Loganville council extends drug test policy to itself

LOGANVILLE - The Loganville City Council is one member short because a council member is in jail, and the remaining members have decided they should all be subject to random drug tests. <br> <br> The council voted Monday to require drug tests for elected city officials; they are already required for other city employees. <br> <br> Mayor Mike Jones said, ``I think that if we expect our employees to be prepared to take random drug tests, elected officials should be prepared to do the same.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Councilman Danny Byrd is currently serving a 60-day jail term for a domestic disturbance incident in October that resulted in a guilty plea to simple battery, criminal trespass, public drunkenness and harassing phone calls. <br> <br> Byrd faces impeachment proceedings as a result of that incident, as well as previous marijuana and cocaine possession charges in 1999. <br> <br> Jones said, ``Although our decision to adopt this policy had nothing to do with what the city is going through at the moment, you can&#39;t help thinking that perhaps if the policy had been in place before we might not be going through this right now. We realized that we need one and decided to go ahead and implement it.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A handful of other Georgia cities, including Auburn in Barrow County, already put elected officials subject to drug tests.