Republican breakfast has issues on plates

Issues such as consolidation, eminent domain and education tax formulas will be served with a side of eggs at this month's Columbia County Republican Party breakfast Saturday.

The Columbia County Republican state legislative delegation - Rep. Sue Burmeister, Rep. Ben Harbin, Rep. Barry Fleming and Sen. Jim Whitehead - and Ron Cross, Columbia County's commission chairman, are scheduled to attend the 9 a.m. breakfast at Peppermill Restaurant in Evans.

Lee Muns, Columbia County's Republican Party chairman, said the breakfast will be a time for people to hear their elected officials discuss many issues.

"Folks will be given the opportunity to ask questions (of the legislators)," Muns said. "It's not just going to be (elected officials) speaking to us. I believe it's very important they take questions as well."

Muns said the party has yet to take an official position on the issue of a proposed consolidation of Columbia County's government with a newly created city comprising the Evans/Martinez area.

"One thing we had as an issue of concern is the possibility of trying to roll it into one question (for voters on the ballot)," Muns said.

He said he is concerned because voters would be required to answer two questions with one vote.

The first question would ask voters living within the bounds of a proposed city whether they want to incorporate into a city. The second question would be posed to those in the unincorporated area of the county, asking whether they want to consolidate with the proposed city.

"We did not see how they could put it in as one question," Muns said.

Cross, a champion of incorporation and consolidation, said that he will present a PowerPoint presentation on the pros and cons of consolidation prepared by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.

He said that getting the city governments of Harlem and Grovetown on board is essential to making consolidation a reality.

"If we can make Harlem and Grovetown happy, that's the main thing," Cross said. "And we're working on that. We've got some proposals that will come out in two or three weeks after discussion with (Grovetown) Mayor (Dennis) Trudeau and (Harlem) Mayor (Scott) Dean."

The breakfast is not restricted to members of the Republican Party. The price to eat is $6.