Habersham County officials fully support citizens’ First Amendment rights, but when factual errors are included in what initially appeared to officials to be a bylined article by a resident published by a news outlet, county leadership believes it is important to respond with corrections.
The letter, entitled “The Buck Stops Here – Part 2” by a local resident, included not only errors of fact but also misleading statements.
This response is in no way an attempt to discourage any resident of Habersham County – including the writer of that – from speaking, submitting a letter to the editor, or airing a grievance during the appropriate public comment portion of a meeting or public hearing.
However, when information contained is published on any media site or publication contains erroneous information, the county will seek to clarify and provide the facts to its citizens.
“We are concerned that a small group in our community continually misconstrues information, and the resulting incomplete or incorrect information then is widely circulated without the benefit of the full story,” said Habersham County Commission Chairman Bruce Palmer. “We need to get back to a time when we as a community worked together for the betterment of our county rather than being divisive at this crucial time in our development.”
The office of county manager operates within applicable state law and county ordinances and the position serves as chief administrative officer for the county, overseeing the daily operations of its operations.
The legislated county manager position also advises the board of county commissioners and provides support to ensure that all ordinances, resolutions, directives, and policies set by the board are coordinated and executed properly.
The county manager also is responsible for developing and presenting the annual budget, and ultimately for ensuring that department heads and agencies stay within their portions of that budget.
The county manager’s actions are controlled by policies adopted by the board of county commissioners and the annual budget it adopts.
Like all county employees, the county manager received a cost-of-living adjustment in July 2022 as part of the 2023 budget set and approved by the board of commissioners. The county manager’s contract specifically provides for an annual review, which was conducted and approved by the chairman. The contract further provides that the board may adjust such terms of the contract as it may determine from time to time relating to county manager’s performance. The cola for the county manager was approved by the chairman, was approved by the board as part of the 2023 budget and is consistent with the policies and procedures of the county. The county manager cannot approve a change to his/her compensation.
“We understand that Habersham County taxpayers, myself included, pay more property taxes than any of us would like, but if we don’t have sound leadership at the top during this critical time when growth is barreling up Highway 365 into our county, we’re going to regret it,” Palmer said. “Like it or not, that growth is coming and if we don’t continue to aggressively prepare, as we’re doing under County Manager Alicia Vaughn’s leadership, we’re going to find ourselves wishing we had been ready.”
Palmer said residents should understand the following:
- Vaughn does not and has never resided in Catoosa County and, in fact, owns a home and lives in Habersham County. She does not commute out of the county on a daily basis as the article asserts.
- Vaughn does not receive a 15% bonus or a bonus of any kind.
- The contract with Vaughn does provide for a 15% contribution to the deferred compensation retirement plan. Additional retirement benefits routinely are used to attract and retain high-quality management in government leadership and private industry.
- The contract provides for use of a county vehicle for employment, professional, and private use. Ms. Vaughn does not use the vehicle for personal vacations.
- The contract does not provide for a four-day work week or every Friday off.
- Vaughn works as necessary and is available 24/7 due to the nature of her employment and needs of the county, and she works in the office or attends meetings 45 to 50 hours per week. She works an additional five to 10 hours answering calls and emails, including nights, weekends, holidays, and while on vacation.
- The entire Habersham County Public Works Department, however, works 10-hour shifts, Monday through Thursday, to accommodate being on call for emergencies that may occur on nights, weekends, and holidays.
“Habersham County currently has 436 employees, not including poll workers, and we can’t afford not to get things right going forward,” Palmer said. “As I’ve said many times, citizens who have questions or concerns can reach out to me or the other commissioners anytime and we will give them the correct information or tell them where to find it. Also, I announce this at almost every meeting, we have openings on county boards and committees if people want to put their energy to use to help make the county a better place.”
Rob Moore
Habersham County Public Information Officer
_____________
The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the author. Now Habersham encourages readers to submit letters to share their opinions on issues of interest to our community. Click here for submission guidelines.
