OPINION
Don’t celebrate drop in mortgage rates yet ► PAGE 11
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Keystone partners with ‘Love on the Spectrum’ star By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com
JON WILCOX/APPEN MEDIA
Forsyth County Commission meets March 10 for a session that saw Chief Magistrate Keisha Chambless ask for two new positions to meet rising case numbers.
Forsyth County court expanding, innovating as caseload rises By JON WILCOX jon@appenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County’s busiest court is innovating and expanding amid a dramatically rising caseload. Chief Magistrate Keisha Chambless asked the Forsyth County Commission for two new positions March 10. The request is the latest in a series of changes to offset the court’s increasing workload. “Our numbers have just increased
ROI
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dramatically,” Chambless said. “We’re looking at around 5,000 additional work hours needed per year since we last added staff.” Commissioners gave tentative approval for two new administrative specialists and an about $110,000 budget request with a final vote scheduled for March 19. The positions will help fill a work gap caused by additional small claims and garnishment cases, Chambless said. The new employees will serve as clerks within the court, assisting in case man-
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Community members are answering the call to create a long-term housing solution for developmentally disabled adults. Donors surpassed a $250,000 fundraising goal to help construct Keystone Village in Cumming at a Feb. 27 gala, said Beth Burns. “We ended up raising $258,000,” Burns said. The center also has found an unexpected ally with some serious star power — Connor Tomlinson. Tomlinson and his mother Lise Smith appeared at a March 15 meet and greet at Cherry Street Brewpub that raised additional funds for Keystone. Tomlinson and Smith were featured on the popular Netflix reality show “Love on the Spectrum,” which follows autistic adults as they pursue dating.
agement, payments and other duties. Since 2017, small claims cases have almost doubled. During that time, garnishment cases have about tripled. Each year, the court handles about 15,000 cases, including ordinance violations, foreclosures, misdemeanors and all of the county’s warrants. “When you look at it in total, you can combine all the other courts in the county, and we still do about 3,000 cases more,” Chambless said.
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Connor Tomlinson, of Netflix’s “Love on the Spectrum,” appeared at a March 15 fundraiser to support Keystone Village.
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