The voters of Hawkinsville / Pulaski County voted down a proposal to consolidate the governments.    One of the primary “selling points” to a consolidated government is lowering costs.     These same lower costs can be obtained through consolidating SERVICES even though the governments themselves remain separate.   The City and the County have done a great job at consolidating services throughout the years.    E911, EMA, Recreation, Tax Collection, Fire, Police, Animal Control, Building and Code Enforcement and Economic Development are already consolidated.

Beginning July 1, 2015 we are adding ANOTHER to the list.    The City is doing away with our Municipal court and turning over traffic fine collections to the county.    With the retirement of City Clerk Evelyn Herrington as well as the retirement Lodie Johnson (who managed our municipal court), the time is right.    By closing down our municipal court, the city will not have to fill Ms. Johnson’s position, thus saving the costs of that position.   We will also not have to retain a municipal Judge.    AND hours of work allocated to the City Clerk will not have to be performed.    The county Probate Judge, Judge Jeff Jones, will begin hearing all traffic violations.    Violations that are CITY ONLY, (such as dilapidated housing ordinance violations), will be heard by a Code Enforcement Board.   We are recommissioning our current Zoning and Codes Board as a Code Enforcement board to hear the few CITY ONLY ordinance violations that are heard each year.

So…..

Consolidation as it relates to cost savings, continues.  As it relates to SERVICES, continues to be an area that we (City and County) continue to explore.   We don’t need a replication of efforts.   We need to continue to find ways to work together to benefit ALL of our citizens.   The taxpayers we all serve are the real winners when our governments work together.

Shelly