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Garbage rates expected to rise next summer
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Albany Herald
The head of the Albany’s public works department told city commissioners Tuesday that they will likely have to raise garbage rates July 1, 2011, to finance needed equipment purchases.
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Community development balances risk, opportunity
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Albany Herald
Latoya Cutts knows most people in the city don’t know her or realize what her department does or how it does it.
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Candidate scrapped for civic center director
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Albany Herald
A more intense background check has eliminated a candidate applying to be the city’s next civic center director and prompted city officials to move forward and give a second interview to the next person on the list.
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Two left in bid for downtown manager
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Albany Herald
Following a recent round of interviews, two candidates remain in the city’s search for a downtown manager.
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Leesburg council seat will go to a newcomer
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Albany Herald
Leesburg voters will decide between the “Blogger” and the “Phone Lady” Sept. 21 in a special election called to fill a vacant seat on the Leesburg City Council.
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Marietta pitches SPLOST, ‘clean-up’ efforts to Kiwanis
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Albany Herald
Albany City Commissioner Roger Marietta said Monday that despite messes that still needed to be cleaned up, that good things were going on across the city and encouraged members of a local civic club to support an upcoming sales tax effort.
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City, FRC agreements exist
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Albany Herald
An agreement between a local nonprofit developer signed June 1, 2007, suggests that while city officials largely failed to properly oversee the Grovetown development, that the developer agreed to repay funding if it violated the terms of the agreement.
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Lobbyist: Politics hurt funding flow
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Albany Herald
Speaking to the Albany City Commission Tuesday, a lobbyist hired to push the city’s agenda through Congress said that political pressure in the Republican party could delay millions in federal funding for roads and transportation projects from flowing into the area.
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City completes interviews for Civic center candidates
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Albany Herald
The city of Albany has completed one round of interviews for candidates who have applied to take over operations of the civic center, city officials say.
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Henry: City needs support
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Albany Herald
Before entertaining Albany Rotary Club members with an acoustic rendition of several of his band’s song, Bo Henry encouraged Rotarians to support the Good Life City.
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Taxes paid on Heritage House; city to take owners to court
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Albany Herald
The owners of the crumbling Heritage House property on West Oglethorpe Boulevard avoided having the property auctioned off Tuesday and paid the $14,000 in taxes owed on the former hotel.
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Downtown manager candidates set for August interviews
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Albany Herald
City officials are setting up interviews with five candidates interested in the position of Albany’s downtown manager, who also serves as the executive director of the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority, Assistant City Manager Wes Smith said.
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City considers charter change for assistant city attorneys
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Albany Herald
The City Commission read for the first time Tuesday a proposed change to the City Charter that would allow the commission to appoint assistant city attorneys, rather than be hired by the city manager.
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Postell wants leak investigated
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Albany Herald
Albany City Commissioner Tommie Postell called for an investigation into how information discussed in a confidential meeting of the commission was leaked to local media.
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State Route 3 named for former Albany mayor
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Albany Herald
State and local elected officials, both past and present, honored former Albany mayor and County Commission Chairman Paul Keenan Monday, renaming a portion of State Route 3 the Paul Keenan Highway.
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Transportation sales tax initiative in development
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Albany Herald
The Georgia Department of Transportation is busy trying to implement the framework of a regional sales tax proposal that would fund transportation projects in 12 different regions statewide.
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Lott out in July 2011
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Albany Herald
City Manager Alfred Lott has tendered his letter of resignation to Mayor Willie Adams, proposing his last day be July 30, 2011.
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Sports complex added to SPLOST
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Albany Herald
A list of projects to be funded by a popular one-percent sales tax may change as local governmental leaders consider adding funding for a new sports complex.
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Rosen: ADICA soured plan
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Albany Herald
The businessman who was involved in negotiations to take over operations of a downtown skate park says that he was surprised when ADICA officials moved to double his rent to $200 and said that move was enough to shake his confidence in the deal.
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Skate park talks falter
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Albany Herald
The Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority is considering what to do with a skate park on the east side of the Flint River after contract negotiations with the authority’s prime prospect collapsed.
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City cracking down on delinquent businesses
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Albany Herald
The city’s coffers could see an increase in the next two months of nearly $100,000 after code enforcement and finance officials identified 81 businesses that had fallen out of compliance in keeping their business licenses current.
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City expanding P-card purchasing system
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Albany Herald
City officials are expanding a credit card-like program that allows some employees to purchase authorized items in a move they believe will streamline the purchasing process.
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Officials adjust SPLOST projects
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Albany Herald
Local government officials with both the city and county met Wednesday to discuss each other's proposed special sales tax projects as the process for calling the November referendum took its next step.
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Local leaders to hammer out SPLOST projects
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Albany Herald
In a rare joint meeting of the city and county commissions, local leaders will finalize lists of 1-percent sales tax projects today before calling for a referendum next month.
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City leadership on management retreat
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Albany Herald
City of Albany department heads are meeting in a two-day retreat at Lake Blackshear to focus on city priorities and go through leadership training, city officials say.
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Heritage House going on the auction block in August
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Albany Herald
The City of Albany’s quest to demolish the former Heritage House Hotel building took an abrupt turn Wednesday after a Herald investigation revealed that $14,000 in unpaid taxes and fees on the blighted property have landed it on the auction block in as a part of a tax sale.
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City to County: Lower fee and we'll consider KADB
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Albany Herald
The Albany City Commission discussed allowing City Manager Alfred Lott to negotiate a possible partnership to fund half of the operating cost of Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful if the Dougherty County Commission agrees not to raise the city’s tipping fees at the landfill.
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Albany, Leesburg population rises
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Albany Herald
For only the second time in the last decade, the city of Albany's population has grown according to estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Budget decisions expected
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Albany Herald
There might soon be a little more Albany in Keep Albany-Dougherty Beautiful.
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SPLOST accounts down to 2 percent
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Albany Herald
A review of special sales tax financial records going back to the late 1980s show that just under 2 percent of funding obligated for capital improvement projects has not been spent.
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Special sales tax collections expected to be $2 million short
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Albany Herald
City Engineer Bruce Maples gave city commissioners an update on current special local option sales tax collections and projects.
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Riverfront skate park has reopened for business
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Albany Herald
A skate park that has been shuttered since its operator picked up and moved away months ago is back open to the public, city officials say.
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City gets first look at possible
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Albany Herald
Albany City Manager Alfred Lott unveiled his list of proposed projects for an upcoming 1 percent sales tax referendum Tuesday, and at least one notable project was missing from the list.
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Hotel issue going to court
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Albany Herald
Time for talk is over, city officials said Tuesday, voting 5-0 to take the owners of the former Heritage House Hotel to court in a move they hope will result in a court-ordered demolition of the property.
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City building legal strategy to recover Cutliff Grove money
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Albany Herald
Discussion on how the city plans to get at least part of its money back from a failed low-income residential development will have to wait another two months as the city attorney prepares a legal strategy ahead of a possible court battle.
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City to discuss possible suit
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Albany Herald
Discussion of possible litigation to reclaim tax dollars that are being repaid to the federal government on behalf of a failed low-cost housing project has been placed on the agenda for the Albany City Commission’s next meeting.
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Wrecking ball looms for Heritage House
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Albany Herald
The Albany City Commission has voted to initiate litigation against the owners of a dilapidated motel building on Oglethorpe Boulevard.
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Civic club organizing downtown
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Albany Herald
A movement is afoot downtown to organize a new civic club and city officials are hoping that they’ll make use of the Albany Civic Center’s largely unused meeting space.
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City tables adult business ordinance
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Albany Herald
After hearing from an Albany business owner who is concerned passage of a new adult business ordinance could put her out of business, city commissioners voted to table the measure until June 8.
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City, county sign small business proclamations
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Albany Herald
Dougherty County Commission Chairman Jeff Sinyard and Albany Mayor Willie Adams signed proclamations Monday declaring May 24-28 as Small Business Appreciation week.
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City purchases bigger, greener transit buses
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Albany Herald
City officials got a look at a new model of transit bus Friday that will be hitting the streets next year, replacing some of the older, less environmentally friendly buses currently in the fleet.
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New budget may allow aquarium funding
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Albany Herald
A change to the upcoming FY 2011 budget will allow $275,000 in funding for the Flint RiverQuarium if approved, city officials said during a presentation before the Albany City Commission Tuesday.
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Survey requested on multimodal sight
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Albany Herald
Members of a Native American tribe whose ancestors were indigenous to the Albany area are asking the city and the Georgia Department of Transportation for a special survey to ensure that the planned site for a controversial multimodal transit terminal doesn’t desecrate cultural remnants of previous Native American villages.
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Survey on poverty to wrap up
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Albany Herald
A deadline is looming for the community to give its input into an analysis centering on poverty, its causes and possible solutions.
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City, county employees may feel fiscal sting
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Albany Herald
Despite the best efforts of local government leaders to slash expenses rather than personnel, the effects of a lingering economic recession are now finally encroaching on the lives and livelihoods of the local government work force.
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Skate park may reopen soon
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Albany Herald
A popular skate park shuttered when the property manager left earlier this year will reopen soon, even as the perspective tenant and officials with the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority continue lease negotiations.
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Commission says ‘no’ to travel benfits transfer
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Albany Herald
Those looking for fireworks at Tuesday night’s Albany City Commission business meeting in the form of a battle to allow commissioners who do not sign up for city insurance to have funds added to their travel accounts were sorely disappointed.
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Albany ranked in best small cities list
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Albany Herald
As far as small cities go, Albany is considered one of the best.
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City to screen for lead exposure
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Albany Herald
Exposure to lead-based paint may seem like a health foe from some bygone era, but Albany city officials say they still see evidence of lead in homes they rehabilitate and they are planning to screen youth in target areas who may have been exposed.
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City on verge of deal for baseball team?
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Albany Herald
Move over, Albany Panthers — you’re likely about to have some professional company in Southwest Georgia.
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City Web site to feature videos
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Albany Herald
City officials will soon add a new feature to their Web site meant to put the “good” back into the “Good Life City,” through 10, one-minute videos highlighting the city’s best attributes.
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Officials: Heart and Souls tour a success
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Albany Herald
Judging by comments and contacts made by participants in a state economic development tour, city officials feel confident that efforts to make their Albany stop the best on the tour may have been successful.
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City approves early funding for Broad bridge repairs
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Albany Herald
The Albany City Commission tentatively approved spending more than $240,000 in pre-construction planning funds to keep the rebuilding of the structurally unsound Broad Avenue bridge on track.
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City weighs expansion of Albany police gang unit
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Albany Herald
Albany City Commissioners tentatively approved a nearly $200,000 expansion of the Albany Police Department’s Gang Unit, voting to request a withdrawal from a long-term financial planning committee to fund it.
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Decision to be made on health credit perk
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Albany Herald
City leaders are considering a proposal offered by Ward VI Albany City Commissioner Tommie Postell that would put more than $4,000 of health insurance credits into the expense accounts of commissioners who opt out of the city’s health coverage.
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ADICA mulls skate park lease
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Albany Herald
The Board of Directors for the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority voted Wednesday to draft a prospective lease agreement that would turn over control of a popular skate park location on the east side of the river to a local developer.
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Leesburg tables zoning map vote
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Albany Herald
The Leesburg City Council decided to put off approval of a Planning Commission-recommended zoning map for the city after questions arose over a pair of maps being considered.
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Albany to repay $374,715 for Grovetown project
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Albany Herald
The City Commission voted 5-2 Tuesday to reimburse the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development $374,715 in funds that went to a community development project headed by a local church that failed to materialize.
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Lott unveils budget proposal
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Albany Herald
City Manager Alfred Lott presented Albany City Commissioners with a rough draft of the Fiscal Year 2011 budget Tuesday, which despite growing by $304,000 from the previous year, features a near half-mil property tax rollback.
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How would governments consolidate?
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Albany Herald
In the unlikely event that the people of Albany and Dougherty County get to vote on how they’re governed, and in the even more unlikely event that they actually approve consolidation, how would it be put into place?
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Immigration affidavit required for government beneficiaries
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Albany Herald
Everyone who benefits from local government — from local businesses, to employees, to jail inmates — will be required, beginning this week, to state in writing that they are American citizens if they intend to keep getting tax dollars, officials say.
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How would governments consolidate?
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Albany Herald
In the unlikely event that the people of Albany and Dougherty County get to vote on how they’re governed, and in the even more unlikely event that they actually approve consolidation, how would it be put into place?
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Commission to receive WG&L revenues under merger bill
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Albany Herald
It’s been called the city’s cash cow or the goose that laid the golden egg, but the Albany Water, Gas & Light Commission would be mandated by the consolidation charter to turn over at least 7.5 percent of its annual revenues to the new government each year, documents show.
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Senate bill 'no party' for merger
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Albany Herald
In the wake of Monday’s discovery of a Georgia House rule that may threaten the passage of a bill calling for consolidation of Albany and Dougherty County based on a clause that would affect the partisanship of those seeking office, The Herald has examined the bill and city records to see how and why partisanship found its way into the bill.
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Merger bill to remain same
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Albany Herald
State Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson, said that her bill to merge the governments of Albany and Dougherty County will proceed to the House without changes to two controversial elements.
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Senate merger bill set to be read
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Albany Herald
State Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson, confirmed Wednesday that a government consolidation bill with changes to original legislation requested by the Albany City Commission has been dropped into the Senate hopper for consideration.
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Albany expands fencing restriction
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Albany Herald
After hearing comments from both neighbors and a property owner accused of exploiting a loophole in a city fencing ordinance Tuesday night, city commissioners voted to ban "farm" fencing in a 5-2 decision.
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Popular businesswoman mulling run for mayor
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Albany Herald
While it wouldn’t be her first choice, popular local businessowner B.J. Fletcher says she’s prepared to step up and run for mayor if no other quality candidates come forward.
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Commission denies ban on chicken-wire fences
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Albany Herald
The Albany City Commission has tentatively voted down a measure that would ban chicken wire and other similar-styled fencing in front yards, despite pleas from one commissioner Tuesday.
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City leaders to work with community to refine animal ordinance
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Albany Herald
Marietta requested that discussion of the ordinance be placed on Tuesday's agenda during the commission's last work session because of what he said were unintended issues that have arisen out of the body's decision to amend the ordinance and strike a long-held exception to cats.
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Officials consider creation of land bank authority
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Albany Herald
Talks are under way between Albany and Dougherty County officials to determine the viability of creating an authority that would help get property seized through demolition back onto the tax rolls.
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HUD: City must repay $374,000
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Albany Herald
With an April 9 deadline looming, Albany City Commissioners are mulling how they plan to pay back $374,000 in community development funding to the federal government after a local nonprofit failed to follow through on a low-income housing project.
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City, ADICA talk to headhunter
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Albany Herald
As their former director sat incarcerated at the Dougherty County Jail Monday, the board of trustees of the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority met with a consultant hired to find his replacement and — needless to say — integrity, honesty and experience were tops on their list of desired credentials.
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Senate requests charter clarification
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Albany Herald
A Georgia Senate Committee considering a measure that would call for a public vote on whether to consolidate the governments of Albany and Dougherty County has asked for clarification on 11 issues raised in the bill.
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