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DCSO hosts firearms
class and range day
LOCAL, 3A
Hall grad to play in
Special Olympics
SPORTS, 1B
WEDNESDAY I JUNE 27, 2018 DaWSOflNeWS ^com DAWSONVULE, GEORGIA $1.00
Dawson in good financial shape
Auditor presents 2017 financial report
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County is in good
financial shape, according to the
county’s 2017 audit results.
Chris Hollifield, managing
partner of Rushton and
Company, a Gainesville CPA
firm, presented the audit results
to the board of commissioners
June 14.
Hollifield said that the audit
went very smooth and issued a
clean financial opinion of the
county’s financial reporting.
During his presentation to the
board, Hollifield mentioned
several budget highlights, and
stated that of the county’s total
$35.7 million in revenue in
2017, 41.79 percent came from
sales tax, while property taxes
made up 31.4 percent of reve
nue. Grants, charges for servic
es and other taxes made up the
rest of the revenue.
“Property tax is not the sole
source of what’s funding every
thing that we’ve got,” he said.
“Both LOST and SPLOST had
a pretty good increase in 2017,
so that’s significant. That helps
keep your property taxes where
you’d like for them to be.”
The county’s general fund
revenue increased $1,396,424,
or 6.3 percent from 2016 to
2017. Property tax revenue
increased by $674,530 and
LOST collections increased by
$746,247.
SPLOST collections
increased 12 percent in 2017.
As far as where money is
being spent, of the county’s
total $31.8 million in expenses
in 2017, public safety amounts
for 44 percent of expenses, pub
lic works 17 percent, judicial 10
percent and general government
16 percent. Other expenses
include health and welfare, cul
ture and recreation and housing
and development.
Hollifield said expenditures
increased $853,765, or a little
over 4 percent, from 2016 to
2017.
“The most significant ones of
all the departments were the tax
assessors increased, the sheriffs
increased, the fire increased and
emergency medical services
See Finance 16A
Photos by Jessica Brown Dawson County News
Cadets were thrilled to wield the firehose at Fire Station No. 7 during the annual Junior Fire Academy June 21.
Keeping it cool under fire
Junior Fire Academy teaches kids life skills, safety
By Jessica Brown
jbrown@dawsonnews.com
There’s more to being a
firefighter than just extin
guishing fires, as nearly 30
kids learned last week at
the eighth annual Junior
Fire Academy.
Dawson County
Emergency Services hosted
its annual Junior Fire
Academy from June 18-22
at Fire Station No. 7 next to
Dawson County Middle
School. Rising and current
middle schoolers had the
chance to hang out with
firefighters and have fun.
“The kids had a blast.
They’re getting lots of
learning along with some
fun,” Prevention Officer
Chris Archer said. “Not
only do we get to reach out
and show them how we act
as firefighters and teach
them some of the skills we
have, but we also got to
incorporate some life safety
messages and keep them
safer as well.”
On Monday, participants
toured the fire station and
got an overview of the fire-
trucks, ambulances and the
day-to-day operations of a
fire station. With the basic
foundation covered, the rest
of the week was dedicated
to more in-depth activities
such as creating home
escape plans, learning CPR
and playing with firehoses.
“We try to make it learn
ing and mainly fun. And I
think one of the things
most of them will never say
but they really enjoy mak
ing a lot of friends,” Ft. Jeff
Banks said.
Friendship and fun
wasn’t all the week had to
offer as Banks and Archer
wanted kids to be able to
take home valuable life
Above, Prevention
Officer Chris Archer helps
a fire cadet aim the fire
hose during a game of
water tug-of-war at the
fire station June 21. Left,
Patrick Archer demon
strates how a patient
would be strapped to a
stretcher in an emergen
cy situation.
safety lessons that could
save someone’s life.
Each camper participated
in a CPR class where they
See Fire 12A
Rainbow group
descends on
N. Ga. forest
By Alexander Popp
DCN Regional Staff
The gathering begins with a seed.
Just a dozen or so people enter the woods like
explorers, searching out campsites, kitchen loca
tions and mountain springs, in preparations for the
horde of yearly revelers following behind them.
And in the coming days and weeks, thousands of
people travel from all over the nation to the Bull
Mountain area of the Chattahoochee-Oconee
National Forest, a quick 10-minute drive outside of
Dahlonega, to live, love, pray, heal, serve and wit
ness the creation of a community at the Rainbow
Family National Gathering.
Each year since 1972 the Rainbow Family of
Fiving Fight - a shifting, leaderless, collective
group - has come together in a different national
forest to grow a community and to pray for world
peace. The event coincides with the Fourth of July
holiday and climaxes on July 4 with a day-long
spiritual gathering in the main meadow.
To get a better picture of this unique phenome
non, two reporters and I spent a day at the gather
ing, talking to Rainbow Family Members, taking
See Rainbow 15A
A man makes
the peace sign
on Monday,
June 25 during
the Rainbow
Family of Living
Light gathering
in the the
Chattahoochee-
Oconee
National Forest.
Ben Hendren Forsyth County News
Charges pending
in crash that hurt 6
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
Charges are pending after a Dawsonville
woman lost control of her vehicle on Hwy. 53
near Buddy Burt Road last week, resulting in a
four-vehicle wreck.
According to a press release from Georgia
State Patrol, troopers were dispatched at 5:16
p.m. June 21 to a multi-vehicle crash on Hwy.
53 near Dell Conner Construction.
The Dawsonville woman, Ashley Nicole Jett,
28, was reportedly traveling north on Hwy. 53
in the area of Buddy Burt Road in the left lane,
traveling at a high rate of speed. The release
states that Jett was attempting to negotiate a
right-hand curve and lost control of her
Chevrolet Malibu on the wet road.
The Malibu rotated clockwise before sliding
sideways across the center line into the south
bound lane of Hwy. 53.
At the same time, Christopher Mackey Kelly,
45, of Demorest, was traveling south on Hwy.
53 in the same area. After the Malibu crossed
the centerline, the front of Kelly’s Toyota Prius
struck the right side of the Malibu.
See Crash 12A
9 0 9 9
Inside
Volume 3, Number 39
© 2018, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
3B
Classifieds
7B
Dear Abby
6B
Deaths
2A
Legals
8B
Opinion
9A
Sports
1B
Motorsports
park to host
fireworks
July 4
4A Rotary Club
' plants lending
library at Rock
Creek