Henry County Update - Newsletter

July 09, 2015

Board of

Commissioners

Henry County’s National Night Out To Be Held On August 4

Regular Meetings July 21st at 6:30 PM August 4th at 9:00 AM Meetings held at: Administration Building Community Room 140 Henry Parkway McDonough, GA 30253 Regular Commission meetings will air Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays on Henry TV Channel 180 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, at 9 a.m. & 7 p.m.

Last year’s National Night Out featured food, fun and entertainment

Henry County will be celebrating National Night Out on August 4, 2015 from 5:30 pm-8:30 pm in the Target parking lot on Jonesboro Rd in McDonough. Sponsored

by Office Depot, the event will feature free food and drinks, live music and a variety of festival activities, booth displays and law enforcement demonstrations. It is also an opportunity to speak with local police and community leaders.

National Night Out is a campaign that promotes community camaraderie

and strong police-community partnerships in order to build safer neighborhoods across the nation. The locally organized events provide a positive opportunity for community members to engage and interact with law enforcement.

National Night Out was initiated by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) in 1984. NATW is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of crime prevention in communities across the Continued on page 3

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July 9, 2015 Published by Henry County Communications Department The Henry County Board of Commissioners

Editor Melissa Robinson

Graphic Designer Meredith Butler

Contributors Samantha Watson Melissa Robinson Kevin Williams

County Approves Limits to Pawn Shops

At the July 7, 2015 Commission meeting the Henry County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance proposed by the Planning and Zoning Department that implements new supplemental standards for pawn shops in the County, limiting the number allowed in unincorporated Henry County.

The ordinance states that pawn shops are permissible in the general commercial, the highway commercial, and the interchange activity center zoning districts. It stipulates that for every 21,182 citizens one pawn shop license will be permitted. Population estimates will be based off of the latest publication by the Atlanta Regional Commission. Pawn shops are also no longer allowed to operate within 1,000 feet of a similar business.

The Henry County Business License Department will enforce the new standards in accordance with the Licenses and Taxation requirements in the Henry County Code of Ordinances.

For more information please visit the website at www.henrycounty-ga.org/planningzoning.

Henry County Board of Commissioners Approves Building and Plan Review Permit Fee Amendments

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved the Building and Plan Review Department’s permit fee adjustment schedule at the June 16 Commission meeting.

The approved fee changes were presented by Building and Plan Review Director George Patterson, and affect two permit fees and one inspection fee. The residential land disturbance permit fee has risen from $50.00 to $75.00, the business license inspection fee for new businesses increased to $100.00, and the cell phone tower permit fee has increased to $500.00. Fees for mobile and manufactured homes did not change.

“From July 1 of last year to May 31 we had 250 business licenses, 67 cell towers, and 1,030 residential henrycounty-ga.org

land disturbance fee payments. Based on these numbers the proposed increases will generate roughly $136,550.00 that will help the department in the future,” said Patterson.

All fee increases were proposed in an effort to support the increase in operational expenses of the Building and Plan Review Department. The increases will generate additional revenue from builders, not citizens, for expansion of the department, training for personnel and purchasing of department vehicles.

For more information on permit fees and the new amendments please visit Henry County’s website at www.henrycounty-ga.org.

NNO from page 1 nation. The association is comprised of law enforcement agencies, neighborhood watch groups, civic groups, state and regional crime prevention associations and concerned citizens.

For more information regarding Henry County’s National Night Out please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org.

For more information on NATW please visit www.natw.org.

Commissioner Bruce Holmes To Host Town Hall Meeting Focus on Education in Henry County

District V Commissioner Bruce Holmes will hold his monthly Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 9 a.m. at Floyd Chapel Baptist Church in Stockbridge. This month’s meeting will feature a discussion on education and the public school system in Henry County. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about initiatives and developments in the Henry County School system and ask questions of local education experts.

Special guest speakers include Toni Holmes, Henry County Chamber of Commerce Board Member,

Education Chair & Chair of The Get GA Reading Campaign, along with Rodney Bowler, Superintendent of Henry County Schools, and Henry County School Board members Dr. Donna McBride and Annette Edwards, representing Districts IV and V respectively.

The Town Hall Meeting is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. Floyd Chapel Baptist Church is located at 104 1st Street, Stockbridge, GA 30281.

Henry County Annual Tomato Tasting To Be Held on July 16

The UGA Henry County Extension office will hold their annual tomato tasting event at the Henry County Farmers Market located in the Jason T. Harper Event Center on July 16, 2015 from 10am to 2pm.

Participants will enjoy free tomatoes and vote for the best tasting tomato for 2015.

For more information contact the UGA Henry County Extension office at (770) 288-8421.

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July 9, 2015

Free Damage Assessment Training Class Offered by Henry County EMA

The Henry County Emergency Management Agency and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency will host two free Damage Assessment Training sessions on July 21, 2015 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Henry County Emergency Operations Center.

Damage assessment is one of the most important elements of the Henry County EMA response to an emergency or disaster. It allows teams to determine what happened, what areas were hardest hit, where priority must be given and what type of assistance is needed.

• • •

Date: July 21, 2015 Times: 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Place: Henry County Emergency Operations Center, 526 Industrial Boulevard McDonough, GA 30253

Upon completion of the training session, participants will be able to:

• • •

Define the purpose of damage assessment Define basic terms related to damage assessment List critical infrastructure in a community

This training will provide attendees with the knowledge to assist Henry County Emergency Management Agency with assessing damages in their community.

Those interested in attending this free training should contact Shelita Broomfield at sbroomfield@ co.henry.ga.us by July 10th to reserve a seat in either of the two sessions.

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 henrycounty-ga.org

Commissioners Express Continued Support for Southern Crescent Henry County Campus

The Henry County Board of Commissioners formally expressed their support through official resolution for the Southern Crescent Technical College’s Henry County Campus, and the construction of the second building of a proposed eight-building campus. The action came at the July 7, 2015 regular Commission meeting.

It was last July that officials with Southern Crescent Technical College celebrated with a ribboncutting ceremony to open its brand new Henry County Center, located adjacent to Henry County High School on Lakemont Dr. in McDonough.

The Henry County Board of Commissioners has dedicated $5 million to the SCTC’s Henry County campus through the SPLOST IV initiative, approved by voter referendum in November 2013. Those funds are expected to become available in 2017.

Currently, the Henry County campus consists of 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 offers 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.

Interim County Manager Cheri HobsonMatthews presented the resolution, along with Henry County Chamber of Commerce President David Gill, Board of Directors Chair, June Wood and several members of the Chamber. Matthews noted that as the county’s population grows, the need for post-secondary institutions such as this grows as well.

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Walter Reeves to Visit Henry County Farmers Market on July 23

Garden expert, writer and radio and television host Walter Reeves will be at the Henry County Farmers Market in Heritage Park for a meet and greet on July 23, 2015 from 10:30am to 1:00pm. Community members are encouraged to bring their gardening and lawn care questions for Reeves to answer.

Reeves is a Georgia native from Fayette County.

As the most respected garden guru in the Southeast he has authored nine gardening books, hosted a lawn and garden podcast on WSB radio, written a weekly column for the Thursday publication of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and hosted a gardening show on Georgia Public Television.

A strong supporter of the 4-H and Cooperative Extension organization in Georgia, Reeves has been a

4-H camp counselor, 4-H adult leader and is a member of the Master 4-H club.

For more information on the Henry County Farmers Market, please visit the County website at www.henrycounty-ga.org.

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July 9, 2015 Support for Southern Crescent from page 5

“With a population of 215,000, Henry County has a significant need for the technical skills developed at this facility,” said Matthews.

Matthews added that the timing of the resolution is significant because in August, the Technical Facilities Committee of SCTC will be meeting to determine priorities for the coming fiscal year, and the Chamber

wants to appear before that committee and make them aware that the Henry County Campus is still a priority for the County.

For more information on Southern Crescent Technical College, visit www.sctech.edu.

Ribbon cutting for Southern Crescent Technical College’s Henry County Center in July 2014

Juvenile Court Receives Grant for Continuation of Programs

The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved acceptance of a grant on behalf of the Henry County Juvenile Court in the amount $173,678 from the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, to be used for the continuation of two programs operated by the court.

There is no match required and the funds will be used to continue Aggression Replacement Training and the Functional Family Therapy programs, which are designed to strengthen and assist families in staying intact and reducing the number of children removed from their families as a result of crimenogenic factors.

This is the third year that Juvenile Court has received this grant award. henrycounty-ga.org

For more information on Henry County’s Juvenile Court, please visit www.henrycounty-ga.org/juvenilecourt.

District V Safety and Protection Night June 30, 2015

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