Speed detection devices officially adopted in November meeting

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Gilmer County BOC, Intergovernmental Agreement, session, Meeting, Board, speed

ELLIJAY, Ga. – With the official final adoption of the speed detection devices ordinance in the county happening today, Gilmer Sheriff Stacy Nicholson and the Sheriff’s Office will implement devices in the school zones on Yukon Road, Clear Creek Road, and Highway 282.

Going through an extensive process that first saw major public attention with the Gilmer County Board of Education back in July, 2021, the speed detection devices were presented at the BOE to deal with continued complaints over these areas during high traffic times when school starts and ends.

Nicholson called the area an “enforcement issue” in July and laid out plans to deal with the issue through these devices. The idea has seen some question the plan, but not on enforcement or timing. Instead, the voiced concerns in meetings of the BOC as they have presented the ordinance has been on the personal information collected by the cameras.

Nicholson stated in July that he hoped that the vast majority of citizens would be reached and well informed via social media, news media, county meetings, and other methods well before implementation. And the office has pursued that goal as both Sheriff Nicholson and Major Michael Gobble have been at meetings sharing information and answering questions. Gobble was the officer present at the BOC’s public hearing on the topic and answered questions on personal information.

Maj. Gobble said that the camera will not capture information from every car that drives through the zone. Not only will they only be active twice a day, once at the beginning and once at the end of each school day, but they will only capture information when triggered by a speed violation.

The Sheriff’s Office has explained that the information is collected by a company and is sent to the Sheriff’s Office where a School Resource Officer will review and verify the violation and return it to the company to issue a civil fine.

When the information is collected it is stored on file until the fine is resolved. All of this information is protected under Federal Law and not to be sold or released. Governed in the same way that law enforcement agencies are regulated to handle the same information.

Now, the county has heard its second reading of the ordinance. Chairman Charlie Paris stated in the BOC meeting today, “I’m going to make a motion that this be adopted based on the assurances that it would only be operational for the morning and afternoon drop-offs and not a regular full time thing.”

County Attorney David Clark told the board that the times would be an operational issue between the board and the Sheriff’s Office, not necessary in the ordinance. Chairman Paris then adjusted saying it would be an operational issue that he would enforcement as long as the other two board members approved of it. Seconded by Post 1 Commissioner Hubert Parker, the motion carried unanimously.

Originally, Sheriff Nicholson was shooting to have the speed detection devices implemented on all three roads around October. With the process now finished, these devices can go up any day now. With school out next week for Thanksgiving, there is only three weeks left before the December 17 final day of the Fall Semester and the start of the Winter Holidays.

Speed Cameras on way to approval for county school zones

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ELLIJAY, Ga. – Citizens are still questioning personal information and privacy rights with the Gilmer Sheriff’s Office’s plans to install speed detection cameras in school zones in the area of Yukon/Clear Creek roads by the schools and on Highway 282 near the county Library and Mountain View Elementary.

During the Public Hearing for the County, Sheriff’s Office Major Michael Gobble spoke to citizens answering questions about the implementation.

Maj. Gobble said that the camera will not capture information from every car that drives through the zone. Not only will they only be active twice a day at the beginning and the end of each school day, but they will only capture information when triggered by a speeding violation.

The cameras will be using radar technology instead of laser and Maj. Gobble noted that the calibrations and maintenance will be upheld by the company and not the Sheriff’s Office. However, all violations and information has to pass through an officer at the Sheriff’s Office to be confirmed and double checked before any citation can be sent.

As explained, the process will follow that as a driver is speeding through the zone, a picture of the license plate is captured and sent to the Sheriff’s Office. It is then verified and sent back to the monitor company who will then mail out a civil citation. Maj. Gobble explained that as a civil citation it will not register on people’s driving history.

The signs in the area with the speed zone will have that active times posted on the signs.

While the information is in the care of the company and the Sheriff”s Office, Maj. Gobble said that both entities are under government oversight for the information and are subject to the laws governing that information. It is protected under GCIC and the same rules are applied to a company handling this information.

Maj. Gobble explained it as the same process for stoplight cameras in some cities. It is not to be sold or kept in storage for any major length of time. The information is only kept long enough for law enforcement to verify and the citation to be resolved. He noted that if a citizen wishes to bring the citation to court, then it will be kept long enough for the court case.

The Commissioners did approve the first reader of the Speed Detection Device Ordinance this month and will revisit for the final reader next month. With final approval on that reader citizens could be seeing these devices in use by the end of November.

Data collection questioned as county approves advertising for Speed Cameras

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EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – Traffic devices and data collection are taking the next step toward a Fall implementation as they were approved for advertisement in the County Commission.

data

An example of cameras used for traffic surveillance.

However, approval only came for advertisement as the Board of Commissioners raised discussion on privacy in the traffic cameras usage. Chairman Charlie Paris was the first to make the note as he said he was wanting to set it so that the collection of photos or information for anyone not being pursued for speeding would be deleted.

“I believe that it would be essential that that data be eliminated within a specific period of time. If it is one that is not being flagged for speeding, there would be no reason for anybody to maintain that particular data,” said Paris.

Acknowledging the importance that many people place on privacy and date like this, Paris said he wanted this stipulation for approval.

As discussion continued, the question arose about who is collecting the data. As noted during the Board of Education meeting, County Attorney David Clark confirmed that the Sheriff’s Office is contracting with a company for collection. Sheriff Nicholson also stated in the previous BOE meeting that he would have those flagged for speeding sent through a Sheriff’s Deputy, likely a Student Resource Officer, to be approved before the company would mail out a citation.

shooter, speed

Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson

These speed cameras will be established in three areas; Mountainview Elementary School on Highway 282, Clear Creek Middle School on Clear Creek Road, and Clear Creek Elementary School on Yukon Road. The county’s approval is needed for Clear Creek and Yukon roads.

The scenario will play out as someone speeds through the area, the captured infractions are sent to a local appointed officer, which Nicholson said will likely be a SRO (School Resource Officer). That officer reviews the infractions and makes sure there are no mistakes, then the company will send out tickets to those the officer approves.

Within the county’s BOC meeting, the board considered that it would be the company that they would need to put the restriction on. Due to this, Clark suggested that the approval go for beginning the process and pursuing advertising. He noted that the county will have to approve a contract with the company and could debate the restriction at that time.

With unanimous approval, the project is proceeding, but it was understood that the county would be looking at restrictions on the data during the contracting as they work alongside Sheriff Nicholson for the process.

During the discussion, Post Commissioner Hubert Parker also suggested that they look at other government entities and how they handle the data through speed and traffic cameras such as those at traffic lights.

Speed Cameras coming to local School Zones

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EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – “It is an enforcement issue,” said Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson as he spoke about school traffic zones and the reduced speed during school hours.

Sheriff Nicholson offered a report to the Gilmer Board of Education during their July meeting concerning a problem with speeding in school zones and what the office is preparing to implement in response to it.

shooter, speed

Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson

School zones require a reduction in speed from drivers twice a day to help with the beginning of the day when students are coming in to school and the end of day when school lets out. According to Nicholson, these roughly one hour windows in the morning and afternoon are the times that the speed limits drop and complaints begin. He noted that the office expects people to become informed about the cameras and for the issue to mostly resolve before they even implement the devices.

To help with enforcement, the Sheriff has contracted with a company to put up speed cameras to capture speeders in the zone and issue tickets electronically. Not a new concept, many cities utilize camera on traffic lights in a similar fashion to issue fines against those running red lights.

Nicholson said that while it doesn’t directly affect the school system’s operation, he wanted to take the time to inform them and also to spread the word about the coming change. Nicholson asserted several times that he wants to focus on informing the public and letting them know in advance about the cameras and not to blindside them or catch them off guard.

Nicholson said that he constantly receives complaints about speeds during the school year. There are three locations that will utilize the cameras including; Mountainview Elementary School on Highway 282, Clear Creek Middle School on Clear Creek Road, and Clear Creek Elementary School on Yukon Road.

Utilizing both traffic cameras and radar, the devices will operate more as a deterrent than a ticket device as Nicholson said his hopes were to aid in the enforcement issues.

The scenario will play out as someone speeds through the area, the captured infractions are sent to a local appointed officer, which Nicholson said will likely be a SRO (School Resource Officer). That officer reviews the infractions and makes sure there are no mistakes, then the company will send out tickets to those the officer approves.

One important note, Nicholson said that these are civil fines, not traffic tickets. One of the major differences Nicholson noted, is that not paying the civil fine will not automatically send a person to jail, but “it will go to court.”

The Sheriff’s Office does have more details to work out. As Nicholson said, he wants to give ample time to the public to find out and know about the radar cameras before implementation. That said, these devices could be seen in use as early as September or October in Gilmer County.

Secured to poles, these devices will be set inside the zones that the county has marked and signed as a reduction in speed.

Board Chairman Ronald Watkins mentioned adding other devices to the areas such as flashing lights as seen in some other counties where they have flashing yellow lights posted on school zone signs during the hours of reduced speed. Nicholson said that the County has the responsibility on changing signage and using that type of signage. However, Nicholson did say that he has looked into another suggestion from Watkins with the trailers with a strobe highlighting a driver’s current speed.

All of this comes in support of Nicholson’s push to, as he said, warn and inform Gilmer’s citizens over and over again about the devices before they even get implemented.

Gilmer updates internet and insurance in October

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Internet

ELLIJAY, Ga. – With more cloud based back-ups, traffic, and meetings thanks to the COVID-19 virus, the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners is updating their broadband internet again after a recent upgrade nearly four years ago.

https://youtu.be/Jq3EUKXDmwg

According to Commissioner Chairman Paris, at that time, the major push towards cloud computing saw a major increase in need as internet speeds and traffic slowed majorly with more and more departments upgrading and integrating with cloud based software and storage.

However, this year, another boom has hit the county. Paris stated, “What we’re seeing now is sort of a variation of that. First of all, for the last few years that migration to the cloud has really accelerated. We’re seeing a lot more of that. But, with COVID, what we’re seeing now is just a massive number of video conferences, Zoom conferences. And those things just require ‘mega-bandwidth.’ So, what we’re seeing is we’re back to being slowed down again.”

Currently at 50 Mbps (Megabits per second), the county looked to upgrade to the next step up. Also, the county is currently paying $985 a month. According to Paris, he looked at the next step being 100 Mbps. This had a 36-month term costing $1,395 a month. However, there is also a 60-month term option costing $1,275 a month. Another major point of the plans that Paris said made him lean towards a 60-month term was the option to upgrade or downgrade at anytime as well as cancel at anytime “without any penalty.”

In previous meetings, members of the board have voiced concerns over long term contracts that might bind a future board.

Ultimately approving the bandwidth change for their internet, the board did decide for the longer 60-month term with the cheaper per-month cost.

internetAnother update the county saw in October came with their insurance renewal.

Paris stated that over the past five years, the county has absorbed increasing costs in healthcare insurances, usually opting to attempt to keep employee premiums and costs to a similar area as the county increased their part. With only one of the recent years showing a decrease in health costs as the county’s negotiations were able to find a point of competition between companies, most of these years have increased through rising costs and the Affordable Care Act.

This year followed suit with rising costs, yet the county chose their option to stay with the plan they are currently on rather than opt for changes. Yet, Paris said that both options this year held increases for employees.

Staying with the current plan, the changes include a 14.7 percent increase for the plan. Employees on a base plan will see the rise from $47.10 to $54.10 on their bi-weekly deductions. Employee plans will see similar increases in each plan.

According to the presentation made to the BOC, the vision, dental, and life plans would not see any major change.

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