Entries by Cindy Eckles

Raised voices and pointed fingers began after local citizen Diana Glass read a prepared statement addressing issues directly to Dodge County Commission Chairman Dan McCranie at the regular meeting of the Dodge County Commissioners Monday night, February 20, 2012. Added comments from Charles Dennis and Billy Joiner during public participation ended with chairman McCranie requesting vice-chairman Jr. Howell to finish conducting the meeting and McCranie leaving the room. [Full Story »] 

Dumpsters on the Airport Road continue to be an issue of the Dodge County Board of Commissioners. At the January 17 meeting, commissioner Brian Watkins commented about the dumpster relocation proposal for the Airport Road site. He told commissioners that Duane Conley had provided a location for the dumpsters to be moved and it was on property owned by the Eastman/Dodge County Development Authority. [Full Story »] 

Georgia Sheriff’s Association representative Bill Hallsworth went before the Dodge County Board of Commissioner pleading for them not to privatize the new jail and explained that because of Department of Justice standards, our current jail is in jeopardy of being closed.
Hallsworth told commissioners that the Georgia Sheriff’s Association did not back privatizing the jail as Al Haden told commissioners at their December 20, 2011 meeting. Haden, representing All Star Management Group, LLC, went before commissioners asking for them to consider privatizing the new jail that is still unoccupied. [Full Story »] 

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has abolished the school resource officer positions due to budgetary constraints imposed by the Dodge County Commissioners. Deputies will be pulled totally out of North Dodge Elementary School, South Dodge Elementary School and the Dodge County Middle School this week.

The board of commissioners cut the budget of the sheriff’s department by $78,595.00, which was the exact amount, allotted for school resource officers. [Full Story »] 

The resignation of Dodge County Clerk Linda Lowery and the request by county manager Kelly Bowen to step down to the clerk’s position were approved unanimously by the Dodge County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

Lowery, who has been the county clerk for 18 1/2 years submitted a letter of resignation, which stated, “I have served the county of Dodge as county clerk for 18 1/2 years faithfully and to the best of my ability. Upon being requested to terminate my service, I make the following proposal: 1. I agree to step down as clerk of Dodge County immediately, 2. The county will continue to pay me the same salary, insurance and benefits I am currently receiving until the third week in April when I qualify for Social Security and retirement and 3. In exchange, I will forgo any accrued vacation time or sick leave owed to me by the county.” [Full Story »] 

A called meeting between the City of Eastman and the Dodge County Board of Commissioners to continue negotiations of the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST)

Funds ended with no agreement on Thursday, January 12, 2012. [Full Story »] 

The Dodge County Board of Commissioners approved a recommendation from county manager Kelly Bowen for a line of credit of $2,750,000.00 at their called meeting on Thursday, January 12, 2012. The line of credit the county operated on for 2011 was $2,750,000.00 at 4.75% interest from Colony Bank, according to minutes of the January 25, 2011 meeting of the commissioners. [Full Story »] 

Dodge County and the cities within it are beginning negotiations for the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) distribution.

At a called meeting in the Dodge Superior Courtroom, Dodge County Attorney John Harrington presented facts showing population changes according to the 2000 Census and 2010 Census for the various cities and unincorporated Dodge County. In 1999, population did distribution of the LOST. [Full Story »] 

By Cindy Eckles
Due to the continued questions about the Dodge County Board of Commissioners voting to purchase vehicles for the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department and the letter to the editor from commissioner Brian Watkins in the July 20, 2011 edition of The Dodge County News, I investigated the purchase price of the new vehicles to make sure my facts were correct. [Full Story »]