Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, August 18, 2021 /Page 2A
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Montgomery County Prepares
to Lower Millage Rate
By Makaylee Randolph
Contributing Writer
Because of the increase
in the net digest value on
local property, the Mont
gomery County Com
mission plans to lower
the millage rate, the tax
rate used to calculate indi
vidual property taxes each
year, from 15.458 to 14.7.
The Montgomery County
Commission will hold a
meeting to set the millage
rate on Friday, August 27,
at 11:30 a.m. at the Mont
gomery County Adult Lit
eracy Center.
For the past five years,
the net digest value in
Kemp
continued from page 1A
rural hospitals, the gover
nor told reporters during
a news conference at the
state Capitol.
Commissioner of
Community Health Cay-
lee Noggle and her team
have also identified 450
beds in nine regional co
ordinating hospitals that
will be soon be available
for the new staff being de
ployed to treat patients.
Kemp said his deci
sion to increase hospital
staff was based on input
during the last week from
hospital CEOs.
“Virtually every hos
pital’s most pressing is
sue was a lack of qualified
staff to treat the patients
coming thru their doors,
nurses, respiratory thera
pists, ICU personnel, just
to name a few,” he said.
The additional hospi
tal staff will be provided
through a continuation of
the state’s no-bid contract
with a private Alpharetta-
based staffing firm, Jack-
son Healthcare, and a sub
sidiary. Georgia Health
News reported recently
that the contract, which
began with the first wave
of COVID-19 in Geor
gia last year, had brought
Jackson $434 million as of
July 23.
Kemp’s announce
ment Monday came as
Georgia continued to lag
the nation in COVID-19
vaccinations. As of Mon
day, 48% of Georgians had
received at least one dose
of a vaccine, compared
to the national average of
59.7%.
About 41% of Geor
gians had been fully vacci
nated, compared to 50.7%
of all Americans.
The governor also
the county has had mini
mal change, averaging
$180,000,000. However,
the 2021 net digest has dra
matically increased, rising
to $198,854,677, because
the countywide value of
timber has nearly doubled
from $3,757,310 last year
to $6,028,189 this year.
Also, the real and per
sonal estate values have
risen from $201,008,707
last year to $217,897,379
this year, County Manager
Brandon Braddy explained.
The Commission plans to
lower the millage rate in
the county, but even with
the lowered millage, taxes
announced Monday that
state offices will be closed
on Friday, Sept. 3, in ad
vance of Labor Day to en
courage state employees
who have not been vacci
nated to schedule a shot
on or before that day.
Kemp also doubled
down on his previous
declaration that the state
will remain open for busi
ness despite a recent rise
in COVID-19 cases, hos
pitalizations and deaths
driven by the highly con
tagious delta variant.
“We will not shut
businesses down,” he said.
“We will not prevent fam
ilies from earning a pay-
check.”
The governor also de
fended his decision not to
impose a mask mandate
on teachers and students
in Georgia schools. How
ever, he said he would
support any choice indi
vidual schools or school
districts might make to
From the
PORCH
will have a 4.78% net tax
increase, totaling $133,243
more than last year.
County Commission
Chairman Leland Ad
ams commented on this
change. “Property values
did increase because of the
Board of Tax Assessors’
recent reassessment. The
Commissioners are consid
ering lowering the millage
rate to lessen the tax bur
den created by the reassess
ment. However, the effect
of the proposed millage
rate will depend on each
property owner’s respec
tive property value.”
switch to online classes
for a short period of time
due to a rise in COVID-19
cases.
“Let the schools deal
with the individual situ
ations they have,” Kemp
said. “That’s better than
one size fits all.”
Overall, 982,589
Georgians have contract
ed COVID-19 since the
pandemic began, the state
Department of Public
Health (DPH) reported
Monday. About 90% of
the current cases involve
the delta variant, DPH
Commissioner Dr. Kath
leen Toomey said Mon
day.
The virus has hospi
talized 68,852 Georgians
and resulted in 21,978
confirmed or probable
deaths.
On Monday alone,
the DPH reported 5,165
confirmed cases, 212
hospitalizations and 45
deaths.
A collection of
personal essays
from author Amber
Nagle’s weekly
column published
in The Advance
COVID
continued from page 1A
ing, Meadows reported 36
patients in house who were
being treated for COVID.
Twelve of these patients
were on ventilators. “That
is the highest number in
the history of our organiza
tion,” Me Coll said. “Every
bed in our ICU is occupied
and four patients are on
ventilators in our PCU.”
Doctors at Meadows
say the most effective way
to stay out of the hospital
with COVID-19 is to get
vaccinated - right now.
“The vaccine has prov
en to be safe and it works.
The vast majority of CO-
VID-19 patients in our hos
pital are unvaccinated,” Mc-
Coll said. Of the 36 patients
now being treated, only
three have been vaccinated
and those patients are not
on ventilators.
Currently, more than
64% of the inpatients at
Meadows are being treated
for COVID-19. “That’s a
record for this pandemic,”
Me Coll said.
Last week 44 patients
were being treated for CO
VID at Meadows. Since
then, five of those patients
have passed away and sev
eral others have been trans
ferred to Atlanta for ad
vanced care, McColl said.
The hospital has
started providing mono
clonal antibody infusions
for those patients whose
primary care physicians
provide referrals. In these
cases, patients are exhibit
ing mild symptoms, have
been recently diagnosed,
and must have tested posi
tive for COVID. Vaccina
tion status is not a factor.
To help with the influx
of patient, Meadows has
temporarily closed the Im
mediate Care Office and
moved those clinicians to
the hospital.
“We’ve also had to send
some COVID-19 patients
to other HCA Health
care Hospitals in Georgia
and South Carolina,” said
Meadows CEO Matt Hasb-
rouck. “We are fortunate to
have the support of HCA
Healthcare.”
“It’s no coincidence
that our community vacci
nation rate is low and our
COVID-19 hospitalization
rate is high,” Dr. McColl
added. “We need every
one’s help. We need people
to get vaccinated.”
Memorial Health
Meadows Hospital is oper
ating a public vaccination
clinic at 1707 Meadows
Lane, Suite A (2nd Floor),
Vidalia, GA 30474. To
schedule an appointment
for a free vaccination, call
(912) 535-SAFE (7233) or
visit www.memorialhealth.
com/ covid -19/ covid-
19-vaccine-information/.
The Schools
In a shocking an
nouncement Friday,
Ware County Schools
announced it was send
ing teachers and students
home until September be
cause of a sharp increase in
cases of COVID-19. The
school district reported 76
students are currently posi
tive for COVID-19 and 679
more are in quarantine due
to possible exposure.
In this area, no schools
have suspended classes be
cause of the virus, but the
number of COVID cases is
beginning to climb.
At Vidalia City Schools,
14 students were COVID
positive and 101 were quar
antined. The system has a
total of 2,504 students and
338 staff. None of the staff
were COVID positive and
only two had been quaran
tined for exposure.
At Toombs County
School System, 29 students
out of a total of 2,945 have
current positive COVID
status. Nine of the system’s
406 employees have tested
positive for COVID.
On Friday afternoon,
Wheeler County School
Superintendent Suzanne
Couey announced that
the system’s Prekindergar
ten program would begin
on Monday, August 16 as
planned. The program had
been delayed because of
the number of COVID cas
es among the Pre-K staff.
The system began
classes on August 9, rather
than the original date of
August 6, because a num
ber of COVID cases had
broken out among staff
and students. The system
had also had to make ad
justments on bus routes
because some school bus
drivers had tested positive
for COVID.
The system mandated
that all students and staff
wear masks throughout the
school day and on buses
in an effort to keep expo
sure to the highly conta
gious virus at a minimum.
This mandate resulted in a
few parents attending last
week’s School Board ses
sion to protest the mandate;
however, the Board did not
rescind the mandate.
In a weekly report on
its web site Friday, August
13, the Wheeler System
reported 51 students and
16 staff were quarantined
(including current and pre
vious week) and 16 staff.
Three students and four
staff members were posi
tive for COVID-19.
Montgomery County
Schools reported five total
current COVID positive
cases: teachers, 4; students,
3; and other staff, 1. A total
of 46 are quarantined, in
cluding 3 teachers and 43
students.
Information for Rob
ert Toombs Academy and
Vidalia Heritage Academy
was not available at dead
line.
“Nagle writes with Southern flavor and charm,
capturing the rhythms of her life with grace and
artistry.” - Audrey Andersen
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Ms. Magnolia 4
Letters have been edited for length and clarity.
Dear Ms. Magnolia,
When all Americans are told they
have to change the correct pronouns
that they have always used to keep from
hurting just a couple of people’s feel
ings, they are being led “like sheep to
the slaughter.” Just because they are
confused about what gender they are
doesn’t mean lam.
I like or dislike individual people for
who they are around me. I don 7 put my
friends into groups like color or gender
or profession. I don’t intentionally hurt
anyone’s feelings, and I’m not changing
the way I was brought up to be, which
is to be courteous and thoughtful of oth
ers. This is America. If they don’t like
me, they don 7 have to be around me.
And if the place I work thinks I have
to change in any way but in my profes
sional capacity, they are infringing on
my personal space and I don 7 need to
work there. I am a hard worker and I
can find a job. I can like most any job; it
doesn’t have to like me. If more people
refused to work under these silly new
conditions, the companies might come
back to reality, so we can start to work
for the good of everybody in peace
again.
Just Me
Dear Just Me,
Your point is well-taken.
If you have a question for Ms. Magnolia, please mail it to P.O. Box 669, Vidalia, GA
30475, or e-mail to nisniagnoliaadvance@yahoo.com.
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