Commissioners Welcome New Staff Attorney

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — The Dawson County Board of Commissioners welcomed new staff attorney Monroe Lynn Frey III to the county at Thursday’s work session.

County Manager David Headley said Frey will be paid $85,000 a year to start and the salary could increase to $90,000 following a six-month probation period. Frey has expressed an interest in hiring a secretary or paralegal which could cost up to $50,000 annually.

Chip King of the Archer Company presented the results of a county employee classification and compensation study his company conducted. The study was first conducted in 2014 but only partially implemented.

The new study covered all 425 employees in 140 job classifications and compared the results to 10 north Georgia cities and counties.

Chairman Billy Thurmond noted that in the last six years, the county has lost more than 400 employees to the public sector or to neighboring cities or counties, costing taxpayers between $1 and $1.5 million.

King called called the county’s 100 percent turnover rate “unheard of.”
He recommended the county adopt and implement the plan to achieve internal equity and market place competitiveness.

David McKee provided a SPLOST VI update. The tax is expected to raise $46 million. The county’s share is 85 percent while the City of Dawsonville will receive 15 percent.

Thus far, the county has collected $9.1 million and spent $4.4 million.
Phase one projects completed include $2.3 million on road projects, $943,019 for a fire truck debt payoff and truck purchase and $707,590 for ambulance purchase.

Phase II projects planned include $5.7 million for road projects on Kelly Bridge, Tanner and Steve Tate, $1.5 million for design and build of the Public Works facility and $564,000 for sheriff’s vehicles.

Steve Fortmann, owner of Royston-based Palladin Wireless proposed a lease with Dawson County that would allow Palladin to place two antennas on the Courthouse in order to provide wireless internet service to customers who are either under served or experiencing unreliable and high cost internet service.
Palladin would pay the county $100 per month for the right to install the antennaes on the courthouse roof. The service would cost customers between $39.99 and $79.99 per month.

Emergency Services Director Lanier Swafford appeared before the board to request approval to partner with the Georgia Firefighter’s Burn Foundation, the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation and KARE for Kids to conduct “Boot Drive” fund raisers for each organization.

Swafford also requested approval to apply for the 2017 Georgia Trauma Commission Grant Program to assist local 911 zoned provider ambulance services to improve the level of trauma care they provide.