State Senator Chip Pearson and State House Representative Tom Graves have appointed the chairs of the Pickens County Democratic Party and the Pickens County Republican Party to co-chair a citizen advisory group responsible for designing a workable multi-person commission structure, should voters choose to transition to the new form of government.
Pickens County is one of a handful of counties in Georgia with still just a single commissioner. And Georgia is the only state in the nation to still use this sole-commission style government at the county level.
During 2008, in a non-binding referendum, the majority of Pickens voters expressed interest in considering a multi-person commission, and Commission Structure Committee Co-Chairs David Robinson and Larry Toney are now seeking approximately 25 – 40 citizens to:
•Seek and receive from the general public comments on the desired characteristics of a different commission structure.
•Convene in work sessions and develop recommendations.
•Transmit recommendations to local members of the Georgia General Assembly for the purpose of having legislation passed in the 2010 session of the General Assembly. The legislation will authorize a referendum to be held in November 2010, and it will form a new multi-man commission structure in the event Pickens County voters approve the change.
•Present to the general public, prior to the November 2010 referendum, an explanation of the details of the multi-man commission structure.
Any registered voter in Pickens County interested in participating in the Commission Structure Committee should contact either:
David Robinson at 706-531-0007 (by e-mail at gdavidrobinson@gmail.com); or Larry Toney at 706-268-2058 (by e-mail at larrytoney@aol.com).
Toney asks that any interested person contact either Robinson or himself within the next two weeks.
Toney expects the first commission structure meeting will be held in late April, and members will not be accepted after meetings begin. |
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