Union County Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris convened the April County Commission Meeting on April 20, 2017 at 6 p.m. at the Blairsville Court House. Blairsville Mayor Jim Conley was present.

Following the Invocation by Pastor Bill Honaker and Pledge led by Bill Royce, Paris got right to business proclaiming May 4, 2017 as a Day of Prayer in Union County, Georgia, which coincides with the National Day of Prayer held the first Thursday in May each year. Paris was joined at the front of the room by Mayor Conley and several local Pastors. Mayor Conley thanked Mr. and Mrs. Morris for all their hard work in preparation for the Thursday, May 4 National Day of Prayer event. The Proclamation was signed by both Paris and Conley.

Blairsville Mayor Jim Conley (L), Union County Sole Commissioner Lamar Paris (R)

Paris proclaimed April, 2017 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Union County, Georgia. He said: “Children are the key to Union County’s future success, prosperity and quality of life. While children are our most valuable resource, they are also our most vulnerable resource”. He brought to everyone’s attention the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) display of 217 blue pinwheels on the south side of the Historic Court House lawn representing the number of children in our district that had to be removed from their homes because of neglect and abuse last year. Paris said child abuse can be prevented by supporting and strengthening families; by providing a safe and nurturing environment, free of violence, abuse and neglect, we can ensure that our children will grow to their full potential. This Proclamation was also signed by both Paris and Conley.

Paris proclaimed April 4, 2017 as National Service Recognition Day, encouraging Union County residents to recognize the positive impact of national service in our country, to thank those who serve and to find ways to give back to the community. He said service to others “is a hallmark of the American character”. AmeriCorp and Senior Corp participants serve in more than 50,000 locations across the country, he said; national service represents a unique public-private partnership that invests in community solutions and leverages non-federal resources.

Paris proclaimed April 21 & 22, 2017 to be (Lions International) White Cane Days. The Union County Lions Club has been outstanding in the community in helping the needy with sight (vision) problems. Every penny will give The Gift of Sight.

Paris proclaimed April 26, 2017 to be Confederate Memorial Day to honor, observe and celebrate the Confederate States of America. Smith’s Legion Chapter #2699 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, he said, was chartered in 2014 to carry out the organization’s purposes in Union County, which include honoring the memory of its Confederate ancestors and honoring the service of veterans of all wars as well as active duty military personnel. It has been the practice of Georgia Governors, he said, since 1984 to proclaim April 26 of each year as Confederate Memorial Day. Paris encouraged Union County residents to participate in activities under the leadership of Smith’s Legion Chapter #2699 that commemorate our shared history and cultural inheritance. He said that he and Mayor Conley had been working together to restore and old cemetery where it is thought that five Confederate soldiers are buried.

Paris proclaimed April 2017 in Union County as Sexual Assault Awareness Month “calling attention to the fact that sexual violence is widespread and impacts every person in our community. Child sexual abuse prevention must be a priority being as young people experience heightened rates of sexual violence”. The first step, he said, is increasing education, awareness and community involvement.

Paris proclaimed May 2017 as National Drug Court Month. He said treatment courts have served over 1.5 million individuals and are now recognized as most successful criminal justice intervention in our nation’s history. He said they save up to $13,000 for every individual they serve and an astounding 75 per cent of (treatment) court graduates are not rearrested. He said treatment courts demonstrate that when one person rises out of addiction, we all rise.

Paris expressed concern that, with the transition of defined benefit retirement plans over to defined contribution retirement plans, Union County employees, especially those in the lower ranks, are not putting enough money away for when they grow older. He said, “The County has a lot of valuable employees that, because of their training and ability, help keep our property taxes low. So I think it only fair to help benefit them as much as reasonably possible”. As an enticement to get Union County employees to save more money, Paris has instituted a positive change to the Union County retirement plan. He said the County has its retirement system set up with GEBCorp through the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG).  At this time, the County matches what an employee wants to save up to six percent. Paris said that out of 170 eligible, full-time employees, only 60 percent take advantage of this program. Paris wants to double that match up to three percent such that an employee only has to take out three percent to be able to save six percent of their pay. He said that it is imperative that County employees learn to save for their future. In their defense, he said, some of them have expenses that preclude saving anything. One other problem, he said, is that with the economy improving, it’s getting harder to attract and keep good employees and this might act also to bolster the attractiveness of working for Union County.

Union County Finance Director and CEO Laura Driskell

Laura Driskell, said Paris, has been hired as the new Finance Director and CEO of Union County; she is a native of Union County and was chosen out of 43 applicants. For the past three years she has been living in and working in Athens, GA as a lead auditor for the State of Georgia, auditing schools, colleges and universities. Driskell, he said, has a mathematics degree, an accounting degree and attained her CPA certification last year. In order for Driskell to perform the duties of her job, Paris approved Resolutions R-2017-07 authorizing her to have full access to all Union County accounts and R-2017-8 authorizing her to communicate with and have full administrative powers over Heartland Payroll. Paris offered Driskell a warm welcome back to Union County.

Paris approved three Agreements:

• Agreement between the Union County Sheriff’s Department and the USDA, Forest Service Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest for the FY 2017 Cooperative Law Enforcement Annual Operating Plan and Financial Plan. The USDA will reimburse Union County Sheriff’s Department no more than $2,640 for the patrol of various US Forest Service roads and properties.
• Agreement for Indigent Defense Services between the Public Defender Office of the Enotah Judicial Circuit and Union County, Lumpkin County, White County and Towns County. The cost to Union County is $88,649.16 for FY 2016-2017.
• Agreement between Futurity IT, Inc. and Union County for Orion Disaster Pre-Planning & Damage Assessment Solution Software. The cost of the Agreement is $2,625 for the first year. The Agreement will automatically renew each year for the amount of $1,875. In the event of a disaster, this software, said Paris, will facilitate assessing and reporting the way the federal government wants it, which will expedite reimbursements from the federal government.

With no further business to conduct, the Meeting adjourned.