Other business
During his commission time, Commissioner Ashley Bell asked people to come to the microphone and give their thoughts on the possibility of outsourcing some county services to the private sector.
Bell said he would like to work with people in the business community to get their ideas to help the county move forward.
Mike Brown, president and CEO of the Georgia Mountain YMCA, explained how his organization has worked with White County and Lumpkin County to operate their parks and leisure services.
“We were able to reduce their operating costs by about $350,000 the first year,” Brown said of the partnership with White County.
Jack Waldrip asked the commission to consider some new alternatives.
“We’ve got to look at things that we can consolidate,” Waldrip said. “I know the decisions are hard but it’s just where we are...We’ve got to take some steps.”
Melissa Weinman
Following a plea from land donor Wendell Starke, the Hall County Board of Commissioners voted by a 3-2 margin to accept the Cool Springs park property.
The gift has been wrapped up in an ethics complaint filed by Hall County residents alleging that Chairman Tom Oliver and Commissioner Billy Powell benefitted personally from county business involving Starke, also one of the developers of the proposed Gainesville City Center hotel/office complex project in Midtown.
The complaint alleges the two commissioners benefited financially from an attempt to buy a piece of property from Regions Bank adjacent to the Gainesville City Center project in 2009.
Starke stood before the commission Thursday in an attempt to clear his name and move forward with the Cool Springs park.
“No good deed goes unpunished,” Starke said. “Somebody made up the idea that there was some reason having to do with Mr. Powell and Mr. Oliver for me giving this property even though they were not even (on the commission) at the time it first came up.”
“I just want to make it clear to everybody that this was an outright gift intended to be a good park for people in a part of the county that don’t have anything like this.”
At Wednesday’s work session, Commissioner Ashley Bell said he would like to wait until any investigations involving the land are complete before the county accepts it.
“I have to say I do resent the idea. Nobody has ever accused me of doing anything illegal or even unethical in my life,” Starke said. “Let’s have an investigation but my God, take the property.
“I’m offering it. You can take it or leave it. But it’s a wonderful piece of property.”
Powell made a motion to accept the property.
Bell asked County Attorney Bill Blalock about the legality of the commissioners voting to accept it.
“I know of no reason that you could not and should not,” Blalock said.
The commission voted 3-2 to accept the Cool Springs park property. Commissioners Bell and Steve Gailey dissented.
Starke was visibly upset by the narrow vote, but said he was happy that at least the county voted to take it.
“I’m sure it will be much appreciated by that Cool Springs community,” Starke said.
Following the meeting, Gailey said he voted against it at the request of his constituents.
“For the life of me I can’t understand why it wasn’t a 5-0 vote,” Powell said.
The vote was largely symbolic. The commission has voted five times since 2003 in regard to the park, said Assistant County Administrator Phil Sutton.
The commission has already voted to accept the land; approved the design and pre-engineering work for the park and accepted SPLOST funding for the development of the park.