Newspaper Page Text
Summer Learning Program
Burke County Public Library will hold
its last show of the summer
Friday, July 21 at 10:30 a.m.
Build a marshmallow tower with Suzanne Sharkey, representing Georgia Power
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Vol. 143, No. 22 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - $1.00
Chief appraiser asks BOC to give homeowners a break
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Chief Appraiser Phillip Wren
said residential values continued to
increase the first half of 2023.
Contributing to the higher values
placed on homes, are sales prices
and material costs for building and
remodeling.
“We are looking at (for residential)
probably a 20% increase in values
for this year,” Wren informed the
Board of Commissioners. “It’s some
thing that is happening across the
state and not just in Burke County.”
Unless the BOC offsets the in
creased values by lowering the
millage rate, homeowners can expect
to see another increase in property
taxes.
Without naming the commis
sioner, Wren gave an example of
how one of the panel members will
fare. In 2019, the unnamed commis
sioner paid $2,000 in property taxes,
he said. “Based on last year’s mill-
age rate, that commissioner will pay
$2,900 this year unless our elected
officials choose to (stop chasing)
Vogtle money and give the residen
tial taxpayers and other property
owners a break,” Wren said. “We are
getting increased revenue every year,
but the taxpayers are not getting the
benefit of that.”
Ad valorem (property tax) is a
major source of revenue for govern
ments.
The Burke County Tax Assessor’s
Office is charged with valuing resi
dential and commercial properties
in the county, except for the utilities
(including Plant Vogtle),which are
valued by state officials.
The basis for ad valorem taxation
is the fair market value of the prop
erty, which is established January
1st of each year. The tax is levied
on the assessed value of the proper
ty which, by law, g^
is established at
40% of the fair MILLAGE RATE >
market value. The ®
Chief Appraiser Phillip Wren addressed the Board of Commissioners
July 11.
Emails indicate Keysville’s city administrator, Sherell Russ, asked the County June 29 to front the city
$80,000 for three payments to fund the construction of their second well. According to Russ, the city
doesn’t have the necessary funds on hand. Russ asked County Manager Merv Waldrop if the city could
obtain an advance of SPLOSTIVfunding.
Keysville well: Out of money!!!
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
“The SPLOST generates on average $5,290 per
month,” Waldrop responded by email. “There are
10 months left in SPLOST IV which should gener
ate $52,000 for City SPLOST projects. There will
not likely be enough in the current SPLOST to be
advanced for the $80,000 needed for the well project.
The request was made despite the city receiving
$533,165.13 in SPLOST IV between
April 2018 and June 2023, an increase SEE
of $78,665.13 over what was originally WELL,
projected. Keysville pledged to spend 5
Waynesboro settles with
Grovetown mayor for $300k
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
After an executive session Mon
day, the Waynesboro City Council
voted unanimously to accept a
settlement agreement that included a
$300,000 payout to Former Waynes
boro Police Major Gary Jones.
The payout includes $4,500 des
ignated as back wages. The city will
dish out approximately $50,000 and
insurance will pay the remaining bal
ance. The city also agreed to contact
the Georgia Peace Officer Standards
and Training Council (POST) to
change Jones’s status from termina
tion to voluntary resignation.
The parties
negotiated the
terms of the
settlement last
week in media
tion, according
to City Attor
ney Randolph
Frails. He said
after he and co
counsel looked
at the discov
ery in the case, they advised the
city to settle out
of court. SEE
“There was sub- SETTLEMENT,
stantial litigation 6
Gary Jones
BOC votes for cap on
Probate Judge revenue
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Board of Commissioners
unanimously approved a resolution
that puts a cap on how much the
Burke County Probate Judge can
profit from recording or making cop
ies of vital records.
In many counties the responsibil
ity for handling vital records has
been transferred to the county health
department. However, in Burke
County, the probate judge serves
as the local custodian and registrar
for vital records like birth and death
certificates. The probate judge re
ceives fees for recording or making
copies of records, deemed personal
compensation, in addition to regular
compensation.
However, the supplies, storage
costs and staffing support are paid
for by the taxpayers of the County,
pointed out County Manager Merv
Waldrop. For this reason, the Gen
eral Assembly enacted legislation
in 1997 authorizing county commis
sioners to cap vital records fees re
tained by the probate judge at $7,500
per year. Any fees over the cap are to
be deposited in the County’s general
fund. Additionally, the legislation
requires probate judges to prepare
and submit quarterly reports to the
County, summarizing the fees col
lected for handling the vital records.
The law requires Counties to trigger
the cap by adopting a resolution or
ordinance.
Sheriff displeased with BOC response to overspending
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Is the Sheriff setting the stage for
another costly lawsuit?
The Board of Commissioners sent
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams a letter
dated July 11, warning him that if
his current spending trends continue,
he will be over budget by more than
$1,050,000 at the end of the fiscal
year, September 30,2023.
“All of your funds are now encum
bered; you have run out of money,”
said the BOC in the letter signed
by everyone except Commissioner
Lucious Abrams. “Please tell the
Commission which of your bills you
do not want us to pay, or we will do
the best we can.”
In a press release emailed to nu
merous media outlets, the Sheriff
called the BOC’s request a “displeas
ing statement” and included the letter
that ironically pointed to the Board’s
fiscal responsibility for the BCSO’s
credit worthiness.
“Please pay all our bills on time to
avoid a negative impact to our credit
worthiness,” said the Sheriff in a July
14 response letter. “You are aware
that we were not properly funded at
the onset as I repeatedly pointed this
out to the commission (on record).”
Georgia law requires the sheriff to
provide prisoners with medical aid,
heat, blankets and other essentials.
Additionally, county commission
ers must provide the sheriff with
adequate funds for food for prison
ers. If the budget does not provide
adequate funds to handle such ex
penses, the sheriff may personally
make the necessary purchases. In
this instance, the county is required
by law to reimburse the sheriff for
such expenditures. However, while
the bookings have decreased and the
number of employees has increased,
inmate housing costs have continued
to increase while the Sheriff blames
it on the BOC for not providing the
funding for a new facility and a “rea
sonable budget” as required by law.
However, according to the Associa
tion County Commissioners of Geor
gia (ACCG), the sheriff should also
prepare a “realistic budget request”
that reflects constraints confronting
the county in a particular fiscal year.
Also, the Sheriff has the power to
set the salaries of deputies within
“constraints of the county budget,”
however Williams continues to hire
and promote regardless of his over
budget status. He ignores the BOC’s
request to implement a hiring freeze
until the next fiscal year, while con
tinuing to shift the blame for over-
the-budget expenditures onto County
Manager Merv Waldrop.
“I also made the commission
aware that through a judge’s order
we had to increase the nursing
contract, which the commission
signed by $400,000 and outsourcing
of inmates for
inmate and em- SEE
ployee’s health OVERSPENDING,
and safety is 8