pandemic where Henry County 911 and first responders were being dispatched for non-emergency calls such as transportation for COVID testing, or transportation to a doctor’s office of the emergency room from for non-emergency illnesses. The local hospital emergency room was also being overwhelmed with patients who could have been treated outside of the hospital.

The new initiative allows Henry County’s trained E-911 dispatchers to quickly triage callers and will then either dispatch emergency services or transfer the caller to a trained and experienced nurse who

will help them assess the best course of treatment. This program will improve access to non-emergent healthcare, improve patient experience, and decrease ambulance response times and hospital wait times across Henry County.

If a caller’s medical complaint is nonlife-threatening, he or she will be routed to a licensed nurse for assessment. The nurse will assess the caller’s symptoms and identify their care needs. Care needs could include a virtual visit with a doctor or a referral to an alternate destination to assist in decreasing ER saturation. The nurse will also have access to available healthcare providers in the community and will have the ability to book an appointment.

“We are much more than just a fire department with the services we provide to the community,” said Fire Chief Jonathan Burnette. “This additional service will provide a more appropriate level of care for low acuity type events, thereby reserving ambulances for higher acuity calls.”

“Our dispatchers are the first link to the community in their time of need. It is our job to allocate the most appropriate resources to fulfill that need. This program will provide us another option to accomplish that,” said E911 Director Tamika Kendrick.

The Henry county Board of commissioners approved funding for the Nurse Navigation Program late last year seeing the need for additional healthcare options for residents and in order to keep emergency responders free to respond to true life or death emergencies.

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Florence Martin Celebrates 107th Birthday I had the privilege of wishing Ms. Florence Martin a Happy 107th Birthday last week. A lifelong Henry County resident, served the community as a seamstress for many years and is the oldest living member of the Hampton United Methodist Church.

She is the mother of three; David, Betty and Peggy, she also has several grandchildren and great grands. Ms. Florence loves the Atlanta Braves and she is full of life. Happy Birthday Ms. Florence Martin

Henry County Government · MOU with HANDLE WITH CARE A collaborative effort to assist children struggling with exposure to traumatic and problematic experiences is underway in Henry County as a Memorandum of Understanding to launch the Handle with Care Program was signed into action by Commission Chair Carlotta Harrell and School Board Chair Holly Cobb on June 21.

A partnership between Henry County Government, Henry County Public Schools, Raise Me Up Foundation and Henry County Public Safety including Police, Fire and EMA, the initiative aims to alert schools before a child returns to school that the child has been involved in a traumatic experience and aims to assist children in coping with the experience.

According to the National Institute of Justice, Childhood exposure to violence and trauma, without the proper support, is

often associated with an increased risk of poor outcomes in emotional, behavioral and physical health over their life span. Children exposed to violence and trauma are also at a higher risk of poor school related outcomes.

A local 501(c)3 non-profit, The Raise Me Up Foundation, introduced and sponsored the launch of the program, which is one of the first in the state of Georgia.

Commissioners, School Board Members, County leadership, Raise Me Up Foundation Board Members and Public Safety Officials were all present for the signing ceremony.

For more information on the Raise Me Up Foundation, visit raisemeupfoundation. org.

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$15 million secured in ERAP FUNDS

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Chair Carlotta Harrell in partnership Christopher Nunn, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, were instrumental in Henry County receiving an additional $15 million in Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) funds, to help residents stay in their homes and keep the utilities on if they were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Henry County was successful in dispersing funds from the first round of

ERAP to help renters and landlords in need, and through Harrell and Nunn’s efforts, the commissioners advocated for the reallocation of funds that other counties didn’t spend to be moved to Henry County for residents in need.

“Collaboration is the key when working with other agencies, and I am so thankful for Commissioner Nunn’s partnership and the great work done by Henry County staff in allocating these funds to help those who need them most,” said Harrell.

MILLAGE RATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 homestead exemption.”

This is because Henry is one of just 13 counties in Georgia with what’s known as a frozen homestead exemption.

Under the provision, the assessed value of your home – as used by the County to determine your taxes – is pegged to the year prior to when a resident applies to homestead their property.

District 1 Commissioner Johnny Wilson underscored the impact the frozen provision has had on his annual bills.

“From 2017 to the current assessment, my County tax went up $15,” Wilson said. “Look at the amount of services that have been provided in that time, and it costs me $3 a year.”

The government plans to use its revenue increase to hire ten new police officers as well as ten new firefighters

and paramedics. Importantly, dollars are also being set aside in the event of an economic downturn.

“In 2008, [during the Recession], the County increased the millage rate and furloughed employees,” said Financial Services Director David Smith. “In this budget, with savings in the fund balance, it allows us to not furlough employees for at least three years should revenues fall.”

Notably, the public hearing and subsequent vote pertained exclusively to the County portion of local property taxes. This amounts to 37 percent of the total millage rate, with another 5 percent going to the water authority and the remaining 58 percent going to the school system. The Henry County School Board approved a renewal of its assessed millage rate earlier this month.

BOC Approve Resolution Dedicating Field to Summer Lee Henry County Commissioners passed a resolution at the April 19 Commission meeting to name Field One at Warren Holder Park “The Summer Lee Field” in memory and honor of Summer Lee. Spending her entire life on the ball fields of Warren Holder Park, Summer enjoyed playing sports, umpiring, and helping in the concession stand. As a type 1 Diabetes survivor, she created the “Always Summer Time Foundation” to raise money and awareness for juvenile diabetes. She also assisted with various fundraisers in the community.

Summer tragically passed away in 2016. Summer’s mother Kimberly Lee said she is honored that a field in the park where her family has been a part of for decades

will be named in her daughter’s honor.

“Warren Holder Park has been a part of our family since I was a child. It is an honor and I know Summer would be honored also.”

Family and friends of Summer Lee attended the Commission meeting for the announcement.

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JULY 2022

TSPLOST will Utilize $155 Million for Major Road Projects in the County

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As consumers in Henry County see that extra penny in sales tax, remember that the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) approved by voters this past November began collections earlier this month.

The one percent sales tax is expected to generate $245 million over the next five years, with all of the funding dedicated to transportation projects throughout the county and the four cities.

The county will receive $165 million, with the remainder split among cities, and Henry County will spend $155 million of its share on ma jor road projects. Those ma jor projects include: • Fairview Road Widening • RFQ proposals have been received and are currently in review • Bill Gardner Parkway widening • Surveying of project is currently in progress. Survey letters were sent out on June 10, 2022 • State Route 81 widening • Final plans are currently in progress.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, a

Property Owner’s Meeting was held to show property owner’s the latest proposed plans. ROW acquisition to begin Spring 2023 • Mill Road widening • Final plans are currently in progress • Jonesboro Road widening • Surveying of project is currently in progress. Survey letters were sent out on June 14, 2022. Concept Plans in progress • McDonough Parkway Extension • Plans and Right-of-Way acquisition complete. Currently waiting on GDOT permit. Once the permit is received, we will proceed with bidding the project for construction • Rock Quarry Road widening • Right-of Way acquisition is currently 80% complete and is scheduled to be completed in August 2022. Project Let Date for construction is February 2023 For more information on SPLOST and TSPLOST, please visit HenryTSPLOST. com.

Quaker State 400 at AMS Chair Harrell was enjoying a beautiful day at the Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR event on July ran into Julio Jones and some other friends. Thanks Brandon Hutchinson for the invite.

NAVIGATION LINE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 County Manager Cheri HobsonMatthews and the Henry County Board of Commissioners were instrumental in support of this new service to the community. Henry County Fire Rescue would like to express gratitude for their leadership, commitment, and support to the Nurse Navigator Program.

The Nurse Navigator Program will

allow Henry County Fire Rescue to allocate resources more efficiently and focus on promptly providing appropriate high-quality patient care, which will improve patients’ overall experiences and outcomes. Nurse Navigator Program is a service provided through Global Medical Response.

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The Henry County Trails Plan was a recommendation from the previous (2016) Transportation Plan. The intent of this planning process will be to establish an overall framework for a countywide trail network. Certain high priority projects will be identified for a more detailed analysis. These “Model Miles” will establish a preferred alignment, assess environmental hurdles and risks, a create

a typical section. Once complete they will be ready for grant funding with an eye toward rapid implementation. In addition, the plan will create a recognizable branding for the trail network that will be used for signage along the trails as on the internet.

For more information please visit https://planningatpond.com/Henry-TrailsPlan.

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