BoC approve Paulding’s new DOT Director, Tax Appeals Attorney Richardson’s Contract Not Renewed

Paulding County Board of Commissioners last week approved George Jones to be Paulding’s DOT Director by a 5-0 vote during the board’s final 2017 regular session.
Jones has worked with the DOT as deputy director under former Director Scott Greene, who moved into a new post in October as County Operations Manager.
Jones addressed the board prior to their vote during their morning session regarding DOT-related agenda items. Paulding commissioners approved a $2.5 million contract with TranSystems Corp. last week to design the planned widening of Cedarcrest Road from Harmony Grove Church Road to the Cobb County line.
The road is a major connector for residents of the Seven Hills area that has seen quite a bit of development and runs north to Cobb Parkway and I-75 and south to Hiram and Dallas. The Paulding project will coincide with Cobb County’s project to widen its part of the road. Funding will come from the county’s DOT SPLOST, Jones said.
At 15,500 vehicles per day, Jones told commissioners that Cedarcrest has the county’s third-highest traffic volume. Jones said that TranSystems will need 21 months to design the project, which is planned to include widening the road from two lanes to four lanes.

RICHARDSON CONTRACT NOT TO BE RENEWED
Paulding County Board of Commissioners also decided last week to end a former state lawmaker’s work on county property tax appeals. Commissioners voted to end a contract March 31 with attorney J. Glenn Richardson for his work with property tax appeals for the Paulding County Tax Assessors Department.
Prior to their vote, Chief Appraiser James Stokes told Paulding commissioners that the county needed to keep Richardson employed past March 31 because of his experience and expertise with resolving property tax appeals.
“Not many attorneys deal with ad valorem taxation,” Stokes told commissioners during their morning session. But Post 2 Commissioner Todd Pownall said he wants the agreement to end because the board already indicated to Richardson it would not extend the contract. Richardson represented a Paulding district in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1997 to 2010 and served as House Speaker -- one of the state's most powerful government positions -- from 2005 to 2010.
Paulding commissioners voted earlier this year to cut ties with Richardson’s former law firm, Talley, Richardson, and Cable, in part because the firm also represented the Paulding County Airport Authority.
The commission and airport authority have clashed publicly over a conflict regarding the transfer of land at Silver Comet Field planned for use as part of a controversial plan for limited commercial passenger airline service.
County Attorney Lani Skipper stated while speaking with Stokes during the board’s morning session that property tax appeals cases would be added to her responsibilities were commissioners to decide not to extend Richardson’s contract. Ms. Skipper left Richardson's former firm earlier this year following a dispute related to the airport land controversy.

Last week’s session was the final regular meeting of the BoC for 2017. The BoC will reconvene on the second Tuesday in January. (Photo: R. Grant)