After being canceled for lack of interest, Danielsville’s fall festival is back on and planning has kicked into high gear.
The city council heard Sept. 10 that festival organizer Angela Herring is planning a two-day festival in Memorial Park to be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27 and 28 and that vendors “are excited.”
City clerk Susan Payne said Herring has live music planned for both days and has had a big-screen TV donated so festival-goers can watch the Georgia-Florida game on Saturday while at the festival. Chili and barbecue cook-offs and other events are also planned.
Mayor Todd Higdon said he wants all city councils, police and fire departments to know they are invited to the festival.
In another matter, Higdon clarified the interest rate on a 30-year loan from the board of education concerning upgrades and a lease-purchase of the water treatment pond. He said the loan is not interest-free as he previously stated, but that it carries a 3.13 percent interest rate, the same as the loan rate from GEFA (Georgia Environmental Finance Authority) would be.
Higdon added that anyone with questions or ideas on city operations should feel free to contact him through city hall or at his place of business.
“City hall’s doors are always open,” Higdon said.
The council approved its new personnel policy manual and agreed that current employees, regardless to changes listed in the manual, will be eligible for the same benefits as when they were hired.
Police chief Matt Pilkington told the council that his department received 49 calls for service during August, and that officers filed three incident reports, worked two accidents, made three arrests, issued one warrant, wrote 34 citations and issued 30 warnings.
He also reported that he assisted the sheriff’s office, in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, in conducting a traffic checkpoint at the red light in Danielsville last Friday evening. He said there were five arrests.
The council heard that police officer Henry Hicks has been out on medical leave, but that he is expected to return within the next couple of weeks.
The council heard that it could take up to $2,000 in maintenance repairs to the medical rental offices on Hwy. 98 to make them in good enough shape to rent to a tenant.
The council gave approval to Bluestone Baptist Church for a two-day benefit yard sale Oct. 19, 20 in the city hall parking lot.
The council heard that early voting will begin Oct. 15 and that the general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 6. Payne warned the council that the city would be over-budget following this election, as most of their budgeted funds were spent during the March special election for mayor. Incumbent councilman Jon Hendrix is running against opponent Jerry Riley. Payne and election superintendent Sherry Culberson said the election will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,000.
Higdon told the council that the city’s water fund will be reimbursed $40,000 to 45,000 from the SPLOST funds for water improvements that have been done since 2008. The council heard last month that both labor and material spent on upgrading the water meters to radio-read ones and new computer software can be taken from the SPLOST fund, according to the city auditor.
