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| GA Feud Makes it to Supreme Court |
| By romenews-tribune.com |
| Published: 02/09/2010 |
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ATLANTA -- A feud between the Greene County Commission and Sheriff Chris Houston reached the marbled halls of the Georgia Supreme Court Monday as the seven justices tried to sort out the dispute. The court heard 20 minutes of oral arguments from lawyers for each side, and now it will have to reach a decision within the next four or five months. At issue is whether the commission can establish a special tax district that would encompass the entire county for the purpose of linking money it collects to the sheriff's budget. The commissioners want to have an answer to property owners who complain about why their taxes are so high since spending for the sheriff's office is the county's largest single expense, said county attorney Michael Green. "What they intended was to be more transparent about the budget," he said. "... The sheriff was not being picked on." Houston's lawyer said it sure feels like he's being picked on. Since the state constitution requires sheriffs to operate a jail -- including holding convicts sentenced to state prison waiting weeks for transfer by the Georgia Department of Corrections -- then Houston doesn't have much latitude about what he spends, said Brenda Trammell. The constitution, and previous court decisions, prohibit county commissions from having unreasonable control over a sheriff's spending, she said. Read More. |
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