Pickens County, Georgia

Pickens County Citizens AdvisoryCouncil [Multicommisioner Study Group]
The Citizens Advisory Council for Reforming the Pickens County Commission Structure was chartered after Pickens County voters passed a non-binding referendum last year to transition from a sole commissioner to a multiperson commissioner form of government. State Senator Chip Pearson and State Representative Tom Graves appointed the Pickens County Democrat and Republican parties to handle the development of a multi-person commissioner structure. Click the icon on the left for more information, meeting schedules, and updates.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Proposed Animal Control Ordinance [posted 06/29/2009]: Animal Control Ordinance Pickens County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan: Pickens HMP draft 4 Sign up for your personalized 911 location! Solid Waste Management Plan: September 2008 Version, 2008 - 2018 Cell Tower Ordinance: September 2008 Version Final Report: Joint Comprehensive Plan Update, 2008 - 2028 You may now view your account and make property payments online with Visa or Mastercard. This will help enhance the process of paying taxes without the hassle of long lines or being charged interest and penalties on past due notices. Please note that there will be a convenience fee of 2.85% for the use of this service.

THE PICKENS REPORT [05/11/2009]
The rain has come to Pickens County in quantities that we have not seen in recent years, and I am very thankful for it. I would like to remind everyone that we must continue to be very active in protecting our water resources by repairing leaks and replacing outdated plumbing fixtures that waste this precious resource. The Pickens County Water Department is constantly looking for ways to reduce our unaccounted water moving thru our water system and has established that item as a top priority. If you should have questions concerning how you might conserve water in your home, our Water Department has brochures and information available for you. The month of March was a very busy month for your local government as we monitored the activities of the Georgia Legislature and what impact proposed legislation could have on you, the citizen. We were also very involved in evaluating the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), commonly known as the stimulus package, to determine what areas Pickens County would be eligible to apply. There are several areas that the county would be eligible to apply for funding such as transportation, water, housing, energy efficiency, and others. Applications have already been submitted in the areas of transportation and water, but we must be very careful in what we ultimately decide to accept as many of these proposed plans have a great number of “strings” attached as well as most of them are utilizing loans rather than grants to provide monies to the local governments. As you folks well know, loans ultimately have to be repaid and we do not want to obligate the citizens of Pickens County unless the project is needed and productive. We will keep you advised as we move thru this mine field called ARRA. Sloan Elrod, our Director of Emergency Medical Services, delivered a report at my March meeting that was surprising to many in attendance, but not to me. The increase in call volume for our EMS personnel has jumped considerably and we have already made more runs in 2009 (end of March) than we had made at the end of May in 2008. Our EMS personnel have been doing a superb job in handling this additional call volume, but I have decided to add an additional unit for daytime service. We will now have five units during daytime hours to respond county wide in the event emergency medical services are needed. One of the primary responsibilities of local government is to provide its citizens with the necessary equipment and personnel to safeguard their health and well being, and this additional unit will enable us to more adequately cover the county when needed. I would again like to emphasize to you my desire to have as many of our citizens as possible participating in our local government. Please let me or my staff know of any concerns or suggestions you might have concerning Pickens County Government and how we can do a better job for you. Until the next time, please stay safe and healthy.

The rain has come to Pickens County in quantities that we have not seen in recent years, and I am very thankful for it. I would like to remind everyone that we must continue to be very active in protecting our water resources by repairing leaks and replacing outdated plumbing fixtures that waste this precious resource. The Pickens County Water Department is constantly looking for ways to reduce our unaccounted water moving thru our water system and has established that item as a top priority. If you should have questions concerning how you might conserve water in your home, our Water Department has brochures and information available for you.

The month of March was a very busy month for your local government as we monitored the activities of the Georgia Legislature and what impact proposed legislation could have on you, the citizen. We were also very involved in evaluating the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), commonly known as the stimulus package, to determine what areas Pickens County would be eligible to apply. There are several areas that the county would be eligible to apply for funding such as transportation, water, housing, energy efficiency, and others. Applications have already been submitted in the areas of transportation and water, but we must be very careful in what we ultimately decide to accept as many of these proposed plans have a great number of “strings” attached as well as most of them are utilizing loans rather than grants to provide monies to the local governments. As you folks well know, loans ultimately have to be repaid and we do not want to obligate the citizens of Pickens County unless the project is needed and productive. We will keep you advised as we move thru this mine field called ARRA.

Sloan Elrod, our Director of Emergency Medical Services, delivered a report at my March meeting that was surprising to many in attendance, but not to me. The increase in call volume for our EMS personnel has jumped considerably and we have already made more runs in 2009 (end of March) than we had made at the end of May in 2008. Our EMS personnel have been doing a superb job in handling this additional call volume, but I have decided to add an additional unit for daytime service. We will now have five units during daytime hours to respond county wide in the event emergency medical services are needed. One of the primary responsibilities of local government is to provide its citizens with the necessary equipment and personnel to safeguard their health and well being, and this additional unit will enable us to more adequately cover the county when needed.

I would again like to emphasize to you my desire to have as many of our citizens as possible participating in our local government. Please let me or my staff know of any concerns or suggestions you might have concerning Pickens County Government and how we can do a better job for you. Until the next time, please stay safe and healthy.