Greetings~

It is my pleasure to work with the citizens, staff and elected officials to maintain and improve County services. We are very fortunate to have many strong attributes and resources on which to build our future. These same assets are not available in all counties across the country.

One of those strengths is the growing population, which provides employees for our businesses and industries. A good work force and job availability are important cornerstones of every strong community. Employers need well trained staff and that means our school districts and Dalton State College must continue expanding programs to meet the educational demands. Jobs protection is the challenge of our economic development team and local governments. We must focus on support for existing businesses and help them grow. Maintaining a strong business climate is just one of many continuing objectives.

Another cornerstone of our county programming is the protection and improvement of our environment. The goals need to go beyond maintaining the status quo. We must work on improvements in the quality of our resources. Achieving the objectives requires help from government, business and residents in equal shares. From the Conasauga River, across the agricultural lands and residential communities to the peaks of Chattahoochee National Forest, every aspect of our environment needs protection and improvement. Continuing education and reminders are needed to keep everyone informed about their roles in good stewardship. The latest County program addition is “Storm Water Management” which is one part of the federal Clean Water Act legislation. There is more to follow about the County programs.

Public safety and public health are two more essential business elements of county government. In the past Whitfield County has made significant investments to provide good service, more investment is needed now and in the future. Expect to hear a number of discussions in the coming months that involve the Sheriff, Fire Chief, E911 Director and others about the steps needed to provide cost-effective service levels.

The space here is limited; so, I will close by saying that it is a privilege to serve Whitfield County and work with the cities, towns, service organizations, community groups and individual residents to keep our area a great place to live and work.

Working to keep Whitfield County strong~~Bob

 

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