[ October 06, 2023 ] Dear Citizens of Jasper,

I'm John Foust and announcing my candidacy for Post 5, Jasper City Council. I have had the honor of serving on Jasper City Council since 2008. I am anchored in the community: my lovely wife, Cindy and I have raised two sons in Jasper, we have an awesome grandson with wonderful support from my family and friends. This is the reason I chose to make Jasper my home.

Our community has seen tremendous growth during the last four years and will continue to do so. Jasper City Council has a strategic road map that we follow to manage our current needs and prepare us for the future. As a council, we have acted ethically and honorably in our roles, while serving the citizens and community.

Some of our accomplishments include:

Jasper Utility Systems - We now have a master plan for our infrastructure including our water treatment plant expansion, upgraded electrical at all stations, reappropriated staff to manage our water locates, added AMI meters to reduce water waste from leaks and upgrading our water systems.
Fire- We purchased a ladder pump truck to help reduce the city ISO rating, ordered a second fire engine to be delivered in 2025, the fire department is on track to become an ALS/BLS certified station and provided training for dual certification, so city firefighters are certified firefighters and EMT's.

Police - The City has purchased new police cars, approved the purchase of laptops and printers for patrol cars, dashcams and body cameras, paid off the police station loan early saving further interest costs, created retention strategies, offering part time police officer positions to reduce burnout, overtime costs and improved coverage needs for our community, purchased and installed Flock cameras to connect to the Law Enforcement National Flock system.

Sanitation - We outsourced sanitation services to prevent further financial loss to taxpaying citizens. Before the transition, in-house sanitation services caused a negative financial impact of over $100k per year. This did not include the expense of equipment, maintenance, truck repairs or truck replacement. Since outsourcing, we do not have a financial loss, due to sanitation services. The transition did not result in a reduction of staff.

Parks - We are working with professional engineers and architects on a master plan for Lee Newton Park, Jasper City Park, and Doris Wiginton Park, approved Phase II of Veteran's Memorial Park. And most recently, received notification of a $1 million-dollar grant for Perrow Park.

Central Business District Downtown - Bathrooms will be added next to the area for downtown parking. Created a lighting partnership to repair and replace lighting on Main Street and continue our partnership with the Downtown Development Authority and other city businesses.

Grants for City improvements - Over $1.6 million has been acquired in grants for firefighting, drinking water, parks, road, and sidewalk design, to name a few of the improvements we are working toward.

Our accomplishments are numerous. You can expect future improvements in the city's infrastructure with Jasper Utility Systems, roads, police, fire safety and continued upgrades of city parks and greenspace areas located throughout Jasper. The council has a solid strategic plan in place for our city's future.

I want to be a part of this future. It has been an honor to serve on Jasper City Council. I am asking for your continued support.

Please vote for John Foust, Post 5, Jasper City Council on November 7th, at Jasper Municipal Court located at 55 GG Lovell Street, Suite C, Jasper, Georgia.

Early voting starts October 16th at the Pickens County Recreation Center, located at 1329 Camp Road, Jasper, Georgia.