Commissioner Chris Gaines

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – The Dawson County Board of Commissioners unanimously rejected a request to reclassify the Administrative Assistant position in Dawson County Emergency Services to Executive Secretary.

The Administrative Assistant is a 15-year employee and the sole support staff of the administrative team, responsible for processing of all personnel paperwork, approximately 110 positions, accounts payable, ongoing budget management, quality assurance for all fire and EMS reporting (over 3000 calls per year), state reporting of fire reports, customer service and front desk functions.

EMS Director Lanier Swafford

EMS Director Lanier Swafford said the position has performed the duties of two administrative positions since the other was frozen in 2010. Following the recently-completed wage and salary study, the administrative assistant appealed her pay grade and title to County Manager David Headley who indicated the position may have been wrongly classified. If approved, the change in grade would have cost taxpayers $7,577 annually, which the department indicated could be covered without increasing the budget.

But Commissioner Chris Gaines, who made the motion to deny, pointed the wage and salary study had come at significant cost and he felt the county should follow it’s recommendation.

By a 4-0 vote, Commissioners approved a request by Robert and Brittany Goss for a conditional use permit to allow a mobile home on property that is currently zoned Residential Agriculture (RA) on less than five acres.

Commissioners also approved a request by former Sheriff Billy Carlisle to amend a stipulation of zoning requiring a manufactured building he owns to be removed. The property is currently zoned Commercial Highway Business (CHB).

Headley received the board’s unanimous support for appointment to the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission for a one-year term.