Approximately 50 people attended Thursday morning’s tax meeting. Commissioner Heiskell signed the tax increase into law at 11:30, ignoring the wishes of every single person who attended any of the three public hearings.

No video has emerged from the most recent meeting, but this clip from the previous gathering shows the attitude Heiskell had towards her constituents, and some of the better questions they asked of her:

Here’s a good recap of the attitude and atmosphere during the first week’s tax increase meetings: The people wanted to talk, the Commissioner wanted to leave – and did.

During all three county tax meetings, anyone wishing to speak was required to put down their name. That’s nothing new for public meetings in the county, but this time deputies were making people sign up and handling the list.

The meetings also had extra deputies on hand, supposedly for security, but it’s all about intimidation. Make people afraid to speak up or ask questions while the elected leader who supposedly works for us does whatever the hell she wants.

But those tactics didn’t work. Bravo to those, like Evelyn in the video above, who stood up and spoke their mind even with Steve Wilson staring at them and taking notes. Bravo to those who let Bebe glare at them and glared right back while they asked her questions she couldn’t or wouldn’t answer.

The tax increase passed anyway, there was no way it wouldn’t with a single person in charge, but this was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. The people are ready to do whatever it takes to remove “leaders” from their unearned positions and end the broken system that allows them to steamroll citizens, ethics, and laws. Bebe gets her money but her actions will end her career and take the broken system down with it.         

Citizen satisfaction with county government has reached a new low. Heiskell’s tax increase, leadership dismissing citizen concerns, and continual waste of public funds reveal how broken the local system is.

Walker County has been under sole commissioner government since 1940. While that may have been a workable solution 74 years ago, the time for one person running a county has long since passed.

The only way to be done with sole commissioner government is for the local delegation to Atlanta (Jeff Mullis, Steve Tarvin, and either John Deffenbaugh or John McMahan depending) to pass a resolution to change the county charter OR pass one allowing us to vote on changing it.

People have been suggesting impeachment of the current commissioner, or a “recall” of some kind. Both of those have high legal hurdles; state law is intentionally structured to make a recall or impeachment almost impossible.

Even if someone were to successfully recall or impeach the current commissioner, she would be replaced by another sole commissioner (likely one of her current employees) who wouldn’t be much better.

The biggest problem is the system, the structure, that allows one person – any one person – to run a government the size of Walker County. Sign this petition and let your local legislators know they can help us make this change, or we’ll vote them out in 2016 along with Heiskell.

If you’re tired of being treated like a mushroom, tired of the way things have been done here in recent years, sign this petition to let those legislators know you want them to act and let US have a say in how county government is run.

The petition launched Thursday evening and has already been signed by over 700 people, citizens of Walker County seeking to fix six decades of dysfunction and abuse. Please consider joining them.

Some great comments on the petition. Even if you aren’t going to sign it, check out what’s being said.       

Last night LHS was defeated by Trion in a hard-fought 29-21 home opener football game.

Team is now 2-1 for the season. Ramblers will have this week off, then face Northwest at home on September 26th.                   

Meanwhile, tens of people showed up for the County Fair at Money Pit Farms.

Thanks to the poor location, public rejection of activities at the farm, and poor planning of opening the fair on a night with two home football games played in the county, most of the people there were pissed off school kids forced to volunteer and county employees told to work the weekend or lose their jobs.

Fair continues today and tomorrow.   

More from the letter sent to Roper employees from GE, regarding the pending Electrolux buyout.

Per this, employees will keep the same benefits for at least a year after the deal concludes, but there are no guarantees about job security or facilities staying open.

Electrolux has already decided to leave its combined US headquarters in Charlotte, meaning there could be a lot of jobs lost in Kentucky where GE Appliances is currently run.   

Monday night during the regular meeting for August, LaFayette City Council made a decision about abandoning a city street.

WQCH Radio, 09/10/14: “FOLLOWING AN EXECUTIVE SESSION MONDAY NIGHT, THE LAFAYETTE CITY COUNCIL VOTED 3 TO 1 IN FAVOR OF ABANDONING DICKERSON STREET THROUGH THE CAMPUS OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. COUNCILMAN BEACHER GARMANY VOTED AGAINST THE PLAN, AND COUNCILMAN BEN BRADFORD DID NOT ATTEND THE MEETING.

“THE CLOSURE WAS BASED ON SEVERAL ISSUES, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT FIRST BAPTIST OWNS ALL THE PROPERTY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET BETWEEN NORTH MAIN AND CHEROKEE, AND THAT TRAFFIC HAS BEEN REDUCED SINCE THE OLD LAFAYETTE HIGH PROPERTY IS NO LONGER BEING USED AS A SCHOOL. THE LAFAYETTE POLICE DEPARTMENT ALSO SUPPORTED THE CLOSURE, CITING SAFETY CONCERNS WITH CHILDREN CROSSING THE STREET AT THE CHURCH’S ‘WEE CARE’ FACILITY.

“CITY MANAGER DAVID HAMILTON SAID FIRST BAPTIST HAS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN BUYING THE STREET PROPERTY FROM THE CITY.”

No point in keeping it under city control since there’s only one building on it and they just use it for parking access. Less liability for the city if nothing else.

If the city abandons it officially, how do you tell Google Maps and Yahoo Maps and all those that it’s not a street anymore? Some GPS systems still show streets that closed in the 1960’s.     

Last Friday a couple of tweakers took advantage of the Little Caesars “Cold N Ready” dumpster special. They were arrested for drug possession after LPD checked into their garbage diving.   

Regional animal shelters refuse to accept 200 Chickamauga cats due to health concerns and recommend the local shelter put all of them down for the same reason.

This is why you don’t stack up animals like cordwood inside your home. It never ends well.   

Another domestic fight, another busted windshield. Yep, still summer in LaFayette.

Also: Latest local arrest reports.

a/k/a your online high school reunion.     

Kids 4 Christ announces director’s retirement.   

Governor candidate Jason Carter scheduled to speak in Summerville today as part of a Chattooga Democrat Party fundraiser.   

Many states, including this one, have laws that protect local car dealers from competition by prohibiting auto manufacturers from selling vehicles directly to customers.

Electric car manufacturer Tesla owns all of its dealerships, but may be pushed out of Georgia by existing dealers asking the state to enforce the direct-sales law.   

WQCH Radio, 09/10/14: “LAFAYETTE HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE GETTING A NEW SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER IN THE NEAR FUTURE, BECAUSE THEIR VETERAN OFFICER HAS BEEN PROMOTED.

“THE CITY OF LAFAYETTE POLICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED MONDAY THAT OFFICER BILLY MULLIS HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO THE POSITION OF DETECTIVE. CAPTAIN STACEY MEEKS SAID HE WILL STAY ON AT LAFAYETTE HIGH FOR A FEW MORE WEEKS TO TRAIN HIS REPLACEMENT THERE. THE NEW RESOURCE OFFICER HASN’T YET BEEN CHOSEN.

“MEEKS SAID ‘BILLY MULLIS IS A GOOD OFFICER- AND WHEN AN OPENING FOR PROMOTION COMES UP, YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT QUICKLY IN A SMALL DEPARTMENT’.”

Mullis has previously been in the news as a defeated candidate for Sheriff in 2010 and the 2013 tasing of female students fighting on a patio at the high school.   

Your (state) tax dollars at work.

He might have been taking a break but several people observed the man sitting, texting, and ignoring his job throughout the day.

Photo taken Wednesday on Hwy. 95.   

Georgia Board of Regents, the state college system, asks for a nearly $2 billion budget for next year – $46 million more than the current year.

Also they apparently charge students for attending class.   

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