Newspaper Page Text
The Champion, Thursday, June 11 - 17, 2015
LOCAL
Page 9A
From food to finances, agency touches lives
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalbchamp.com
From newborns to the
elderly, the DeKalb County
Extension Office has a vari
ety of free programs to aid
and inspire.
“The most important
thing that Extension offers is
that we really touch people
in the community,” said
Jessica Hill, director of the
county’s extension office.
The DeKalb County
Extension Office is a part
of the University of Geor
gia Extension, which is a
partnership with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
UGA Extensions mis
sion is “to extend lifelong
learning to the people of
Georgia through unbiased,
research-based education
in agriculture, the environ
ment, communities, youth
and families,” according to
its website.
Those interested in
gardening or landscaping
can participate in the exten
sion offices horticulture
program. “They get to see
demonstrations of our hor
ticulture agents planting and
doing different things,” Hill
said.
The office has a fam
ily and consumer finances
program which teaches nu
trition, diabetes education,
chronic disease prevention
and finances,” Hill said.
Garden
Continued From Page 3A
perimeter beds that Schro-
eder said she uses to grow
fruits and vegetables all
year-round for the food pan
try.
“That’s one of my little
volunteer happy hats that
I wear because I can har
vest my vegetables and take
them to the food pantry,”
she said. “They are a fabu
lous food pantry. When we
started working with them
five years ago, from my
understanding, they were
serving about 420 families
a week. Now, their numbers
are about 620 a week. There
is a lot of need in this com
munity.”
To accompany a mobile
farmers market recently
launched, the extension of
fice will be “offering educa
tional programming.. .in the
areas of nutrition, finances,
[and] budgets,” Hill said.
“So we are actually out and
about touching the commu
nity.”
The office also has a
4H and youth development
program in which it teaches
“young people citizenship
and they will also be helping
and serving the community
with this mobile market as
well,” Hill said.
More than 270 vol
unteers participate in the
extension office’s master gar
dener program in DeKalb
County. These volunteers
maintain different sites
around the county for gar
dening, Hill said.
“They are a very in
strumental part of not only
maintaining those gardening
sites, but they also answer
consumer calls as well,” she
said.
Funded with mon
ies from county, state and
federal governments, the
extension office celebrated
its centennial last year. Al
though the office has ap
proximately 500 volunteers
divided up among its master
gardener, 4H, family and
consumer sciences pro
grams, it only has a staff of
21 people.
“It’s a small staff, but
we do big work around the
county,” Hill said. “We rely
on our volunteers to help us
promote Extension, advo
cate for Extension, and to do
educational programming
within the community.”
“Cooperative Exten
sion is very proud to serve
our community and to be
a part of our community,”
Hill said. “We can help com
munities to become more
healthy, more sustainable
and more environmentally
friendly.”
For more information
about the DeKalb County
Extension Office, call (404)
298-4080 or visit www.caes.
uga. edu/extension/dekalb.
NOTICE OF TAX INCREASE
And 5 Year History of Levy
The Governing Authority of the City of Avondale Estates has tentatively adopted a 2015 millage rate which will
require an increase in the property taxes by 16.53 percent. All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings
on this tax increase to be held at City Hall, 21 North Avondale Plaza, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 on Tuesday,
June 16, 2015 at 5:30 P.M., Monday, June 22, 2015 at 7:30 P.M., and Wednesday July 1, 2015 at 6:00 PM.
This tentative increase will result in a millage rate of 10.957 mills, an increase of 1.56 mills. Without this tentative
tax increase, the millage rate will be no more than 9.403 mills. The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair
market value of $200,000.00 is approximately $312. The proposed increase on non-homestead property with a fair
market value of $200,000 is approximately $312. The proposed tax increase for a property with the county basic
homestead exemption is $312.
City
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Real & Personal
157,295,925
158,471,976
133,021,745
141,146,248
148,072,403
178,050,508
Motor Vehicles
7,917,420
7,854,350
8,014,980
8,451,460
7,456,190
5,564,760
Mobile Homes
Timber - 100%
Heavy Duty Equipment
Gross Digest
165,213,345
166,326,326
141,036,725
149,597,708
155,528,593
183,615,268
Less M&O Exemptions
119,131
102,456
231,089
138,061
268,311
371,490
Net M&O Digest
165,094,214
166,223,870
140,805,636
149,459,647
155,260,282
183,243,778
State Forest Land
Assistance Grant Value
Adjusted Net M&O Digest
165,094,214
166,223,870
140,805,636
149,459,647
155,260,282
183,243,778
Gross M&O Millage
11.000
10.957
10.957
10.957
10.957
10.957
Less Rollbacks
Net M&O Millage
11.000
10.957
10.957
10.957
10.957
10.957
Total City Taxes Levied
$1,816,036
$1,821,315
$1,542,807
$1,637,629
$1,701,187
$2,007,802
Net Taxes $ Increase
$5,279
-$278,508
$94,822
$63,558
$306,615
Net Taxes % Increase
0.29%
-15.29%
6.15%
3.88%
18.02%
NOTICE
The Mayor and Council of the City of Pine Lake does hereby announce that the millage rate will be set at a meeting to be
held at the Pine Lake Club House, 300 Clubhouse Dr., Pine Lake Georgia, 30072 on June 30, 2015 at 7:30 PM and pursuant to
O.C.G.A. Section 48-5-32 does hereby publish the following presentation of the current year's tax digest and levy, along with the
history of the tax digest and levy for the past five years.
The Pubic Hearing will be held immediately prior to the meeting, beginning at 7:00 PM on June 30, 2015 in the Club House,
300 Clubhouse Dr., Pine Lake GA 30072. The public is invited to attend and be heard.
CURRENT 2015 TAX DIGEST AND 5 YEAR HISTORY OF LEVY
INCORPORATED
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Real & Personal
23,212,367
19,484,475
15,898,584
12,792,852
14,339,521
20,069,921
Motor Vehicles
1,182,020
1,119,240
1,141,400
1,177,580
977,730
699,770
Mobile Homes
Timber - 100%
Heavy Duty Equipment
Gross Digest
24,394,387
20,603,715
17,039,994
13,970,412
15,317,251
20,769,691
Less M& O Exemptions
1,069,933
1,059,679
1,103,602
968,437
927,770
952,730
Net M&O Digest
$23,324,454
$19,544,036
$16,036,392
$13,001,975
$14,389,481
$19,816,961
state horest Land Assistance
Grant Value
Adjusted Net M&O Digest
23,324,454
19,544,036
16,036,392
13,001,975
14,389,481
19,816,961
Gross M&O Millage
17.100
20.604
24.190
29.824
28.110
21.402
Less Rollbacks
Net M&O Millage
17.100
20.604
24.190
29.824
28.110
21.402
Net Taxes Levied
$398,849
$402,685
$387,210
$387,771
$404,488
$424,122
Net Taxes $ Increase/Decrease
$56,416
$3,836
$3,489
$1,014
$16,717
$19,634
Net Taxes % Increase/Decrease
14.00%
0.01%
0.79%
0.02%
4.14%
4.65%
D5 Election Day
Tuesday
June 16