TODAY'S HEADLINES

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

105.3 WSGC News - The Elbert County Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to appoint Heather Nestor to serve out the remaining term of District 3 board member Samantha Rucker, who passed away July 2.

Nestor won the 2022 Republican Primary unopposed for the District 3 seat. It had been a contested election until Rucker withdrew her candidacy when her health took a downturn. No Democratic candidates qualified for the seat, setting the stage for Nestor to begin a full term on the board in January. Her appointment to serve through December will take effect upon her being sworn in.

In other business Monday, board members approved a complaint resolution process for the new state-mandated “divisive concepts” instruction law, as well as policies on “unstructured break time,” or recess, for kindergarten through fifth grade and the special use of buses for travel to school-related events.

The board also approved expenditures of $66,957 for technology infrastructure at the new Primary School under construction and $96,813 for interactive display boards and software for 21 new classrooms at the Primary School and 10 new classrooms to be added at the Elementary School. 

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105.3 WSGC News - The Bowman City Council decided to postpone a public hearing on rezoning requests for a subdivision of single-family residences, a multi-family residential development and commercial storage units in the city limits after property owner Aubrey Lunsford was unable to attend Monday’s council meeting.

An individual who said he was representing Lunsford at the public hearing was not allowed to do so. According to City Attorney Richard Campbell, such a representative would need to be a licensed lawyer or real estate professional or have power of attorney from the property owner.

“My concern here is that this would be the unauthorized practice of law for him to present the matter on behalf of Mr. Lunsford,” Campbell said. “And I know Mr. Lunsford received notice because I mailed him the notice of the hearing. Why isn’t he here?”

The council voted to reschedule the public hearing for August 22 at 6 p.m., prior to the next regular council meeting.

In other business, council members heard from local attorney and Bowman resident John Clark, who urged city leaders to take immediate action on roads and other infrastructure improvements he said are needed in Bowman. Mayor Roberta Rice thanked Clark for his comments and asked the council to appoint Clark to serve as Bowman’s representative on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Committee for Elbert County. The vote to do so was unanimous.

The council also voted to increase acting city clerk Brenda Bowen’s pay from $12 to $16 per hour.